There is no absolutely right way of preparing a curriculum vitae (CV), since you are often subject to the personal preferences of the recipient. However, there are certainly wrong ways of doing it. This Advisory Section therefore highlights the major pitfalls and gives guidance on the essential features of a powerful CV.

Your CV gives a brief resume of you to someone you have never met before. That person is likely to be considering it alongside many others, especially if you have applied for an advertised post. In fact, for nationally advertised vacancies, there could be upwards of a hundred replies, depending on location and whether requirements are specific. So, if you put yourself in the shoes of the person making the initial selection from a large bundle of CV’s, you will appreciate that anything not up to scratch will not be looked at twice.