CV/Resume Length 3

[AeroNucDef]

Hi All

Just a quick question.

I'm currently writing my CV, and its coming to about 4 pages (A4) in length. I've been working now for the last 16 years, an have accumulated quite a lot of experience. According to the general rule of CV's, you should keep it brief and have a maximum length of 2 pages.

Q.
What do you think I should do? (2 pages and leave out lots of info, or 3-4 pages and lots of info)


Thanks

 

[cksh]

Anything more than one page is risky. I might go to two pages, but with only 15 years of experience, I am really only mid career at best.

I average a job every two years, and have worked in many different fields, yet I can still fit most of that on one page with enough of a summary that they get a basic understanding of what I did.

If the experience is older than 10 years and not relevant, leave it off. If you have been doing the same type of work for 15 years, does it really take more than a page to summarize? If you are applying to a job that is in your field, you can leave out all the fluff. Focus on the key words that that particular employer would look for. And don't forget, that it may also need to get passed the eyes of a non-technical person.

A resume get's you an interview. That's it. Save the details for when you get in front of them.

Anyone that I know who has more than one page are manager level and above or have 25 to 30 years at minimum.

As a professional job hopper (No I am not proud!) I have written my share of them and have been complimented on them during interviews.

 

[KENAT]

OK, it looks like the OP is in Great Britain so, I'd say ignore all the folks that want a one page resume. As someone who's spent time in the US & UK the obsession with a single page resume is a singularly American issue from my experience. Unless applying to a US company don't worry about going over one page.

You cannot write a CV that pleases everybody. I've had things on a resume that someone that hired me really like. Then I've had that CV/resume reviewed by an 'expert' in the field and the first thing they did was take that thing off.

It's compounded by the fact that your CV/resume often has 2 audiences, HR and then Technical/Management. Actually, sometimes it can be 3 audiences at Technical and Management may have different ideas.

What MikeHollaran says is very good, if the first section grabs the readers attention then you probably have an in.

I would say that with few exceptions 2 pages is a maximum so don't go over that, leave stuff out if necessary or even better find a more concise writing style.

My personal pet peeve, is that a lot of advice these days says to give examples, not just general descriptions of what you've done. Trouble is I've always been a bit of a 'jack of all trades' so by the time I put examples of all the wonderfull things I've done for each job duty I have trouble sticking to 2 pages, let alone 1.

Customizing a resume can help with this as you tune it to the job you're applying for, however this takes a lot more time.

And of course all this is jacked up by any online submittal process that at best usually strips any formatting from your resume, at worst requires you rewrite the entire thing in their preffered format in a way that it's almost impossible not to make it too long and/or miss stuff out.

(excuse my mixed use of resume & CV, I just couldn't keep it straight;-))

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[MikeHalloran]

My own current resume runs to five pages.
Our HR guys says it's the funniest resume he's read in 30 years.
It only took me 43 years to write it....





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Waidesworld]

Mine is two pages long. It's been two pages since my third job. I am in the "field" now for over 17 years with some self chosen gaps. I typically tweaked my resume for each particular job I would apply for.

drawn to design, designed to draw

 

[desnov74]

One sentence is all that's needed.........

HAVE SOFTWARE, WILL TRAVEL.
~THE CADSLINGER

 

[SNORGY]

My current resume is 4-1/2 pages long.

If people aren't interested enough to read all of it, they are under no obligation to do so. Further, if their interest is indeed such that my resume is round-filed due to its length, then chances are I wouldn't be too interested in working for them either.

It's worked so far.

Looking at it from the employER's side, I like to see the chronology. If it's well-written and shows the right skill sets and attributes, I'll take the time to read all of it.

Of course, spelling and grammar mistakes on the first page kind of turn me off more than would a ten-page dissertation in which the author has taken the time to run the error-checking tools.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[KENAT]

Spelling and Grammar are biggies.

Also, things that just don't add up. I had one resume from a guy claiming so many thousands of hours on a certain CAD package, and it just looked too high. Well I did the math and to get the figure would have meant spending 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, every year since he'd graduated, on the CAD package. So unless he'd worked some really long weeks and/or never done things like send email, do some calculations, have meetings, go on vacation, be sick... which I found unlikely, then he was lying.

This was compounded by his claiming familiarity with some relevant industry standards but using the wrong designation or something like that for the standard.

Note I say lying. HR may accept some exageration, recruiters and the like may positively encourage it, however to me it's lying. I'm not saying don't maximize the impact of your experience etc. but don't lie, or exagerate to the point it could be considered a lie. (See, I have some ethics.)

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[Japher]

I have a 1 and 2 page resume. I generally use the 2 pager, and get good responses here in the US. The 1 page is more for reference or blind apps.

 

[ScottyUK]

Kenat,

A long time ago I co-interviewed an academically well-qualified guy who claimed to be 'expert in all areas of electrical engineering'. Man, did he get a tough interview. About halfway through his brain melted and ran out his ears.

Never, ever, lie on a CV. Especially about technical stuff. For my last position I was interviewed by the man who would eventually be my boss. At that time I didn't know he was the former head of electrical machine design at a very well-known steam turbine and generator manufacturer. I think he's forgotten more about generator design than I actually know in total; if I'd lied about my experience I'd have looked a fool and would have been shown the door (and rightly so).


----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[plasgears]

The opening paragraph, after the ident info, should summarize your general interests in terms of specialties and position. If this is general enough, you will garner interest. I listed 'filtration' as one of my interests and got hired on that basis. A few buzz words related to the hiring company in question helps.

 

[patprimmer]

I always include a 1/2 page covering letter that is designed to hit the buttons.

The actual resume is then arranged with about the first 1/4 page highlighted, outlining recent relevant, then in fine print, older relevant, then finally detail just in case they want to bother.

Each page has a subject as indicated in my earlier post.

Different employers have different interests and tastes and prejudices. I try to cater to all without repelling any

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[zdas04]

Scotty,
A friend of mine was asked a question in an interview about removing water from gas wells. As he was building his answer in his head he flashed to the interviewer's name. The name matched the name on one of the few hugely influential equations in this field. The interveiwer was about the right age to have been the author of the equation. My friend never told me what he had been about to say, but what he did say included a lot about uncertainty, the importance of understanding boundary conditions, etc. He got the job and found out that the interviewer was THE GUY. He's sure that if he had given his standard answer he would have still been looking for a job.

Telling the truth is never a bad idea. Spinning the truth is an even better idea.

David

 

[brandoncdg]

Those artistic resumes are so hard to read. Some of them seem cryptic.

I have always cut my resume down to one page. I haven't met anyone that really needs to put more than 1 page of text telling me about their experience in the engineering field. There is just so much fat in what people write about themselves.

I just had to write a statement of qualifications for my company, and the main page is just 1 page with the company summary, and a list of pages for current projects.

I have seen others that last for pages and pages and pages. Who has time to read all that stuff?

CDG, Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading in the Los Angeles area

http://www.CivilDevelopmentGroup.com

 

[Ron]

Kenat...excellent points about the length of the CV. As long as it is factual and well-written, I don't care how long it is...also, checking the details...it's like working with an attorney. If you add up their billable time, a 40 year old attorney would have to be at least 70!