"I'm giving my CV a major re-vamp in anticipation of jumping back onto the job market to look for a more senior post. I’m confused about how to describe myself as I’ve read lots of conflicting advice. Also, I’ve looked at samples of ‘professional’ CVs but that hasn’t made things any clearer."

Andrew is right, there is a lot of conflicting advice around on how best to describe yourself on a CV.

“I was made redundant quite suddenly and it took me over three months to get offered another job. Unfortunately, by the time the employer wanted me to start, I ended up with a six month gap on my CV. I want to move my career forward again now but I’m worried about how this looks if apply for other jobs. What can I do?”

Marc was very concerned about this issue and it’s one that gets raised regularly where people have had a break between positions, chosen or otherwise, or had a gap after university and before work.

So what can you do?

“I’m likely to have to make an introductory speech to a group of my peers on an assessment day. Help! I don’t want to make an idiot of myself right at the start of the day. What can I do to be more confident with this and give myself a better chance?”

This was asked by Kerri at an undergraduate group training session last Wednesday and the issue is a source of anxiety to many people. The need for an ‘off-the-cuff’ introductory speech can crop up relatively often at work, so it’s always worth putting some effort in to this.

“From a job point of view, I really want to feel a bit more secure this next year. Do you have any suggestions for any appropriate New Year’s Resolutions I could make?”

"I've been for quite a few interviews in this last year but haven't been selected and I'm starting to get very discouraged. What can I do?"

Adam came across as being at his wit's end at the start of a group training session last week. I asked him to tell us about some of the interviews he'd attended and then why he hadn't been selected. Interestingly, he had only vague thoughts on why he may have been passed over in each case.

Where does he go from here? There are some essential steps to take.