You may have seen the story of Rhiannon Mackay, who was jailed for six months this month. Her crime? She lied on her CV.

To get the job of capital projects administrator with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, she falsely claimed to have two A levels and also forged a letter of recommendation. She used the same false CV to apply for 11 other jobs. It was only when her performance was deemed to be below par that managers at the Trust looked closer at her background and she was ultimately convicted using the Fraud Act 2006, making her the first woman to go to jail for CV falsification.

Should she have gone to prison? Was her crime so great? After all, survey after survey has shown that most people confess to having a CV that’s not, shall we say, 100% truthful. This bending of the truth seems to be fair game and was even, you could argue, vindicated by Alan Sugar when the 2008 winner of The Apprentice,Lee McQueen, was caught red-handed lying (or at least exaggerating) on his CV yet still walked away with the big prize.

So why do people lie on their CV? After all, who’s going to know if, for example, I nudge my grade C in GCSE maths to a B or say that I’ve five years experience in management when I’ve only got four?

The old adage that says “it’s harder to get the job than actually carry it out” has much to answer for. You may think you can blag your way through the job in the early days until you get to know the ropes but, as Rhiannon Mackay found, this tactic can blow up in your face in spectacular fashion.

I highly doubt her conviction will change very much, especially outside the public sector. People will continue to subtly round-up qualifications and experience and, probably, continue to get away with it, providing they don’t overplay their hands. These are difficult economic times and desperate times often lead to desperate CV writing — but it really doesn’t have to come to exaggerating (or even telling barefaced lies) on your CV.

Here’s my nine-point plan to help you stay on the path of CV righteousness.

· Although CV stands for Curriculum Vitae — ‘the course of life’ — it’s really a sales tool, not an autobiography. Write with your goal and intended audience in mind. Don’t write it as a memoir. Also, writing actively is more engaging than writing passively. For example, “I completed the project in under six weeks” opposed to “The project was completed in under six weeks by me”.

· Open with a strong profile that’s intelligently, confidently and attractively written. Make sure it clearly highlights your skills and experience in relation to the post you’re applying for.

· One CV is not enough. If you’re sending out identical CV’s to every job you apply for, then you need to stop now. No two jobs are identical. Your CV should reflect this. Keep a master copy and adapt it accordingly.

· Don’t send a CV out by itself. Your covering letter is equally important, as you will use it to focus the recruiter’s mind on the job in question and how your skills and abilities meet his/her requirements. Clearly flag up your key qualities and illustrate with strong action words such as “achieved”, ”enhanced” and “accomplished”.

· Emphasise your current/relevant skills and experience. Most of the focus should be on the last five years. To help keep the CV short, sharp and arresting, don’t be afraid to delete (or at least drastically cut) job information and skills that are not relevant. This is especially true if you have a history of temporary jobs or have undergone a career change. Of course, account for the time (don’t leave gaps) but don’t spend ages talking about it.

· If you make a claim about yourself (creative, team player, proactive) make sure you back it up with a real example which quantifies the claim. For example, “An accomplished team manager. When ABC Ltd and XYZ Ltd merged, I successfully led and integrated the two companies’ accounts departments”. And be ready to expand on it at the interview stage.

· When writing your CV, make sure it’s well organised and clearly laid out, with well-defined headings and sections. It should be immediately obvious what each is about; career summary, professional qualifications, career objective and so on. The average recruiter will only spend a few seconds scanning your CV and won’t waste time hunting around for the relevant information.

· With so much CV sifting and sorting now being performed electronically, it pays to work keywords into your CV. Make sure that they address areas including your industry, job titles, expertise, specialist skills, technical qualifications and the key companies you’ve worked for. This is not, however, a substitute for intelligent and professional CV writing where you describe and back up your achievements properly, more of an added dimension to the document.

· Finally, don’t claim to have skills you clearly don’t possess. If you do get the job, being unable to fully operate PowerPoint or Excel, for example, having claimed you’re an expert, will create a terrible first impression.

It’s possible to impress without stretching the truth — knowing how to make the most of your skills and abilities will do the job.

Written By Steve Szita, director of Dazzling CVs

Psychological Consultancy Ltd conducting the research reported 85% of UK leaders exhibited toxic characteristics, breaking through at both times of stress or times of success.

Using the ‘Hogan Development Survey’ psychometric test, 11 leadership ‘derailers’ were tested with a name scale system, for example Confident – Arrogant, Charming – Manipulative.

A quarter of leaders were found to be charming and persuasive to the extent that they are seen to be manipulative, dishonest or two-faced. Others were seen as so obedient and appeasing that they were unable to speak the truth to power.

Most people who took the survey were found to have at least 1 or more of the derailing or toxic traits, with 26% having over 3.

Geoff Trickey, Managing Director of PCL said “This report shows that dark side characteristics are highly visible in the UK workforce, showing where and how they are likely to be putting individual careers at risk as well as having a negative impact on colleagues and organisations.”