Thanks.
I'm preparing my CV almost for the first time in Switzerland, and have a couple of questions. In Switzerland, do you usually put a photo on your CV for a scientific/technology job? Also, do you put your marriage and family information? I have seen some CVs with information of civil status and even how many children and when they were born. Although this is a bit strange to me, is this usually the form in Switzerland? Finally, is it necessary to put info on personal hobbies or interests that have nothing to do directly with the job?
This might help:
Yes to pic, marriage status, amount of kids. Hobbies/interrests are also good to be seen as it shows that you have a life out of work and that you are likely social enough to fit into a team...
Hobbies and interests: Spying on my neighbors with binoculars
Hobbies and interests: Working on my passive aggressive note writing.
They can already derive that from your old age and the note that you claim to be a fully integrated Swiss too
They likely want to hear about a bit more interresting hobbies and interrests
Staring at foreigners on trams.
Hobbies: sky diving, base jumping and other death defying sports
I have a feeling that might get me disqualified from the pool of potential candidates.
Yes it is quite common here in Switzerland to include photos, marital status, kids etc. Also be prepared to present references from your previous employers.... seems that here this is considered more important than elsewhere
Hello,
I've just recently moved over from UK and started applying here also... The places I applied too were all english speaking (I'm sure yours would be too as it's scientific/technical), and I just kept the same format as a UK CV and got called into interviews just the same as I would do in UK.
Only thing I included were
Name
Contact Details
Profile
Employement History
Hobbies
That's fine if they are American companies. But Swiss multinationals are still very Swiss at heart... even if the job is English-speaking, the people in the HR department are almost certainly Swiss and will probably appreciate a CV done according to Swiss practices.
At the end of the day, the golden rule is always the same... your CV should be tailored to the culture of the company and to the job as far as possible.
Over the past 20 years I have been involved in the recruiting activities as several Swiss companies in the chemical, insurance and banking sectors for financial and IT staff and I can say I found this to be the case.
Nobody, Swiss staff member too, paid any attention to hobbies, marital status nor any other personal details...
Mmm... I have to say that I am basing this on what I have been told by the RAV and by an independent "outplacement" company working with both Swiss and US multinationals - but it could well be that they are out of touch with what is happening out there in the real world.
Having said that, I can see the interest of putting at least some personal information in a CV - it can help both interviewer and interviewee to break the ice (interviewers are often totally untrained/unprepared and every bit as nervous as the candidates they are interviewing!). As jeroen said above, the interviewer doesn't only want to find out if Candidate A has all the necessary skills, but also if he/she is going to fit in and get on well in the team. Marital status is irrelevant of course, but an indication of leisure interests can be useful.
Is it a good idea to put my skype id, in personal details section of cv?
Giving the fact that many companies make interviews with teleconferencing.
dont bother with hobbies and interest, waste of space. If they are interested they ask in the interview.
Also be prepared to wait atleast 6 months for a response to your application and a further 6 months for the first interview.
Please allow me to correct your post.
Why? Because that is not the rule of thumb.
JC
unless you're a hot chick to be interviewed by a guy - i would, personally, skip the photo.
CV is to get you to the interview. most of the time, a photo doesn't help (IMO).
i add a couple of words for hobbies - i do this to provide an 'icebreaker' or 'post-interview chat' topic which enables you to speak on a topic you are passionate about.
Phil_MCR, if you are a hot chick... the a full body photo would work better than a head shot
I would add a photo, no questions or alternative motives
Although the qualifications should win a chance to be interviewed...
The CV photo is the first chance to make an impression... a CV without a photo is seen as someone that may have something to hide (this quoted from several HR Managers spoken with).
Last tip, be sure to use a professional photographer. Snapshots and passport photos do not go over well with the HR Managers.
JC
Does anyone actually still put photos on their CVs?
The last time I participated in recruitment, and that was a while ago, maybe 1 in 15/20 applications had a photo. The vast majority did not have photos.
I wouldn't. I include a home and mobile phone for urgent contacts, but interview arrangements should be left for later.
For the sake of one line I wouldn't worry about it being a 'waste of space'. And in fact I do list some things, which may be noticed and make me stand out from the crowd.
Remember, the object of the exercise is not to persuade the reader that you're ideal for the job, but to make your CV stand out and grab attention, in a good way. So mentioning unusual voluntary work, sports or interests may just help do that.
Still? I only put one on mine a couple of years ago. Anyway, I'd tend to go with the same approach - an interesting photo that stands out, rather than a passport-type one, may bring your CV to the top of the pile. Clearly if you're an ugly munter then it may be better to leave it off