I have tried as hard as I can to write the best CV I can. Yet I feel that it will be overlooked. Is there a way I can make it more dynamic or show that I have a great personality which should be as important as my skills?

Also, I used to get told that you could tell a potential employer at interview if you were nervous but now I wonder if that is still the case? I do not seem to be able to handle the interview stage well and cannot give the best of myself. The style has changed to one where you really have to think on your feet and give examples how you personally did this, that and the other and how you came to the end result.

Is there any advice you can give me to stop me feeling like a nervous wreck please?

Jill

Is it me or are loads of CVs out there just really poor; poorly worded, poorly structured and poorly presented.

If you look at this site and literally thousands of others offering free excellent advice and templates, is there really any excuse for having a poor CV in 2009?

Rolfe Pearce

After working for the last 20 years in various retail companies I am considering a career change. The last 12 years I have worked in retail management and have enjoyed success as a senior store manager with my last 2 roles.

Fortunate enough to be one of only 5 “store training and development managers” I enjoyed extensive training in recruitment and selection, mentoring and counselling, appraisals and disciplinaries as well as training and coaching. My love for all of the above was enormous.

I am considering a move into HR and would like to know what my best options might be. Will my years of experience within my field help me to gain employment and or should I obtain a qualification prior? Any advice would be gratefully received

Many thanks Lee

Can my employer force me to work sundays if I attend church every sunday?

I have worked for the same company for 25 years, starting as a trainee and working my way up to a very hands-on middle management position. I have for the last 12 years since giving birth to my only child, worked 4 days a week Monday to Thursday but have in that time worked away from home with overnight stops or travelled for work resulting in extremely long days without trying to claim extra wages. My absentee record is around 1 day off per year so I feel I have proved my worth and loyalty to the company.

Holidays have never previously been an issue as I have always added up the Bank Holidays and the full holiday entitlement and divided by 80% to reach my total days off per year, but now the boss has decided that all part time workers must take Mondays off and are not entitled to any Bank Holidays. I think this is wrong and discriminatory. How can I convince him of this? I have no official contract as they were not invented when I started so I have no signed agreement of hours and holidays etc.

Jo

I have a problem with obtaining references. In my last position of employment, I was harassed by a homophobic boss and candidly informed that he would make sure that I would “not work in this town again.”

An employer I was approaching went straight to my previous employer, who sent them a false but highly negative reference, destroying my chances of getting that job and sending me into a spiral of depression.

So my question is, what can I do when faced with the prospect of either not being able to furnish a reference … or having to bite the bullet and using a negative one, that being the only usable one I have?

Alex

I have spent a couple of years on Incapacity Benefit through no fault of my own. While I’ve hardly just let the world drift by, and I’ve kept the saw as sharp as possible – my field is in IT – nonetheless I am now back on the job market again.

So what is the best way of writing up my CV such that this gap of years doesn’t stand out to unkind scrutiny as if I’d served a prison sentence for something nasty?

Alex

I run a smallish business. We employed a large catering firm to provide breakfasts and dinners in our kitchen/dining room. They were poor quality and expensive.

We changed to another catering Co and now find that the same catering staff will be working for the new Co thanks to TUPE. They were rubbish before and the reason we changed Co was to get rid of them.

Are we stuck with duff catering staff for ever (staff we did not select)?

Please advise
Antoine

I got the sack from my last job because I made some serious mistakes in my work. How do I handle this in my next job interview please?

Paul Smith

I am finding it extremely hard to find a job. I am 57 and although cannot be proved I am finding age discrimination is being practised. I have always worked and have to work and despairing. I am applying for jobs I am clearly qualified to do as well as having continued to update my qualifications. I am constantly trying every available avenue.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Rose