C.V.s

[Danny DeVito]

For anyone in the business of looking at c.v.'s I wonder if you might answer a question for me. Do you mind looking at a long c.v first or do you prefer a short one, to the point. maybe ask for a fuller c.v later. Or is it better to put as much as you can in regarding experience and info.

Also with sites like Monster. do you use them ? Do you search first before posting a job ? Do you consider applications from people not with first skills listed ? i mean s ome jobs have Electrical Qualification, do you consider people with elec experience rather than a BE

Any comments welcome, from a Job Hunter.

 

[flango]

FWIW I can give you my view during the hiring process.

Doesn't really bother me if the CV is long or short as long as what's on there is relevant to the job being applied for. Some people with vast experience will have a long CV which is all relevant while others pad it out into a long CV when it could be short and succinct but equally still as valid. I lose interest with the padded ones and they go to the bottom of the pile.

Don't use Monster but use specific agencies to head hunt if its a specialist position, if not ads in the National and Local papers tend to work OK. A lot of the agencies and headhunters do use Monster and equivalents and put forward candidates from there.

Although I list primary qualifications in ads that are desirable, they are just that desirable, if someone has a lot of experience in a particular discipline but doesn't have formal qualifications from Higher education or Uni then I will still consider them and some of my best hires have been people without degrees but have shown willing to learn or better themselves. I also don't take into account the degree, a first 2/1 or 2/2 doesn't matter what matters is the person behind the numbers.

Not sure if that helps or not but hope it does

 

[Danny DeVito]

Thanks Flango ( interesting name ) thats the stuff i am looking for. Despite 17 or so of work i have a quite a short cv. My last job covered 8 yrs and did not really qualify me to do much else. It did include a lot of pc repair and mechanical repair. Previous work covered forklifts and a lot of other stuff. Also i have a lot of diy type repairs of a lot of different equip like rebuilding engines re wire a building. I am trying to add my skills to the cv without waffle. I have a lot of repair skills but little academic backup. I suppose it trying to add life skills. Many jobs have listed knowledge of, which i may have used. I try to include these things. Using the words they use so i am not lying . I have some use of office but i am by no means a regular user but given the use i could become quite good at it quite quickly. It's hard to know where to stop !

 

[ChrisA]

The point of a CV is to get you that Interview!
Short, sharp and grab the viewer's attention right from the start
Recruiters are using recognition software more often now that look for those important Key words

How to Make It Past the Resume Extraction Process

Submit your resume in a text format. A surprising number of candidates use graphics-based pdf files, which are viewed by the scanning software as nothing more than pretty pictures. Stick to MS Word, because its very universality means that it is least likely to cause reading and parsing problems for resume extraction software.

Don’t use graphics at all on resumes that are being electronically submitted. Extraction tools work on the basis of text recognition, so graphics are white noise that not only don’t get scanned, but can actually mess up the parsing process for the surrounding text.

Don’t forget your address. Some candidates think that by excluding their address they won’t be geographically limited, but in fact the opposite is true. One of the first screening parameters that hiring managers use is often the postal code, and if it isn’t present on your resume, you fall to the bottom of the candidate pool.

Don’t use Word’s header or footer options for key data such as contact information. These are outside of the scanned areas, and won’t get parsed.
Use conventional formatting for things like your telephone number, no spaces between the numbers, no fancy characters as separators.

Stick to standard layouts.
While resume extraction software has greatly improved over the years in terms of the ability to recognize and parse a variety of formatting conventions, if you are too creative, the software may not parse your resume properly. Unless the response to the advertised job has been low, the recruiter or hiring manager is probably not going to take the time to fix the errors, and you will be dismissed as a P.I.T.A. candidate.

Use reverse chronological formatting rather than functional – it tends to parse with fewer extraction errors.

Good luck with your Job Hunting

 

[Danny DeVito]

Chris is a regular pdf ok ? I use open office now and pdf seemed a good option. No graphics. I guessed that software scanning might be used these days. I had posted a full cv on monster but removed it because i thought it better to use a short cv/coverletter including the main search terms and an introductory letter outlining my skills.

Apart from sending a cv and applying for a job its a pain in the . waiting to see if you even get an interview. I have applied to return to old job which listed urgent. Its 3 weeks now with a promise of 'next week' All patience goes out the window !!

 

[ChrisA]

From experience, Word document is the only full proof format
The most important thing to remember is the initial statement you make on the first page of your CV
Something like:

An International safety focused Deck Superintendent with considerable expertise in planning and supervising in both offshore and onshore environments. Specialises in implementing and periodically reviewing plans to ensure optimum safety, requiring expert knowledge of relevant safety guidelines and regulations. Focused on optimising safety, efficiency and productivity by ensuring the correct and appropriate crane configuration and equipment utilisation onsite. Able to work flexibly and effectively on own initiative, coordinating multi-crane construction operations worldwide with the organisational skills required to ensure that deadlines are met. A motivational and inspirational leader of multi-skilled, international teams who thrives in challenging working environments.

So many Key words which gives you a fighting chance

Put yourself in a Recruiters place and read through your CV. Would you hire you based on what you see?

Simple is always Safe

 

[6cyl]

Make your first page count.

I put my details in the first 2 lines, name and contact details.

Exec Summary - Read the job spec and pick out the core words. Make your summary answer some or most of them. Short paragraph, say 5-8 lines.

Professional qualifications and certs.
Uni/Poly

The rest is a summary of the companies you've worked for with achievements, roles & responsibilities. But make it personal to what you have done, not just what the job entails.

* Don't leave gaps - they just invite questions
* No fluff

The in-thing is to have a quick 3-6 line summary of your hobbies & interests. This was one thing that disappeared in the 2ks and has made a come back.

Right at the end, add "References available on request"

Make sure your social networking entries are clean.

Not saying you would, but don't lie. They do check.

Good luck.