Any recruitment types got any thoughts on the best way to format a CV? A quick summary is that I spent 16 yrs doing fairly well in various IT/Consultancy/Mobile jobs but due to some career choices that went sour and other personal stuff I went through 3 companies in 3 years and then quit the rat race and retrained as a garden designer. I had a few good years but the business stopped paying a living wage when the recession hit so I eventually took the decision to look at getting back into the rat race, spurred on by two different leads from former colleagues which have now both dried up.
So the problem I have is that the standard chronological CV format seems to just highlight the amount of time since I last had a 'proper' job and then the three bad years before it, so I'm immediately looking like a bad prospect. I've tried a functional format as well, putting skills and experience on the first page and then listing employers on page 2, but that's not gone down too well either.
So any tips on what format a recruiter would prefer, and ways of not hitting the 'reject' pile as soon as they see a career break?
Also I'm not applying for positions at the same level I was at previously as I can't see how I can compete with other applicants who have current experience of that, but then I seem to be over-experienced in career terms for entry level roles, but at the same time I don't have the current technical skills that even these roles demand. Any thoughts on breaking that cycle?
