Comments on: Writing a CV for a Contract Position http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/ Linux, politics, and other interesting things Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:09:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: etbe http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/comment-page-1/#comment-2937 etbe Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:09:55 +0000 http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/#comment-2937 http://innenin.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-to-work-with-it-recruiters.html http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/15/it-recruiting-agencies-advice-for-contract-workers/ Alex: Was your post the one I previously linked to at the top URL (my post that links to it is above)? Sure agencies receive many CVs, but unless they actually read them they provide no benefit at all to the company that hires them. I would rather deal with agencies that at least pretend to do their job. Kai: Good idea to use Google Docs, I'll check that out if I ever need to produce a MS-Word file. http://innenin.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-to-work-with-it-recruiters.html
http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/15/it-recruiting-agencies-advice-for-contract-workers/
Alex: Was your post the one I previously linked to at the top URL (my post that links to it is above)?

Sure agencies receive many CVs, but unless they actually read them they provide no benefit at all to the company that hires them. I would rather deal with agencies that at least pretend to do their job.

Kai: Good idea to use Google Docs, I’ll check that out if I ever need to produce a MS-Word file.

]]> By: Kai Hendry http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/comment-page-1/#comment-2930 Kai Hendry Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:51:18 +0000 http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/#comment-2930 I really do think you need your CV in Word .doc formats. I've done contracts as HR agencies that use indexing software that basically only works with .doc formatted documents. A lot of recruiters like to see *keywords*. I used to call my CV "the shopping list" to reflect this. I don't do that anymore as it quickly gets silly and as you gain experience you put the "keywords" in bullet points. For preparing my CV I've used docbook2stuff. That was crap. Now I use HTML and use Prince to get it into PDF. For generating .doc I import the HTML into Google docs and let it spit out .doc. I really do think you need your CV in Word .doc formats. I’ve done contracts as HR agencies that use indexing software that basically only works with .doc formatted documents.

A lot of recruiters like to see *keywords*. I used to call my CV “the shopping list” to reflect this. I don’t do that anymore as it quickly gets silly and as you gain experience you put the “keywords” in bullet points.

For preparing my CV I’ve used docbook2stuff. That was crap. Now I use HTML and use Prince to get it into PDF. For generating .doc I import the HTML into Google docs and let it spit out .doc.

]]> By: Alex J. Avriette http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/comment-page-1/#comment-2928 Alex J. Avriette Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:44:01 +0000 http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/#comment-2928 The Word requirement is not necessarily because they're retarded. Both recruiters and the principals will use software like Resumix, which digests and distills Word-formatted resumes. I don't know if you've talked to any of these people, but it's not uncommon for them to take in a couple thousand resume/CV's a day. There simply aren't the tools for working with that volume of data in PDF. It's a convenience thing for them as far as I know. And, you can pick out the really stupid ones on the phone (they are incidentally the same twits who refuse to describe the position in e-mail, instead insisting on a phone call). I've also written a longish rant on working with recruiters for contract positions. I haven't directly linked it for fear of appearing spammish. It's easy enough to find, though. I bumped into this post on Advogato, and thought it was kind of funny that you had written this post within a week or so from when I wrote my own "working with recruiters" thing. The Word requirement is not necessarily because they’re retarded. Both recruiters and the principals will use software like Resumix, which digests and distills Word-formatted resumes. I don’t know if you’ve talked to any of these people, but it’s not uncommon for them to take in a couple thousand resume/CV’s a day. There simply aren’t the tools for working with that volume of data in PDF. It’s a convenience thing for them as far as I know. And, you can pick out the really stupid ones on the phone (they are incidentally the same twits who refuse to describe the position in e-mail, instead insisting on a phone call).

I’ve also written a longish rant on working with recruiters for contract positions. I haven’t directly linked it for fear of appearing spammish. It’s easy enough to find, though. I bumped into this post on Advogato, and thought it was kind of funny that you had written this post within a week or so from when I wrote my own “working with recruiters” thing.

]]> By: etbe http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/comment-page-1/#comment-2910 etbe Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:55:13 +0000 http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/#comment-2910 Steve: No, I haven't. I developed my current CV between 1999 and 2001. Since then I've just been adding new material not new structure. Also over the last 4 years I haven't had much need for a CV. xml-resume sounds really good, if I was going to re-write mine I'd use it. But with a bit of luck I won't need a CV again. ;) Steve: No, I haven’t. I developed my current CV between 1999 and 2001. Since then I’ve just been adding new material not new structure. Also over the last 4 years I haven’t had much need for a CV.

xml-resume sounds really good, if I was going to re-write mine I’d use it. But with a bit of luck I won’t need a CV again. ;)

]]> By: Steve Kemp http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/comment-page-1/#comment-2908 Steve Kemp Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:01:37 +0000 http://etbe.coker.com.au/2007/08/28/writing-a-cv-for-a-contract-position/#comment-2908 Have you seen xml-resume? I've been using that for a while now, because it allows me to contain a master CV, then output only items relevant to "sysadmin", "hacker", "assembly language", etc. It also produces HTML, PDF, and Plain Text outputs which are moderately themeable/customizable. Have you seen xml-resume? I’ve been using that for a while now, because it allows me to contain a master CV, then output only items relevant to “sysadmin”, “hacker”, “assembly language”, etc.

It also produces HTML, PDF, and Plain Text outputs which are moderately themeable/customizable.

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