How many page you CV is ..?

[scooterscot]

Likewise for me too but my CV says anything before 1990 on request, it's more of the same though. Process Engineering (laws of physics, I guess really) hasn't changed that much since I started work in the 70's. Just most of it is now happening overseas.

Could not agree more.

[SuperZ]

Guys, my CV is very long. If you think 4 pages is the longest CV you have ever seen, try 10 pages!!!!!!! Nope, not had any issues with it either, and neither have any agents told me to shorten it. It may depend on the type of work you do, how detailed the CV should be.

I'm sure you'll disagree but I have it structured in a way so if for example someone only cares about the last five years experience, well, they can just read the first x pages. Anyone who ditches a large CV just because it is erm large, are fools IMO.

At a few interviews the clients have said that they didn't read all of the CV and that's fine, got me the interview and the contracts. I'd rather have a long CV that people only read the first 4 pagess of than a short one which leaves the client thinking I haven't got so and so skills or experience.

Our CV's represent our business also, it's our sales material and history of the Ltd's we run.

I found a CV on my desk a few weeks ago,it was just two pages and in my opinion rubbish because of it. If I had received 20 CV's like that, it would have bored me to death reading them all.
Imagine a client has 100 CV's all 2 pages long with similar experience detailed at a high level - all very samey. Then they come across one that goes into lots of detail but is quite long, that one might grab the attention, even if they don't read it right through.

Like most things in life, when everyone is doing the same thing, it may be time to do something differenet. CV's of 2 pages long - pah.

Also, if CV's just 2 pages long, a CV can look easily tailored to a job spec position and some may frown on this.
I'm more than happy not to work with idiots who will see a 4 or 5 page CV and laugh at it before binning it, I'd rather work with the more intelligent fair folks who may read the first 4 pages of it and think "hell, this is a long CV, but yes they have good experience"

[malvolio]

Also, if CV's just 2 pages long, a CV can look easily tailored to a job spec position and some may frown on this.

But if I'm recruiting for a given position and looking for a contractor, that's all I'm intrested in. "Can he do this job and has he used relevant tools to do it?" is the question. All else is irrelevant; I don't care about anything that is not aligned to my immediate requirement.

You're not looking for a career and making friends, you're trying to sell one set of abilities for a specific purpose. The fact you're not getting kick back from the agents says a lot about how little they understand their own trade. Structured or not, I will almost certainly bin a 10-page CV unread if I have more focused ones to work with.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Clearly the right length for your CV is the length that the agents and clients want. If they ever manage to agree on it, there will be a single right answer.

[northernladuk]

Firstly before I start after reading this post it is obvious to me that you are so in love with your 10 page you feel the need to post a ridiculously long post to justify it. Who are you really justifying it to? The fact you mention we will probably disagree makes me thing this is your baby and you are going to stick to it whatever common sense or the world dictates. Did you pay your membership to the world is flat club this year?

Anyway, am bored so off we go.

Guys, my CV is very long. If you think 4 pages is the longest CV you have ever seen, try 10 pages!!!!!!! Nope, not had any issues with it either, and neither have any agents told me to shorten it. It may depend on the type of work you do, how detailed the CV should be

10 pages is just rubbish. Seriously. You have completely missed the point of a CV obviously. I will back this up with fact later. They have never told you because they don't care. They don't have the time to clean up your CV. I can't see that with Technology moving so fast you can write enough about current/valid technology experience to even fill 10 pages.

I'm sure you'll disagree but I have it structured in a way so if for example someone only cares about the last five years experience, well, they can just read the first x pages. Anyone who ditches a large CV just because it is erm large, are fools IMO.

Why are they fools? To call people fools based on your poor and incorrect assumptions shows a poor approach. They might bin it because years of training, experience, invetigation, learning into CV's and recruitment techniques etc tells us that 10 pages is not required. When did you ever go on a recruiting course and say bin all 2 pages and read everything over 6? Never!!! Why is the general consensus between 2 and 4 pages? Cause we are all fools? Slight flaw in that argument me thinks. They also might bin it because they just don't have the time to deal with it?

At a few interviews the clients have said that they didn't read all of the CV and that's fine, got me the interview and the contracts. I'd rather have a long CV that people only read the first 4 pagess of than a short one which leaves the client thinking I haven't got so and so skills or experience.

That is called feedback and you would be wise to act on it. If they didn't read all of it then drop it out. Hands up how many of us were taught at school not to procrastinate in English exams? Keep it factual,to the point and no fluff. If the client is telling you there is fluff get rid of it. I am sure you would rather have a long CV. That much is obvious. What you don't get is what would the client or agent rather have.

Our CV's represent our business also, it's our sales material and history of the Ltd's we run.

Totally wrong which proves your entire 10 page CV argument is flawed. I am sure you will argue the following as you appear to love your CV so much you will not listen to reason but.....

'Curriculum vitae is loosely translated as course of life.' You can educate yourself on the rest here... Wikipedia on CV's

You are using your CV for the wrong purpose which is why it is 10 pages long.

I found a CV on my desk a few weeks ago,it was just two pages and in my opinion rubbish because of it. If I had received 20 CV's like that, it would have bored me to death reading them all.

LOL Are you serious? And tell me how alert and awake you would have been reading all 20 of them at 10 pages long.. Jesus...

To throw away someones CV just because it is two pages makes you a hypocrit as you are dissing people that will throw away a 10 page one just because it is 10 pages. Anyone that throws anything away without looking at it is an idiot. Very poor and flawed argument. Would you refuse to interview someone because they are female or foreign? No, so why would you throw a CV just because it is two pages. Sorry, just wrong.

Imagine a client has 100 CV's all 2 pages long with similar experience detailed at a high level - all very samey. Then they come across one that goes into lots of detail but is quite long, that one might grab the attention, even if they don't read it right through.

Image this. 20 of those CV's fit his clients criteria. The client only requests 2 CV's. The agent has limited time to sort though them and send them off, after all he is a salesman and money is time. Do you think he is going to waste time reading you 10 pages when 20 other give him what he wants in 2??

Like most things in life, when everyone is doing the same thing, it may be time to do something differenet. CV's of 2 pages long - pah.

Thats rubbish as well. Like most things... I really think not. In some ares people do the same thing for a reason. That reason is because it has been researched, tried and tested so we do the same. They tend to call the one person that doesn't do it the same way an eccentric and that's not always a badge of honour.

Also, if CV's just 2 pages long, a CV can look easily tailored to a job spec position and some may frown on this.

More unfounded nonsense. Some may frown? How the hell do you know? I would think they would be happy as they can look at specific and relavant details quickly so they can get the guy on board and get on to the next contract. What WILL make them frown is a pile of 100 cvs to go through all of 10 pages long and he is only making a 7% cut on the contract.

I'm more than happy not to work with idiots who will see a 4 or 5 page CV and laugh at it before binning it, I'd rather work with the more intelligent fair folks who may read the first 4 pages of it and think "hell, this is a long CV, but yes they have good experience"

Why are they idiots becuase they are doing what the general consensus is. You are effectively calling nearly everyone who has applied for a job or has recruited someone an idiot. Generally that tells us that the person calling 99% of people idiots is generally the actual poor deluded idiot.

I have to say this is one of the strangest posts I have seen on here and worth of even the most experienced troll but alas I fear you stand by all this. Ah well

Enjoyed that and feel refreshed and invigorated

Goodnight and thanks for the fish.

[Jeebo72]

Well judging by all the other responses mine seems to be the exception. It runs to about 5 pages. Just for balance, I probably receive around 10 cv's a month from agents and most are around this length.

Me too, 5 pages and never had a problem. Always got every job I went for. 1 agent told me he wouldn't put me forward until I brought it inside 2 pages. I got the job via another agent. His loss. It's all bull. Do what ever you are comforable with as your CV represents you.

[larson]

10 pages is just rubbish. Seriously. You have completely missed the point of a CV obviously. I will back this up with fact later. They have never told you because they don't care. They don't have the time to clean up your CV. I can't see that with Technology moving so fast you can write enough about current/valid technology experience to even fill 10 pages.

Why are they fools? To call people fools based on your poor and incorrect assumptions shows a poor approach. They might bin it because years of training, experience, invetigation, learning into CV's and recruitment techniques etc tells us that 10 pages is not required. When did you ever go on a recruiting course and say bin all 2 pages and read everything over 6? Never!!! Why is the general consensus between 2 and 4 pages? Cause we are all fools? Slight flaw in that argument me thinks. They also might bin it because they just don't have the time to deal with it?
SNIP

This post correctly summarises why a 10-page CV is absolute pish of the highest order.

I have no doubt that this person with the dissertation-length CV has gotten gigs based on networking and recommendations from other clients. Certainly in any place I worked it would be likely the 10-page CV thing would be used as an identifier around colleagues, although likely not to his face mind you

Each to their own. Everybody's entitled to do things their own way. If I was double the age I am now, my CV would be at 3 pages, and even then I'd be gritting my teeth.

English and presentations skills go hand in hand when creating a CV. Nicely presented, with unique ability to capture the reader - who is, keep in mind, simply skim-reading the CV - all the more important to keep it short and concise, to the point.

I have been rejected for positions recently not based on the fact my CV is not detailed enough, but I am not old enough, ie: not enough experience. I'm fine with that.

I do believe a unique "short" (compared to 10 pages) CV works, as at the moment I do generally get down to the last stage in interviews with folk double my age, with positive comments from the interviewer(s) as to just how clear what I've done is, which I then take positively. I have been commended on the CV format, and the fact that it is so clear that there are no mysteries within. Project management and technical work can have further questions derived from it, but I do not get stupid questions as to date gaps, exact range of expertise, as those are clearly detailed.

What I will say is that on speaking to ex-colleagues, especially those who are in permanent positions, no research has been done by them as to how best to write their CV, and tailoring is often beyond care to them. If it has the potential to increase your chances of getting that better rate, isn't a few hours of your time now and again editing it worth it? Don't go overboard though. Either in editing, or inserting page-breaks like our 10-pager friend

[SuperZ]

Goodnight and thanks for the fish.

Isn't the world flat?
Purpose of text was to show it doesn't HAVE to be 2 pages.
Whatever you may think, my CV lands me gigs when others struggle. I have laughed at it also, but why fix something that isn't broken? The day I start getting negative feedback or no feedback I shall change it.

And agents do read it, I have had a few lengthy discussions that prove that.

So you think someone who bins a CV just because it's a bit long is a highly fair person? If they are too busy to read a CV.....shouldn't they actually be investing time in getting the right person for the job? They could be about to spend 100k a year for someone. Surely they can read the first x number of pages of a long CV, just to see if the CV has anything going for it, rather than just binning it for being too long.

I do take the points in, but just as there are some who may bin a 10 page CV, others will at actually like it. So what if it goes against what is 'tried and tested'. In science, sometimes breakthroughs are made by re-examining what has been tried and tested before.

Damn, too many sheep around here . THink outside the box....he says while stiring the pot

Some of your points also have flaws though ! Larson pointed one out. Back in 2002 I was rejected at CV stage. I had a short CV back then and was often hearing I didn't have certain experience when I did, but it wasn't on the CV. ANd it wasn't stuff they listed in the job spec either.

It doesn;t make me a hypocrit throwing short CV's away. I didn't say that anyway. I read it. The 2 page CV listed stuff at high level, not enough detail, basically a load of job titles and very brief summary. WHen loads of CV's arrive all like that what do you do? Interview them all just to find out more? WHen I;ve recruited in the past I've been very disappointed in the quality of contractors to be honest so personally would take the time to read through a long CV as I understand the psychology behind why they might have a nice long one. To those who love recruiting the 'right' people, a 10 pager can seem like a 2 pager.

ALl IMO. As larson mentioned, each to their own.

I didn't call those who sent in short CV's idiots. Sounds like you're, well, you acused me of being a hypocrit for throwing a 2 page CV away when I didn't say that, just like I didn't say everyone who sent a short CV in was an idiot. Have a look at yourself also, I think you're just.......well. ANyway, I think you can't stand the fact that yours is only 2pages and mine's 10 - mine's bigger than yours and it works. THe world is however full of idiots
bad Superz stop winding up the natives

I do challenge long term benchies to consider adding more detail and filling the CV out a bit. Maybe nothing to lose? At least you'll get my attention if it lands on my desk, a very fair recruiter...and not an idiot . Not everyone follows the flock .

New gig on mine soon, 11 pages here I come - wooohoooooo. Might be 12 actually, thinking about having a big picture of myself on the front page smking a cigar with the words 'I own you ,idiot' underneath

[Spacecadet]

To add my 2 pence to the argument.

2 pages or 10 pages, the point of the CV is to sell you to the employer

If what you were doing 10 years and 20 contracts ago is still relevant today (and for a lot of UNIX/networking guys I can imagine this still being the case) then include it.
However a lot of people (like myself) whilst working in similar technologies are working with software which has undergone massive change over the past decade. I've gone from Oracle 8i on UNIX to SQL Server 7 -> 2000 -> 2005 -> 2008 with a smattering of other technologies which I don't really want to get calls about or even interview questions about as they are very subsidiary to my core database skills.
My point is, if the experience helps sell you on to your potential next roll then by all means keep it in your CV, even if it means having 10 pages.
If it has no bearing what so ever, then cut the detail, summarise heavily and give the overall impression of experience without boring the recruiter with unnecessary detail.

[cojak]

Again, I look back to some very sage advice given here some time ago.

2 pages or 10 - if it works, it works.

If you're not getting replies to your initial application, your CV is a problem.
If you're getting replies but no interviews, your telephone technique is is a problem,
If you're getting interviews but not the job, your interview technique is a problem.

Think back on what's stopping you getting the call/interview/job and fix it. And don't fall back on the excuse "it's tough out there"; yes it is tough but others are getting jobs. Now is the time when "good enough" just isn't any more. Again as others have said - crap/average is ok in times of plenty, but when times are hard you need to be better than that to have a chance.

Of course when there aren't jobs out there to apply for - that's when you need to get creative....