Reply to: CV format

[darmstadt]

First page: Personal - i.e. name, where resident (no address), telephone/fax/mobile/e-mail, work location and miscellaneous (I have professional certifications and titles I have authored)

Second page: Profile Summary - a one page summary of what I do and know including a selection of software/OS'es/applications that I know with years of experience

Third page up until page eight - summary of all jobs and contracts held with details of software used, tasks and for what type of company and where (no company names) getting progressively smaller as the years go back

Seems to work for me in 9/10 cases (and don't forget many agencies will just pull the relevant information out and put into their template)

[darmstadt]

reminds me of a story, I have no idea if this is true.

A medium sized country pub, the landlord installed a little cherub in the ladies, with a fig-leaf on a hinge over his little winkie.
The fig leaf was connected to a bell that rang in the bar when the fig leaf was raised......

Used to be a club in London that had that. The best one was in Aberdeen that had little video screens in the urinals which had pictures of people so you could widdle on their faces. It wasn't uncommon to see a few mother in laws there...

[threaded]

Rocket science isn't rocket science, it's just ballistics

Rocket science is a bit of a joke. I used to think aerospace was a bastion of engineering prowess until I worked in it.

There are some cars I won't drive and some planes I certainly won't be flying in until they've had a good few crashes.

The really good people work in finance.

[minestrone]

One thing I do is include the URL of my web site in the page header; most pimps don't know how to edit headers and footers in Word, so that usually gets through even after all the other contact info has been snipped

I put the date the CV was created in the header, greyed out, it's good to be able to say when they ask "I might have an old CV for you" to reply "The creation date is up on the right hand corner", "Right, 2003".

I think they just copy and paste the contents into a new doc anyway thus removing the headers.

[minestrone]

I have 4 lines on the last page offering details on my 6 years at University.

First page offers my contact details, and short skills summary. Only fills half a page and the agent will rewrite that anyway

2nd and 1/2 3rd page is listings of my roles, 1 line company, 1 line address, 3 bullet points, last point is just comma separated skills used. "Technologies used: Java, JEE, DB2, CVS" etc etc

I think the company names I have worked for and times spent there are what sells my CV.

[conned tractor]

And out of interest, does anyone actually put their O levels on who is over 35? I leave mine off (as not good, plus shows age), but once got asked why not there... and what my English was like (as I didn't have a degree they couldn't work out how I'd got to be a project manager )

No. Or A-levels.

[northernrampage]

And out of interest, does anyone actually put their O levels on who is over 35? I leave mine off (as not good, plus shows age), but once got asked why not there... and what my English was like (as I didn't have a degree they couldn't work out how I'd got to be a project manager )

[northernrampage]

If you are the wrong side of 35, lose any reference to age.

Some on here recently suggested leaving out your home address but I'm not so sure.

I do both. I'm going for jobs in London so I leave my address off. I don't want the agent to see I'm living somewhere else.

May not matter, however I then tell them 5 mins into the conversation.

I'm also the wrong side of 35, I also leave off my earlier jobs as well so it's hard to tell what age I am. I have been asked it though as think agents check it for security reasons, am bringing my passport to one agency next week.

I also always put my hobbies on. Didn't used to, but I was hiring a contract PM and looking at a few CVs, one guy had a great CV but was also into running and martial arts, which I am, I would have picked him anyway but it made me stop and look. For this reason, I now check people who are about to interview me on Linkedin, see if anything on there we have in common, and if I can bring it up as if I haven't stalked them I will. Of course your job skills matter more, but I'm a nervous interviewee so it helps me discussing other things.

It can go against you though, someone who interviewed me asked my hobbies, I said I did running. He then wrinkled his nose and said "not anything excessive though". Me, "um, a marathon".

[HairyArsedBloke]

Name
Address
DOB
Telephone number
Bank details (in case they need to setup my payments)
Car licence number & photo copy
Passport number & photo copy
Attach copy of utility bill to confirm address.
Attach photo
-----------------------------------

Hobbies & Interests in date order

Details of Non-academic training courses

-----------------------------------

Details of projects that went wrong (to show I'm human)

-----------------------------------

Employment history including school holiday jobs (Try to be as detailed as possible)

----------------------------------

References from the last 6 clients / employers

Full details of any interviews you've ever had


----------------------------------

Minimum you'll work for.

Detailing how desperate to get a contract

----------------------------------


Can't think of anything else...

NI number
DNA Sample
Names and contact details of every sexual partner you've ever had

Edit: Additional
Police report
Latest AIDS test results
Blood samples

[Platypus]

like everyone says 'its not rocket science'.......

Rocket science isn't rocket science, it's just ballistics

[mudskipper]

Lots of CVs seem to have a personal summary as the first thing, sort of personal marketing bs. Can be quite good, but have seen some truly awful ones - the chap who brought "synergy" to the role sticks in the memory - was tempted to interview him just to grill him on that!

[NickFitz]

+1 for education at the end.

Also +1 for minimising personal details.

No point putting contact details on there if going through an agency as pimps remove them, being paranoid about the client contacting you directly and cutting them out

One thing I do is include the URL of my web site in the page header; most pimps don't know how to edit headers and footers in Word, so that usually gets through even after all the other contact info has been snipped

[Tingles]

Name
Address
DOB
Telephone number
Bank details (in case they need to setup my payments)
Car licence number & photo copy
Passport number & photo copy
Attach copy of utility bill to confirm address.
Attach photo
-----------------------------------

Hobbies & Interests in date order

Details of Non-academic training courses

-----------------------------------

Details of projects that went wrong (to show I'm human)

-----------------------------------

Employment history including school holiday jobs (Try to be as detailed as possible)

----------------------------------

References from the last 6 clients / employers

Full details of any interviews you've ever had


----------------------------------

Minimum you'll work for.

Detailing how desperate to get a contract

----------------------------------


Can't think of anything else...

[threaded]

ID theft - That's why you have to remove your personal details like age and shouldn't put your full name down.

I've have had discussions with friends on how easy it is to fake being someone else. The easiest way is to go to a cemetery and choose someone who is dead but would be about your age. Then from their death certificate obtain their birth certificate and away you go.

The hardest way is to fake being a living person as you either have to break into their house and steal things, or trick them into giving you enough detail i.e. fake job ad.

Someone took a copy of my CV put their own details on it and got themselves into SHAPE.

Which reminds me about some of the nonsense spouted in other threads about security clearances...

[SueEllen]

If you are posting the CV on Monster, yeah, take it off. And use a special email address just for Monster too, to capture the spam it generates.

If you are sending it to an agent, all your contact details will be stripped out before it goes to a client. Often even your name and all personal details.

Some people worry about posting their address online; I certainly used to back in the 1990s. But now everyone has a PC and iPod and 60" telly and DVD player in their home, so what difference does it make?

ID theft - That's why you have to remove your personal details like age and shouldn't put your full name down.

I've have had discussions with friends on how easy it is to fake being someone else. The easiest way is to go to a cemetery and choose someone who is dead but would be about your age. Then from their death certificate obtain their birth certificate and away you go.

The hardest way is to fake being a living person as you either have to break into their house and steal things, or trick them into giving you enough detail i.e. fake job ad.