CV format

[NotAGolf]

I've had the same style CV for a good few years now. It seems to have done the job so far, but where my job history is growing, I can't fit it all onto 2 pages. I don't want it to spill onto 3 pages, so I either need to adjust the format, or trim some of the fat.

My current format is shown below. I essentially have a high level overview with some generic skills at the top, followed by the job history which describes the company and highlights a few skills that are unique(ish) to that role.

The voluntary work experience section is pretty irrelevant and would save a bit of space, but I've kept it in as it's a bit of a 'change of scene' from just a long boring list of skills.

My first couple of jobs were so long ago I can barely remember them, so I could potentially remove the 'responsibilities' section from each of them (but then why is it even there?), or remove them entirely (but then there'd be a questionable gap in my history?).

Any thoughts/suggestions on how to trim it down a bit?

 

[NotAGolf]

Thanks very much for the feedback all, especially @throwaway4372 and @dowie - really appreciate the time you've spent diving into it

Few thoughts...

I definitely agree with the 'quantify' points. I struggle with this though as I think it's very hard to 'measure' a QA, and thus prove you're a good one. There's no obvious KPI's you can use (which is also one of the reasons I hate doing end of year reviews), but you've given me some examples on a couple of points.

Duly noted on several of the 'meaningless waffle' points. The reasoning behind some of them was to make sure I was hitting any potential checkboxes that a recruiter was looking for when skimming the CV. If the recruiter understood the role, then they would skip over it, but what if it's a generic HR bod that doesn't know the differences between a PM/BA/QA/Dev?

I like the suggestion of condensing earlier roles.

I've not included my pre-uni education because my grades were not great, so I don't want to draw attention to them. I got a first in my degree (shown in the redacted) section, so I'm hoping that's enough to prove I'm not a plum from an education perspective!

I didn't mention the name of my app originally as I'd literally just launched it. It's a bit more established now so I'd be willing to include it. Would you recommend including a link to it in the CV, or did you just mean be prepared to share it come interview time?

The reason behind the intro section is to flag things/skills not tied to a specific job. Just a quick a quick highlight/overview to my background I guess. Perhaps trimming some of the redundant stuff might turn it into more of a highlights section than a long-slog.

 

[NotAGolf]

I've had another stab at it. I've stripped a lot of repetitive information by focusing more on the highlights of each role, and I've tried to quantify things where possible. It's meant I've made space for my new role and kept it easily under 2 pages. Any thoughts?

One other thing... A few people mentioned tailoring it for a specific role. I'm not actually looking to move jobs, I'm just trying to keep it up to date. It's highly likely I'd be looking at staying in the same role. The natural step up is a team lead, but I've done that before and didn't enjoy it. I'm not sure I should update one of my previous job titles to demonstrate that? I was only team lead for a 1.5y and was senior for 3.5y at the same place.

 

[NotAGolf]

Thanks very much @throwaway4372. Really appreciate it .

Will definitely tidy up the formatting. The margins and spacing I've not looked at yet. Good call on the full stops.

It was a self demotion if that makes sense?! I started as a mid-level, was promoted to senior, then to team lead, but I didn't enjoy team lead so asked to go back to senior. Rather than try to explain that on a CV, I figured I'd just include my 'leaving' position.

If I put team lead on one of the roles, but not the later ones, might that throw up some red flags that I'm not capable enough for a lead? Especially as it was an earlier role I was a team lead.