1. Organise your life

In functional CVs, you put your skills into categories then briefly list past job titles at the bottom. These are suitable for those who have been unemployed for long periods, held different types of jobs in the past, changed jobs too frequently, are returning to work after a long period or who wish to change career.

Recent graduates and others on a consistent career path usually opt for the chronological format. These CVs list your jobs and duties for each in reverse chronological order.

2. Categorise your achievements

When doing up a chronological CV, you should outline sections of your experience, education and skills to show what you’ve accomplished. HR personnel and employers take less than a minute to scan your CV, so it’s imperative to highlight and organise items into several concise and relevant segments.

If you’re a recent graduate and therefore have not yet been employed, put your Education section first. In addition to the basics - university name, degree and graduation date - you can include relevant coursework, honours or awards.

Other categories might include Relevant Work Experience, Volunteer Experience, Computer Skills, Publications, Activities, Language Skills and so on.

3. Appearance can make or break your CV.