CV / Resume

[Richard Browne]

Hello all.Could someone please offer advice on the best way to layout a CV for ROV work.I have been in the industry for a while and my CV is about nine pages long,as I have listed every single job with brief details of that job.Is this the best way to do it or is it best to create a CV the same as you would use for a normal 9-5 job which would normally be a couple of pages and laid out differently..Any ideas as to how you lay out your CV would be appreciated..

[James McLauchlan]

In the FAQ section there is an FAQ that covers this specific issue:

See: How to Lay out your CV

Your existing layout sounds about right. If it’s getting too long drop the older jobs off. At the end of the last page add the years from and too – with a one liner such as ‘Global ROV operations. more information on request’.

Jobs should be in reverse date order.
Newest job should be the first one to be read. Oldest jobs should be on the last page.

[Ray Shields]

As James said.

The advice in the FAQ is based on how Agencys generally lay out their CVs so it is a common format for Companies to view so they know where to look at the info that they need.

A 1 line per job detailing rov, type of work etc. then allows then to scan down to see the experience they need be it job or vehicle.

I know in the "real world" they say about a 1 page CV but generally offshore it tends to be different.

[Richard Browne]

Thanks very much James and Ray for your helpful pointers.

[Maris Subsea]

Just from the Agency POV – many of our clients ask us to submit CVs in a grid format (table, matrix – whatever you’d like to call it).

Use a package like Word or OpenWorld to word process DON’T (please seriously don’t) put it in Excel or Adobe PDF format as it’s not easy at the other end – not all companies accept these formats and you may get rejected before you’ve even been read 🙁 Also Agencies and many companies these days take what you send and format the details to add their logos, contact details etc. which is harder to do if you don’t stick to a WP package.

When creating a grid headings are normally something along the lines of: Dates (reverse order from present to past), Contractor, Client, Task, System (full title), Position (v important – don’t just assume!) and Vessel/Rig.

Remember that you don’t need to put your date of birth or dates you’ve gained your training unless it’s something like your survival.

Always go for plain black font in something like Times New Roman or Arial – again any fancy bits are lost in the formatting process so don’t add much to the actual function of your CV.

Once you’re sorted feel free to send it through to us 🙂

Good luck! 8)

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