Your CV is one of the most powerful weapons in your job-seeking armoury and is often the first point of contact with a potential boss, so it’s vital to make this document as powerful as possible.

Much has been written about the most effective way to present a CV in terms of length and format. However, you can only get to that stage if you have enough interesting and relevant personal information to communicate.

If your CV is looking a bit thin on the ground then there are a number of things you can do to boost your skills and gain valuable experience that will whet the appetite of recruiters and future employers.

Get involved with cross-team projects

It may be that over the years your role has become increasingly specialised or you might have limited variety in your day-to-day tasks. That’s not a problem if you’re applying for roles that exactly match your current skill set and responsibilities, but this is often not the case.

For that reason it’s useful to actively seek opportunities that stretch you beyond your immediate role. One way to do this is to volunteer for activities that involve working alongside other departments. These opportunities will vary from company to company but may include organising staff events or joining project specific working groups – anything that shows you are a team player and gives you something to talk about on your CV and in interviews is beneficial.

Keep a running log of your achievements

Career advice portal Abintegro recommends packing your CV with statistics and facts that underpin statements about past performance. Where possible you should try to link actions from previous roles to key outcomes such as revenue growth, cost savings, performance against deadlines or other named targets.

When faced with a blank page, however, it can be hard to recall all your notable achievements. For that reason, it’s helpful to create a document that outlines your current responsibilities and allows you to log examples of success. As this record of achievement evolves you will become increasingly adept at recognising those times when you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, or have done something which demonstrates competency to a future employer.

Study for a relevant vocational qualification

If your existing job isn’t presenting you with suitable opportunities to develop CV-enhancing skills then you may want to consider the value of a professional, vocational qualification. Engaging in formal study will not only enhance your confidence, knowledge and capabilities, but will also immediately communicate commitment and ambition on your CV.

Vocational study can also be incredibly important if you’re looking to change career. Research conducted by our training partner Home Learning Colleges shows that 49% of employers would hire someone for an entry level position who had a relevant vocational qualification but no experience, while only 17% said this would not be an option in their organisation.

Do some voluntary work

Another way to demonstrate your suitability to a potential employer is to take an unpaid role in your spare time that reflects the kind of positions you are applying for. This can be a particularly effective way of putting into practice techniques and knowledge gained through vocational study and is a great way of overcoming a lack of hands-on experience. For example, if you have gained a bookkeeping qualification then you could look for opportunities to assist with the finances of a local charity. Similarly, many smaller not-for-profit organisations are crying out for assistance in areas such as IT or web design, which will help to develop your portfolio and CV.

In essence, the key to developing a knock-out CV lies in actively hunting out opportunities to broaden your appeal to employers and demonstrate why they should consider you over and above other candidates. In a competitive job market it’s those job seekers who invest the most in their personal development who will reap the rewards.

For details of all Home Learning College distance learning courses visit our training courses pages.