Resume's
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How long/short should a resume' (CV) be? I always thought that a good length is 3 - 4 pages and then have all certificates and things attached, but I recently had my resume looked at by someone who deals with them all the time, and they reduced my 3 page one, to just 1 page... This kinda spun me out But I am applying for a new job, and I was wondering if I should use my 3 page one, or the new 1 page one
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown "All things good to know are difficult to learn" ~ Greek Proverb "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" ~ Vidal Sassoon
Mail out a thumb drive, then it can be as long as you like. :)
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
whg144 wrote:
There's a subtle difference between a CV and a resume
A CV is just a specific type of resume. In fact, it's the type used for job applications, so in that context they are the same thing. Cheers, Drew.
In US usage the main difference is that normal people use resumes, PHD's use the CV to itemize their publications list as well.
You know, every time I tried to win a bar-bet about being able to count to 1000 using my fingers I always get punched out when I reach 4.... -- El Corazon
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Two pages is a good compromise between too little and too much. Remember that you should ideally be tailoring your resume for the job you are applying to, so there's no need to list absolutely everything you've done but just the most appropriate things for the job. I wouldn't attach any certificates either. The resume stage is mainly about grabbing their attention long enough to get an interview. Pages of resume and certificate are likely to cause a 'I cant be bothered with this one'.
modified on Thursday, April 10, 2008 1:42 AM
I haven't been in on the hiring decisions, but I've been in meetings where I've watched people in that role sift through resumes. I was really shocked at how quickly they would glance at one and toss it aside. I have to agree with the two pages after seeing that. One is probably not enough substance for a lot of jobs, but more than that and the people I watched would've just tossed it aside unless something really caught their attention on the first page. Key points for the job have to go on the first page and you better make damn sure your grammar and spelling are correct. And don't attach certificates unless requested. Good luck. :)
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I tend to interview a few people a year (contracts and permanents), and deal with, say, 10 CVs each time. So maybe I can help. Tips! More than 3/4 pages is too long; only 1 is fine if done very professionally. In 18 years in IT Dev I've seen a grand total of one, one page CV - but the person got an interview and the position, so it clearly worked! They lasted 3 weeks. There are fashions in these things, the career 'mission statement' is out of fashion, but I would still recommend a key skills summary on the first page, even if it feels a bit contrived. Most people sifting through CVs first time simply look to tick off the key skills (for tech jobs) - if you bury them in your career history you are taking a chance they won't be seen. Please remember that a lot of CVs are faxed through for security reasons (to enable the agency to easily add their watermark, T&Cs, threats etc) - so don't expect someone will be able to search your CV in any other way than by reading it. Sequentially. Don't overegg your experience, any CVs that claim 10 years .Net experience are instantly binned recycled; I got my second job precisely because I had only two years experience because many companies don't want people with too much experience, simply because they believe it can be more difficult to get them to work how they want. Other companies want lots of experience because they don't want to spend too much time managing, and so on. Lots of experience, some experience or no experience is wanted by any company at different times; if you try to claim you are something that you aren't you face a quick termination and either an awkward gap in your CV or a difficult reference request. Try to make your experience and qualifications flow always appear positive - you were always going to make this your career. That archeology degree has given you an acute attention to detail, that year in Tibet allows you to focus consistently, those two years selling mobile phones has left you with great interpersonal ability etc. Finally, the company you are applying to should appeal to you, do not be afraid of rejecting a company before or after an interview that gives you bad vibes - trust your ability to find something more suited. Sorry, what was the question again?
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How long/short should a resume' (CV) be? I always thought that a good length is 3 - 4 pages and then have all certificates and things attached, but I recently had my resume looked at by someone who deals with them all the time, and they reduced my 3 page one, to just 1 page... This kinda spun me out But I am applying for a new job, and I was wondering if I should use my 3 page one, or the new 1 page one
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown "All things good to know are difficult to learn" ~ Greek Proverb "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" ~ Vidal Sassoon
I've been applying for a number of .Net positions over the past few weeks and have been getting a good response from my one-page resume that highlights my key skills, work summary and relevant experience and achievements. On the other hand, I attach an addendum document entitled "Project References" in which I spell out the projects I have worked on (only .Net projects in this case as that's the type of position I am applying for). This allows the hiring personnel to review the resume, if they like what they see, they continue on to the addendum. The addendum can be as long as it needs to be (mine is 2 pages) because if they decide to open it in the first place you have already impressed them with your resume. I am getting a good response from this so far and have gotten some good interviews and I think some offers are on the way. I'll let you know if it doesnt work out! :-D
~ballistikx
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How long/short should a resume' (CV) be? I always thought that a good length is 3 - 4 pages and then have all certificates and things attached, but I recently had my resume looked at by someone who deals with them all the time, and they reduced my 3 page one, to just 1 page... This kinda spun me out But I am applying for a new job, and I was wondering if I should use my 3 page one, or the new 1 page one
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown "All things good to know are difficult to learn" ~ Greek Proverb "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" ~ Vidal Sassoon
One to two pages. If I have to sift through 1000 resumes the shorter the better. Those few pages however should be customized to include your experineces related to the job you're applying to. If I have to read through the 3rd or 4th page of your resume to find the work you did related to the job you're applying to there's a good chance I will never see it.
Todd Smith
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Two pages is a good compromise between too little and too much. Remember that you should ideally be tailoring your resume for the job you are applying to, so there's no need to list absolutely everything you've done but just the most appropriate things for the job. I wouldn't attach any certificates either. The resume stage is mainly about grabbing their attention long enough to get an interview. Pages of resume and certificate are likely to cause a 'I cant be bothered with this one'.
modified on Thursday, April 10, 2008 1:42 AM
I agree with the two page resume. I have sifted through many resumes and when you have a boat load to go through the last thing I want is a 7 or even 4 page resume to read through. Keep it concise, put your skills summary on the first page and be brief about your accomplishments. If your skills meet the job requirements you can talk about your accomplishments in detail wqhen you get the interview. Past manager
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We get a lot and even for grad's they are usaully a few pages long. One page just seems like you've not put much effort into it. Sometimes an employment agency will write a one page summary of your CV to send out but they should seek your permission first and give you the opportunity to review it. Having seen a few of these I think the task of writing the summary is often given to the work experiance kid or the agents 10 year old child.
Hmmm. . . is there a link or few that shows what a developer's resume might look like? I come from a design and previously an admin background, and it's hammered into us that 1 page tops is it, and that HR/hiring managers just won't give more than a 5-second glimpse. 2 or more pages is seen as taboo pretty much anywhere I go/network, so this is new to me... :cool:
_________________________________________________ Have a great day!!! -- L.J.
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How long/short should a resume' (CV) be? I always thought that a good length is 3 - 4 pages and then have all certificates and things attached, but I recently had my resume looked at by someone who deals with them all the time, and they reduced my 3 page one, to just 1 page... This kinda spun me out But I am applying for a new job, and I was wondering if I should use my 3 page one, or the new 1 page one
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown "All things good to know are difficult to learn" ~ Greek Proverb "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" ~ Vidal Sassoon
I have read articles and blogs that have indicated a one page resume is what you need. If it is anything longer you will not be considered, but this is not what I am finding out. I am a Senior Analyst / Developer and have asked this question to placement agency and in user groups. What I am hearing is that my resume is fine being 5 to 6 pages in length. The only change that I have done in the last couple of years is one remove the objective paragraph. Everyone is looking for a job. Two place a paragraph at the top of page one indicating my work ethic and strengths that I can offer a company and three I then added a table with 3 columns listing my skill sets. Using this format I have found jobs even through the dot com bust of 2000. I believe page one of your resume should sell you within the first couple of sentences and once you peak the interest of the employer then the next 4 or 5 pages will tell them if you are the person they want. A one page resume is not enough and a company who is only looking at a one page resume is going to waste you and their time talking to candidates that are not right for the position being filled.
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How long/short should a resume' (CV) be? I always thought that a good length is 3 - 4 pages and then have all certificates and things attached, but I recently had my resume looked at by someone who deals with them all the time, and they reduced my 3 page one, to just 1 page... This kinda spun me out But I am applying for a new job, and I was wondering if I should use my 3 page one, or the new 1 page one
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown "All things good to know are difficult to learn" ~ Greek Proverb "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" ~ Vidal Sassoon
Not to defy conventional wisdom, but my resume is currently pushing 15 pages. For my age (25), I'm pretty highly paid and I've never had trouble getting interviews with top employers. That is with no certifications or degrees of any kind (ok, I had to get A+ certified to get my first job). I had trouble getting a job during the .com bust and the thing that saved me from 8 months of unemployment was switching from the bulleted list to a descriptive, paragraph form resume. I've never been asked to shorten it. On the web, recruiters find you based on word searches. I win because I have more words in my resume than almost anyone. Also, the jobs I get are better because the employer does actually find time to read the resume. The ones who don't are lazy and similarly hire crappy coworkers that I never want to meet. The old, bulleted list style resume is for bank managers, lawyers, store managers, etc. A technical resume is quite different. Don't listen to convetional job hunting websites/advisors because they don't realize how different our industry is. In our world, the devil is in the details.