CVs come in all shapes and sizes, but they should all include the basic key elements that make up a CV so your reader knows where to look for the information… Video Rating: 4 / 5

In my ongoing job quest, I'm always checking out recruitment agencies, places to work, possible places to move to, and job aggregation sites.

I'm very active on LinkedIn, CreativePool and the Guardian jobs sites. Years ago, Monster.co.uk was the go-to place for online job listings. It crept out of my mind as I never had a positive lead from there during my previous searches.

However, this weekend I updated my profile there, gave it my new CV, and set it to visible. In 24 hours I've applied for six new jobs, had two new agencies call me. This is interesting. I'm not certain it'll lead to much (one of the six jobs was too junior for me, which I found out quite quickly on the phone), but it's positive to see some life in the recruitment market again after what feels like three weeks of everyone being on holiday.

It's still tough out there though, and even though my gargantuan spreadsheet of job applications, searches and agency registrations grows daily, I'm still no closer to the next big thing.