[Woodywizz]

After getting a bit jaded with current employer, had an informal chat this week with another potential employer. It went brilliantly but the guy needs a CV for his records.

I have not done a CV for over 7 years.

Any help appreciated

[Woodywizz]

Originally Posted by Abbeygoo

move to PM

[Abbeygoo]

I think your CV needs to be punchy, upbeat and dynamic. Include a brief resume of your school / uni qualifications but include more of what's relevant i.e. what qualities you have that can be brought to the job advertised. Include details of your excellent performance over recent years and your undoubted devotion to lunch time drinks, after hours dancing and countless visits on bank time to Superfi / Sound&Vision / Sevenoaks etc.

[Mr_Wistles]

If he purely needs a cv for his records then just do a chronological list.

[Pat_C]

Originally Posted by Abbeygoo

I think your CV needs to be punchy, upbeat and dynamic.

... and presented in a way that stands out in what may be a large pile of others; a CV should be thought of as an advert. It's also important to remember that it isn't there to get you the job, just the interview. You only need to tell a potential employer enough to get them interested in meeting you.

More than half of the CVs I've ever seen have been far too long (one even had an index )

[adam4478]

most of the cv's i get are used as a resource for finding questions to ask during the interview - once it's decided that the candidate is suitable. after that personality wins almost every time... short, sweet and (as above) punchy and to the point works on cv's, make them buy the person - not the paperwork. No matter how professional people are they will normally hire the person they like and are drawn to rather than the person who looks good on paper... don't blow too much smoke up your nether regions (a little breeze doesn't hurt ) a good interviewer will use anything to catch you out !!!! Ideally a CV should open the door and doesn't usually decide who gets the job - that's down to people, not paper.

comment above from Pat is spot on!!!!!!!

[Adam Shaw]

In the past, I worded for a few companies with high staff turnover (not bad management, just the nature of those businesses), and often had to go through the CV pile. Tips to ensure your CV dosent get binned before they've finished reading it:

1. 1 single sided A4 sheet. If you want to say more than this, wait till the interview. Long rambling CV's get binned

2. Under contact details, if you do not currently have a sensible sounding email address, go and create one. Any CV whose contact email goes som ething like 'pleasingtheladies@hotmail.com' gets binned

3. Layout; a sensible structure reads like this, from the top down:

Contact details

Work experience (most recent first, detail position and responsibilities)

Education History and qualifications. Again, keep this relevant. I have had CV's from people listing their swimming badbes and Cycling Proficiency Certificate! As an example, if you are applying for a job at a bank, they dont care that you have a GNVQ in sand dune management.

Personal interests: try and come accross and sociable. If your personal interests simply list watching telly and going to the pub, you wont really shine out.

Dont put contact details down for references, if they want them they will ask for them, and this uses valuable space.

4. Accuracy: use a spell checker, and make sure you get the right details down. Typo's and biro corrections of email addresses and phone numbers are a no-no.

[MikeTV]

I think there are different styles of CV for different industries, but in the IT industry (which I am most familiar) it is very important to demonstrate as much as you can about your various skills - and a one page CV is usually not enough (unless this is your first job). Two, or even three pages are very common - but never any more than that.

The most important thing to remember is focus on the things that are most significant to the role you are applying for - and don't bother with the rest. Eg. when selecting candidates, I couldn't really care less about their hobbies - I will learn about their personality at interview anyway. Be ruthless in editing out the irrelevent stuff.

Every job or project you have worked on will have some significance to the new role (even if it is only "successful completion"). But flipping burgers in 1992 may not be of great interest to a recruiter, and so concentrate on those skills that are the most relevent.

Try to demonstrate how your career has advanced and progressed, and that you haven't just stagnated. Demonstrate how you have taken on greater responsibility, etc. The CV should tell a story, with the latest experience putting you in exactly the right place (experience-wise) for the role you are applying for.

It's not a bad idea to provide an executive summary at the top - but keep this very impersonal and professional, stating what you consider yourself to be (eg. "an IT pro with 10 years experience..." ), and what you can expect to provide (eg. "with the ability to deliver solutions...").

Adapt your CV for different roles, instead of having one generic CV for every opportunity. You need to stand out from the crowd, and tick every box for the recruitor, because they have a pile of 500 CV's to review.

Lastly, make it as professional looking as possible. This doesn't mean make it "fancy", it means make it clear, concise and to the point. Rambling, badly worded, and mispelled CV's are trashed immediately.

Good luck.

[pave]

Just do a list of the lap dancing clubs you have walked into .........by mistake,....

That should do it..........




I'll get my coat..........

[Alan_W]

Just a warning - I make a point of not employing unlucky people, by throwing half the CVs I receive into the bin unread.

May be best to send two

[Abbeygoo]

My Dad always used to chuck the CVs into the bin that weren't immediately pleasing on the eye ..... make an effort, first impressions count.

[TeenSpirit]

All above good points - remember to keep it down to a single A4 sheet with a border around it to stand out - I can't be doing with pages and pages, it usually means that there has been too many job changes over the years or lots of job description blagging !

see;
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/cvsamples/l/blcvsamp3.htm
http://www.cvtips.com/how_to_write_a_CV.html

I would recommend following up the CV with a telephone call a week later to confirm receipt, show commitment and to put you fresh in the employer's mind (and hopefully top of his pile).

And good luck

[davisneil]

errr yeah, my CV is 3 pages long! I am in the field of AV and I have had bags of training, I have to list the projectors and gear I work with, all that gumph....I tried to shorten it but its difficult to in certain professions, especially if you first started AV work when you were 14!

Anyhow, just scored an engineering job with it, and a free trip to amsterdam, and never failed to get an interview with it, so if you want a copy of it to doctor, just ask

[shahedz]

if you already have the job like Russell said. Don't you just need to list your jobs and qualifications, does it need that much detail?

[Woodywizz]

Thanks everyone for the hints and tips - I've nearly finished it now

[Dony]

A tip that I was given (and seemed to work) was to print your CV on paper that is not white. I always used an off-white colour (ivory/cream). Looks professional, shows that you have made more of an effort than the hundred's of white A4 sheets. Obviously don't print on a bold colour, just something that will make it easy for the employer to pick out from the rest of the pile.

[Dony]

By the way, I am now an employer and I would bin a 1 page CV. To me it shows a lack of committment and laziness. I'm not saying you should write your life's history. I prefer CV's to have personal info and qualifications on one page, work history on a second, and attributes and achievements on the third....... Most employers glance over a CV, so there is more chance of something relevant to the job sticking out over a couple of pages than on 1 page.

[Woodywizz]

I agree - mine is 3 pages long and I could have made it considerably longer.

I'm quite proud of it - certainly a world apart from my very first CV when I was 18 and included such integral facts as captain of the school football team, member of the university hall of residence social committee, and other such wow factors which are important in succeeding in the workplace

[TeenSpirit]

Originally Posted by Dony

By the way, I am now an employer and I would bin a 1 page CV. To me it shows a lack of committment and laziness. I'm not saying you should write your life's history. I prefer CV's to have personal info and qualifications on one page, work history on a second, and attributes and achievements on the third....... Most employers glance over a CV, so there is more chance of something relevant to the job sticking out over a couple of pages than on 1 page.

ooohhh, I employ staff also and I would prefer to not read through pages of info - basic details are needed and if those basic details are the relevant details then the rest can be discussed at interview - if the basic details go on and on then usually I ask myself why has this person has done so many jobs or tried so many tasks - for a professional position it will usually be the field you have worked in for some while ... many changes of employers is not usually a good sign... blah blah blah

Anyway, these are just our personal opinions posted here, offering advice to others requesting it.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by woodywizz

I'm quite proud of it - certainly a world apart from my very first CV when I was 18 and included such integral facts as captain of the school football team, member of the university hall of residence social committee, and other such wow factors which are important in succeeding in the workplace

Why did you say that, why?!

[Woodywizz]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Why did you say that, why?!

I was young and impressionable....the folly of youth

[DanH]

Originally Posted by Dony

By the way, I am now an employer and I would bin a 1 page CV. To me it shows a lack of committment and laziness.

Originally Posted by MrsSigns

ooohhh, I employ staff also and I would prefer to not read through pages of info - basic details are needed and if those basic details are the relevant details

This is what drives me nuts. I spent ages getting my CV down to one page after taking advice from people, and if i went for a job at Dony's it would get binned instantly.

It actually took me longer crafting a one page CV than it would have doing a longer one. How many other employers are going to see my one page CV and think i lack commitment etc?

I realise you cant interview everybody and have to whittle the numbers down somehow, but its a bit annoying when someone wont even look at you because you have used a font size they didn't like, or any other stupid reason you hear about these days.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by woodywizz

I was young and impressionable....the folly of youth

Mate: I just got a job at Wembley - catering. You should apply as well
Me: Harrow is too far out
Mate: Yeah, but its really easy. Do you have experience?
Me: 2 years
Mate: That's right, exaggerate a bit. As long as they don't check, you're pretty safe
Me: I actually do have 2 years experience

That's the problem. Employers talk a good game, but half of them dump CVs for some stupid reason, like a preference for sans serif font and the other half don't check them out anyway!

[The Dude]

I used to run with a 3 page CV, but have been told on a few occasions by recruiters that this is just too much reading.

I go with a 2 page layout on all my CVs now, first page details and introduction, second page work history, - pretty much as per Dony's post.


You're always guessing to some degree, as the layout/content of your CV needs to be tailored for each application anyway...

The problem being, that:
you you know the role you're applying for,
you know the firm you're applying to..
but you don't know who is gonna be reading your CV.

I'd take the opposite opinion to Mrs.Signs on people who change jobs regularly, If I picked up a CV from somebody who had been doing the same role for the last 5 years, then that's as far as I'd bother to read.

It's all a bit of a lottery, you'll see a thousand different opinions from a thousand different people, but they might all be wrong, as far as the one person reading your CV is concerned.

[Dony]

Originally Posted by DanH

This is what drives me nuts. I spent ages getting my CV down to one page after taking advice from people, and if i went for a job at Dony's it would get binned instantly.

I may be a bit old school in this sense and always give the same advise as I was given, and that was to have an easy to read/refer to summary of the person's academic and professional achievments. Your 1 page CV may cover all of this, however, those that I receive normally look crammed and dis-jointed. First impressions are important, and a CV is the first contact any employer has with a prospective employee.

Also, regarding listing employment history, I don't mind if a person changes jobs every 2-4 yrs, provided that each job shows progression from the previous. This is why I like job history in chronlogical order starting from the oldest to the most recent.

I can safely say that I have never employed anyone off a CV, the interview is by far the most important thing. For me a CV is basically a key to unlock the door to an interview, and a you've said, employers cannot interview all applicants.

I appreciate others may see my ways as being completely wrong, that's life!

[TeenSpirit]

Originally Posted by Dony

I can safely say that I have never employed anyone off a CV, the interview is by far the most important thing. For me a CV is basically a key to unlock the door to an interview, and a you've said, employers cannot interview all applicants.

I appreciate others may see my ways as being completely wrong, that's life!

Agreed, that's why I say keep CV to basic facts - if you are what they are looking for they can tell this from the CV enough to interview you - like The Dude says; 'It's all a bit of a lottery, you'll see a thousand different opinions from a thousand different people, but they might all be wrong, as far as the one person reading your CV is concerned.'

Woodywizz, they are interested in you already, the CV is just getting your facts over to them, so they can check you out on paper, just make sure you don't put your hobbies down as 'gun fanatic' or something only joking.

[Woodywizz]

Originally Posted by MrsSigns

, just make sure you don't put your hobbies down as 'gun fanatic' or something only joking.

....damned it....back to the drawing board.....what about "small firearms enthusiast"

[Steven]

Just a small bump to thank people for their postings

Kinda humorous people want me to produce a CV even though I only want a temp job for 2 months. Nowhere fancy. Hopefully can stay inconspicuous stocking a garden centre or supermarket somewhere near you in the near future

[Mep]

so what happened Woody....are you changing jobs???

[Woodywizz]

We're still in disucussions mate, will keep you posted though