Perhaps...
rather than having a missing degree on your CV, something as a former headhunter I barely looked at, it is the tone and content of the CV that is letting you down.

The work market place out these is slightly pap at the moment, but there are jobs, infact my little brother had a rather nice pay rise and promotion in the same sector as you not 3 weeks ago.

Like all things, get your cv out there and have it picked apart - I am sure there are people you can pay for this type of service, but equally there are people here that I am sure would be happy to take a gander.

Chin chin fella, if all else fails you're not too old to take a change of direction...
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Mon 6 Apr 2009, 13:15, 1 reply)

Thanks for that
Perhaps something I should have added is that during the periods of being unemployed before I took other work - including that of being an IT recruitment consultant as well which I did for a while. I have also recentley had it analysed by a few people "in the know" and come up with a new version but neither versions are proving succesful at the moment (the old one ran to 7 pages, the newer just under 3) but still bulletpointing my personal skills, technical skills and work history as well as training and the like.

Really appreciate the replies though, but its back to the drawing board..
(Waynster James Joyce is fucking my sister!, Mon 6 Apr 2009, 13:25, closed)

7 pages is way too long for a CV.

( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Mon 6 Apr 2009, 15:02, closed)

Further to idonthaveafunnynickname's comment...
...even three pages is too long for a CV. Most people won't look past the first two, and then only if there's something on the first page that grabs the attention. Short and sweet is the order of things, and any more pertinent information can be mentioned in the covering letter.
(ThomsonsPier consumes, Mon 6 Apr 2009, 15:05, closed)

I go with a two-page format
One page is cold, hard, but fairly standard boring factoids, like my contact details, DoB and NI, my school and professional qualifications and accreditations, a super-brief work history (one line per job, date - job title - company), and my referees. This page is just about always the same.

The other page is more about stuff that doesn't go into an at-a-glance table format. There's a paragraph about my current role and responsibilities, and a paragraph or two about my most relevant experience for the sort of job I'm applying for. Finally there's that paragraph where I try to convince them that I am a confident well-rounded person with a healthy range of interests and a positive attitude. Heh.

Each section or paragraph gets a heading and my name and phone number go at the top of each sheet.
( Batsgirl, Tue 7 Apr 2009, 8:39, closed)