Is it ok to have a cv longer than 2 pages?

eurotrotter

hey gang

hope yer all well

i have been sticking to the 2 page for a cv rule lately, and realised that i have had to leave out work experience in other to keep under the two pages.

how important is it to stay under the 2 pages?

Everything i have now included, is required for me to stand a good chance of getting called for interview for the job im applying for.

any ideas?

thanks
ed

KarlDrake

eurotrotter wrote: »

hey gang

hope yer all well

i have been sticking to the 2 page for a cv rule lately, and realised that i have had to leave out work experience in other to keep under the two pages.

how important is it to stay under the 2 pages?

Everything i have now included, is required for me to stand a good chance of getting called for interview for the job im applying for.

any ideas?

thanks
ed

In certain circumstances if you're senior enough and there is no padding or dead space at all.
Alan Sugar famously has a two page CV so why can't you?

A generic three pager for monster, visual CV and or recruitment databases is good for maximising potential employers finding the CV, however if you've a specific job in mind, you should be able to target two pages versus the spec.
Many of the reputable CV Services firms should be able to give you a free review, including myself. Feel free to pm if you want further advice from me.
Best of luck,
KD

jhegarty

It depends.

If you are going over two pages because you have lots of relevant qualifications and work experience , then yes.

But if you are 30 and detailing your junior cert results , and summer job you had when you were 15 , then no.

Deepens on the job as well , the more senior the job , the more time someone is going to spend reading your cv.

Wishbone Ash

If you are stuck for space leave use Arial Narrow and leave out the Hobbies/Interests bit. I handle the CVs which arrive for my employer for junior positions and it appears that 90% of applicants are into "reading and listening to music". It may be true but doesn't sound very imaginative and is better left out.

Contrary to the general perception, having lots of experience in different jobs while still relatively young is not necessarily a beneficial thing as it could give an impression that you can't settle anywhere or were not appreciated by former employers. If I see a CV where a 25 year old has held a full time position for 7 years, it will 'catch my eye'.

doolox

I was also caught out by the two-page rule. Until I thought of using apendices to detail my qualifications and experience. Then I did out different CV's for different jobs applied for. For example I emphasised my interpersonal stuff for sales jobs, technical stuff for tech jobs etc.....
Each appendix covers stuff such as courses done on the job, syllabus of each course mentioned in the main CV etc..

Because I had a detailed syllabus done on my last course and the job sector I was applying for was very nearly the same area of knowledge as the course, the interviewers kept referring to the appendix for questions to ask me and thought it was a good idea.
It got me the job.
Edit out old stuff done years ago but make a brief mention of it.
I had forgotten some stuff that I used 20 years ago that was needed for the new job and it only came out after interview when I saw one of the machines on site. It was said to me that I didn't mention that on my CV and they were pleasantly surprised that I could explain the workings and know how to use it.
Tailor each CV for each job app.

Adrock-aka

I spoke to a management consultancy recruitment manager recently and she said 2 pages max. Thats for someone who has graduated and has maybe a year or two work experience. If youve 15 years in a lot of different roles go to 3 if necessary.

Malice

My CV fits on one page and I don't see the need to have it any longer. You're not going to need your Junior or Leaving Cert results on there nor are you going to need a list of referees or a long list of hobbies and interests.

It's laid out like this:
Contact Details (Name, address, phone, e-mail)

Employment History: Most applicable work experience in chronological order (most recent first)

Education History: Third Level qualifications and any other applicable certifications.

Activities: Interesting things that you do that might be of some relevance to the job.

Dudess

Some people's CVs, even if kept concise, well laid out and free of extraneous crap, still end up being longer than two pages if they want to include everything they think will nail them the job.
OP, don't bother with hobbies though, unless there's something of relevance to the position.

Kaybe

"Two pages" is a guideline, not a rule.
Common sense should prevail.

Assuming you are not a new graduate with very limited experience, you should leave out irrelevant information such as gender, date of birth, marital status, names & ages of kids (yes, I've seen it!) , detailed breakdown of leaving cert & university subjects & grades attained etc etc etc

You should always include pertinent information , but try not to include EVERY single piece of information ....
Remember, the point of the CV is not to get the job...... the point of the CV is simply to get an interview, and then the point of the interview is to get the job. The CV should be high level, and include just enough information to whet their interest and get them to bring you for an interview, and then you can expand and develop on items in the interview......

I have interviewed thousands of people over the years (am a HR Manager) and I can guarantee you that if a CV is well presented and relevant to the job ,the fact that it was 3 pages instead of 2 would not be a problem for me. Nor for anyone else that I've come across over the years.

Now, of course, if you are a new grad, or a L.Cert grad presenting their information on a CV of 3 pages, that would of course include a lot of waffle and fluff, so that would indeed work against you. Waffle and fluff have no place on a CV!

congo_90

Kaybe wrote: »

"Two pages" is a guideline, not a rule.
Common sense should prevail.

Assuming you are not a new graduate with very limited experience, you should leave out irrelevant information such as gender, date of birth, marital status, names & ages of kids (yes, I've seen it!) , detailed breakdown of leaving cert & university subjects & grades attained etc etc etc

You should always include pertinent information , but try not to include EVERY single piece of information ....
Remember, the point of the CV is not to get the job...... the point of the CV is simply to get an interview, and then the point of the interview is to get the job. The CV should be high level, and include just enough information to whet their interest and get them to bring you for an interview, and then you can expand and develop on items in the interview......

I have interviewed thousands of people over the years (am a HR Manager) and I can guarantee you that if a CV is well presented and relevant to the job ,the fact that it was 3 pages instead of 2 would not be a problem for me. Nor for anyone else that I've come across over the years.

Now, of course, if you are a new grad, or a L.Cert grad presenting their information on a CV of 3 pages, that would of course include a lot of waffle and fluff, so that would indeed work against you. Waffle and fluff have no place on a CV!

Sorry if threadjacking but was lurking in this forum, noticed this post and have to say thank you because I always wondered what should be done about "hobbies or interests" section.
I tend to write up a small amount relevent to the job. I also have a small section on timekeeping etc but thanks to this thread I think I'll edit it and have just one page!

CorkFenian

What would people advise for contractors...I have 3 pages but have worked in 5 different places since 2003..All contract related..I'm not sure whether to keep them all anymore but dont want to lose anything either, and I have good referees from everyone so its not like I left anywhere etc...