[overscan]

I'm preparing a cv for New Zealand, and wondered what the general rules were. US and UK cv formats tend to be quite different for example. Any pointers?

[IanW99]

I'm preparing a cv for New Zealand, and wondered what the general rules were. US and UK cv formats tend to be quite different for example. Any pointers?

A good starting point may be Creating You Application (http://www.victoria.ac.nz/st_services/careers/students/job_hunting_preparation/applications/index.aspx) which includes a sample CV.

Ian

[bumpffslam]

I've applied for many jobs and I've also read many CVs for lots of jobs I've recruited.

Having emigrated to NZ from UK to NZ I can say that a good CV for the UK will normally work here.

My advise is:
Keep it short -
focus on the most recent or most relevant experience
Be concise - avoid flowery sentances
Leave no gaps on your time line
Avoid fancy paper, fonts, more than a passport photo.
The CV is more important that the covering letter (which often gets seperated and binned!)
State clearly your achievements - what did you do to make it happen
Consider how you have described the breadth and also the depth of you knowledgeor experience
.

[Ojai]

I had a US-style bullet point resume. My recruiter told me "Oh it's fine but..." which ended up with me rewriting it.

Details. Sentences. Make sure you say fully what you did. If it is not explicitly on the resume, they will not assume you know it, even if it's associated experience/knowledge. Mine went from two pages to four pages. If you work in IT, list your skils, how long you've done it, and experience level on the front page.

The upshot is that I got a job in under a week with the new format.

[gpbenton]

I simply used the resume I had prepared with help from a professional in the US. It was 2 pages long and all the recruiters here said it was fine.

But it didn't take me long to find a job. I suspect that if I had to wait longer, I might have changed it to suit local tastes.