Love them or hate them, without being there in person, your CV has to do your talking for you. It's not a full technical manual - it's a sales tool. So, if that means rewriting your CV for different marketing job applications, do it.

The reader needs to recognise immediately what you have to offer and how you are going to make a real and positive impact on their business.

Your CV needs to be clear and simple to understand. In particular, these are the points to focus on:

Profile  Start your CV with a profile of you as a person - your technical skills are covered later. Get the reader excited - make them want to meet you.

Ability vs achievements  This very much depends on the type of marketing job you're looking for. If you're looking for freelance marketing work, it's best to focus on your skills - make it easy for the reader to see that you can do exactly what they need doing. However, if it's a permanent marketing job you're after, you need to show what you've achieved as well as what you can do. Your potential employer needs to be convinced that you're going to add real value to their business.

Style and format  We know it's a CV so you don't need to put this on the paper! First impressions are paramount - rightly or wrongly the reader can be adversely affected if the CV isn't both clear to read and appealing to look at. Don't try and be clever - choose a simple typeface and size and keep it constant throughout. By all means highlight key headings, but don't overdo it.

Content  Apply the 'So what?' rule to everything you include - consider the relevance of all the points you're listing.  For example, is having two children aged six and eight going to get you the marketing job you want? And finally, don't lie!