What's In a CV

[obiewon]

I am currently looking into job opportunities in NZ and note that many job postings that mention sending in your CV. I am assuming this is similar to a resume. So only being familiar with writing a resume in the US I am completely unfamiliar with the format of a CV, how long it should be, and what should be contained in it.

My questions are:
1) Pray tell what does "CV" stand for
2) Is there an accepted format to a CV and if so are there any good on-line references giving examples or a discussion of this format
3) I'm an IT professional with a BS in Computer Science and 15 years experience in IT - are there any special considerations for CV's in my case
4) What is a minimum/maximum page length for someone with my experience
5) What information should always be included, may be included, and should never be included in a CV

I remember in college having a course where one of the topics of study was resume writing. I also attended a workshop on this subject and even have a book. I'm not asking for recommendations to take a college course and where I can go to get this information Just a distilled CV's for Dummies kind of reponse would be helpful. Thanks

[dharder]

I am currently looking into job opportunities in NZ and note that many job postings that mention sending in your CV. I am assuming this is similar to a resume.

I can't say much about NZ CVs, but in principle, and for your purposes, they are the same as a resume. I think sometimes people make a distinction between resume and CV even in the States, but I can't remember when that was, maybe in an academic context?

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae. If you want to be pedantic, the plural would be Curricula Vitae, so in its abbreviated form still CV (one CV, two CV), but more commonly, I would think people refer to CVs.

I would expect you to be alright with a resume, but for the NZ specifics, wait for some more qualified answers.

Good luck with applying,

Daniela

[gil]

I am currently looking into job opportunities in NZ and note that many job postings that mention sending in your CV. I am assuming this is similar to a resume. So only being familiar with writing a resume in the US I am completely unfamiliar with the format of a CV, how long it should be, and what should be contained in it.

My questions are:
1) Pray tell what does "CV" stand for
Curriculum Vitae, as already mentioned
2) Is there an accepted format to a CV and if so are there any good on-line references giving examples or a discussion of this format
http://www.nzjobfind.com/browse/13.0.curriculum-vitae.htm
3) I'm an IT professional with a BS in Computer Science and 15 years experience in IT - are there any special considerations for CV's in my case
I don't believe so
4) What is a minimum/maximum page length for someone with my experience
NZ CVs are very detailed compared to the 2 pages that are expected in UK. Mine ran to about 10 pages and that was fine. In fact, I was asked to make it longer originally!
5) What information should always be included, may be included, and should never be included in a CV
Include:name and address/contact details, short personal profile including right to work in NZ, current role first with key responsibilities and key results achieved, roles going back, although not so much detail for early ones, qualifications and accreditations, personal info like interests/languages spoken etc.
Conform to Eaqual Opps legislation and you should be fine. I.e. you don't have to specifiy age, marital status, religion, sexual orientation etc

I remember in college having a course where one of the topics of study was resume writing. I also attended a workshop on this subject and even have a book. I'm not asking for recommendations to take a college course and where I can go to get this information Just a distilled CV's for Dummies kind of reponse would be helpful. Thanks

Hope that helps,

Gil

[Lupin]

I think longer CV are expected in Australasia, so include all qualifications, courses, jobs, hobbies, a personal statement, references etc, etc.

[IanW99]

This link might also be useful? Creating Your Job Application

Ian

[obiewon]

Thank you all for the very prompt and helpful replies. I have always had a difficulty fitting what was important into the 2-page maximum resume expectation here in the US. Now it appears that I may make a novella out of my resume if I feel like it.

Anyone have a job for me? I'm real good - promise...

[MarkS]

I've read an awful lot of CVs in the last few weeks (trying to recruit software developers). A lot of them have been terrible, some average, and a few very good. My top tips:

1) Put your visa status on it. The first thing an employer wants to know is if you're actually allowed to work or not!

2) A lot of IT CVs include a "skills matrix" at the start - i.e. a list of skills, how many years experience you have, and whether that skill is current or (if not) the date you last used it. These can be very good at quickly identifying whether or not the candidate might have what we're looking for. Make sure the claim in the matrix is backed up in the text though, if you claim (say) 10 years C++ development, I'd be wanting to see "C++" cropping up regularly in the rest of your CV over that entire period. If it's only mentioned in the last two years, I'll probably assume that you first heard of it 10 years ago but only started using it 2 years ago.

3) Employment history - most recent at the top. I'd go into a fair amount of detail about the last 5 years, a bit less for 5 years before that, and an extremely brief description of anything before that. The big thing here is talk talk about what you, personally did. I see so many CVs that describe the project that the person worked on, and plenty of "we developed....". Don't be afraid to blow your own trumpet (err, factually of course), and in interview you should have an answer to the question "what did you personally do to make a difference on this project" for each project. This section can certainly be as long as it reasonably needs to be, none of the "2 or 3 pages" only constraint you get in other parts of the world.

Hope that helps - not meant to be an exhaustive description of what should be on your CV (the links above will tell you that), just the three things that I've seen people get wrong over and over again.

Anyone have a job for me? I'm real good - promise...

You might need to say more about what your 15 years of experience is in first!

Mark

[DMcG]

I'll second what Mark says exactly. I've waded through loads of CVs and the vast majority of them are rubbish - poorly laid out, badly written and completely fail to actually get over what the person can do. The skills matrix is a good idea because it lets potential employers see at a glance what you think you can do.
Bear in mid that IT jobs in New Zealand tend to have a bit broader scope than the UK or probably America, so include things that may not be directly relevant to the position you're applying for ("Oh, I see you've used Linux quite a bit too, that could come in handy...").

After 15 years, experience from earliest jobs may not be relevant anymore (given the rate at which technology becomes obsolete) so it's not really worth going into great detail about technologies that no longer exist (or are extremely rare at any rate - hey, anyone looking for an OpenVMS system manager - thought not )

Dougie

[Keith C.]

I have been in the IT industry for over 20 years. In the places I've worked, there have generally been some "Human Resources" (HR) people who do the preliminary screening, followed by further screening by more technical people. Nowadays, machine screening by keywords also enters the mix.

It has been my experience that it is difficult to effectively screen even short resumes. The resumes are loaded with keywords and buzz words. The longer CVs would seem to present even larger problems, because you can enter even more keywords, and it takes longer to plow through all of the information.

A good technical person can rapidly get the gist of whether the person's skills are applicable, but the HR person can not. However, the technical person is usually much more valuable doing technical work than administrative. Therefore, it seems to me that a short resume is more efficient than a longer CV.

Is resume/CV processing in NZ much different than I've described for the US IT industry?

[Angelonthemove]

I agree with Mark S great post

My OH has been in a contracting in Welly using skills dating back 8 years!! so do not be affraid to add all your skills in the matrix. there are some shortage areas in some really old SW skills. He is currently asking for $10 extra now as he knows the market is short of Powerbuilding developers. He was a version 4 when he took the role and had to get himself up to version 12 (I think)

they are looking to change to Oracle but he can not see that happening anytime soon. so he keeps getting extensions on his contract.

I was in recruitment and if it AIN'T on there you will not get a call. Its all done elctronically these days. Plus 90% do not understand the role in the first place let alone know who to look for to fill it IMO.

Good luck all