Is your Curriculum Vitae:

WELL-RESEARCHED?

Candidates who make it to the short list are those who have the appropriate experience, qualifications and personal attributes for the job. But for a hotly-contested position, there may be dozens of those.

How do employers whittle it down to the last few? They are looking or those who display professionalism and enthusiasm from the stamp and address on the envelope inwards.

"I am a serious, professional contender for this job. I have taken the time and trouble to find out about your industry, your organisation, you and your concerns."

That is the impression you must convey to the employer as (s)he reads your document.

"I don't give a damn what your name is, I haven't bothered to find out anything about your company, here's my standard CV - take it or leave it."

Whom would you short-list?

You need to find out a great deal in order to be able to tailor your CV this way. Think of it in the light of this extreme example - you have decided to take a career change and you are either going to be a landscape gardener or an astronaut. Do you seriously think that a generic CV about you and your background is going to get you to interview?

Those two CVs need to be closely tailored to the concerns of the Parks Service and NASA respectively - so tailored that if you get the wrong CV in the wrong envelope, you definitely won't get called to interview ...

Same person, same backgound, same education and same experience, but different aspects of that mix are going to appeal to different employers.

Then you have to get the look and feel right.