Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm 26 I've been to school, colledge and uni and working since then- on ym cv do I need to put my GCSEs or are they more of a "get you into college" thing that employers of 26 year olds don't care about? kinda superseded by the a levels and degree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 I also read to leave off things like time management courses etc that everyone been on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
how_supra Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm 26 I've been to school, colledge and uni and working since then- on ym cv do I need to put my GCSEs or are they more of a "get you into college" thing that employers of 26 year olds don't care about? kinda superseded by the a levels and degree? My advice is make slight reference to your GCSE's. "6 GCSE grades C or above including English and Maths" They tend to care about having English and Maths I also read to leave off things like time management courses etc that everyone been on? With this, I'd put a section just before your referree contact details "other relevant qualifications/courses" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suprasteve Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 me personally, I would only add them if it was beneficial to the job you were going for. i.e. tailor the cv for the job. The degree is obviously the most important so that should be highlighted and broken down but you could just mention 3 A-levels & 9 GCSE C+ grade etc or something like that. Sometimes less is more if you know what I mean. Try and keep it to 2 may be 3 pages max good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suprasteve Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 My advice is make slight reference to your GCSE's. "6 GCSE grades C or above including English and Maths" They tend to care about having English and Maths With this, I'd put a section just before your referree contact details "other relevant qualifications/courses" i really need to learn to type faster !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 If you've got higher level qualifications, at your age and experience, no one will care _what_ GCSEs you got. Personnally I just put "GCSE: 6 A's, 3 B's", my A-level results and expand upon my degree (3 or four sentences). You've got a number of years experience - that's what employers actually care about at this stage of your career. Oh, and all courses are worth noting, because they add value - just don't harp on about them. A CV is purely for getting your foot in the door, so you can yack on about your training in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 my cv is one big lie and as ark said its all about getting your foot in the door, i was seriously jack the lad at school, had a brain but decided not to use it, and failed all my exams, however on my cv it has that i passed all my exams as unless your going for a job that requires qualifications like micro biologist a doc or any technical wher eyou need to have studdied your school exams dont mean sh!t, also people that get degrees its good on the cv but if you dont go into your field within 2 years its not worth the paper its written on it just lets an employer see that your able to study, take the it courses by the time you have went through your degree its nearly worthless as the it industry is changing that fast (ok its slowed down a bit now) but your cv shoudl be a shining example of you and added extras no one has ever questioned my cv EVER and it is full of high level stuff like studying for my mcse and i have never picked up an mcse book in my life but i know enough about it to back it up, but the thing is its all good doing what i have done but you have to have the ability to sell yourself in front of a selectuion board too which i can, a lot of people lie on there cv but cant talk the talk and people can see through that, go on exagerate a little but make sure you can back it up and never make your cv that long that you think that people will switch off make it mid range and specific and dont waffle hope this helps? cheers mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 I was after writing more of a general cv to put on moster and to send to agencies rather than targetting it for a specific job you see. Ok I will leave it on there but summarise. I will brush over my A levels as I hated college, passed but not brilliantly... gcses and degree were a different story!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 also, I take it I only put down IT jobs, not every job I've ever had? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 aaaaand do they expect to see referees or can you put "on request"? just cos i'm already near the 2 page mark... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
how_supra Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Just adjust your margins, you should make everything available to the potential employer to see, including references IMO But make sure your CV is only limited to two pages I'd also strongly recommend that you put some details about your job skills - like key positions of responsibility and that you demonstrate awareness in the roles you are likely to applying for. Make it personal for the job as much as you can. Also a section about why you want to work in IT and what you can offer etc etc Employment should be the most relevant. I also include a short and to the point cover letter with my cv as well and it seems to reel people in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 and how many referes are preferred? presumably from different jobs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Sabrina- fancy having a quick look at it for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieSteve Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm 24 and I've left mine off since last year. Can't see GCSE's being too important now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
how_supra Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 and how many referes are preferred? presumably from different jobs? Two generally. Take one from current employer, and another from either degree or previous employer Sabrina- fancy having a quick look at it for me? Of course, drop it to my email if you have it, if not I'll send it via pm. I'll send you mine as well seems only fair just so you can have a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I've got 2 CVs, one full length and one condensed with little comments about more info available. My condensed one fits on 2 A4 sheets quite easily, and is very big lettered and widely spaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 aaaaand do they expect to see referees or can you put "on request"? just cos i'm already near the 2 page mark... I _NEVER_ list my references, just as I never put my full home address or phone number. This thing is being published to all and sundry on the Internet for Gods sake! Depending on the job you go for, it may be sensible to chery-pick who you name as a reference. You might fall out with people after publishing... Plus some agents and employers rather cheekily contact your references before putting you forward for interview - might come as a surprise to your current boss to get called up and asked "How's Supragal as an employee?" Doesn't do your short term career any good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
how_supra Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I _NEVER_ list my references, just as I never put my full home address or phone number. This thing is being published to all and sundry on the Internet for Gods sake! Depending on the job you go for, it may be sensible to chery-pick who you name as a reference. You might fall out with people after publishing... Plus some agents and employers rather cheekily contact your references before putting you forward for interview - might come as a surprise to your current boss to get called up and asked "How's Supragal as an employee?" Doesn't do your short term career any good!!! Agents should ask you if its acceptable for them to contact your employer. It is very unprofessional for them not to do this as they understand the discrete nature involved. I would check this with the agency before registering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I _NEVER_ list my references, just as I never put my full home address or phone number. This thing is being published to all and sundry on the Internet for Gods sake! Depending on the job you go for, it may be sensible to chery-pick who you name as a reference. You might fall out with people after publishing... Plus some agents and employers rather cheekily contact your references before putting you forward for interview - might come as a surprise to your current boss to get called up and asked "How's Supragal as an employee?" Doesn't do your short term career any good!!! it all depends on the site your posting it too how good the security is and as for the cheeky employers its against the law for them to conact and gain a reference without your consent falls under the dpa act, the way they get round it is most app forms have it in small print "we may conact your employers to gain a reference, if you prefer for this not to happen check the box" or something like that and once you have signed the declaration then you have given the green light for them to do what they want within the law of course but if you dont give them consent your chances of getting selected are greatly reduced as may be taken as hiding something, but most employers will give you a job but will always say subject to satisfactory references Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 All I'm saying is that it happens, professional or not...illegal or not!!! I once had an interviewer tell me that he preferred the other candidate because "he could bring a database of customers from his old company"!!! How blatently illegal is that? Oh yeah, and there's the flip-side of job agency work, which is finding employers who might be recruiting in the near future...perhaps because they just lost an employee...someone who is currently looking for work. If you broadcast who your current boss is, they will start getting sales calls from agents asking if they need more people - it's a dead giveaway that someones published a CV listing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 There's no rules to writing a CV, everyone's is different. I use the first page as the attention grabber, so I have from top to bottom: Personal details Profile (what I do) Key skills (listed as bullet points) Then from page 2 onwards I have my career history. As I'm a consultant I list each place I've worked and what I did. Then on the last page I list my training courses, college and school subjects along with a couple of lines of personal interests. If people want referees then I give them the details. Some people say 2 pages max but it depends what you do, mines 5 pages but 4 pages of that they can read if they like what they see on the first page. In my job people like to know where you've worked as well as what you've done. School and college means nothing but it's there just for completeness. I make a point that my CV is not to be sent to any client without my permission. A mate of mine had his CV land on his current bosses desk.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaf Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 i keep my cv to a minimum, skip over qualifications and stuff. i've obviously got everything up to my degree and the rest is experience. i've found in my line of work, the more projects/ exposure to different work environments you have, the better it reflects on you. my cv is kept to 2 pages as i've recruited before and if people dont keep their cv's to the basics i.e qualifications, skills, experience and personal profile then i bin it as i havent got time to read through someones waffle of how they did this and that and worked at burger king when they were 13 etc. if i like what i've read, i call em up for an interview and compare what i have read about the type of person to the picture i have drawn up in my mind. if they match up and fill the criteria of the role, they are hired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black cat Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 rosie, dont know exactly what your line of work is, mine is design therfore i could make my cv more interesting, not just like a4 word doc. which can be a bit dull.... i put only stuff that is really relevant now, not what i did 10 years ago. OK i have a degree so that goes on. is you would expect. i have samples of work on cd rom with a5 insert in box with details on, thats it. why not put examples of case studies or things that you have experence in rather than a load of inpersonel facts... just a thought. if your cv cannot be put in a file because its the wrong size it wont be put away. mine is still on the managers desk 4 months down the line. tt steve:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thanks guys, I will keep updating it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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