FOAK: CVs...

Help!

It's been so long since I banged out my CV, that in the face of needing to
knock one out quick, I need a few tips on the style and presentation as my
head is full of old reminders of 'Don't make it too long / short', etc., and
it has to be said the templates within Word don't fill me with confidence.

A vacancy has just come up locally which I'd *really* like to get, but I
don't want to fall at the first hurdle due to a badly put together CV that
sends the reader to sleep before they've even got to the relevant experience
I've got. (1)

So if anyone could give me some tips and a pointer to a good example (in
terms of presentation / how indepth I should bang on about past projects
etc.), I'd be extremely grateful.

TIA

(1) Given the subject matter will be me, I accept this is a very tall order.

 

Most relevant stuff near the beginning, and spend more time on that - don't
spend ages detailing the O-levels you got twenty years ago for example
(mention them, but don't waste a significant chunk of your two pages on
them). Spend a while reading the vacancy details and researching the company
first, and target your CV around that. Always use 'I' rather than 'we' when
talking about stuff you did in a team - same as in an interview. Remember
that, if they have a large number of applicants, something's got to catch
their eye in the first half-page, or first few lines of a paragraph,
otherwise they might not even read to the end before shoving you to the
bottom of the pile.

 

Take a look here for some practical advice. And as Cane says, do not
make it fancy.

http://www.totaljobs.co.uk/editorial/getadvice_applyjobs/your_cv.shtm



--

jeremy
'02 Fazer 600 in blue
_______________________________________
jeremy at hireserve dot com

 

The exception being some of the more 'arty' professions, such as graphic or
web design - some companies request a flash CV in an appropriate medium, as
a demonstration of your skills.

 

This is the advice I was given when I had to go on a mandatory course
about these sorts of things.

 

no way would I bother considering a CV that small for a technical role.

I struggle to keep my own under 4 pages, TBH.

 

I try and do mine at least every 6 months, because otherwise I forget
what I've done. I'm in the middle of an update right now, as it
happens.

 

http://www.i-resign.com/uk/workinglife/viewarticle_124.asp

 

Mine's 3, and it's got almost no information in it.

 

darsy says...

My CV is in two parts. A two page summary and then a more detailed four
page technical/skill set part.

 

I can *just* get mine onto three pages.

Page 1: Personal Details & Skills Summary
Pages 2-3: Contract & Employment history, most recent first.

There's more technical detail in the most recent and
those where I used the appropriate skills.
And I always tweak it for the job to which I am applying.

 

Personally, I think if you have a CV more than two pages (even for a
technical rôle), then it'll be binned straight away. Recruiters don't
have the time to wade through all of the pages in a CV and won't even
bother most of the time.

CV's are a marketing tool and need to be designed accordingly. You need
to make enough of an impression, just to get your foot in the door. The
covering letter is also an important factor and shouldn't be ignored.

I'd also recommend having at least two or three different CV's,
tailored to different angles, depending upon what you're searching for.

I recently sent my CV to a certain ukrmer as I knew his comments would
be constructive. For a two page CV, he came back with 2 pages of
comments, in a smaller typeface than I used on my CV!

It was much appreciated though and now I've got three nearly finished
French CV's and will have two English CV's finished shortly after that
[1].

All of them, I've got on two pages. IMO, they contain the right amount
of info and not too much.

[1] Started again from scratch basically [2]
[2] Of which, the English CV's will need to be reviewed again [3]
[3] The French ones are being reviewed by a (Marketing) friend on
Monday.

 

That's actually not such a bad idea.

 

Don't know if I agree with this. Don't forget: CVs are all stored
online, and searched by keyword. I can't imagine that the are many
recruiters who sit there reading CVs on paper, or in Word.

What **** was that, then? I'm currently re-doing my CV, and want some
input.

 

Don't agree with the phrase "binned staright away" Cab - I've had to
deal with a fair number of CVs in the past and the first things you
notice are what's on the first page (obvious really). If that conveys to
me that the candidate is the sort of person I am interested in I will
take the time to read the remaining pages.

--

jeremy
'02 Fazer 600 in blue
_______________________________________
jeremy at hireserve dot com

 

Why ? You're 'bilingual'. Why not review them yourself ?

 

True, I didn't think of that. If you go for the modern way of sending
by email. The old fashioned way of snail mail is probably tougher. I'm
subscribed to four online sites at the moment, so I may take up your
way of thinking. Damn. It means I have to do another CV.

You can guess, can't you? He won't pull any punches, believe me. I
wouldn't expect anything else either.

 

True, but look at it this way. If we talk about paper CVs. If there's a
post on offer and there are about 500-600 applicants for the job. How
would you sort through that lot? I know I'd be pretty ruthless, if it
was left to me.

I need to rethink my ideas about electronic CVs though.

 

Ok, well to be more specific, it's for a programming role.

I've not been in the game for a while, but they're looking for people
primarily with AS400 RPG skills, something which whilst most who know how to
do structured programming could pick up with ease, isn't exactly the most
common of systems / programming languages to have direct experience and
training (1) in.

So... given I've been doing 'other', largely irrelevant to this particular
type of role things for a living for a while, what I want to know is, how
indepth do I go into my previous experience in this game, as in, on the last
CV I did, I was told by one person that they thought I'd gone into a bit too
much depth about some of the actual projects I'd undertake.

That, and I've normally structured my CV chronologically - which means the
stuff they'll actually be interested in, will be buried away from the first
page... and it doesn't seem all that orthodox to me, to not list it in this
way.

Sorry if some of this seems a bit 'duh'... it's just these jobs rarely come
up down this neck of the woods, and I'd really like to make sure I give
myself the best possible chance to at least get a foot in the interviewing
process door, without falling at the first hurdle.

Ta for all the other advice given in this thread so far.

(1) Inhouse, and IBM courses.

 

darsy wrote

By the time I had reached my middle 40's my CV was half a book long for
the jobs alone, another 3 chapters for the literally many tens of
industry associated paper qualifications. More for industry related
awards, achievements and certificates. As to the list of skills you can
acquire working in a changing industry for 30 years; volumes 3 through 7
in my case.

I got it down to two pages that more or less said "I have been
everywhere and done everything and if you really need the specifics then
talk to me but bear in I don't do military work anymore and my days of
being cheap are long since over."