Length of CVs

[SueEllen]

So you say, "chuff".

Not all skills from ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago are "dead". Sometimes the client wants those old yet current skills. But you, as a "chuff" do not realize it.

Fortran - for example - is more than forty years old and scientific organizations still demand it, don't they, "chuff"?

You need to put relevant skills on your CV.

What is relevant depends on the role.

If I was a C# client who is a start up I wouldn't care if you had mainframe knowledge from 20 years ago, but if I was an insurance client I might.

[flipFlop]

You need to put relevant skills on your CV.

What is relevant depends on the role.

If I was a C# client who is a start up I wouldn't care if you had mainframe knowledge from 20 years ago, but if I was an insurance client I might.

What is relevant depends upon the intrinsic needs of the person's reading your c.v. and you don't know those needs when you submit it.

[flipFlop]

You need to put relevant skills on your CV.

What is relevant depends on the role.

If I was a C# client who is a start up I wouldn't care if you had mainframe knowledge from 20 years ago, but if I was an insurance client I might.

The C# start-up client might despise Microsoft's pathetic excuse for a language yet have decided to use it for strategic reasons. What he really needs is a Hitachi H8 assembly developer but doesn't even bother to mention that in his ad.

[petergriffin]

So you say, "chuff".

Not all skills from ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago are "dead". Sometimes the client wants those old yet current skills. But you, as a "chuff" do not realize it.

Fortran - for example - is more than forty years old and scientific organizations still demand it, don't they, "chuff"?

I tend to agree with you, but would the agent understand?

I used to code 6502 assembler language back in the '80s (my first and last serious attempt at programming). What would a 22yo bimbo make of it?

[MrNice]

I follow several simple rules:
- (!) 1 page CV
- Photo included
- Most important information is at the top of the page (name, experience, education, etc.)
- Clean design
- Formal but easy to read
- Everything else goes to the cover letter
- Digital CV: PDF version only
- Printed CV: on quality paper

[cojak]

I follow several simple rules:
- (!) 1 page CV
- Photo included
- Most important information is at the top of the page (name, experience, education, etc.)
- Clean design
- Formal but easy to read
- Everything else goes to the cover letter
- Digital CV: PDF version only
- Printed CV: on quality paper

You might get away with that as a 21 year old who hasn't started real work, but I'm afraid it will cut no ice with clients or agents in the UK contracting industry.

[TheFaQQer]

You might get away with that as a 21 year old who hasn't started real work, but I'm afraid it will cut no ice with clients or agents in the UK contracting industry.

+1
Updated for the contracting market:

I follow several simple rules:
- (!) 1 page CV (if you have no experience, then this is OK. If you do, then one page isn't enough)
- Photo included (only handy if you have no experience and need to pad your one page out)
- Most important information is at the top of the page (name, experience, education, etc.) (no need to include education at the top - experience is what counts in contracting)
- Clean design
- Formal but easy to read
- Everything else goes to the cover letter (bad idea as the agent needs to then copy the letter to the client as well)
- Digital CV: PDF version only (bad idea as they can't always copy the CV into the format that they want / the client expects)
- Printed CV: on quality paper (never used a printed CV, so this might be important but I doubt it)

[tranceporter]

+1
Updated for the contracting market:

- Photo included (only handy if you have no experience and need to pad your one page out)

Do you mean to say that good looks won't land you a contract?

[MyUserName]

I follow several simple rules:
- (!) 1 page CV
- Photo included
- Most important information is at the top of the page (name, experience, education, etc.)
- Clean design
- Formal but easy to read
- Everything else goes to the cover letter
- Digital CV: PDF version only
- Printed CV: on quality paper

This would most likely go straight in the bin TBH - do you find much success with it?

[northernladuk]

What is relevant depends upon the intrinsic needs of the person's reading your c.v. and you don't know those needs when you submit it.

Isn't that what a job spec is about?

The person reading your CV first is the agent and all he wants is the first page to look like the job description the client sent him.. period.. no if's n but's. The rest he won't know anything about or care.
The second person reading your CV is the client who also wants to see that you have history doing exactly what he needs you to do.
If you pass all those then you have the gig. Yes you know your business and should be able to second guess the client so cleverly insert some skills that will be useful but if the client doesn't know they will be useful it's a waste of time. Putting random skills in that might in some way be related is just a waste of time for contractors. Permies yes, but not us.