Highlight your achievements
You should always make use of active verbs, i.e.: set up, achieved, attained, managed, led and responsible for. Use bullet points to highlight the key successes in your life emphasizing them and making it short and punchy. Don't write lengths of prose for job descriptions.

Always put your work experience chronologically
It is always best to start with your current employment and work backwards, remembering to include the name and location of your employer, your start and end dates and your job title. Provide a brief description of your responsibilities in bullet points and highlight your accomplishments. If you are looking for your first job, list any relevant work experience, voluntary or paid.

Tailor your CV to the company and role you are applying for
Employers can spot a mass mailing so if you are applying for a job within a particular industry, ensure you highlight and draw attention to your experience within that area.

Remember to be honest
You must always be honest and truthful when writing your CV. It may seem quite a good idea to amend your details but it will firstly undermine your confidence at interview and if you are successful, do you really want to start your new position feeling you haven't been entirely honest.

Highlight your Education
If you are in your first two years in the job market, it is always a good idea to give your education equal attention and also highlight your achievements either at College or University. This will show your attributes i.e. whether you are enthusiastic, a self-starter or full of initiative.

Make sure you don't overcrowd your CV
Make sure your CV is easy to read, clear and well presented. Your future employer must be able to find your key information quickly and bullet points really help in highlighting your key achievements. If your prospective employer has to work hard to read your CV, they will quickly lose interest.

Get it checked
Ensure you get a trusted friend or family to read your CV as they will always see mistakes that you may have missed or alternatively offer suggestions. Always prepare your CV over a period of time, as this will allow you to look at it objectively and provide improvements.

References
Check with referees before you use their names. Employers will like to see your current employer and a professor or teacher at your college/university as the referees. This demonstrates how you react in a working and learning environment.

Check your spelling
Spelling mistakes are unforgivable and will undermine your professionalism and attention to detail. You must ensure perfection in this area and ensure you use the spell check facility on your PC, but also read the words out loud to be sure they are correct and in context (e.g. from not form).

How does your CV look?
How your CV is presented will determine whether your prospective employer reads it in full. Always consider how it looks? Does it look professional? Is it consistent and easy to follow? Are the headings in order? Are the relevant factors highlighted? If you can, avoid slang, ensure it looks professional, maintain a consistent font and font size and do not cram information into the format. Just remember this report is a representation of you - how do you want to be perceived?

Is your CV relevant to the position you are applying for?
It is always best to look at the job advertisement or job description on its own and then with a highlighter, highlight the most important factors of the role. This will enable you to determine exactly what the company is looking for and how your skills best suit this position.

Accomplishment and Skills
It is always good to emphasize your skills, abilities and achievements and highlight them with active words and phrases. You should always quantify your achievements and show an employer that you have demonstrated an ability to do the job that you are applying for? Put yourself in the position of an Employer, they will be asking 'what can this person do for me? If successful you will be attending an interview where you will need to prove to the Employer what you can do.

Content fundamentals
There are certain things that you should avoid - these are:

• Leave out unnecessary personal information e.g. weight, unless it is directly relevant to the job you are applying for
• Salary requirements
• Do not include reasons for leaving previous jobs

To do

You should confirm the interview and how to get to the company -this is best done by telephone.
You should also confirm the name of your interviewer, their title and the correct pronunciation of their name.
It is a good idea to study your CV and prepare answers to the most likely questions. Preparation time is rarely wasted.
Research the company, the job, and, if relevant, the person who will be conducting the interview.

Answering and Asking Questions
It is vital to know every component of your CV, identifying your strengths and weaknesses. You must be prepared to explain both changes in employment and career and be honest as this shows maturity.

It is always good to take another copy of your CV so you are able to refer to it during your interview and if necessary, take a photo with you so the Interviewer can refer to it in the future. It is also best to take copies of your certificates and examples of your work, as this may be required.

Prepare for the probable questions ­ how do you see yourself as an employee, what have you achieved, what are your goals/ambitions, and practice your answers in a `mock interview´ if possible, so that you know exactly what to say. Below are some questions that are likely to be asked:

• Describe your current job and responsibilities.
• How do your skills and experience relate to this job?
• What are your achievements in your current job?
• Why do you want to change jobs?
• Why are you interested in this job?
• Why do you want to work for this company?
• How do you work in a team?
• What are your career objectives over the coming two or three years?
• Where do you see yourself in five or ten year's time?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your hobbies?

Research
Make sure you know what the job entails ­ get a job description or ask for clarification.

Below is a list of possible questions to ask:

• Who will I be reporting to?
• What sort of training program is available?
• How many other people will be working on my project / in my department?
• Why has the job become available?
• What is the culture of the company?
• What are the company's plans for future development?

As the interview ends
You will more than likely have the opportunity to ask the interviewer questions at the end of the interview so use this chance to demonstrate that you have done some research on the company, and further to clarify any grey areas.

Do not be afraid to ask about the next step of the recruitment process as questions phrased in the right manner will not appear pushy. You can then gauge this and it will provide a useful timescale as to when you can expect to know if you have been successful.

Examples include - How many candidates are being interviewed for this job? When is the closing date for interviews?

As the interview closes, thank the interviewer for their time.

Interview style
Interview Dos and Don'ts:

Do:

• Keep your answer concise and concentrate on the facts not opinions.
• Speak clearly and confidently and do not allow yourself to be discouraged.
• Always think before you speak - it is too easy to waffle when you are nervous.
• Constantly remind yourself that you have something to sell and focus on how you can make a positive contribution in the role.

Don't:

• Try to be too clever.
• Lie, pretend or give evasive answers.
• Lose your temper, get flustered, panic.
• Criticise your former employers.

There are a number of ways that a candidate can find out about a position/company before they attend an interview.

• Look at the company website ­and also look at the websites of their competitors. These might give you an insight into the business of the company and scope for questions.
• On the website, also look at the jobs page and see if you find further information on the requirements of the role
• Look for the company website through the search engines or the online Yellow Pages.
• Press websites provide current and future commercial trends and provide useful information on any mergers and acquisitions that might be taking place
• Call the company and ask for a copy of their Annual Report or company literature - this will allow you to study mission statements understanding the company's culture, ethos current position in the market place and future plans for growth.

Body Language
Shake hands firmly and smile. The initial greeting creates a vital impression, be interested, positive and approachable.

Wait until you are offered a seat before sitting down.

Maintain eye contact. If there is more than one interviewer look at the one who is talking. This reinforces the impression that you are being open and honest.

Punctuality
Arrive early, 10 ­- 15 minutes is acceptable. This will allow you time to freshen up and have a few moments to collect your thoughts. It might also allow you to meet members of staff and see the operations providing a valuable insight into the day to day running of the company.

Interview
Skills - Identify your strengths and what you have achieved ensuring that they understand you are uniquely qualified to make a contribution to the company.

Knowledge - Why do you want the job - ensure they know why you do and why you would be suitable, be confident.

Attitude - Be enthusiastic and positive and remain courteous throughout the interview.

Composure - Listen carefully to each question being asked. Do not be afraid to sit and think before answering. This will enable you to be concise and sincere and stop you from rambling.

These tips will help you prepare for interviews. They provide you with the best opportunity to secure an offer. Tried and tested figure increases offer rate by 40%.

1. The handshake – it should be firm and with eye-contact
2. Inane conversation it is advisable to chat about pretty much anything on the way to the interview room – don’t clam up – even if it’s the weather – try to be friendly and show you are interested to be there
3. Drinks – (accept a drink if offered and use as a tool to buy thinking time if asked a tricky question)
4. Notepad (be seen to be making notes to reiterate enthusiasm) It’s essential to take a pen and paper.
5. Prepare 6 questions and if all these are answered during the course of the interview, tell the interviewer so that they are not questioning interest!) Sometimes candidates can lose an offer if they haven’t prepared questions! They can be about anything at all (see website) but not salary!
6. Ask the client how they feel about their role – the organisation – It's flattering and may just help distinguish you from others with equal capability. Ask them how they find the culture or enjoy the role.
7. You must confirm your interest at the end of the interview – whether you are sure it is the right position or not - it gives you the best chance of getting an offer – ask where it goes from here.