CV Writing Services - waste of time?

ringo747

ringo747

ringo747

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I'm finally getting around to updating my CV with a proper version since graduating a few years ago. Happy(ish) in my job but always good to keep a CV updated as you learn I think.

I have merged a few old versions together and now my CV is around 6 A4 pages set out in a nice table layout. I am thinking this is way too long! I have included uni marks which probably isn't essential and also I could cut out/down the hobbies/interests sections. I have based it all on a template for a graduate job I applied for a few years back.

Question is this - is it worthwhile getting a CV 'optimiser' company to boost a CV for you? I am guessing they are a complete waste of money but it would be good to get some proper advice on what I need/don't need and what sections I can cut out of this.

Obviously I can add a cover letter with some background which then would mean I could cut down on the content. Another option is to bullet point some of the experience/job activities instead of detailed paragraphs. Any advice on this?
 
2 A4 pages at the most, unless you have a 50 years experience.

imo the 'writing services' are a waste of money.
if you're unsure of the quality of your CV, stick it up on here for people to criticise :p
 
6 Pages!?!?!?!?!

Cut it down to 2 (MAX). Do it yourself.... you know you better than any one else and it will be cheaper. I think i could sell myself a lot better than a complete stranger and companies who write CVs for people probably have a set format and the company you are applying to may notice 10s of CVs all looking the same and therefore you wont stand out etc....

Mine is 2 pages with bullet points set out in different "Profiles" e.g. personal, skills, academic, interests and references....

You could cut all marks pre Uni (maybe keep A-levels)..... You should be able to get 2 pages no prob

PS - 2 pages single sided or 1 page double sided
 
I had a professional organisastion write my cv. It was atrocious even had a typo. Apparently they usully charge £25 for the pleasure.
 
mjt said:
2
imo the 'writing services' are a waste of money.
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Rubbish, I bet you haven't even used one.

The CV is the most important thing to get you into an interview. Few people can write a good CV.
Spending £50 to earn thousands is a great pay off.
You wouldn't dream of doing other stuff on your own, which you know little about.

Efour2 said:
I had a professional organisastion write my cv. It was atrocious even had a typo. Apparently they usully charge £25 for the pleasure.
Click to expand...

should have done you research a nd used a good one, which has a full money back guarantee. One which will actually phone you up and talk to you to find out what you have done. They are usually more than £25 as well.
 
O dear sounds like I have a lot to cut out! I have only been out of uni for two years! The content is fine for application forms but I guess CV doesn't need all the same info.

The sections I have are:
Personal details
Education
Work experience - for current job + work placement
Skills
Recent experience (detailing skills/activities in current job)
Certifications
Hobbies/Interests
Additional Information
References

When typing that out I did think it looked like overkill slightly! The template was for an application form so I probably don't need half of it.

For IT skills should I just list them in bullet point form or detail experience levels of each skill?

Thanks guys
 
ringo747 said:
O dear sounds like I have a lot to cut out! I have only been out of uni for two years! The content is fine for application forms but I guess CV doesn't need all the same info.
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In which case amusing you have no relevant experience 1page is probably more than enough. remember covering letter as well.
 
Well I have 3 years IT experience including placement so I will need to detail it up to make it sound good. I wouldn't say no experience!

Are sections like hobbies/interests really that relevant?
 
ringo747 said:
Well I have 3 years IT experience including placement so I will need to detail it up to make it sound good. I wouldn't say no experience!

Are sections like hobbies/interests really that relevant?
Click to expand...

in that case 2 pages max.

Hobbies interest a couple of sentences. Remember a cv is like a check list. don't waffle. short and to the point. A cv is used as a check list against the job advert. Covering letter goes more into why you want the job and what you can offer.
 
My basic CV is 1 page long, extended 2. As said, 2 pages max.

You can cut a *lot* of things down, for instance, don't have a references section unless it's been specifically requested, just say "References available on request" in with your other factual information, or tagged onto the end of each company name in your experience.
 
LMAO at getting some call center worker to write your CV for you...

Unless there exists some service which charges you several hundred pounds to write the thing you are basically paying for someone to fill out a template.

Think about it logically - these places charge say £25 - they are not going to spend very long on it for that amount of money. I'm sure you could sit down for a couple of hours and sort out a much better one. If you were an expert at writing killer CVs then why would you resort to working for £8 an hour in a CV writing company - the reality is they are just a bunch of temps/student paid to fill out one of a handful of standard pre-prepared templates.
 
My CV fits on two pages and I wish I could make it shorter. It's relatively small writing. Any longer than two pages they're just not going to want to read.

You only need to give them a gist of what you've done, the CV is just the foot in the door - if they have questions they'll ask them at interview. The CV is to get you the interview, not the job.

My CV consists of:

Details
Personal Statement
Previous Employment
Education

and that's it. They don't care what I do at the weekends, if they want to know they'll ask me at interview. References is included as 'references available on request', and they are available, but they don't need names and addresses at the whittling down interview candidates stage imo.

All you need to do is make them want to talk to you.

When I saw this thread I was going to say AH2 has lots of good things to say about them, but obviously he's beat me to it. If you struggle to get your CV sorted yourself I don't see any reason not to give one a punt, it's a relatively small amount to pay considering what it can get you.
 
A 1 page CV is fine if you have just left School/College/Uni. 2 Page if you have less than 10 years experience - roughly speaking, but it depends on what you have done. CV writing services can be atrocious. I have had varying comments on what is and isn't good for a CV. Do not take what one company/person/book says about writing a CV as gospel as the person reading the CV will have his own idea on what is good anyway.

I disagree about not putting personal interests on the CV. It tells the potential employer about you as a person. Who would you rather employ - a person with great credentials an no life or someone with not as great credentials that has a passion about something and sounds interesting as a person?
 
I tried to update my cv but I'm not creative enough, took me 6 months of faffing before I paid £120 to get it done properly. They did a fantastic job & it helped me get 2 very good positions.
 
Put yourself in employers shoes, would you read 6 pages of a cv , when the next person could summarise the same thing in 2 or less pages?

Mine is 2 pages after graduating uni, nice and neat, personal profile, qualifications, work experience, hobbies and interests, references.

Simple :)
 
Whats a "Personal Statement"? My most successful CV was always the shortest one, especially when contracting. Details, Qualifications,Experience. I don't put everything on there only the best of whats relevent.
 
A personal statement is a paragraph at the top of your CV saying what you have achieved, where you want to be and what you can offer your future employee (within context of the position applied for)
 
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