I have uploaded this again, as i dont seem to be able to view it properly on my blog!!

1a the beginning...

I have been thinking about my CV and how best to present it - I have both a theatre based performance CV and what I call a business CV.  My theatre based CV has been neglegected for a couple of years, as I no longer work in the industry, so this will be interesting to see in comparison to my BAPP colleagues and how they have developed theirs.  Personally, I am going to attempt to portray all my skills across both areas on to 1 CV - I thought this would be interesting to try and combine them both.  This will be a working process for me and the outcome may not be totally right, but an interesting learning curve as to what is and isn't useful to possible future employers.

Looking at Hollie Victoria's blog led me to the idea of utilising my contacts, and luckily I also have some contacts in recruitment, so I asked what tips they would have with regards to writing a CV that may be helpful to us all...see below...

1. Show what makes you unique
For every job you apply for you could be up against hundreds of other candidates so you need to make sure you stand out. Employers don't just buy skills, they buy solutions, so show how can you make the company money and how can you resolve the problems that they have.

2. Choose a clear layout
Employers spend around 20 to 30 seconds scanning your CV so it needs to remain clutter-free and easy to read. The last thing a recruiter wants to do is to go hunting for the information that they are looking for so don't hide it amongst an array of elaborate graphics.

3. Tailor your CV to your audience
It may sound like a time consuming process, but making the effort to tailor your CV to suit the requirements of each particular job that you are applying for can greatly increase your chances of securing an interview.

4. Keep it error free
It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your CV and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. As well as checking your spelling and grammar, make sure your employment dates match up and that you've provided the right phone number and email address.

5. Keep your CV up-to-date
When you put together a CV it's often difficult remembering the projects you have been involved with and the achievements you have made. To avoid missing important pieces of information out, revisit your CV every month adding anything of importance, and cutting any information that is no longer required.

Taking all of these pointers on board I am going to upload both of my original CV's as my true initial starting point and develop them from there.