Swiss CV vs American CV

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
21
Hello every body!!! I am new here, I was checking the post in the las week, and I find really good tips, Thanks I am a Lawyer, with out German in Switzerland, the last 2 months i was looking for a job, and I didnt have so much luck. just some interviews with consultancy offices. But now I was reading about the CV interesting point this could some one send a American or German CV, to check the style. Thanks

22
Could some one tell me what the difference is between a US & a CH CV.

Thanks.

23
According to the posters before me and my brief experience a Swiss CV is much longer, and includes details about your personal life (normally but not exclusively in the shape of an introductory letter), hobbies, details about previous jobs responsibilities, etc. An American-style CV is significantly shorter (2 pages max), with few bullet points about your work style and minimum detail of previous jobs: like everyone said, positions you held, responsibilities and I would say a bit of focus in key achievements.

24
Speaking to my German colleague this morning, he was saying that the move is towards Anglo style CVs.

The photo and inside-leg measurement CVs are starting to generate legal actions because ugly people aren't getting jobs.

(Well, that's how I read the German: )

German link

Edit: he just mentioned that his old firm in Germany started to reject CVs with photos to avoid any hint of discrimination

25
I always thought it was the other way round where swiss cvs are maximum two pages and less detailed.

It all depends what industry you work in. I have tried all kinds of cvs, as well as cvs in german and all failed.

I have had more luck with a 4 page cv with no photo.

26
I have written a CV with all the standard information that swiss companies want but I haven't got a photo. Should I put a photo on or can I leave it? if I put a photo on dose it have to be a passport photo stuck on or a digital photo printed with the rest of the page? Thanks

27
I've never put a photo on my CV and have managed to remain gainfully employed during my years here.

I guess if you are going for a job where your face is important (selling cosmetics in a department store, maybe) a photo would be a sensible addition. For me in my job, it doesn't matter if I am a supermodel or plug ugly, the job is still the same...

28
In my experience American CVs are short and... well, useless. There's typically nothing in them detailing the skills, knowledge and experience the applicant actually has, just a bunch of buzzwords about good they are, a couple of sentences about each of their last few jobs and, if you're lucky, a bulleted list with "scores" for some general field skills.

And, of course, since these days people don't do the honest thing and only apply for jobs they can actually do, that means you need to waste 30-60 minutes interviewing them to figure out whether or not they're suitable.

(Vague job advertisements also contribute to this phenomenon.)

Of course, the other extreme is tedious. I don't have any interest in where you went to school (at least, until a college/university level), what your hobbies are, whether you're married, or what you look like. On the other hand, at least after reading through one of them I'll have some idea if the applicant actually has skills and a job history that are relevant to the position on offer, in addition to knowing their favourite book and where they like to shop.

In summary: Both "Swiss (German? European?) style" and American-style CVs are crap, but the former are at least useful crap.

29
Anyone heard about europass cv?

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/eu...uropass+CV.csp

I think Switzerland is in the heart of europe with so many european union members all around, so this could be a good choice for cv template.

30
Funny to read that.

I have one and only CV - that I use internationally, and it appears to work well everywhere - gainfully employed everytime I use it.

No, I wouldn't use a picture.

And no, a US CV is not all about fun. It is about qualifications and what you can do, just as it is here in Switzerland.

The more serious qualifications you have, the least you have to be funny.

31
yes, have been using it for over 5 years... it a good format, very clear and structured. i would add a section with summary and specialties at the top. just for those who haven't got the patience to walk through several pages to figure out whom you are.

32
Thanks for this. I haven't seen it before. It may be of interest to people who I work with.

33
Anybody asks for me to put my picture on a CV it's gong to be me with my MIT sweater pulled up over my head.

34

thats a simple secretary CV but here you see that personal data is kept short

personal data

name, address, contact details like fon, email etc

then job experience

time period, position, company

5-8 bullets of your responsibilities

1-3 major achievements

i was responsible negotiating for xyz and saved 20.mio USD/year beacause of abc

implemented strategy blahblah, result bliblablub

i say list only the last 3 positions, if there are more keep them summed up short

education

time period, name of school/uni, degree, maybe title and result of your diploma thesis

time period, highschoool

advanced/further education

put in curses/workshops etc. (only when related for the job you applying for)

interests

you can put them in but you dont have to

picture

i believe in Ch ist still common to have one in your CV

35
The American style CV is short because it is known that at the first pass, you will get in average 12 seconds of attention from a HR person.

So on the CV you send, keep it to 1 or 2 pages. Be very goal oriented and please, don't mention that you like Salsa dancing. It distracts from the important stuff. All you want from it is to get that first interview.

I would suggest to keep a second CV with more information that you may want to bring to the interview with you.

The picture makes me cringe though! If I get one here in the US it goes directly to the recycling bin.

36
As a net recipient of CVs (somewhere into 4 figures) I would recommend that you leave the photo out.

It is good/interesting to see but not essential. It will rarely give you an advantage, but could easily be a disadvantage. We are all human (well, most of us) and we have grown up judging people on first appearances. It is very difficult not to, so don't give a prospective employer the chance.

1 or 2 pages is your choice. A packed 1 pager would be better clearly spaced over 2 pages if it is easier to scan. If you are light on content/experience, keep to a 1 page. The first speculative CV should never be over 2 pages unless you are applying for a research, academic or similar position.

37

I doubt that the difference was about "Swiss" or "American" but presume it rather is about the personalities of the two. Your Swiss friend should have realized before that also Swiss employers no longer are eager readers of sizeable auto-biographies. Another thing is that you in German should wherever possible replace that medieval CV term by "Lebenslauf"

38
Go to Xing or Linked in and take a look at what individuals have put on their online CVs. I have a brief CV that I send to potential employers and refer then to Xing if they want more details!

39
How many pages a cv should be? I read complaints about many pages etc.

Of course we should pay respect to the time of the interviewer, but on the other hand who can tell what should be ommited from a cv?

I 've done several things in my life, related with my career. Why not include these things in my cv?

If I have many qualifications why not write them down in my cv?

40
Your CV has one goal only: to get a first interview.

Imagine a hiring manager that has an hour to go through a stack of 200 resumes. Put yourself in his/her shoes and try to make the buzzwords that fit that particular position or industry clearly readable.

You should tailor the resume slightly for each application. Once you get that first interview then you can talk live about all your qualifications (or hobbies if relevant).

For the record, I have probably hired 500 people and went through 1000s of resumes.