It is vital for contractors and other professionals to ensure their CV is as good as it can possibly be, one expert has said.

Peter Panayotou, senior consultant at The Write Stuff, said that when going for a job with a lot of good competition, the smallest difference on a CV could get an individual an interview, or lose them it.

"The CV can only get you as far as the interview – it's only the first stage," he added.

This comes after the first Changeboard Jobseeker Confidence Index for January 2011 revealed that there is a lack of confidence among HR jobseekers, with those surveyed showing low expectations of securing a job.

Additionally, it was found that among the unemployed HR professionals, there was more confidence about securing a job interview in the next month but less about actually finding an employment offer in the next three months.