The following is a useful source of advice, more or less relevant according to the economical situation or to your personal situation. Yet useful for you but also for us, as it makes our work easier.

THE NEVERENDING C.V.

A lot has been said about the C.V. If what has been said hasn't made things easier for the candidate it's obvious that it has enriched certain of their authors. Unfortunately some of them aren't in charge of any recruitment, or they have been so only very long ago, or even they are, and since very recently.

We'll limit ourselves to a few remarks of common-sense that don't always please as they are a bit contradictory to what one at first might think.

Answer to the question what is the purpose of a C.V ?, is almost enough. A C.V. is not a publicity flyer, it's a manual, the manual of you, that is a technical document, a bit unprepossessing, precise, immediately ready to use, that indicates what you can immediately bring to the employers. We would almost say that a good C.V is a dull C.V... It's "the" document that'll decide whether a potential employer will contact you, or not. This is why a good C.V. has the standard shape, size, is easily readable and doesn't contain but what's absolutely necessary not to get to know you better, as often said, but what gives a hint only of whom you are technically and thus the technically convenient person.
In fact the C.V. is there to eliminate you. Consequently it's not absolutely necessary to precise that you play the mah-jongg or that you already have visited Bechuanaland. It's rather possible to evoke these intriguing topics at the interview.

At the other hand, it's most recommended to define with accuracy the specific technical skill that you command.
For instance your skills in foreign languages. We do not appreciate the eternal "French read, spoken and written" or the even more used "fluent" (that might indicate that one speaks well, or that one is able to command a sandwich at a café).
These standard phrases are more a bad habit than a pertinent indicator of your skills. One might think that one speaks a language very well, compared to others etc. We recommend that your C.V. explains with a sentence or two, like : "Fluent - I have lived in France for two years and I only speak French with my colleagues at work". Some others advices :

THE UNNECESSARY LETTER OF MOTIVATION

Rather recently the world realised that the candidates should be motivated for the post, otherwise the recruiters where demoralised by the application. and the candidate not considered as serious. This, very true. But we are quite sceptical that a candidate could be motivated by anything other than a good position within a good company and that it to be straightforward seems to be difficult to be very motivated before having met someone from the company or someone from the recruitment company that explains the post.

As you have probably already understood we are no great fans of letters of motivation. But on the other hand we strongly recommend a letter where you indicate the position applied for, the advertisement, your conditions, that is what you like to be paid. The latter gives you the possibility to prove what you're worth, and this reassures the recruiting partner.

THE INTERVIEW

It's easy to send a C.V. and far more difficult to obtain a meeting. Don't waist it. It's easily wasted. Being late without excuses, having taken a glass just before, in order to be more "comfortable" during the interview, (it's not really a good sign to smell alcohol),we rather understand that the candidate is a bit nervous, ringing three times to ask for the way to the interview place when the post is for a travelling salesman is not appreciated.

Don't be too talkative, not too silent, not too informed, not too uninformed not too calm etc. Your first priority is to reassure that you will melt in and assume your duties. Do not hesitate to look up internet sites about the company and other available information that will help you asking the good questions.

Don't forget to be natural, easier said than done, but that's life.