Morning all,

I have finally received my EAD and can at last go forth and get a job. However I haven't had much luck in locating any info as to the US format for putting together a CV. Does anyone know of any sites or know what is expected? I've heard conflicting stories some say 1 page, keep it as brief as possible whilst others have told me to list everything tantamount to creating an autobiography.

I'm not sure hahahaha please help!!!!!

Thanks in advance

Resume! Google "Resume, USA" .
1 page, the paper shufflers only spend a few seconds on it.

Try this to start -
http://www.usatoday.com/educate/careers/resume.htm

I think the length of the resume/CV depends on what field you work in. I have worked for physician's whose CV's have been 30 or more pages. Friends of mine who work at the mall, the grocery store, and in fast food have 1-page resumes. A friend who works in day care and another who works in a doctor's office have 3-4 page resumes. My own resume is 4 pages.

funny ...I googles "resume US format"
and got 364,000 sites

Yep - there is no shortage of info out there!

Should we assume you work in day care or a doctor's office?

You know what they say about assuming! I have spent 34 years working in various medical fields with a couple of forays into the "normal" world.

Check the wiki....and search the site, quite a few threads on the subject...

Really all depends on the field your in...

Definitely agree -it's all about the field you're in. I'm an engineer that's been in the workforce for about 7 years - my resume is finally 2 full pages, and will be creeping into the 3rd. But if you're a cashier/burger flipper/wal-mart greeter, 1 page would be the max.

The ONLY purpose of a CV/Resume is to get you into an interview and that goes for a cover letter too if you send one.

If you provide too much information on a CV/Resume, the prospective employer can say "well, we know all we need to know about this guy/girl, so we don't need to interview them" or some such comment or thought.

A person is much more than words on paper and without meeting someone, an employer will never get to know a person's true personality and character nor whether they truly are suitable for their organization. But when you give 'em too much information, they are led to believe that they know all they need to about you and in the world we live in today, time spent in searching for staff is very small and managers look for ways to save time. This is what you want to avoid doing with your CV/Resume.

Therefore, your only aim is to get your foot in the door.

Also, unless you have detailed academic or scientific details that must be known ahead of time, I would stick to 1 page of information.

You can borrow a library book on CV/Resume styles and try one or more of those.

not sure if its done over here - but in england i would run my cv past any employment agency i was using too for feedback.

I don't know about that, if you don't show the buzz words or experience, they won't bother bring you in for an interview either...

An agency here will have already seen your resume before they pass it on to the hiring company.
I have been asked to expand my resume by one agency - they said it was too short and could I make 2 pages of it.
So I sent them my CV version.

They said they'd never seen a "resume" formatted like that before and that it was very effective.

Agree.

Well, Bob, I didn't say what the words on the CV should be, but there should be just enough of the right ones for each person's field, to get the prospective employer raising their eyebrows at a candidate and wanting to see them for an interview.

Beyond achieving that, you are doing yourself a dis-service with more than 1 page of info / too many details.