Intelligent and articulate communication should use few and wisely chosen words. That’s why we strongly suggest taking your newly updated CV and cutting the content in half.

Even if you listened to other advice and kept your CV to 2 (or max 3) pages, this should still be an invaluable exercise. We’re not suggesting you write a 1 page CV but instead be ruthless about what is included and work harder to generate content employers will want to see.

Not many job seekers go this extra yard, so in doing so you give yourself a grand chance of success.

How?

1. Be ruthless and cut out material that is not relevant for the roles you are applying for. Condense long sentences and start bullet points with a verb (e.g. contributed, managed, achieved, implemented). Ensure the skills you describe are consistent and clear. Better to show great evidence of 2 skills than weaker evidence of 4.

2. Re-consider your personal statement. If, like many, it mentions more than 3 skills you may start to weaken your profile. Being too generic looks bland and ends up being about as revealing as your shoe size. Condense what you say and be specific.

3. You should be left with a very short CV. Now make sure you have separated your responsibilities and achievements, at least for your most recent job. Check you have more achievements than responsibilities and that they demonstrate skills your target employers seek.

4. Leave room (we suggest about 20%) to include points specific to each employer you apply for. Examine the job description carefully and relate it to your previous experiences. Weave in the new content using short, punchy language.

Recruiters have repeatedly stressed 4 critical components differentiate poor and high performers: Clarity, Conciseness, Structure & Logical flow.

This applies equally to the interview. A wise approach is to follow the interviewer's lead and answer only those questions posed to you. Your answers should be sound-bites lasting 30 to 45 seconds. Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. You could ramble on and talk yourself right out of the job.

That’s why brevity is the soul of wit.