A thoughtful, well-written CV can help you stand out as a candidate. Because it needs to serve as your sales pitch, be sure it's compelling, insightful and truthful. Your CV is also often the first glimpse we and our clients have of you.

Here are some tips to crafting a CV that will help you make a great first impression.

Start with the basics

Remember that simple is best. Do not over complicate your CV to try and look more interesting. Use bulleted items, indentations, adequate margins and white space to make it readable to the prospective employer. Include your full name, address, telephone number, and if you have them, mobile phone and e-mail address at the top. If you're not home during the day, it's helpful to have an answering machine or voice mail at the telephone number.

Keep it simple

Human Resource professionals generally prefer a chronological CV that lists your most recent employer first, and continues in reverse order. You probably want to put a few sentences, or short, bulleted phrases under each employer to explain what you did in that job. However, if you are changing career paths or have an inconsistent work history, you might want to opt for a functional CV. This would include your achievements and job skills first, perhaps separated into categories, followed by a reverse chronological list of your employers.

Be succinct but powerful

Keep your job descriptions short and informative. Use dynamic action words when possible and highlight specific achievements. Saying you "increased sales by 25 percent," is better than saying you are "an experienced salesman." It's also best to avoid personal pronouns such as "I" or "me" and instead just launch into your description with a powerful verb such as "Performed," "Supervised," or "Initiated."

Keep it brief

A one-page CV is probably adequate if you are applying for your second or third job. You don't want to overwhelm the reader with too many details. But if you've been in the workforce for two decades and have a great deal of job experience, use the space you need to explain it.

Include education and objectives

Employers want to know about your education. It's a good idea to include both standard school/college based qualifications in addition to extra-curricular qualifications you have gained in your own time. If you are applying for a specific position, you might also list a job objective and a brief description of your related skills and experience.

Keep it truthful

You want to sell yourself in this CV, but don't do it under false pretences. Never lie in your CV, falsify qualifications or make up job skills you don't have. You can be sure that over the course of the interview process your deception will be uncovered and you will jeopardise any chance you might have had of securing the position

Don't include too much

Be sure not to list any overly personal information - height, weight, marital status, age, ethnicity, religion, number of children, political affiliation or hobbies. There's no need. Such information is private and inappropriate for a potential employer to consider

Include information that sets you apart

If your membership in a professional organisation is important to the job at hand, mention it. The same goes for technical language, especially for highly technical positions. You don't want to fill your CV with jargon, but you want the employer to know you are familiar with the industry.

Proofread

We can't stress this enough. A single misspelling or typo could send your CV straight into the rejection file. Be sure to read it over with an eagle eye and then have a friend read it, too.

Most of all…

You want this CV to get your foot in the door and pave the way to an interview. It's your first, best chance to wow a prospective employer. If you think you can't do it yourself, consider getting assistance from a professional CV writer. In the end, you want to sell yourself, not sell yourself short. To get started, why not download our handy CV template.