A résumé sent by Leonardo da Vinci to the Duke of Milan reveals that the difficulty of persuading prospective employers is not something peculiar to today’s tough job market, according to the director of the Cambridge University Career’s Service.

These days Leonardo da Vinci is considered the archetypal Renaissance man. While he is perhaps best known for his paintings, which include works such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, he was also an architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor and anatomist.

However, before he was all of these things, da Vinci worked as an armourer, and in 1482 sent a letter to Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan offering his services.

The letter reads like an early modern equivalent of the CV. In it, da Vinci lays out his relevant skills and experience claiming to have “many machines most efficient for offense and defense” and promising that “in case of need I will make big guns”.

However, Gordon Chesterman, director of the Careers Service at the University of Cambridge, did not think da Vinci would have fared well in modern times.

“I doubt he’d get an interview in today’s recruitment market. His CV is all I, I, I - no mention whatsoever of any people management skills or teamwork.

He failed to list any extra-curricular activities - employers like to see a raft of these on CVs - it shows people take on new things, meet different people, develop new skills.”

Luckily for da Vinci, the Duke of Milan offered him the job. However, the difficulty of writing a successful CV is a real concern for Cambridge finalists facing the prospect of entering the current job market.

Third-year English student Ellie Reeds commented, "It is no longer enough just to have a good degree, you have to have experience as well. And given the workload we’re given at Cambridge, it can be very frustrating.

"Up till now, our path to University has been very fixed. Now we’re being thrown out there and we’ve just got to hope somebody likes us."

Bob Thomas, a fourth-year Management student, added, "The competition this year is very fierce. To get in front of the others, you need to tailor your CV to every job you’re applying for and show what you can offer them."