CV - to show or not show previous employers

[Greenmantle]

I am entering the job market again after a number of years.
Currently composing a new CV with the usual sections.
I am pondering whether I should include a list of previous employers or should I hold that back.
The reason for this is that the rest of my CV should be enough to decide whether I should proceed to the interview stage and I do not need to give this information at the CV selection stage.
Obviously for the interview I can furnish the interviewer with the details.
I understand that certain agents might be upset so want to gauge whether a decision like this would adversely effect my job chances.

[Mr Pointy]

it's quite likley that your CV is going to be processed by an AI bot so the first thing to do is make sure you quote all the keywords in the job description so you don't get filtered out at the first hurdle.

[Mr_J]

Maybe it's sector specific but I'd expect to see previous employers listed and would wonder what you were trying to hide if they weren't shown.

You're clearly confident your CV is good enough to get an interview but don't base your thinking on getting through the first hurdle. The key question for me is whether or not you intend to ear suit and tie for the interview.

[Greenmantle]

Mr_J said:

The key question for me is whether or not you intend to wear a suit and tie for the interview.

Obviously it is based on the protective employers industry.
for example
insurance - always but plain and preferably grey - no flash ties.
media - no tie fitted blue suit plain open white shirt with brown shoes and funky socks
fast food - smart casual

[Mr Penguin]

What is the reason for dropping them? I can understand it if you work for a tobacco company's marketing department and want to go to a left-leaning NGO but generally it would either reflect well on you for working for a prestigious company or be neutral.

[Greenmantle]

Mr Penguin said:

What is the reason for dropping them? I can understand it if you work for a tobacco company's marketing department and want to go to a left-leaning NGO but generally it would either reflect well on you for working for a prestigious company or be neutral.

There are a number of reasons:
(1) Relevance - for the roles I am going for only the last 5 years really matter and that has been with a single employer.
(2) Ageism - my work history goes back a number of decades.
(3) Misreading - sometimes too much information is not good (more of a chance of reading into things that aren't true)
(4) Trust - Just like estate agents, jobs agents would make even Peter Mandelson blush. Unfortunately we have to deal with them.
(5) Gut feeling - that truism "less is more" is currently in my head.

[coldel]

Greenmantle said:

There are a number of reasons:
(1) Relevance - for the roles I am going for only the last 5 years really matter and that has been with a single employer.
(2) Ageism - my work history goes back a number of decades.
(3) Misreading - sometimes too much information is not good (more of a chance of reading into things that aren't true)
(4) Trust - Just like estate agents, jobs agents would make even Peter Mandelson blush. Unfortunately we have to deal with them.
(5) Gut feeling - that truism "less is more" is currently in my head.

I've just been on a long and arduous job hunt, so get some of the reasoning. It really depends on how much you are excluding, are we talking like 15 years of work here?

Generally speaking though its not just about skills but also experience. Leading a team, even in a different industry, displays leadership and management skills and maturity. Ageism, yes I get that, but I just got a great role in a generally younger company and I have been welcomed with open arms. If a company is (illegally) discounting you on age then to be honest I wouldn't want to work for them. Also, if your CV is set up to make you look younger, then you rock up looking 20 years older, its not a going to have a good first impression from a subconscious bias point of view.

Less is more is not really applicable I think to job applications in most cases. Sure if you are applying to stack shelves keep it brief but something more substantial then you need to clearly demonstrate your suitability from the off, and as someone said get it AI friendly so you can get through the bot screening.

Personally, I would include your previous work and pull out the softer skills you picked up in summary. Focus on your recent relevant work and then maybe summarise in shorter form your previous roles. Good employers wont want to be left guessing i.e. went to Uni in 2005 finished in 2008 and work section blank until 2020 is not going to be a good look!

[lizardbrain]

Greenmantle said:

The reason for this is that the rest of my CV should be enough to decide whether I should proceed to the interview stage

I'm surprised at this. Can't speak for every sector, but for me, the previous employers is usually the most interesting part of the CV

[rog007]

Greenmantle said:

I am entering the job market again after a number of years.
Currently composing a new CV with the usual sections.
I am pondering whether I should include a list of previous employers or should I hold that back.
The reason for this is that the rest of my CV should be enough to decide whether I should proceed to the interview stage and I do not need to give this information at the CV selection stage.
Obviously for the interview I can furnish the interviewer with the details.
I understand that certain agents might be upset so want to gauge whether a decision like this would adversely effect my job chances.

Good practice is to include some previous employment history, if only to demonstrate that you’ve been active in work rather than absent from the workforce entirely.

While “less is more” certainly applies to CVs, it’s really about limiting irrelevant information, not erasing useful context.

Take ageism as an example: you don’t need to list every role you’ve ever held, just enough to stay within two pages and to demonstrate competence and relevance for the role you’re applying for.

There’s obviously much more to writing a strong CV, but hopefully this helps address your employment query.

[Countdown]

lizardbrain said:

Greenmantle said:

The reason for this is that the rest of my CV should be enough to decide whether I should proceed to the interview stage

I'm surprised at this. Can't speak for every sector, but for me, the previous employers is usually the most interesting part of the CV

I agree. In my line of work it gives a good idea of the type of work the applicant might have been involved with.