Targeting CV

[SueEllen]

I've had my CV done professionally and they were insistent that it needs to fit into 2 pages.

Has the CV writer recruited for roles in the scientific, IT, engineering or medical industries or even academia?

If they had then they would realise that the 2 page rule doesn't exist for experienced people in these industries as you need to put in as much detail as you think you need to get the role.

Inexperienced agents will often remove older roles from your CV to keep the page numbers down.

Experienced agents will leave them alone as they have worked out clients often like this detail.

I've actually quite a few times been told to expand the older roles on my CV so my CV has ended up being 12-14 pages long from 4 original pages.

[MyUserName]

12-14 pages!

Wow - which industry were you applying for?

[SueEllen]

12-14 pages!

Wow - which industry were you applying for?

Don't work for clients with lots of staff with PhDs who are involved in recruiting.....

Anyway if you keep old copies of your CV around just copy and paste.........

[psychocandy]

Interesting to see the 6-7 pages works for some people.

Assuming your latest roles are at the start, I do wonder though if clients read past the first page or two anyway though.

Mines 2 pages.

Surely no client or agent is going to read 14 pages though?

[TheFaQQer]

I'm at 4 pages at the moment, but it's not been updated in just over three years (last two clients recruited direct on reputation rather than the CV).

Needs some revamp at the start, but I'm happy with the rest of it.

[TheFaQQer]

Surely no client or agent is going to read 14 pages though?

The keyword scanning software will, even if the individual won't.

[The Spartan]

Interesting to see the 6-7 pages works for some people.

Assuming your latest roles are at the start, I do wonder though if clients read past the first page or two anyway though.

Mines 2 pages.

Surely no client or agent is going to read 14 pages though?

I've found with Test roles that they expect you to evidence the skills you claim to have not just list them, a lot of Test roles both contract and permie are done on the basis of experience. My question is how can you evidence that vast experience in a couple of pages to demonstrate it otherwise?

[MattZani]

Mine is 2 pages but it is getting pretty crowded and wordy.

I'm thinking of cutting a lot of it, leaving the essentials things and then throwing a HUGE link to my online portfolio (still to be created btw) in which every role and project is explained extensively. Too hipster maybe?

Does any of you do like this?

[blazing]

Mine is 2 pages but it is getting pretty crowded and wordy.

I'm thinking of cutting a lot of it, leaving the essentials things and then throwing a HUGE link to my online portfolio (still to be created btw) in which every role and project is explained extensively. Too hipster maybe?

Does any of you do like this?

I haven't provided a URL to my linkedin profile in my CV. That's mainly because I want to maintain a bit of confidentiality in my online profile. My online profile is not as descriptive as my CV mainly because I do not want to disclose the project details and technologies of the client openly.

I don't know if I should provide a link though.

[blazing]

I've had multiple renewals and some contracts have lasted up to 6 years (in different areas within the same client). Is this a good thing or bad? I read that some contractors specify in bold how many renewals they got against each client.

Also when you list your gigs in the CV, do you mention the agency name or the client's name or both as the sub header?