Looking for tips on layout/content or anything useful really. Ta.

Simple layout, no more than 3 pages (even for a senior hire), focus on what you did, no gaps, no statement (particularly not one written in the third person like “midnighthour is a peerless blah blah”). If you’re in the UK don’t put a photo, if you’re outside research to find out if you should. Also, don’t have a shit email address like “ladiesman1981@hotmail.com” because I can’t take people seriously who can’t get a semi-decent address.

Atlaz has it bang on, oh and don’t use comic sans.

Oh and make sure that you both know it inside and out and also that every fact can be talked about or verified

Don’t accompany your CV with a spam covering letter. tailor it to the job. Last position I hired for I got around 100 applicants. Only 2 bothered to taylor the covering letter to the role. I only interviewed 2 people.

Is the OP King Kenny?

elaborate descriptions of previous roles/qualifications that we both know are irrelevant will have the cv headed for the bin faster than a paper aeroplane.

being able to use Word or Excel is not a qualification.

I always take half the CVs out of the pile and throw them in the bin. I don’t want anyone who is unlucky to work for me.

I dont think I am King Kenny whoever that is. Had an account on here years, but not posted very much for the last one. Other things on plate.

Spelin mistaks n txt R a know know, 2.

I throw aside CV’s and covering letters which make reference to other industries , companies or organisations. Amazing how often it happens… so double and triple check, and get someone else to read it! More than 1 spelling mistake is a ‘no’ from me.

Simple layout and not too fussy. Chronological order. I’ve seen CV’s whereby it’s hard to work what they’ve done, simply as it’s all in a bizarre order. Don’t have reams of school/college stuff if that all happened 10+ years ago, just simple reference to what you got.

Don’t put your name and contact details at the top of every page, don’t know why people do that.

Don’t try to tell the company what they do in the covering letter. More often than not, it’s wrong, and makes you look a c*ck.

Stick to facts.

Covering letter – 3 or 4 paragraphs tops. if I’ve got loads of CV’s, I don’t want to read an essay. Don’t just regurgitate what’s in the CV either. That’s what the CV is for…

LOL at RJ 😆

don’t write that you are “an expert poof reader” for a copywriters job. That one went in the bin. 😆

Tailoring the cv to the job is one of the fundamentals.

If it’s for a job with a lot of growth, say, then the cv has to encapsulate some element of the future. Has this person topped out, or are they on the upswing of their intellectual / professional development? What is their upside as the Yanks like to say. You’ve done this that and the other but where is the evidence that you can take on new things?

OTOH, there’s plenty of more task-oriented jobs (big and small) where that sort of approach would be all wrong. You don’t want to shove in some visionary capacity-for-growth cv to a very tightly defined technical post – e.g. C# programmer required. Must be awesome. There you’d just need to demonstrate awesome-ness in what you have done in the past.

don’t write that you are “an expert poof reader” for a copywriters job. That one went in the bin.

Is that for real?? LOL

I once interviewed a young chap that brought his O level certificates in, they were burnt at the edges, during the interview he revealed he had burned his parents house down………

Don’t add the logos of the companies you have worked for onto the cv, make sure you have both a mobile and email address as contact details as you would be surprised at the number of cv’s one gets with no contact details.

Make sure you mobile has a normal ring tone and not some naff song or funny voice of a famous person.

If the job you are applying for is not local to you ie requires a relocation make sure you have given it good thought as clients these days are always weary of those having to relocate unless its an interim role as work life balance is becoming more important and you will be seen as an outsider apposed to someone closer to the role.

Your next job is going to come from the experience and skill set you have gained form the last 5 years worth of work you have done. Don’t apply for a job because you have done a similar role 10 years ago….its not going to count there will be other out there with more recent experience than you.

Your cv should have your title in the company, the period you held it in terms of dater, where it was you worked and a brief outline of what the company does i.e. the sector it operates in its turnover and perhaps a few other details.

Then move on to your responsibilities then achievements all in bullet point form not paragraphs as recruiters get bored of paragraphs and will move onto the next cv. Don’t have more information on a role you did that was for the least amount of time than perhaps the next role you did for twice the time if that makes sense.

Remove any statements you might have about yourself and depending on the level at which you operate at I would say remove any interests you may have mentioned as when applying for a £100k+ job no one needs to know you like long walks in the park with your dogs and enjoy cooking.

That’s all I can add at this stage.

Make sure you mobile has a normal ring tone and not some naff song or funny voice of a famous person.

Can I ask why? Surely they wont ever hear it?

Sorry by ringtone I dont mean the one you hear but rather the one I hear when calling you.

My comments are biased towards those applicants looking for their next role in the £100k+ space as that is that area I work in and can pass comment on but assume the theory applies for anyone looking for a job.

If I call you to screen you and discuss your application to asses if it is worth us meeting to take things to the next stage which is generally how things work and I get your voice mail and it’s a comedy voice or I have to sit an listen to Guns and Roses whilst your phone rings it does not paint a good picture be it rightly or wrongly so.

Musical/comedy voices are for when you are 16 years old not when you are applying for a £100k+ Finance Directors job in a FTSE100 business. I know everyone does not want to have to conform to societies expectations but truth be told it is off putting and not the norm.

Once again its only my 2 cents worth and I guess if you where applying for a graphic design role in a funky organisation it may be seen to be appropriate but in the world of finance its not.

I am not talking ringtone but rather when i call you i dont here a rining phone but rather a comedy voice or song.

My comments are biased towards those applicants looking for their next role in the £100k+ space as that is that area I work in and can pass comment on but assume the theory applies for anyone looking for a job.
Am I right in thinking that you are in a position where you are judging people simply based on their CVs for positions that command salaries of 100k+?

Comedy ringtone =

Make sure you mobile has a normal ring tone and not some naff song or funny voice of a famous person.
Can I ask why? Surely they wont ever hear it?

During an interview I’ve had the people interviewing me ring my mobile. Just to see if it rings, silent or off. I’ve done it myself. Amazing how many comedy ringtones / people answering their phones during interviews goes on.

Yes £100k is the “lower” end of where we operate our bread and butter is £150k too £180k.

Warenfpro geez a job? A £100K £150-£180K one? Please?

http://www.bicycleindustryjobs.com/resume-avoidingmistakes.asp

I once received a CV in which not only did the guy tell me his interests included socialising with friends and going to the cinema, he also went on at great length to inform readers that in his opinion “The Matrix” was the best film ever.

I always used to reply to the ones that originated from Asia and ask if they would be available for an interview in Stafford in 2 days time. Nobody ever said yes, strangely.

Warrenpfo – If you’re in a 100k+ job you’ve done well for someone who doesn’t know what a comma is! I’d be surprised if you don’t become light-headed while talking, due to the lack of oxygen. 😆

Is that for real?

Yes it is!

Yes £100k is the “lower” end of where we operate our bread and butter is £150k too £180k.

I was thinking more about the judgement aspect and your poor spelling and grammar.
Would you be able to tell if a CV was written correctly or not? 😛

I never said I was in a 100k job…I wish. We place people who are earning £100k+.

The world or recruitment, executive search call it what you like is not one I would recommend to anyone to be honest and touch wood I will be out of it very soon. It’s a very judgemental world where you have the hopes and ambitions of people in your hands that get thrown in the bin daily and that does not sit well with me.

I have learnt that it is very hard out there and to be noticed and stick out front he crowd you have to ensure you conform to the requirements of the client and tick all the boxes required. I can advise that you follow up any application with a call and make sure you get through to the recruiter or the client you applied to discuss your application.

Don’t take the he/she is not at his desk or is on the phone or in a meeting excuse and keep trying till you get through.

During an interview I’ve had the people interviewing me ring my mobile. Just to see if it rings, silent or off. I’ve done it myself. Amazing how many comedy ringtones / people answering their phones during interviews goes on.

People dont turn mobiles off in interviews really???

If anyone uses a font other than helvetica or times new roman they can **** off.

Actually I’m not all that keen on times new roman but I realise that it takes all sorts.

[edit]

If they include a picture or a motif on their CV they are also heading for the bin. Oh and different colour type too.

The world or recruitment, executive search call it what you like is not one I would recommend to anyone to be honest and touch wood I will be out of it very soon.

Would I be out of line for suggesting that’s because you’re not very good at it?
I find it a bit worrying that people who lack certain skills are responsible for making decisions on others, particularly in this case when the salary is 100k+. 😯
South Africa you’re off to, isn’t it?

Learn how to format a document properly and be really anal about making sure everything lines up.

Might just be me but even a slightly miss aligned paragraph signifies the applicant doesn’t have an eye for accuracy and detail and given its a document you whole career could depend on it really should be correct.

If you don’t know how to use word processing software, find someone that does.

Also if you are using a recruitment agency then ask them to let you proof what they send out on your behalf. Once I turned up to an interview and the copy of my CV that the interviewer had was covered in Michael Page branding and the formatting was completely screwed. Looked a right mess. Don’t know how I managed to get that job!

Michael Caine has a comedy voicemail, bet he’s rushing to change it as he reads this thread

Things to avoid (yes, I’ve had)
– cv written in pencil on what looks like Izal Medicated toilet paper
– hobbies include reading Tom Clancy novels
– want to work “hear” because girlfriend told you to get a job
– as above, but mother
– flowers in coloured pencil
– scented paper/coloured envelopes
– 3 page covering letters
– 3+ page cv
– coffee (or any other) stains

I like
– covering letter tailored to the job
– detail on most recent job(s) where in any way relevant.
– brevity apart from the above. 1 or 2 paragraphs int he covering letter, 2-3 pages of cv
– might just be me, but we advertise my number if applicants want an informal chat about the job. very rarely happens, but when it does, to me it means they’re taking the time to prepare properly and is a brownie point earner.

Might just be me but even a slightly miss aligned paragraph

No it’s not just you – you see the picture first, so add that to my list.
take time on your CV, it might affect the rest of your life.

Do’s
Make your CV relevent to the post to which you are applying. (There is no such thing as a good generic CV)
Use quality font / format
Use bullet points
Include a thought out, polite and professional and to the point covering letter
Check it, check it again, get somebody else to check it, twice.

Don’t
Attempt comedy
Mention that you enjoy socialising and going to cinema with friends
Go into finite detail of your responsibilities when you were a paperboy in 1964
Put salary unless usked to do so
Include a photo

If they include a picture or a motif on their CV they are also heading for the bin. Oh and different colour type too.

I actually quite like getting a photo, but I’m generally recruiting for customer-facing jobs where appearance is important.

For me:

2 page CV max.

Very clear layout, with detail only on the most recent/relevant stuff – I don’t care if you gained experience in handling money when you worked at the supermarket checkout when you were 16.

No personal statement (that’s what the covering letter is for).

We often get 100+ applicants for 1 or 2 jobs, so I have to be able to skim-read the CV in 30 seconds or less and glean from that whether or not you have the right experience and whether you can communicate coherently. If you can tick both of those boxes you get a re-read. If I get some useful stuff out of that, then you go on a long-list. I then read the long-list CVs / letters carefully and pick the top 10 or so for a short-list/interview.

Oh and CVs with pics on.

I know they are standard practice elsewhere but if the job is in the UK then adding a pic shows you haven’t done any research, again not a great trait in a potential employee.

Also you CV will get passed round the office so everyone can laugh at the weird German who was so vain he though we should see his face!

The font would need to be Arial or similar for me. Times new roman would land your CV in the bin.

Formatting is crucial clean simple and aligned. Anything whacky and your in the bin.
Two colours acceptable, three colours bin.
One font, one paragraph or bullet style.
Two fonts = bin, using every font or bullet on your pc = passing round the office for a laugh.

I would be targeting specific information in the initial skim through, I want to know your latest/current job title / employer and your education background, if I can’t find it instantly you are already losing points.