Okay, so the sum total of the advice in this thread is to always include a photo because you can tell a lot from a bloke in a photo but don't bother including a photo because only quals/certs/experience matter, always include DOB/marital status/birthplace but, for the love of God, DON'T give your DOB/marital status/birthplace because it illegal to ask/opens potential employer up to litigation and you won't get an interview anyway and always include a cover letter as that's what gets read first but make sure your CV is up to snuff because that's what gets read first.
Cool, got it.
EDIT: Not meaning to come off that there's not some great advice in this thread as it applies to specific employers and I know those like remoak and others' hearts are absolutely in the right place, especially as they're offering their opinions for free.
But, really, as with every other industry, luck/personal preference/biases are massive factors. Many seem to think if you find the right CV template online, "Woo hoo JOB!", like it's an engineering process which you can refine. There are several general principles which generally work, sure, but generally, you have to play the %'s to get a job. If you go up to one chick in a pub and say "Nice shoes, wanna ****?", your chances of success are infinitely worse than if you ask the same question of 30 females in a night. And, even better, it only has to work once......