Reply to: Targeting CV

[chappers]

There is no stead fast rule when it comes to CV length. Someone with 5 years of experience, probably can, and should, have a 2 page CV. Someone with 30 years of experience, chopping contracts every year or so, is of course going to need more - for some, a lot more.

My basic rule for someone very experienced is 2-3 jobs with a very detailed description, and then scale it down to one paragraph per job beyond that, until you get to 15 years in the past - at which point, a table with your client, job role, and budget is probably sufficient. Personally as an agent, I quite like a more detailed CV so that I can see the foundation of the experience.

The one thing I'd say about CV's, is that the things reading them, are dumb.

Now yes.....you're probably thinking that it's the agents which are dumb, but actually I'm talking about the databases. IT contractors in particular, will know that there are a million ways of skinning a cat - and that certain technologies are the same, or are entirely compatible (please excuse me, I'm not an IT recruiter so I can't give an example). The knowledge of those associations though, is completely based on intelligence.

Search terms are literal, and like any search engine, based on key word counts, as well as their presence.

The best way I've found of establishing how your CV ranks, in a visual way, is to use a tool called Wordle www.wordle.net

Copy and paste your whole CV in here, and it will turn it into a series of word pictures. The bigger the word, the more prominent it is to a search engine.

If the words you see in your wordle picture, are not the key areas you work within, I would suggest re-writing your CV - especially if you want to be picked up for relevant jobs through job boards etc.

thanks for the wordle link. Just a tip. Don't save as they are unable to remove them as the creator is anon

[blazing]

The best way I've found of establishing how your CV ranks, in a visual way, is to use a tool called Wordle www.wordle.net

Copy and paste your whole CV in here, and it will turn it into a series of word pictures. The bigger the word, the more prominent it is to a search engine.

If the words you see in your wordle picture, are not the key areas you work within, I would suggest re-writing your CV - especially if you want to be picked up for relevant jobs through job boards etc.

Thanks for providing an agent's view. I'll take a look at wordle.

[blazing]

How can you have been contracting for at least 12 years and not know whether this is a good or bad thing, or how to write your CV?

See my post #18 where I replied to you. I don't know - I just never had to look for one on jobserve. It has always come to me - got head hunted and through connections. My skills are very good. So I've never been out of contract, and I can't remember my last interview - it was probably 14 years ago. I'm fine with the CV writing and I've got one ready. Since you guys have a lot of experience in the contract hunting business, I'm looking for advice really. The negative could be "not diversified in 6 years" but the positive is got renewed repeatedly - so it could go both ways.


http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ml#post1939863

[The Agents View]

There is no stead fast rule when it comes to CV length. Someone with 5 years of experience, probably can, and should, have a 2 page CV. Someone with 30 years of experience, chopping contracts every year or so, is of course going to need more - for some, a lot more.

My basic rule for someone very experienced is 2-3 jobs with a very detailed description, and then scale it down to one paragraph per job beyond that, until you get to 15 years in the past - at which point, a table with your client, job role, and budget is probably sufficient. Personally as an agent, I quite like a more detailed CV so that I can see the foundation of the experience.

The one thing I'd say about CV's, is that the things reading them, are dumb.

Now yes.....you're probably thinking that it's the agents which are dumb, but actually I'm talking about the databases. IT contractors in particular, will know that there are a million ways of skinning a cat - and that certain technologies are the same, or are entirely compatible (please excuse me, I'm not an IT recruiter so I can't give an example). The knowledge of those associations though, is completely based on intelligence.

Search terms are literal, and like any search engine, based on key word counts, as well as their presence.

The best way I've found of establishing how your CV ranks, in a visual way, is to use a tool called Wordle www.wordle.net

Copy and paste your whole CV in here, and it will turn it into a series of word pictures. The bigger the word, the more prominent it is to a search engine.

If the words you see in your wordle picture, are not the key areas you work within, I would suggest re-writing your CV - especially if you want to be picked up for relevant jobs through job boards etc.

[TheFaQQer]

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?

How can you have been contracting for at least 12 years and not know whether this is a good or bad thing, or how to write your CV?

[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?

[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.

[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?

[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?

[TheFaQQer]

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

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

[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.

[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?

[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.........

[MyUserName]

12-14 pages!

Wow - which industry were you applying for?

[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.