The professional CV is different to that of the Intermediate CV content because of the nature of the type of work or specialism someone has undertaken during their working life. A career in medicine, legal or finance will be the type of professions this will apply to. It could be said that work is much more career based achievement at specific levels within a chosen profession.

Though one can quote particular formats for presenting a CV type, actually they are all more or less bespoke efforts and whatever presentation and headings used are very much dependant on detail and presentation required. For example an internal CV will be different to an external application. It would also depend on the career step, as mentioning transferable skills may be significant. As the saying goes it is 'horses for courses' and each CV written is a finely tuned historical document which is individually specific and mapped to the role applied for.

Almost certainly a Professional CV must be accompanied by a Profesional Profile or Cover Letter. Keeping the CV to 2/3 at the most pages will be difficult, but this can be mitigated if supplimented further. Whatever the final documents the profile, letter and CV must be so aligned and complimentary that they provide a distinguished and concise understanding of the candidate which reflects the essentials of the career based history, attitude and committment to achieving objectives.

Important tips;

»  Do not be modest in your achievements. The tone of the language you should use is what you have done to make the difference. Lead the sales team, project managed a major strategic project, developed processes to cut corporate debt. A professional CV should set to out from others that have simply performed their role to the job description.

»   Mention your achievements in monetary terms. If you have delivered a project which has brought £100,000 business benefit, then say so.  Employers and recruiters want to see what you have done and the scale in monetary terms because it shows your contribution directly to business benefit and profits.

»   Your achievements should be noted in terms of benefit realisation, i.e. your reorganisation of the sales terms and practices led to a 3 fold increase in sales performance, and therefore revenue to the business. Think about what you have done in terms of buisness benefit, to quality, and to performance.

»   It is always good to record your membership of any recognised organisations such as The Institute of Management, because it denotes a level of standing and recognition within your own professional organisation.

»   If you are called to an interview then be prepared to have all certificates mentioned in your CV. Gone are the days when your word is taken, with more employers wanting to see the original documents.

»   You will not need to include your references on your CV, but be prepared to take them with you for an interview. Like documentation more employers will seek out references before making any offer of the position. Also it is a good idea to prepare your referees beforehand of any potential contact.