Contractors should try to introduce originality into their efforts to attract clients or put themselves forward for jobs, one expert has said.

Tony Roy, president of CareerBuilder EMEA, has said that within an increasingly competitive jobs market, contractors need to be able to stand out.

He said that while a chronological format is most often used for job applications, a functional CV that organizes information according to skill set instead of timeline could be the better fit.

"You have many people today looking for work and considering how they can transition their skill sets to new field," he explained.

Meanwhile, a survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk has said that almost one-third of 194 UK employers said that they spend just one minute or less looking at a CV, with 14 per cent admitting to spending less than 30 seconds on the task.