CV - pulling what little hair I have out

[TeamBigfoot]

Hi all,

I had a very polite phone call from our CFO this week informing me that my role has been put 'at risk of redundancy'. This is all part of a large reduction in costs that the company needs to make, driven by its investors.

I last did my CV in 2016 and as I've come to update it, I'm struggling with too much content, much of which I see as important. I've been online and to youtube but I still look at it in its current iteration and think it doesn't really stand out.

My background is Internal Audit and I have lots of qualifications and experience in this area. Its also a field I'd like to go back into but for the last 2 years, I've had 2 senior roles outside of audit (all with my current company). They were opportunities to build on my experience. My last Internal Audit role now features on page 3 of my CV. I'm afraid recruiters won't even get to that page when skipping through hundreds of applications.

I'm also struggling with the formatting of it. Does anyone know where I could go for templates (preferably free)?

Thanks in advance

[Sycamore]

I don't think you should have a page 3 for a start.

I recently re-did mine, and used a template pack from Etsy.

If you PM me it'll come through on my email and I'd be happy to send it over

[lambosagogo]

Send Rog007 a message - he's the CV King by all accounts

[Countdown]

You want to go BACK into Internal Audit ??

I'd second the other comments above - 3 pages is too long and Rog007 appears to know his stuff. Good luck!

[TeamBigfoot]

Sycamore said:

If you PM me it'll come through on my email and I'd be happy to send it over

Thanks - I've send you a message.

I'll also drop rog007 a message.

[dibblecorse]

Will the CV page police please stop, 3 pages is NOT too long, I've seen 4 & 5 page CV's that knock a 2 pager into a cocked hat ..... To the OP, feel free to DM me, will reply with my email address and will take a look at it for you, I do this for a living.

[rog007]

The ‘how long should a CV be’ debate is an interesting one and one that will no doubt continue, but some factors to consider:

- with a high number of applicants, shortlisters become pained by overly long CVs. Some may just not consider them

- writing concisely is a skill that’s of value in many roles

- handling CVs longer than 2 sides if they get printed creates a burden and a cost (paper, ink and staples)

- if you’re demonstrating competencies that align with the essential requirements of any role, it would be unusual to have to exceed more than 2 sides

- do not feel compelled to present your complete past history; what you did even 5-7 years ago may be of little value to any new role

- it may in some cases expose how old you are if you show a lengthy history, which could trigger an age bias in the reader, and it may also suggest that you’re more likely to be expensive

There’s much more that could be written in defence of a concise CV, but those are just some examples why. However, there’s no formal standard, so do your own due diligence on what is likely to land best.

The aim is to get shortlisted; do what you think will best support that aim.

[MOMACC]

I had a 3 page CV come across my desk this week.
Poorly formatted and mainly waffle - didn't give the candidate a chance.

2 pages max
Highlight a project or 2 you made a difference to
Hobbies - couldn't care less

Team player also good at working alone - confirms you are human and is a pointless statement. Less is more.

[dibblecorse]

MOMACC said:

I had a 3 page CV come across my desk this week.
Poorly formatted and mainly waffle - didn't give the candidate a chance.

2 pages max
Highlight a project or 2 you made a difference to
Hobbies - couldn't care less

Team player also good at working alone - confirms you are human and is a pointless statement. Less is more.

Great insight, so one crap CV sets the standard?

How many cv's have you appraised in your career and how many people have you successfully placed in roles?

[TopTrump]

I agree with 2 pages- focuses you on keeping it crisp. It's a vehicle to garner interest and get you the interview. I switch off reviewing them if too long

[Scarletpimpofnel]

MOMACC said:

I had a 3 page CV come across my desk this week.
Poorly formatted and mainly waffle - didn't give the candidate a chance.

2 pages max
Highlight a project or 2 you made a difference to
Hobbies - couldn't care less

Team player also good at working alone - confirms you are human and is a pointless statement. Less is more.

"Hobbies - couldn't care less"

I suppose it takes all sorts. I never cared about hobbies, however it is the first thing my brother looks at. He wants someone he gets on with first of all, so the personal stuff is initially his filter then the professional stuff. Not saying that is right or wrong.

[Kermit power]

dibblecorse said:

Will the CV page police please stop, 3 pages is NOT too long, I've seen 4 & 5 page CV's that knock a 2 pager into a cocked hat ..... To the OP, feel free to DM me, will reply with my email address and will take a look at it for you, I do this for a living.

Possibly, but he's not saying his entire CV is 3 pages long. He's saying that he's already on page 3 having only covered his most recent 2 years in what sounds like a fairly substantial career!

[MOMACC]

dibblecorse said:

MOMACC said:

I had a 3 page CV come across my desk this week.
Poorly formatted and mainly waffle - didn't give the candidate a chance.

2 pages max
Highlight a project or 2 you made a difference to
Hobbies - couldn't care less

Team player also good at working alone - confirms you are human and is a pointless statement. Less is more.

Great insight, so one crap CV sets the standard?

How many cv's have you appraised in your career and how many people have you successfully placed in roles?

Appraised - 100s
Placed - between 75 - 100

A great CV can be done in one page.

OP I'd be happy to critique. My sector is financial services so may be completely different approach than your sector.

[A2MVS]

OP, another recommendation for Rog007!

He’s just recently helped me overhaul my CV, in line with what other posters have said in this thread.

[Pistom]

Keep it concise.

Focus.

The rest can be left to interview.

[ARHarh]

The biggest issue that annoyed me when hunting through CV's was spelling and grammar. OK these were not for degree level educated jobs, but they came through agencies mostly. Best ever was "attension to detale", how are you going to get a job when you write that and the agency person did not pick it up. If you open them in word and they are full of squiggly red lines it went in the bin. Any more that 2 pages would almost certainly just be waffle about some made up hobby or totally irrelevant experience from 20 years ago. You get bored by the end of page 2.

[eliot]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

"Hobbies - couldn't care less"

I suppose it takes all sorts. I never cared about hobbies, however it is the first thing my brother looks at. He wants someone he gets on with first of all, so the personal stuff is initially his filter then the professional stuff. Not saying that is right or wrong.

Agreed - it depends on context. Larger businesses couldn’t care less, but a small business where you are likely to be with them day after day is interesting.
Depending on the role, if their hobbies are related it may mean you are getting something who’s mustard at something.

For example -
engine tuner, hobbies drag racing
or
engine tuner, hobbies cycling, meals out and films

electronics engineer, hobbies coding and engine tuning
or
electronics engineer, hobbies football, socialising, walking

and the same can be used to filter out people who you know wouldn’t socially fit into your organisation;

customer service, hobbies ham radio, coding and collecting star wars characters

[OutInTheShed]

I used to have more than one version of my CV.
Tailor it for different jobs.
I also kept a long version with a bit more detail, probably still got copies of that in my suit.

In some industries, the version you need to send to agencies wants to have all the buzzwords for them to search.
The version which gets sent to a client for a particular role can leave out more stuff.

I don't think one style pleases everyone.
Or gives a good image for every role.

[Fore Left]

OutInTheShed said:

I used to have more than one version of my CV.
Tailor it for different jobs.
I also kept a long version with a bit more detail, probably still got copies of that in my suit.

In some industries, the version you need to send to agencies wants to have all the buzzwords for them to search.
The version which gets sent to a client for a particular role can leave out more stuff.

I don't think one style pleases everyone.
Or gives a good image for every role.

No point in having a fancy CV if the computer says no;

https://www.cv-library.co.uk/career-advice/cv/six-...

https://cvscan.uk/

[cj2013]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

"Hobbies - couldn't care less"

I suppose it takes all sorts. I never cared about hobbies, however it is the first thing my brother looks at. He wants someone he gets on with first of all, so the personal stuff is initially his filter then the professional stuff. Not saying that is right or wrong.

Where it falls down is the truth of it.

I knew a lad when I was younger, and he was primarily a professional BS'er. He drove everywhere and was one of the laziest people you could find.

His CV said he regularly ran marathons to raise money for charities, and that he was a keen cyclist. He hadn't ran or ridden a bike since he was a teenager, and even then it was in the same way any other teenager would.

People shouldn't really have to compete in invented stories. Partially why I don't care for "can you think of a time when..." questions, as they just invite people to make stuff up, as it's never checked or queried.