Reply to: CV formatting

[darmstadt]

Although I prefer short CVs, if a long CV gets you the results then thats great. You dont need to fix it if it aint broken.

It may be that the audience of your CV is completely different to mine in terms of culture, sector and roles. You're obviously doing the right thing for your audience.

Precisely. I knew a bloke who sent off his CV along with copies of papers published, details of his patents and god knows what else. Took me hours to read and that is far too much.

I think for many roles you do only need 2-3 pages. For example a developer only really needs to list the tools that they are familiar with and what they used to develop with them. A lot of development projects are similiar apart from those where the industry is very specific (i.e aerospace, Beate Uhse, etc.) and then I think more detail is needed initially and then at the interview stage you would be expected to expand.

[lightng]

I'm not a developer per se and I'm afraid in the area that I am in and the projects that I do, the customer wants to know everything that you have done as it is all relative. As everything is in my CV then I tend to get gigs with just a telephone interview. I also try my best not to use agencies as an agent has absolutely no clue about anything that is written down in my CV but tend to work through consultancies/software houses and talk to people who have, or do, the same work as myself. I know for a fact that I have obtained contracts based on my CV as it shows a wealth of experience whereas the other people who have sent in their 2-3 page bullet point CV tend to have long interviews as they have to describe everything they have done, not with me.

I also do not put company names, instead something like Bank or Auto Manufacturer.

Although I prefer short CVs, if a long CV gets you the results then thats great. You dont need to fix it if it aint broken.

It may be that the audience of your CV is completely different to mine in terms of culture, sector and roles. You're obviously doing the right thing for your audience.

[darmstadt]

I'm not a developer per se and I'm afraid in the area that I am in and the projects that I do, the customer wants to know everything that you have done as it is all relative. As everything is in my CV then I tend to get gigs with just a telephone interview. I also try my best not to use agencies as an agent has absolutely no clue about anything that is written down in my CV but tend to work through consultancies/software houses and talk to people who have, or do, the same work as myself. I know for a fact that I have obtained contracts based on my CV as it shows a wealth of experience whereas the other people who have sent in their 2-3 page bullet point CV tend to have long interviews as they have to describe everything they have done, not with me.

I also do not put company names, instead something like Bank or Auto Manufacturer.

[minestrone]

To be honest if I was hiring a developer and seen an 8 page CV I would wonder what their code would look like.

I bet if you got someone’s 8 pager, cut I down to 2 pages with summary points, changed the personal details/company names about a bit and handed both CVs in for maybe 100 jobs the 2 pager would get a far higher number of interview invites.

The CV in my book has 2 jobs, impress the agent enough to get it to the client and to impress the client enough to get you in for an interview. Both require different things in the CV and it's getting the blend right that is key. I would say that an 8 pager would put either the client or the agent off at least 70% of the time despite how good you are.

That is just my opinion of course.

[darmstadt]

Well page 1 just has my personal details on it so I don't think that would help Its very difficult to cut my CV down and believe me I have tried. For example in my last project I worked with the following:

• 9 different operating systems
• 4 different types of hardware
• 10 major applications which rely on another 42 versions of software
• 3 programming languages

Then you have to describe what you did with all of the above, admittedly some were just touched on but with the majority I had to have detailed knowledge and work with them at a very high level which they want to know about.

At the same time I was also working for another company and providing consiúltancy for 2 others which also has to be described.

What I have found is that companies, not agents as it tends to go above their heads, read the CV, see that I have the relevant experience and when it comes to the phone or face to face interview it tends to be pretty short as they already know my knowledge and the questions asked tend to be just those to clarify some points. Never had a problem with it and 9 out of 10 projects have been obtained with that CV.

[TykeMerc]

Darmstadt that's extremely rare, most hiring managers and HR people will really only look at page 1, if that holds their attention then pages 2 and 3 will be read. They have to be incredibly interested and have time on their hands to get past a 3rd page.

When I've hired people I've always done a skim read page 1's and created 2 piles, 1 to read the second to bin unless pile 1 turns out to be useless on closer inspection, CV's that ramble on for 4+ pages typically make pile 2 automatically.

Contractor CV's are sales documents that need to make a clear statement of filling the requirements on page 1 to merit reading in any depth.

[darmstadt]

Well as pointed out earlier mine is 8 pages and I've just got off of a phone interview with a guy who was going through it (I could hear him turning the pages) and asking me about the old projects as they are very relevant to what this one was about and it helped a lot. Meet the client next week, although the project starts in March, he's going to try and get me in early (not an agency though, more a software house/consultancy.)

[lightng]

During my bench time I am going to revamp the bad boy and experiment with a 1 pager with cover sheet, see how it looks

Go for it!

I first discovered the benefits of a short CV whilst applying for a permie job. It was a 1 pager. I was on a short-list of over 200 candidates and was one of three to get an interview. The interviewer said they liked the fact that I was the only person with a one page CV that told them enough to know that they NEEDED to at least speak to me. I got the job in the end too.

When you write your CV, you write for the audience and not for yourself. Its a very basic rule but surpisingly few people consider it.

[Durbs]

Disagree. I admit page 1 is the most important page of the CV and that most decisions are made based on the first 10 or 15 seconds of looking at the CV, but it is unrealistic to expect a CV to be no more than 2 pages in length, especially if all the roles that are listed are relevant to the position that one is applying for.

Nah, i used to hire in my old perm role and wading through CV's i never read beyond page 2 - if those pages didnt have what i was looking for, i wasnt interested in going further and it was binned. The CV is just to get the interview so put put the absolutely relevent and recent stuff on it. other stuff can be mentioned but just a line to be expanded on at interview.

[minestrone]

Mine is 3 pages but the first one really only holds my details and a few buzzword for the spuds at the agencies.

Even if it is a 2 pager the agent, usually, will put his own cover sheet on it so it goes through as a 3 pager.

To be honest I have often seen my CV after it goes through the agency (using the previous method or just a 2 page version) and they have put it through a formatting mangle.

You have invested your time getting the skills, you have tried to put them down on paper in a way your experience stands out and the agents set some daft wee girl on it sticking the agency logo all over it

Anything more than 2 pages plus a short cover page is madness.

During my bench time I am going to revamp the bad boy and experiment with a 1 pager with cover sheet, see how it looks

[pmeswani]

Seriously though, I don't think a CV should be over 2 pages.

If the CV won't fit on a dartboard, it will generally be binned.

Disagree. I admit page 1 is the most important page of the CV and that most decisions are made based on the first 10 or 15 seconds of looking at the CV, but it is unrealistic to expect a CV to be no more than 2 pages in length, especially if all the roles that are listed are relevant to the position that one is applying for.

[lightng]

Seriously though, I don't think a CV should be over 2 pages.

If the CV won't fit on a dartboard, it will generally be binned.

[lightng]

It's been delivered twice. Once through silence and the other is self dealt. HTH.

Thats more like it Pmeswani. I'm feeling unloved once again.

[pmeswani]

Come on guys. I was expecting a comment like "Your CV is the CV of an ar$ehole". I had a bet with myself that abuse would start within 15 minutes.

Wheres my abuse godammit!

It's been delivered twice. Once through silence and the other is self dealt. HTH.

[lightng]

Come on guys. I was expecting a comment like "Your CV is the CV of an ar$ehole". I had a bet with myself that abuse would start within 15 minutes.

Wheres my abuse godammit!