It all depends on the job and it is worth pointing out that opinions vary so if you ask someone else they might give you different opinions. I (Emperor) have been formally taught CV/resume writing on at least 5 occassions (for my sins) and have had numerous less formal input and so my thinking is generally distilled from various sources.
The advcie will largely be based on the assumption that your CV/resume is a barebones document giving a general overview of who you are and that the bulk of the specific selling of yourself will take place in your covering letter. The CV/resume can remain pretty much unchanged unless you are applying for jobs in distinctly different fields when you may need to create one targetted at that field too. It is wise to try and keep things down to 2 pages but if you have a lot to fit in don\'t compromise readability.
Both the CV/resume and application letter are largely based on the idea that the person looking at them also has to go through one or two hundred other similar documents so you only have around 20-30 seconds (if you are going for a job with less applicants then you might want to expand things).
So the basics are:
1. Your name across the top with the date it was last updated.
2. Make sure it is clean and well organised. I tend to prefer to put boxes around each section. It is possible to go completely over the top in modern word processors but keep it clean and simple and bear in mind that application letters and CVs/resumes are often scanned in and run through an OCR and stored in a database for future reference so no text over fancy backgrounds.
That said you can do things to make it stand out like using a higher weight off-white paper and I have seen it suggested that you use a slightly larger than normal size of paper (so that it literally stands out/up).
Also add your name into a footer in case the sheets get separated.
3. The basic sections:
a) Personal profile - this is where the big sell happens so it goes at the top in a box (even if the other sections aren\'t). It should be a comilation of your transferable skills and personal qualities which you can bring to nearly any job and don\'t hide your light under a bushel - unless you have no shame if you aren\'t embarassed about it being in your face and over the top then rewrite it. Get a thesaurus and look up as many superlatives you can find. If you haven\'t got them hooked now the rest of the document is unlikely to as it is more for refence purposes.
b) Personal details - name, address, email, etc. Things that might have a negative aspect, like age, sex, health, a clean driving license, nationality, etc. are considered optional but are wise to include if you don\'t think they\'ll affect your job prospects.
c) Work history - relevant work preferably from the last 5 years (but if there is anything specifically relevant throw it in).
d) Education/training - anything relevant that you have learnt and again try to keep it down to 5 years (as above).
e) Interests - this is where you can make yourself look like a more interesting and well-rounded person.
f) Referees - people to contact for your references.
4. Get a few people to read through it and give you feedback.
5. Spellcheck it. There is no excuse in this day and age for spelling mistakes in your CV/resume. Also run a grammar check and proof read it as there are things that neither will pick up on.
