Reply to: Length of CVs

[SueEllen]

Its just weird. Why does it matter what you look like?

Cos it makes it easier to discriminate against people i.e. young , old, male, female.

[psychocandy]

Standard in the continent and pretty much everywhere.

Its just weird. Why does it matter what you look like?

[petergriffin]

Photo though. Puh-lease......

Standard in the continent and pretty much everywhere.

[psychocandy]

Vote from me for having a short CV.

Photo though. Puh-lease......

[flipFlop]

Being a newbie contractor, I can't say for sure how much attention agents pay to the earlier details of a contractor CV but headhunters/recruiters for perm jobs will hardly ever look past 7 years and focus on 3 jobs maximum.

Newbie, your sentence is self-contradictory.

Having recruited people in the past and read many CVs over the years, I wouldn't even bother to look at the first line of a CV of more than 3 pages.

You count the pages first and then decide whether or not to look at the first line? You're 'avin' a laugh, geezer!

[edison]

Is it acceptable to send a reduced version of you CV, in other words a resume, comprising only the last 5/10 years, and then a sentence like: "A longer version of this CV is available on request" or does it look lame?

Or which other wording would be acceptable?

This is exactly what I changed my CV to recently, even for perm jobs at £100k+ salary. I've had 10 perm jobs but my CV is less than two pages. I have a sentence which says 'Pre-2000, multiple IT/non-IT roles at various companies including X, Y, Z, further details on request.' No one has ever asked.

Being a newbie contractor, I can't say for sure how much attention agents pay to the earlier details of a contractor CV but headhunters/recruiters for perm jobs will hardly ever look past 7 years and focus on 3 jobs maximum.

Having recruited people in the past and read many CVs over the years, I wouldn't even bother to look at the first line of a CV of more than 3 pages. Jobhunters forget that the CV is supposed to be an introduction to yourself/skills for the sole purpose of getting the first interview. It's not supposed to be a detailed document describing every project you have worked on or every skill you have - no matter how good.

The key way to reduce the length of your CV is to focus on quantifiable achievements not responsibilities/tasks.

[ExPermie]

I follow the Stewart Copeland rule: "It's not what you put in, it's what you leave out".

Yep, sounds bollox but for me two pages is the maximum. I'm guessing the deal is sealed within the first 10 second scan of the CV so page one is the most important.

Just my 34 cents.

[flipFlop]

Putting random skills in that might in some way be related is just a waste of time for contractors. Permies yes, but not us.

Did someone suggest "putting random skills in"? I didn't see anyone post that.

Are you a contractor?

[blakeyuk]

Are you for real?

It must be Friday again, NLUK is having a soft-and-fluffy day :-)

Andy

[northernladuk]

Are you a contractor?

Are you for real?

[flipFlop]

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.

Are you a contractor?

[flipFlop]

I follow several simple rules:
...
- Photo included
...

What is the photo of?

[flipFlop]

I used to code 6502 assembler language back in the '80s ... What would a 22yo bimbo make of it?

(I did 6502 too.) The bimbo would not make anything of it but the skill would still be recognized by the agents' keyword searches.

I got a Fortran contract twenty-four years after I had last used the language professionally.

[northernladuk]

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

I can't believe anyone is even taking this post seriously.

[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.