Hi mark1 and welcome aboard.
I thought I would just add a few comments about your CV and also some pointers to others about to submit their CV. I have to agree that it does need a redesign. I have recruited quite a few people over the years and reading CV's unfortunately is often a hurried affair when there are many applicants. You were probably thinking that a snazzy design would catch someone's eye which it does, but it also overshadows the actual content (which is good) of the CV. After all if it is too much "look at me" then it comes across more as desperate, rather than confident of your own abilities.
Normally rule of thumb is try and keep it down to two pages with key skills and experience and qualifications first. You got close though in that respect. Try and use a typeface that is easy on the eye, I did find yours a bit hard to read. You have to remember there will be many CV's to sift through and even the slightest reason to reduce the pile down to a more manageable size will be used. Spell check everything twice as there is little excuse for bad spelling with a word processor package. It doesn't have to be a literary masterpiece but good grammar is a requisite.
Just keep it simple and clear with a consistent format. Use a bit of design to brighten it up but make sure that it does subtly. I actually prefer word documents rather than PDF's as I can check the properties to see editing time and even what computer it was created on. Sometimes this gives an insight into the person not on the CV.
Something I do (although this is dependant on the type of work I am going for) is to include a photo of myself in the document. You will be amazed how the psychological impact of "humanising" your CV can increase your chances of selection. Seeing a face will actually draw you to that CV compared with a mountain of white A4 with plain type and template borders.
Avoid at all costs the cover page with fancy border and just your name and Curriculum Vitae. It is just another page to turn and if you cant be concise on the first page it may reflect that you may not be concise in the job. Also that border you thought was "unique" I have seen at least 20 times before! Colour is good but remember many printers are monochrome or they may be photocopied. Colours often do not translate well in black and white and end up "muddying" the content.
Don't lie, you will be found out, maybe not in CV selection but certainly by the time an interview takes place. I would take a person on that may not be everything I am looking for but is honest, if they are lying they will be shown the door. I can normally spot one within the first minute of meeting and one of the reasons I get the job of selecting people in the companies I have worked for.
Contact details should be correct and professional. If you have to use a hotmail account please try to avoid addresses like
dj_mickey@hotmail.com or
dragonslayer@hotmail.com as you are applying for a professional post. Addresses like that do not look professional and again can show a flippant disregard to etiquette. If you can get a personal domain name email address with just a simple first name and initial account. They are less likely to be blocked by corporate spam blockers as well.
Some companies use electronic scanning of word documents to pick out keywords. I have heard people using white text and putting these keywords in even if it is not relevant to your experience but is to the job you are applying for. It will fool the selection process but if found out will amount to cheating and I would question the persons integrity even if I may admire their cunning! Also if they get printed out on non white paper stock they show up!
Lastly experience in each job. Keep it brief, bullet points are good as you can quickly see relevant experience even in an unrelated job. Stress responsibilities rather than the obvious duties the job would entail and don't flower up a responsibility like Catering Coordinator when in actual fact you were the one that got everyone their coffees!
I hope this helps!