There is a lot of advice around about CV construction and some is contradictory.
We can only give you our opinion based on our teams experience gained from many years within the recruitment industry. We hope some of the pointers will be of use to you.
Tailor your CV to the job you are applying for. Create a 'basic' version that you can tweak.
Be positive, don't list failures but at the same time be honest.
Start with name, address, all contact details inc email and mobile. State best times to contact you if impossible to speak at work. Then profile- a few lines summing you up and what you are looking for. Work history is next with more emphasis on the last few roles.
Basics sometimes left out include confirmation you can work legally in the UK and hold a driving license.
Listing interests has become a bit less popular over the years. We believe though it depends on what you write. If it is dining out, travelling and socialising with friends probably best to leave it off. We all like that! However if you are a keen sportsperson, have ran a few marathons, do voluntary work for a local organisation or a captain of a team you should put it down.
If you have technical skills in your field list them in a skills matrix or bullet-points on front page.
Likewise, list every technical skill you have used, certainly in the last 8 years or so. Some inexperienced recruitment consultants may reject your CV if it doesn't have the right 'buzz words' that match a job spec- even though it would be obvious to you that you would have had to use them to function in your role.
At Laurus we have an electronic database of candidates but we also have hard copies of CV's to work with. It jogs your mind to who is available even if there is nothing to suit at the time being. However when we search our job board databases, along with other agencies, we do 'keyword' searches because we are dealing with job seekers who are not yet known to us. It is important for you to stand out and be near the front of the queue- without going over the top. If you are CiPD qualified, for example, you should drop CiPD into the CV a couple of times at least. Same with your job title. If you are a Java A/P then write Java in wherever appropriate.
The correct length of CV will depend on, amongst other things, age, occupation and whether you have spent significant time in interim positions. A page per decade of life is about right. If your CV runs into 10-12 pages that is far too long- or you have had a telegram from the Queen.
Do not write in the third person.
Do not put a photograph on your CV even if you are drop dead gorgeous.
With employment history always write it in reverse chronological order. Always.
Do not write in some wacky font. Calibri or Verdana are two of the easier reads.
Do not write professional references on your CV. Recruitment agencies may well jump on these and contact your referee looking for vacancies. This might not be appreciated. Give references when you are being submitted for a vacancy.
You don't have to put your age on a CV due to The Age Discrimination Act. In fact most employers insist agencies remove the date of birth on the CV before submitting it to them.
If possible, when constructing your CV make a scanned copy of your passport and recent utility bill as these are required on files for right to work in the UK legislation.
Finally, spell check. But don't rely on this tool. There/Their. Here/Hear. Now/Know. The list could go on. Ideally get someone else to read through your finished masterpiece. If you have spent a couple of hours composing your CV from scratch you will know the wording off by heart. You may well scan when you check it. A fresh pair of eyes may pick up on things that don't register with you but could with a CV reviewer. If you task someone with reviewing it they are likely to be critical and look for faults. That's what you need.