Leaving stuff OFF a CV?

[d000hg]

The way I tend to work is more akin to a freelancer at times... working on multiple contracts at the same time, sometimes with no fixed end date (when it's finished), etc. Listing everything on a CV will look odd I expect.

Is it dodgy to try and get a more straightforward chronological account by leaving off the overlapping work which is least relevant to contracts applied for? e.g if I want a C++ project and I worked 6 on both Java/C++ projects side-by-side the last 6 months, just list the C++ one?

I'm not aware you are in the wrong for NOT showing some work you did on a CV, rather than claiming stuff you never did, but is this true? Any CV like this will be 100% true after all. And it's not removing bad contracts either, simply trying to avoid confusing the agent/client.

[SueEllen]

I would.

Though it agents who are more likely to be confused then direct clients so I would tend to write more than one CV.

[Fred Bloggs]

I don't see a problem with overlapping dates. I have a couple of them on the CV and if ever asked why, the answer is simple and honest enough- Two concurrent contracts. I have never been asked though.

[The Wikir Man]

There's nothing wrong with leaving stuff off your CV - there are a number of projects that don't feature on mine, just because they aren't that important to me and what I do now.

Some time back, I was a regarded expert in a niche field (wrote part of the product for Oracle), but found it hard to get work in that field. A friend of mine suggested that it might be because the people that were already there might be worried that an expert would arrive and show them up. I removed the stuff from the CV, but mentioned it casually in passing at interview. That way (or so my theory was), it looked more like "I'm so good, I don't even need to mention it on my CV that I wrote the software you are using..."

Include what you want to include, and leave off the bits that you don't.

[Brussels Slumdog]

If you put everything on your CV you may end up with too many pages
Only put down marketable skills

[SueEllen]

If you put everything on your CV you may end up with too many pages
Only put down marketable skills

Problem he probably has, due to an example of his CV being posted on another thread, is that they are all marketable but not always appropriate for the role he is aiming at.

[Clippy]

Leave them on but 'file' under year and not month/year.

That should be make things clearer when dealing with the agent and can be expanded upon when with the interviewer who should better understand concurrent contracts.

[Support Monkey]

Create different CVs,

Java role send the CV emphasising the java experience, C++ send the C++ CV, Load of money Niche role send the loads of money niche CV, Simples