Conflicting advice! Long resume or 2 page resume??

[lozzachino]

Hi all,

 

most of the advice is have read and been given is to keep my resume to 2 pages. Recently i was asked to elaborate on my resume as Perth employers prefer more detail?? I was sent an example that was almost a page for each job this person had had and it was around 6 jobs! Seemed really long to me?

 

My short cv had 6 points for my most recent job but more detail in the profile section as well. Previous admin jobs had 3 bullet points each. Is this too little?? Starting to question all my applications now!!

 

i have done a new one with a whole page of bullet points for my last role which i was in for over 7 years.

 

any advice or experiences out there??

 

thanks!

[Maruska]

try to look here:

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/140658-tips-writing-competitive-aussie-cvs.html

 

I`ve copied this and sent it to my email lol

[lozzachino]

Thanks, i have read some of it. The first post says no more than 4 pages, and the example one i was sent was at least ten!!!

[Maruska]

I would ( and please note that I am not even in Australia and don`t have experience with the australian system) go for the shorter one. I really doubt that a potential employer is going to read 10 pages per applicant. I would highlight the important things, tailor the CV to the position you are applying to ( no lying, just different wording perhaps or highlighting experiences that are helpful for that particular position) . I would stick to a maximum of 4 pages.

Good luck with the job hunting :wubclub:

[Rupert]

Obviously if you have been asked for a page per job for a specific role then you should provide it.

 

More generally, yes Australian's seem to go for longer CVs than we would in the UK, however I would not make the change across the board, not every recruiter is Australian for a start. Two pages seems slim though for anywhere, even in UK, I was told two pages is not enough once you have a few years experience and I moved onto 3 pages. I think I might be on 4 now with 20 years experience.

[Quoll]

There's your CV then there's your response to the selection criteria and the two should mesh. They often tell you what parameters to apply (font size, length etc) but in general short and pithy on the CV but longer on the SC but still focused and to the point. Most employers get bored beyond the first couple of pages so don't ramble. I'd keep the CV to 2-4 pages max and up to one page per SC.

 

you never know what style is going to appeal to the recruiter - I got knocked back once because I used bullet points but the recruiter was a narrative man!

[lozzachino]

Fantastic Quoll!!!

 

ok will persevere with the longer format for now then. I havent looked for another job for 7 years so finding this all a bit daunting!

 

If there are selection criteria i ensure these are addressed very obviously in the cover letter, or seperate doc as stated in the job description.

 

I just dont like the idea of tailoring my cv each time, i would rather write a very specific cover letter outlining how i meet the requirements then faff and tweak my cv.

[runslikeafish]

I agree that 10 pages is WAY too long for a CV. With a lot of jobs, particularly for government and larger companies, they set out specific selection criteria as Quoll mentions above. Much more important than the CV for these jobs is how you address those criteria. In my experience from sitting on both sides of that interview in Aus, employers much prefer specific examples of how the criteria are met with these examples ideally being drawn from previous, relevant job experience.Again to agree with Quoll, err on the verbose side for the selection criteria, particularly when it's a government job.Good luck

[Guest guest76088]

Four pages max, achievements in bullet points with narrative paragraph to support.

 

Tailored to the job for which you are applying or if agency as general as you can make it without losing focus for the kind of job you seek.

 

If in IT, Key Skills section with as many keywords as you can muster.

 

All time gaps explained, all parallel jobs explained.

 

Check the spelling.

 

Check the spelling again.

 

Get someone literate to check the spelling and grammar.

 

BigD