CV & Cover Letter help

gooner99

Hi. I am writing up my cv and cover letter after many years without needing a cv. What info should go on my cv and what should go on the cover letter. Thanks.

CV is a list of what you have done (worked here, responsible for X, Y, Z) and cover letter is more about motivations and value you can bring imo. You can go into more detail on the stuff on your CV.

Keep them short, 2 pages for CV max and a page for cover letter max imo. There are lots of templates out there.

gooner99

Mara Rotten Terminology wrote: »

CV is a list of what you have done (worked here, responsible for X, Y, Z) and cover letter is more about motivations and value you can bring imo. You can go into more detail on the stuff on your CV.

Keep them short, 2 pages for CV max and a page for cover letter max imo. There are lots of templates out there.

Thanks. I need to go at them again so. On my CV I only had my personal details, education, brief work details, interests and hobbies. Then on my cover letter I had more detailed work tasks and achievements. Sounds like I should move that over.

Diziet

gooner99 wrote: »

Thanks. I need to go at them again so. On my CV I only had my personal details, education, brief work details, interests and hobbies. Then on my cover letter I had more detailed work tasks and achievements. Sounds like I should move that over.

Don't bother with interests and hobbies unless they are very unusual and support the role you are applying for. Otherwise they are of no interest to the employer - use the space to list responsibilities and achievements in your work history.

The Black Oil

Some tips here. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=114469789

sura28

Hi

I work in HR/Recruitment and used to do CV writing. If you want I can have a look at your CV and give you some advice. Don't have much free time but can give you some pointers.

You can pm me.

I am me123

sura28 wrote: »

Hi

I work in HR/Recruitment and used to do CV writing. If you want I can have a look at your CV and give you some advice. Don't have much free time but can give you some pointers.

You can pm me.

Hi. Sorry to hijack the thread.
Following with interest. Also looking to update my cv.
What font is recommended for headings and all other texts for cvs?
How many pages max should it be?

whampiri

I am me123 wrote: »

Hi. Sorry to hijack the thread.
Following with interest. Also looking to update my cv.
What font is recommended for headings and all other texts for cvs?
How many pages max should it be?

Calibri and 2 pages. Most important stuff to the top of the page as if you're applying for a job that will see a high volume of applications, the reader is really only going to pay attention to the 1st page. You need to grab their attention early.

imfml

Should DOB be on a CV?

whampiri

imfml wrote: »

Should DOB be on a CV?

Up to you but there's no requirement to include it. Do you think it will have a positive effect on you getting the job? If no, then leave it out. If yes, include it.

sura28

imfml wrote: »

Should DOB be on a CV?

No. Only name, address, phone number, LinkedIn (if you have it or portfolio or website for IT roles)

AngryLips

imfml wrote: »

Should DOB be on a CV?

sura28 wrote: »

No. Only name, address, phone number, LinkedIn (if you have it or portfolio or website for IT roles)

I feel like putting DOB is a big no-no, same as including a picture of yourself or any other discriminating information. Also, do people still bother with including home address?

sura28

I am me123 wrote: »

Hi. Sorry to hijack the thread.
Following with interest. Also looking to update my cv.
What font is recommended for headings and all other texts for cvs?
How many pages max should it be?

Hi

The ideal font is one that is easy to read. Usually people use Ariel, Times New Roman, Calibri.

Size recommended is about 12pt but in some fonts you can go down to 10pt. Make sure you print a copy of your CV before sending it out to make sure it’s readable. Stick to the same font throughout the CV. For headings you can go up to 14 pt. Check formatting, margins, etc.

For pages, try to make it max 2 pages. Don’t include experience older than 10 years unless relevant. You can just name these roles. Spellcheck and ask someone you know to give you their honest opinion.

First you have to decide which role/industry you want to apply to and adapt the CV to fit this role. The CVS are not one fits all. It is important to look at job descriptions of jobs you want to apply to, and make sure the skills/experience that they are looking for are reflected/highlighted on your CV.

Don’t forget to include a Profile at the beginning of the CV and to tailor it and the Cover letter to the job you are applying to.

I used to work in recruitment and we don’t like generic CVs since it shows lack of effort.

Best of luck

GalwayGrrrrrl

Your cover letter should change for each application.
The cover letter links the requirements on the job advert to your CV. So if you are applying for a job that needs (for example) social media skills you can highlight in the cover letter that you ran the social media account for X company for 3 years in your previous role.

GalwayGrrrrrl

imfml wrote: »

Should DOB be on a CV?

If you don’t include a DOB the recruiter can work out your age from your leaving cert year or number of years employed so it doesn’t make that much difference.

I disagree with the person who said leave off hobbies - one place I used to work used to nearly always employ people who did marathons, triathlons or other sports. Everyone who applied had similar qualifications so this was one way of picking out healthy employees who could train and plan for a challenge. Not sure if would stand up in a court these days! But if you do write a hobby make sure you can talk about it with interest. I helped a colleague with a CV once as she wrote “walking” as a hobby. I asked her to expand on it, thinking she would say hiking up mountains at the weekend. She said “just walking about”. That’s not a hobby, that’s daily life.

orangeyouglad

GalwayGrrrrrl wrote: »

If you don’t include a DOB the recruiter can work out your age from your leaving cert year or number of years employed so it doesn’t make that much difference.

most recruiters are too lazy to do that. i went back to college at 23 and have done a fair bit since, i never put my leaving cert on my cv as it's irrelevant to anything i apply for. found most employers just assume i have it or have never asked

I am me123

sura28 wrote: »

Hi

The ideal font is one that is easy to read. Usually people use Ariel, Times New Roman, Calibri.

Size recommended is about 12pt but in some fonts you can go down to 10pt. Make sure you print a copy of your CV before sending it out to make sure it’s readable. Stick to the same font throughout the CV. For headings you can go up to 14 pt. Check formatting, margins, etc.

For pages, try to make it max 2 pages. Don’t include experience older than 10 years unless relevant. You can just name these roles. Spellcheck and ask someone you know to give you their honest opinion.

First you have to decide which role/industry you want to apply to and adapt the CV to fit this role. The CVS are not one fits all. It is important to look at job descriptions of jobs you want to apply to, and make sure the skills/experience that they are looking for are reflected/highlighted on your CV.

Don’t forget to include a Profile at the beginning of the CV and to tailor it and the Cover letter to the job you are applying to.

I used to work in recruitment and we don’t like generic CVs since it shows lack of effort.

Best of luck

Hi. Thanks very much.
After college I worked in two posts over 2 years in a career area linked to my degree.
Since this, I changed career to a completely different area. Would I include all my experience in both careers as I dont want it to appear as though there are gaps in my employment history?