CV in New Zealand format

[pinkpiggy]

I'm sure I read somewhere on the forum (I've done a search but can't find it) that New Zealand employers like CV 's in a different format to the UK.

Can anybody confirm whether this is so and if it is in what way does it differ?

We're going to the Expo in London in October and are thinking of taking a copy (well several copies) of Sam's (BaldyBeardyBloke's) CV and thought it would look better if we had them in the correct format to show that we're ahead of the game.

Any help on this subject would be appreciated. Thanks.

[neilw71]

Nothing too different except the length - UK was always 2 or 3 pages max - NZ they look for 4 to 5 pages. The detail needs to be added to your job roles - go into depth around the roles and what experience you had in them. They are not designed to be an introduction for further discussion at interview - get all the detail in there

Refferees are also important - think carefully, as they WILL check them out and need to talk with them most times before an offer is confirmed.

That is my experience in the private sector here anyway - public may differ?

Neil

[Singel]

Here is the thread : http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....ight=NZ+format

[Singel]

We use NZ format from this recruitment agency : go to "Career Seekers" and scroll down to "Tips for Success", http://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/

Good Luck

[Howie]

I ran into problems with this one. In North America they say one page. I got really cheeky and went to two. When I was in the interview they actually turned over the last page looking for the rest. I still got the job, though.

This may also be dependent somewhat on the industry you work in. I would say that the number of pages should be inversely proportional to the likely number of applicants. Since there aren't very many people in this country, I guess you can never really have that many applicants. The one page thing is designed for a job where hundreds of resumes will have to be sorted. However, the company where I ultimately got the job probably only gets a half dozen resumes in a year.

Chris

[marcia]

Another tip is do a load of passport size photos on your computer and attach them to the CV, good especially if you are speaking to people face to face on the day - will help them remember who you are!

[sidcarter]

NZ folks prefer the longer CV. I didn't know about this. So, I took two versions - 2 page version and 6 page version. They chose the 6 page version

[pinkpiggy]

Another tip is do a load of passport size photos on your computer and attach them to the CV, good especially if you are speaking to people face to face on the day - will help them remember who you are!

Marcia, what an excellent idea. Will definitely have to do this.

Thanks to everyone for all their comments. tips and links. They'll come in very handy.

[johnandbethcox]

I'm an IT consultant, so I've jumped from project to project several times.

I've been using a two-page version with a 5-6 page 'addendum'. The short version has all of the education, certifications, dates, etc. associated with a normal US CV, and the 'addendum' has detailed project descriptions for each of the positions. I also have my references in soft copy, so I send the full package when answering a query.

[k-k]

Hi Pinkpiggy,

OH is in IT and on the recommendation of one of the IT recruitment agencies in Wellington he extended his original CV by quite a bit. He was told that a CV should be 6-7 pages long with the greatest detail relating to the last 3 years employment.
The basic layout (according to this agency):
Name, address contact details etc.
Summary
Technical Summary (for IT specialists in development or infrastructure)
Employment history including details of the company (staff numbers, what the company does etc), remembering that NZ companies may not be familiar with UK companies. Paint a picture for the reader so that they understand the scale, depth and range of work you have done. Plus all the usual stuff, responsibilities, projects worked on, technologies used, major achievements.
Education and Qualifications
Training Courses attended
Professional Memberships
Hobbies and Interests.

Mind you having said all that, I do think the IT industry is pretty picky, they seem to like full details of all the technical stuff. I'm a pharmacist and all I did was pad out my UK CV with a few more details, I think it just depends on the type of job you will be looking for.

As was said previously, try and make your CV stand out. Agencies at the Expos will get loads handed in, so you want to make sure your CV stays near the top of the pile.

Regards
K-K