Your CV isn’t your life story
The Perfect CV
Your CV should be a maximum of 3 pages, preferably only 2. This means that if you have had a lot of work experience you do not need to include it all.
The best advice is to only include your experience over the last 10 years as anything older will probably be out of date anyway. The only time to refer to something older is when that experience is directly related and will add value to the position for which you are applying.
© Anne Galloway
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CV Issue: you indicated “only include your experience over the last 10 years as anything older will probably be out of date anyway”
My comment: In my opinion experiences much older than 10 years are still very relevant. E.g. in oil&gas sector the technical skills and the exposure of a person are still relevant even after 20 years. Actually, a a lot of skills picked up long ago (like riding a bike, being a good communicator) remain relevant forever.
Kind regards, Erik Zeef
Good point Erik. this is why it is so important to tailor your CV every time you apply for a position. Some of your experience from 10 years, or more, ago may well be relevant but not all of it so you have to spend time ensuring that your CV contains all the relevant information that will help you to get the job.
You are also right when you say that many of the skills you picked up long ago remain relevant, however your CV is not your life story and should be no more than 2 – 3 pages in length which can be a challenge when you have a lot of experience. These days, stating skills is not enough; you have to be able to provide evidence of what you have achieved when using your skills because anyone can say that they have good leadership, communication or interpersonal skills.
By targeting your CV every time to suit the position you are applying for you are demonstrating a genuine interest in the job and the company and this will make you stand out to recruiters/hiring managers.
Thanks again for raising this point.