Third Shelf

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During a series of interviews I discovered some things about reading CV’s that downright irritate me. I share them here with you just in case your interviewer is anything like me :).

• Keep it short and to the point. CV’s that span more than four pages is too long. I had the displeasure of reading a CV of seventeen pages. That makes me unhappy. Your interviewer simply does not have the time to read your entire life story.
• Observe the DRY (Don’t repeat yourself) principle in your CV. Do not repeat the fact that you have a degree three times.
• Keep the details relevant. I want a programmer. I’m not interested in the fact that you are a landlord or that you are the chairperson of your body corporate.
• If you have been between jobs frequently and they have been contract based, make sure you state it clearly.
• Check and check again for spelling mistakes. There is nothing more annoying than spelling mistakes in a CV.

If you are working through a recruitment agency, insist on reviewing your CV before they send it out. Often the candidate will send the recruitment agency a two page CV and then they will apply power word magic and out comes a CV of seventeen pages. Recruitment agents also tend to embellish CV’s. This is the worst mistake they can make as it will paint this picture-perfect image of you that might not match up to the reality when you are interviewed.

Skills matrices are my absolute favorite. Rating yourself an expert in C# will make me raise an eyebrow if your name is not Anders Hejlsberg or Eric Lippert. Call yourself an expert if you can almost recite the ECMA specifications off by heart.

How to sink yourself in the interview

Sinking your interview isn’t all that hard. When answering questions in an interview, remember that there is a time to shut up. Ten minutes to answer a question is too long. Lookout for the interviewers glazed stare. That is a sign that you have crossed the shut-up-already limit a couple of miles ago.

Remember that you don’t know the people that are interviewing you. They have their opinions and stances and you can offend them in no time. Always keep this in mind.