Length of CVs

[dang65]

A short CV is the secret to staying young. I knocked my education off years ago - too long ago to have any relevance whatsoever - and every time I add my most recent job to the top, I knock the oldest one off the end. In fact, just this week I deleted my ten years as a BT engineer from my CV. Ten years younger in one keystroke. It now looks like I started work in 1998, as opposed to 1983.

I've also run a few shorter contracts together in places. I think it looks better if you can put "August 2009-March 2010" and then describe a few roles you had in that time, rather than "August 2009-August 2009 blah blah blah September 2009-October 2009 blah blah blah etc". It's perfectly legitimate to do very short gigs, and should be taken as a good sign - of flexibility and willingness to jump in to the rescue and fix things in an emergency - but in reality it looks like you've just been laid off straight away by everyone you've tried to work for.

And it makes your CV look more concise if you run a few things together like that.

[SimonMac]

A short CV is the secret to staying young. I knocked my education off years ago - too long ago to have any relevance whatsoever - and every time I add my most recent job to the top, I knock the oldest one off the end. In fact, just this week I deleted my ten years as a BT engineer from my CV. Ten years younger in one keystroke. It now looks like I started work in 1998, as opposed to 1983.

I've also run a few shorter contracts together in places. I think it looks better if you can put "August 2009-March 2010" and then describe a few roles you had in that time, rather than "August 2009-August 2009 blah blah blah September 2009-October 2009 blah blah blah etc". It's perfectly legitimate to do very short gigs, and should be taken as a good sign - of flexibility and willingness to jump in to the rescue and fix things in an emergency - but in reality it looks like you've just been laid off straight away by everyone you've tried to work for.

And it makes your CV look more concise if you run a few things together like that.

Funny enough I was just about to post the same thing, I had a meeting with an agent today and they said the education has little value as its so long ago (only educational qualification are GCSE's anyway)

[SuperZ]

A short CV is the secret to staying young. I knocked my education off years ago - too long ago to have any relevance whatsoever - and every time I add my most recent job to the top, I knock the oldest one off the end. In fact, just this week I deleted my ten years as a BT engineer from my CV. Ten years younger in one keystroke. It now looks like I started work in 1998, as opposed to 1983.

......Until you turn up to the interview as an old git?. I think a client/manager who is likely to bin your CV because they think you might be an oldie is also likely to write you off at an interview as an oldie too. So maybe better to be ruled out at the CV stage before you waste your time and money getting to client ?

If you're serious I think you may have more concerns over your age than most clients will have

[nomadd]

......Until you turn up to the interview as an old git?

... He might have had a face-lift?

But seriously..

I've trimmed back my cv to three pages and removed my birthdate from it, just to be on the safe side. You know how stupid clients can be over the smallest of things. Better safe than sorry. And once you get to the interview and demonstrate what skills/experience you have, well, at that point age is completely forgotten about. At least that's how it's been in my experience.

[dang65]

I've trimmed back my cv to three pages and removed my birthdate from it, just to be on the safe side. You know how stupid clients can be over the smallest of things. Better safe than sorry.

Absolutely. Getting called in for an interview is half the battle won. It's hugely important for a contractor. You can still lose out because of prejudice, but at least you have a chance to change their view with some convincing chat and experience.

[SueEllen]

... He might have had a face-lift?


I've trimmed back my cv to three pages and removed my birthdate from it, just to be on the safe side.

Birth date and age just like other personal things aren't needed on a CV to UK based clients. Adding it means that the client whether agency or direct can fall foul of Age Discrimination Laws (plus adding irrelevant and useless info like that makes your CV longer)

[MarillionFan]

A short CV is the secret to staying young. I knocked my education off years ago - too long ago to have any relevance whatsoever - and every time I add my most recent job to the top, I knock the oldest one off the end. In fact, just this week I deleted my ten years as a BT engineer from my CV. Ten years younger in one keystroke. It now looks like I started work in 1998, as opposed to 1983.

I've also run a few shorter contracts together in places. I think it looks better if you can put "August 2009-March 2010" and then describe a few roles you had in that time, rather than "August 2009-August 2009 blah blah blah September 2009-October 2009 blah blah blah etc". It's perfectly legitimate to do very short gigs, and should be taken as a good sign - of flexibility and willingness to jump in to the rescue and fix things in an emergency - but in reality it looks like you've just been laid off straight away by everyone you've tried to work for.

And it makes your CV look more concise if you run a few things together like that.

"A short CV is the secret to staying young."

That is a fantastic quote. I have managed to reduce mine to 3 very strong, concise pages recenty(having always struggled to get it to 4).

It has all of contracts, skills, education but uses a summary of company,role,period on the first page, but doesn't go into details.

I also split it into one for 'Contract' and one for 'Perm', with details following. I then swap the order of the CV over depending on the type of role or (perm job) I apply for.

[xoggoth]

It now looks like I started work in 1998, as opposed to 1983

I always did similar, anything more than 10 years ago is usually no that relevant in IT. Also they never expected an old fart to turn up at interview.

[Brussels Slumdog]

You Want Someone with over 10 years experience then you will get my CV over 10 pages

I Market myself at agents, 90 % who I have spoken to before for the last 15 years.
I give them as much information as they need to market me.
I went for an interview last year with my 10 page CV and I noticed that the client had only 3 pages of my CV. The Agent had extracted the most important information from my CV and left out the non relevant information. I got the contract and my professional agent got 6 months commission. I am a professional contractor and I only deal with professional agents. A professional agent knows when he has a product to sell and will adapt your CV accordingly.
Mr Dodgy agents el Al. If you want to spead read 100 CVs with 2 pages be my guest.

[mavster07]

I Market myself at agents, 90 % who I have spoken to before for the last 15 years.
I give them as much information as they need to market me.
I went for an interview last year with my 10 page CV and I noticed that the client had only 3 pages of my CV. The Agent had extracted the most important information from my CV and left out the non relevant information. I got the contract and my professional agent got 6 months commission. I am a professional contractor and I only deal with professional agents. A professional agent knows when he has a product to sell and will adapt your CV accordingly.
Mr Dodgy agents el Al. If you want to spead read 100 CVs with 2 pages be my guest.

Agreed on this. My CV is also up to 10 pages but the types of agents and roles I go for they simply want to SEE experience written down. I find if the agent and/or client is 'flicking' through the CV with scant regard, then they aren't really looking for the right type of candidate for the role (or the role isn't serious) and, having susses that out pretty quickly, I usually pass on it. But if you have too short a CV then you just get passed over anyway.

I find a longer CV is often better because its a hell of a lot easier to take stuff out than it is to put it in. I keep a longer one to hand and then shorten it when asked. Otherwise it stays about the same length.