ALL of us have agonised over our CV at one time or another. How to account for inconvenient gaps in the employment record in a way which does not suggest that we've been spending time locked away at the taxpayer's expense.
One person we know, trying to apply for work in the second oldest profession, fell foul of procedure, being unable to supply UK referees for time spent abroad. James Bond never seemed to have this problem, his only string of referees being exotic foreign women.
According to a discussion on one LinkedIn group, gone are the days when you should keep the CV to a couple of sides of A4. No, they should contain huge detail and long lists of everything you've done! The devil's in the detail we're told.
Well, that's as may be, but if you're sending your CV to Spinnaker, stop writing those long lists right now! Instead, take a look at the CV advice on our website
http://www.shippingjobs.com/js-advice-cv.asp
Send us something concise, coherent and compelling (gosh, all of a sudden we've come over in a rash of academia – we'll call them the "3 Cs"). Look, detail is important, but as with any other aspect of one's working life, it pays to know when to use it and when to highlight relevant key points.
CVs are a summary, they are your foot in the door, they're your opportunity to sell yourself, to attract attention and to stand out from the crowd. They should be truthful, they should help the reader to understand what you are, whether you are any good at it and what you will bring to your next employer. Pity the poor recruiter – okay then, forget that – and his client who has to read not only your CV but potentially many more and help him to choose you. Then, by all means unleash the detail because the CV alone won't get you the job, you will.
People buy people, not CVs – or inside leg measurements.
