Reply to: CV length

[OwlHoot]

I notice there is a bit of a divide on where to put the personal details (name, phone number, email etc) ...

I may change my CV so these details are scattered at random through the CV, in a very small font.

The way I see it, if people can't be bothered to read my CV thoroughly, right the way through, they don't deserve to see my personal details

[NickFitz]

Should that be "rarely"?

I hesitate to nitpick, but if so that slip means the opposite of what you intended

What I meant was that people don't do any more than skim through pages after the first, but it is indeed true that many don't actually read them at all

[dropcliffsnotbombs]

I notice there is a bit of a divide on where tto put he personal details (name, phone number, email etc).

I always have these in a section right at the end of my CV as I think having them on the front page wastes valuable space for stuff to catch the eye of the person scanning it. Once they have been grabbed by information relevant to the role and have decided they want to take my application further they can then find my contact details at the end.

Also I have my name as the title/header of the document rather than the rather obvious 'Curriculum Vitae' (of course that's what it is).

[scooterscot]

As an employer as well as an employee I'll read to the last page of any prospective hopeful hoping to get a taste me income.

[thunderlizard]

It can be as long as you like: but make sure the first page is good because that's the only one that will get read.

[OwlHoot]

.. People only really seem to scan stuff beyond the first page...

Should that be "rarely"?

I hesitate to nitpick, but if so that slip means the opposite of what you intended

[NickFitz]

I have age, email, web site and mobile number first. Then a single paragraph summarising relevant skills, which also mentions bits & bobs that don't fit into a past role but are relevant, such as involvement with a Web Standards Project Task Force. Four lines maximum for that paragraph, targeted to the particular gig.

Then the most recent stuff, as bullet points (people prefer skimming them to reading text), all excess verbiage removed. By focussing on what's relevant, I can get the last three gigs onto the first page, which is important because one of them was Yahoo, which is the jewel in the crown as it were

People only really seem to scan stuff beyond the first page. So although I pick out the highlights, I don't bother much beyond two or three bullet points per gig going back to around 1996 when I started doing commercial web stuff. Everything before that is in a smaller font size and very brief.

I regularly get asked about the single line "1987 - 1990 Games Programmer" though, usually with some wording like "...not because it's relevant, but because it sounds really cool!"

I'm about ready to bite the bullet and expand to three pages though - at my age two pages just don't provide enough space unless you do everything in 6pt

[OwlHoot]

4 pages and over the last three years I've had (finger in the air) roughly a 10% interview rate for jobs applied for, and a 50% acceptance following interview.

(not blowing my own trumpet, but trying to indicate whether or not my CV is doing its job the best it can given the content)

It would be interesting to see other people's interview rate as a proportion of jobs applied for, as that's what a CV is about, whatever its length.

[Svalbaard]

Mine is 3 pages. Never had any problems getting work.

Getting plenty of calls this week even though I'm technically not on the market.

[cailin maith]

2 max...

[scooterscot]

4 pages..

If the number pages are a strategic measure you must make to secure a job you've got more worries than unemployment.

[Tensai]

Most agencies whack it into a database so make sure all the techie or qualification keywords are in there, so when they search on acronyms it pings up.

White space is good, shows an organised mind.

Most space goes to last 2 years' work, anything before that likely to be obselete/irrelevant anyway and so deserves a line or two.

[pmeswani]

I had a small bit under the exec summary with something similar which I chopped off last month - if you've got it elsewhere on your CV there's no need to put it in peoples faces I think.. my own view is it can have the opposite effect to what you want it to have if the people interviewing you are less capable/qualified than you.

My CV is pretty much the same layout as yours, apart from no security clearance, and I removed the references on request bit as I figured that goes without saying really.

I haven't really covered it elsewhere, but I've decided to chop it off my CV. The reference bit has gone as well. Agencies are tulip and use it to phish. I may print the achievements bit out and use it in interviews.... but until then, not really necessary.

[BrianSnail]

Ok just to cover the format of the CV...

Personal details (name, mobile, email)
Exec summary - sales pitch (short para..)
Roles going recent to far, with short skills/desc
Education/Training/Certs

2 pages.

?

Mine is...

Exec summary - sales pitch
Expertise/Skills/Training/Certs
Roles going recent to far, with short skills/desc
Personal details (name, mobile, email)

[chris79]

I've done mine on about 3 pages. I've dropped a few roles from my CV. My CV follows the format:

Page 1.
Personal Details (Name, Mobile, Email)
Personal Profile (Same as Exec Summary)
Expertise (Bullet Points of key skills)
Achievements (Brief summary of what I have done well at) - Have thought of ditching this section... opinions welcomed.

Page 2.
Career History (Same things as Roles)

Page 3.
Education & Professional Qualifications.
Security Vetting.
Referees (Stating provided on request).

Page 3 is only a quarter of a page... probably can be cut down to 2 pages if I got rid of achievements.

I had a small bit under the exec summary with something similar which I chopped off last month - if you've got it elsewhere on your CV there's no need to put it in peoples faces I think.. my own view is it can have the opposite effect to what you want it to have if the people interviewing you are less capable/qualified than you.

My CV is pretty much the same layout as yours, apart from no security clearance, and I removed the references on request bit as I figured that goes without saying really.