Few queries re CV and level of detail.

socialwork2012

Previously when applying for jobs, it ran to three/four pages but I’ve been told that two page maximum is the most people want.
Is it necessary to putyour date of birth on CV?
Is it sufficient to include my address and referees and their contact details on cover letter and not the CV itself?
To stick down sporting interestsor not? (Reason being teamwork skill etc).

mikemac1

Waaaaaay too long

Two pages max

No need for DOB on CV and realy they are going to work it out anyway from your school

"References on request" is perfect. Also this means you can give your referee a heads up to expect a call

Yes, definitely put down sporting interests. They want well rounded people who have interests.
Don't lie here like saying you are a footballer from Kilkenny :pac:

Mrs OBumble

Most advice is that you don't have references on your CV or cover letter - you supply the details a lot later in the process if they're needed.

But you're a social worker? Sometimes jobs like that require you to supply referee contact details up front. Even so, I'd put them in the cover letter rather than the CV, in case you use the CV for other jobs later on.

Definitely not date-of-birth, it's totally irrelevant.

Length, depends on the job you're applying for, and how much relevant experience you have. For my professional CV, the "executive summary" version is only two pages (as per HRs preferences), but the the "full" version is six pages. The latter is what a manager needs to see if they want to know "did this candidate use X, how long for, what sort of projects". There's not really a happy medium thaI can find. But the six pages is extremely well formatted and labelled - a manager with two brain cells can skim read it almost as quickly as a two pager, and will get a lot more information from it.

tatli_lokma

I don't put any personal interests on my CV - I think I would only do this if it were relavant to the role - for eg if I was applying for a job where my hobbies showed a personal connection to the role such as applying for a job in a charity and I volunteer or fundraise for that charity.

I am not interested in reading this on a CV - as an employer I don't read it, and in my experience it looks quite juvenille, and like you are trying to pad out your CV.

More important is to put professional information - I am looking to hire someone, not make a friend. What your personal interests are outside of work are not really something I care about unless they have a direct link to the job. At the interview I may ask more personal questions like this to get an idea of your personality and see if you are a'fit' with the rest of the team. But when I am reading a CV I don't care. I don't care if you are 'well rounded' so much as I care that you can do the job and will get on with the rest of the team. And what is 'well rounded' to me may mean 'anorak' to another person! People can also judge you based on this, and really the only thing they should be judging on your CV is your professional experience and if its relevant to the role. Having interests on your CV are not going to increase your chances of getting an interview (unless they have a direct relevance as mentioned earlier), your professional experience is what gets you the interview. And if you need to sacrifice the professional section to make room for your hobbies then this is more likely to jeopardise your chances of interview. This is why I think its padding - if you have enough professional experience you won't have space in 2 pages to include hobbies, ergo if you can include hobbies you probably won't have enough experience.

Also, clever formatting helps, so you can put your personal details in the header on the first page, rather than some people who make a big section at the start of the CV with name, age, DOB etc. Again this looks like padding. You need to think like an employer. I get 50+ CV's - what am I looking for when I pick each one up? professional experience, educational and other qualifications relevant to the role, and eligibility. So for me a big paragraph at the start with your name, age and address is a waste of space. You don't need to put your address in there - again some people might judge based upon this thinking that you might live too far away. Unless where you live has a direct impact on your suitability for the role, leave it out.

Try to keep it to two pages, but sometimes this is not possible - if your professional experience runs to more than 2 pages, then you should include it if it is relevant to the role you are applying for.

socialwork2012

Thanks for the replies mikemac1 and co.
Little Ted-Didn't realise the personal details would seem like padding, but from doing up my CV I decided to shift my address to the cover letter.
I get your point re the interests appearing juvenile.
JustMary-The issues with referees is, that in some cases employers look for references up front.

chris85

Agree with little ted I put name and address in a header on the first page along with my contact number and email.

Two pages is definitely max and no need to included references. "Available on request" is normal for this. Be concise on the CV. Longer than two pages will not get a look at.