In most cases it is your CV that your prospective employer meets first. Therefore you should invest time in writing and structuring it properly to create a good initial and lasting impression of you. A good CV means you are half way to success! Human Resources or anyone else reading your CV will not only judge you according to your summarized data, but by many formal and content elements which you may not have taken into consideration. Here are some simple tips and guidelines on how to create a perfect CV:

• It is a general principle that a CV should not exceed 1 or 2 pages.
• Send a CV with a photograph! It is important that the picture should look more like an ID photo, than one that was cut out from the family album. Don't forget that you are applying for a job and this is the first time that a potential employer "faces" you.
• Always send a typewritten CV unless a handwritten version is requested as well. Generally, these are required to be analysed by graphologists. Even with a handwritten CV, you should still pay attention to the formal elements and you should enclose a typewritten copy as well.
• If you send your CV through the post, you should always send an original version! A CV that has been copied several times will make a bad impression and they may view this as disrespectful if they didn't get an original.
• Keyword: quality! Print on quality paper with a quality printer! If you don't have a printer, there are many places that can print for you.It's not very expensive and it's worth taking the time to findsomewhere.
• Avoid using colourful, medley and patterned papers. Choose white or one of its shades and use black for the text.
• Don't fax your CV - unless you have no other alternative!
• If you create your CV on a computer, be aware of several things: The file size of the CV should not be too large (max. 600 Kbytes)or it may be rejected by the prospective employer's mailbox. If you create your CV in MS Word, use a common font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana) and apply settings that are most likely to be found on a prospective employer's computer as well. The danger of using a rare font is that another computer may not recognize the special characters and it will replace them with squares or other strange signs. If you decide to use a rare or uncommon font, we suggest you save your CV in a PDF format, so you can avoid the pitfalls mentioned above.
• Don't use handwritten-type fonts or those which are difficult to read!
• Be moderate while you're formatting! Never use more than 3-4 types of font size and don't overdo the highlighting (underlining, bolding) either.
• Perspicuity is important, so compartmentalize your CV!
• Check grammar and spelling over and over again! You can also ask someone to proof read it for you - new eyes may notice faults you have overlooked.
• Always enclose a cover letter in which you briefly summarize your CV and pan out your aims and strengths etc.

As we mentioned in the previous section: a good CV should be divided into sections. Here are some complements to our downloadable CV sample:

• Main parts: personal data, qualification and professional experience. This provides the backbone of the CV. It is completed with further information, like language skills, references, awards, publications, other knowledge (computer, driving licence etc.) and hobbies (team sports or other fields of interest that are related to the given professional). You should evaluate which additional information is needed and how much it has to be emphasized in your CV (e.g. in the case of an IT job your computer skills will have great importance and relevance).
• Personal data: full name, address, e-mail (and not the one of your present workplace!), mobile number (if you give your home telephone number, you should state the hours that you are available), marital status and nationality.
• Qualifications: start with the last one and go back in time (primary school is not needed). State the date of entrance and graduation (e.g. 1980--1985), school's name, major, minor, specialization, nature of graduation. In this section you can mention all other training and qualifications that arerelative to the job being applied for.Any other courses can be mentioned (but keep things like the diving course for the personal interview). You don't need to mention yourgradesunless the employer requires them.
• Professional experiences:you should start with the last workplace and work backwards. Indicate; the period of employment, the name of the company, city/town, country, position and give a short description of your duties. If your position has changed in a workplace during your employment, you should indicate that as well. You should always explain extensively any spheres of activities and experience you have that are directly relevantto the applied job. If you don't have any, explain extensively your present or most recent positionto provide a prospective employer with an updated picture of yourself.
• Regarding the phrasing generally it should be brief, precise and to the point! Don't forget that it should fit onto 1 or 2 pages.
• Salary and other requirements (e.g. other benefits) should not be mentioned in a CV! These subjects are for discussion at the personal interview.

And last but not least! The golden rule: only write true data and accurate information in your CV. Long term happiness can quickly become long term disappointment if it turns out that this rule wasn't followed!