How long should your CV be for a grad job?
I've always had it in my head a standard CV was 2 A4 sides and 1 A4 for a covering letter to accompany it.
However, as I'm going through mine, I've been encountering multiple sites, university and non-uni, suggesting a CV should only be 1 page accompanied by 1 A4 page Cover Letter
Thoughts?
However, as I'm going through mine, I've been encountering multiple sites, university and non-uni, suggesting a CV should only be 1 page accompanied by 1 A4 page Cover Letter
Thoughts?
(edited 6 years ago)
I don't know how one side would be long enough. I really wouldn't worry if it stretched to two, but that's the limit really.
You have to think of it as the employer will see lots of applications, so they don't want to get bored of reading it or not have enough time to scan all the way through.
You have to think of it as the employer will see lots of applications, so they don't want to get bored of reading it or not have enough time to scan all the way through.
For Clarity: 1 page for CV, 1 Page for Cover letter
Not 1 page for CV AND Cover Letter
Not 1 page for CV AND Cover Letter
It does depend on the amount of work experience you have but generally 2 sides is the recommended length. If you are finding it too long, make sure you include the most important information and be concise and to the point. Don't spend paragraphs explaining everything you did - summarise key duties and skills. The interview (and covering letter) is your chance to expand on this.
Original post by lnicholson88
For Clarity: 1 page for CV, 1 Page for Cover letter
Not 1 page for CV AND Cover Letter
Not 1 page for CV AND Cover Letter
I would suggest one side for cover letter plus two sides for CV
Original post by carrotstar
I would suggest one side for cover letter plus two sides for CV
This is the approach I grew up envisioning. But a 1 sided CV is appearing very common. However, I have noticed that from the examples I have seen they do seem to be mainly Chinese students in the UK adopting this approach
[
I honestly don't think you can fit enough information on one side! I got my job with a two sided CV 😂
Original post by lnicholson88
This is the approach I grew up envisioning. But a 1 sided CV is appearing very common. However, I have noticed that from the examples I have seen they do seem to be mainly Chinese students in the UK adopting this approach
I honestly don't think you can fit enough information on one side! I got my job with a two sided CV 😂
Original post by lnicholson88
This is the approach I grew up envisioning. But a 1 sided CV is appearing very common. However, I have noticed that from the examples I have seen they do seem to be mainly Chinese students in the UK adopting this approach
1 side for each. There's absolutely no reason to have a 2 page CV until you have an established career. An employer, wading through hundreds of applications will thank you for your brevity.
I've made a 2page and a 1 page CV to alternate between where necessary. Best of both worlds!
Original post by J-SP
I haven't seen a hand written cover letter in over 10 years. Typed is expected in probably 99.9% of cases.
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Thanks J-SP.
Some sectors prefer 1 page CVs over 2 page - I've seen a lot of advice on consulting or IB sectors for example than highly stress a 1 page CV only (although I myself am not experienced in this area). So have a look online for application advice for your chosen sectors or companies and see if they have any strong advice either way.
In general 2 pages is fine for a CV, but it's great if you can challenge yourself to get it down to 1 page. I found that this really forced me to not be too wordy/long winded in my descriptions, and also to get rid of any irrelevant or repetitive information or roles that an employer doesn't care about. Nothing worse than boring someone with your CV! And if you're giving a cover letter, you may find that a lot of information can be taken off your CV and put into a cover letter - from what I've gathered from employers, having a cover letter that basically repeats your CV is a big no-no.
In general 2 pages is fine for a CV, but it's great if you can challenge yourself to get it down to 1 page. I found that this really forced me to not be too wordy/long winded in my descriptions, and also to get rid of any irrelevant or repetitive information or roles that an employer doesn't care about. Nothing worse than boring someone with your CV! And if you're giving a cover letter, you may find that a lot of information can be taken off your CV and put into a cover letter - from what I've gathered from employers, having a cover letter that basically repeats your CV is a big no-no.
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