I read hundreds of CV's a week. It becomes tedious and at times frustrating. Other times I get a good laugh because of the blatant mistakes or dreadful grammar. Most CV's I read have literally a few seconds to grab my attention. So what does grab my attention?

Most CV's I read have literally a few seconds to grab my attention. So what does grab my attention? Firstly, the cover letter, if I am privileged enough to be sent one! Often the letter is a short note written like a sms to a friend (I have mentioned this in a previous article of mine). If the cover letter is so horrendously written it may grab my attention to take a peak at the CV just to satisfy my curiosity.

One thing that really irks me is when I receive a cover letter from a candidate who has applied for a job and they have obviously not read the job description. Some send me a cover letter applying for a job with someone else's name on the letter! Some apply for a position of say, customer service representative when in fact the position advertised was for an accounts clerk.

I receive some CV's which are so ill-prepared that I am aghast that the candidate would even dare to send it in. They can be full of spelling mistakes and incorrect grammar. I think one the worst one's I received was in his previous experience he put down "I have been a raper". Often the CV will be perfectly typed and grammatically correct and I know instantly the candidate did not prepare it themselves when I compare it to the cover letter.

Of course then there are times when the cover letter is perfectly written and I quickly go to the CV hopeful that I probably have a quality candidate here.

I realise most people these days have their "Career Objective" at the top of the CV. I don't read this, I don't have time. I jump straight to the last or current job to establish how long the candidate has been there. If the previous position seems to have been stable the CV has my attention and I continue to read through it. If the last position was short, I will glance quickly at the previous job history. I do not like job-hoppers and unless the job hopper has written a valid excuse as to why they only stay in positions for a short time, I'm not really interested. This is because I'm looking for loyalty and stability.

Of course, if the job-hopping was due to the TEMP assignments this does grab my attention as I also run a TEMP desk.

When a CV does grab my attention, I then start to study it in depth and if I am happy with it, the candidate gets a phone call immediately.

Here are my tips for sending in a CV and please remember this is just my personal preference:

• Write a well thought out cover letter (not more than one page).
• Ensure you have the recruiter's name on the letter and NOT one of another person
• Dear Sir/Madam or HR Officer tells me you haven't really bothered to find out who you are dealing with
• Do not write your letter as if you are sending a text message and please have a capital for when you are writing I not i.
• Ensure you have a clear understanding of the position you are applying for and that you have the right skills and meet the criteria.
• Do not ever send a standard cover letter without first checking the name of the recruiter, the company you are sending it to and the right job title in it preferably with the reference number
• If you have changed jobs a lot, explain why you have left each position
• Always mention your achievements - this is a big selling point
• Try and give specific details on what your experience is in each job
• Have your CV neatly typed and easy to read and in WORD format. We never send your CV out with your own details on it and we format it into our own template.
• I personally prefer to have the period of employment written as exact dates, I realise many other recruiters do not agree with this, however this is my preference i.e. 4.3.06 - 22.12.07 not 2006/07
• At the end of the cover letter give the best times to call you should the recruiter wish to obtain more information on you
• And lastly, if you do get an interview please be on time, do not chew gum (oh yes it happens), dress as if you really want the job and relax, we are here to help you not hinder you.

Debbie Carr is a director of the True Colours Group and Coyote Management International. You can find her at www.truecoloursrecruitment.com, www.truecolourstraining.com, www.truecolourskeynotes.com and www.coyote.com.au/debbie_carr.html and you can read her story at www.seemingly-sane.com