Discussion
in peoples opinions, what's the best way to layout a CV and make it look best? 1 page max? what do people put on there? just a bit about themselves, then previous employment history starting with most recent role first etc? Or do you need more? I'm just updating my CV and haven't done it for so long, and it looks pretty cluttered. What do employers look for in a decent CV?
In the current climate you'll be lucky to get a 30 second glance. Keep it simple - if it looks cluttered now I'd suggest you start again rather than try to repair the current version. No fancy fonts or other decorations. 2 pages max, shorter is fine - page 2 is unlikely to be read in any great detail anyway.
A prospective employer is asking "what can this person do for me" so you may want to open with a brief summary of what you're selling. "Accomplished chicken sexer with x years experience" kind of thing. 50 words tops.
A prospective employer is asking "what can this person do for me" so you may want to open with a brief summary of what you're selling. "Accomplished chicken sexer with x years experience" kind of thing. 50 words tops.
Two pages, start with a paragraph about yourself and experience and put all the important words and phrases in bold.
When they skim over they will read the bold and get a good idea of you in about 15 seconds.
Sounds silly but at my last two interviews I have managed to see the copy of my CV they have as refernce material, both times the words I had put in bold had been circled in pen by the interviewer and were then refferred to in the interview. Know what these word are and be ready to talk round them.
Underneath have a chronalogical list of employment with bullets points of main responsibilities under each.
At the end have your education and other skill/info (bullet pointed) and lastly the little BS 'about mye' section
When they skim over they will read the bold and get a good idea of you in about 15 seconds.
Sounds silly but at my last two interviews I have managed to see the copy of my CV they have as refernce material, both times the words I had put in bold had been circled in pen by the interviewer and were then refferred to in the interview. Know what these word are and be ready to talk round them.
Underneath have a chronalogical list of employment with bullets points of main responsibilities under each.
At the end have your education and other skill/info (bullet pointed) and lastly the little BS 'about mye' section
Nobody You Know said:
Two pages, start with a paragraph about yourself and experience and put all the important words and phrases in bold.
When they skim over they will read the bold and get a good idea of you in about 15 seconds.
Sounds silly but at my last two interviews I have managed to see the copy of my CV they have as refernce material, both times the words I had put in bold had been circled in pen by the interviewer and were then refferred to in the interview. Know what these word are and be ready to talk round them.
Underneath have a chronalogical list of employment with bullets points of main responsibilities under each.
At the end have your education and other skill/info (bullet pointed) and lastly the little BS 'about mye' section
+1 - That's how mine is!When they skim over they will read the bold and get a good idea of you in about 15 seconds.
Sounds silly but at my last two interviews I have managed to see the copy of my CV they have as refernce material, both times the words I had put in bold had been circled in pen by the interviewer and were then refferred to in the interview. Know what these word are and be ready to talk round them.
Underneath have a chronalogical list of employment with bullets points of main responsibilities under each.
At the end have your education and other skill/info (bullet pointed) and lastly the little BS 'about mye' section
It isn't a simple answer because it does depend on the type of role. I interviewed someone yesterday with a 5 page CV, all of which was good and relevant and with over 20 years experience it couldn't have been much shorter.
The main thing I'd say is keep it relevant and keep it accurate and honest. 'I am an enthusiastic and conscientious person who works really hard and...', b
ks, it's a CV, of course you are.
You are fond of animals, play golf and have an interest in astronomy? Whoopee, good for you, when can you start?... OK put it at the end if you must.
Experience first, qualifications first? It depends on you, if you are newly qualified and your experience is limited to bar work while you studied then lead with the qualifications. At some stage the experience starts to be more relevant than the qualifications, judge when that happens and adjust accordingly.
Putting bits in bold? I hate that, by all means highlight things like the title of each job or the name of the qualification if you must. But don't do words or bits of sentences in bold, it looks dreadful.
What it really amounts to is that the first page will tell me whether to read any more, put everything that will tell me why I should consider you on that page and back it up with supplementary detail on the other pages.
The main thing I'd say is keep it relevant and keep it accurate and honest. 'I am an enthusiastic and conscientious person who works really hard and...', b
ks, it's a CV, of course you are.You are fond of animals, play golf and have an interest in astronomy? Whoopee, good for you, when can you start?... OK put it at the end if you must.
Experience first, qualifications first? It depends on you, if you are newly qualified and your experience is limited to bar work while you studied then lead with the qualifications. At some stage the experience starts to be more relevant than the qualifications, judge when that happens and adjust accordingly.
Putting bits in bold? I hate that, by all means highlight things like the title of each job or the name of the qualification if you must. But don't do words or bits of sentences in bold, it looks dreadful.
What it really amounts to is that the first page will tell me whether to read any more, put everything that will tell me why I should consider you on that page and back it up with supplementary detail on the other pages.
Format & length will always vary dependent on industry & your experience. Never pad your CV with stuff just to make it appear longer however. Keep everything relevent. When I review a CV I'm really not interested in you hobbies & interests, unless you are applying fro graduate training position.
I had a headhunter approach me last year about several positions. His comments on my CV were that it was simple, concise & focussed on relevent information. My CV is 6 pages long. The other key point he made was that he comes across very few that are grammatically correct & without spelling errors. Mine was perfect in this respect. This is very important. Possibly more so than the exact layout.
I had a headhunter approach me last year about several positions. His comments on my CV were that it was simple, concise & focussed on relevent information. My CV is 6 pages long. The other key point he made was that he comes across very few that are grammatically correct & without spelling errors. Mine was perfect in this respect. This is very important. Possibly more so than the exact layout.
GT03ROB said:
The other key point he made was that he comes across very few that are grammatically correct & without spelling errors.
I couldn't agree more. It's amazing how many people can't spell or string a sentence together. Also don't put references in, we'll ask if we want them, explain anomalies like gaps in experience or overlaps in experience.
Use plain white paper, don't mess about with fonts, it may make you stand out but not in a good way.
Do tell me what you like to be called - if your name is Michael but everyone calls you Mike then tell me, it's much easier come interview time.
-No colours except black.
-No logos - little images of certifications etc - they scream wker.
-No personal interests - who gives a toss if you like playing the piano and collecting Japanese wildflowers.
-Make sure all your time is accounted for - i.e. no gaps, or explain what the gaps were.
-Don't bullst, especially with technical areas.
-No logos - little images of certifications etc - they scream w
ker.-No personal interests - who gives a toss if you like playing the piano and collecting Japanese wildflowers.
-Make sure all your time is accounted for - i.e. no gaps, or explain what the gaps were.
-Don't bulls
t, especially with technical areas.Forums | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff