Hi All,I am looking for new opportunities in IT Programme and project management in Consulting or outside consulting can someone please advise:1) What is the acceptable length of CV. my current CV length is 11 pages ( 5 pages Job ex and qualfications etc. + 4 pages detailing the project I undertook). This 11 pages CV got me in Accenture 3 years before. I am at M3 level now and considering new roles.2) what is the best strategy for job hunt in current climate, I want a better job in terms of role and would be willing to shed approx 20K from the package I currently get at ACN as long as role is promising and career progression is there.3) how long it is normally taking now a days to get a job4) May I request all unemployed (who are looking for jobs) to join me in this thread and share your experience and the progress on job hunt?5) what is the gutfeeling, how long recession will last? I would say until end 2009!6) Where should I head on now from M3 manager to which level in industry? I want to keep my hopes reasonable rather aiming for CIO level jobs!7) how is contracting market?Your response will be highly appreciated, though critics are welcome as long as their response is constructive.RegdsMK

11 pages seems a bit much. I work for a MBBB, have both a BA and an advanced degree, and relevant experience in two different places (and three different countries), and my CV is 1 page long.

1) CV should be 2 or 3 pages. Preferably 2 especially now.2) Careful about shedding salary. Typically salary reflects role so if you take a position 20K less you may find you are smarter than your boss. Some may be suspicious of your motives and it could devalue you.3) Historically the rule of thumb was a month for every 10K salary. Right now the job market is worse than awful.4) My progress is poor but then my background is strategy/marketing rather than IT so different market.5) I care more about when I will get a job. I hope this is well before the end.6) Is that the motorway to Southampton?7) Not tried

11 pages? Submit it for a short story competition

Personally I'd go for a one-pager if it's likely to go straight into the hands of a partner/senior manager. 2 pages if it's headed for someone in HR. Partners/MGRs tend to have less time and appreciate proof that you can be concise. HR have more time on their hands because looking at CV's is a larger part of their remit.

No offence intended... but you're a M3 in Accenture (which I'm assuming is reasonably senior, right?) and you're unsure whether an 11 page CV is a good idea? WTF?

CYNIC,So that you are aware I was confirmed a Job by a very senior SE in ACN as soon as he was done with my final interview. I am not sure how many people would have got the liberty to be offered a job spontenously and one of the key feedback given to me by that SE was he was "really really" impressed with my CV so I hope you will appreciate that there was something in those 11 pages CV. BTW I am MBA from a premier UK univ. and have worked across the globe so have plently of things to be included in my CV.I am just seeking in general views whether anyone else is in the same shoes as mine!!Cheers

Longer CVs are fine if the first couple of pages include the summary information and if you know that the recipient will appreciate in the additional detail. Technical consultants often have long CVs, with pages to list and check off the various certifications and experience of specific software modules/interfaces that are necessary for the contract at hand.

you are comparing apples to oranges. with strat consulting - you can escape with 4 lines per company worked in. with tech consulting cv lenthgs need to be different.

When I left an MBBB firm with 6 years of experience there, I managed to put my accomplishments down onto a page and a half. It was easy... high-level, headline-grabbing statements such as "Led a major strategic review for XYZ plc which resulted in 2 new divisions being created and ROI of 137% after 3 years." As I had only worked with a handful of major names on long-term engagements, I could do this for 8 of the best ones, and viola - an impressive CV.Now, however, things are different. I usually have about 7 clients on the go at any one time. Most of them are tiny little unheard-of companies. I get through around 50 "assignments" a year. Owing to the type of work, most of them are not repeat clients. I can't claim for any one client that I "made a major difference" because much of the work is actually pretty low-level stuff. It means a lot to them at the time, though. Yes, I know this is VERY different to what I did at MBBB but I now have less travel, better hours, less stress, more control over my diary, and enjoy the work more. However, presenting my 'achievements' in this role on paper is difficult because of the sheer volume of stuff I've done (none of it being particularly headline-grabbing in its own right, although taken as a whole, it's more impressive). I have my own format which is OK, but do any of you guys have any ideas/tips on how best to do it in these circumstances?Thanks!

The traditional view has usually been to limited a CV to 2 pages and a cover letter. This is somewhat limiting and frankly not too useful for candidates with more than a few years experience - especially where your work experience may be particularly complex in detail.My advice would be ditch the cover letter, no one reads them: when you buy a sandwich so you choose it on the bread or the filling? I see CVs where experienced consultants have crowded their projects experience into a long list at the back: better to give a chronology of companies/roles at the top of your CV (just dates, company, title) so the reviewer can see at a glance your career path, then run it again underneath with projects details in each relevant role. It might seem easier and more flexible to have a separate projects page or 5 at the back but this means that the reader has to work to align each project with each role/company. People who read CVs HATE to work to see the fit. So make it obvious.If you have a fragmented projects list, such as Cynic, bunch them together under each role according to whatever makes most sense - types of company, types of project etc. If you have been at McKinsey 4 years and done 7 projects in the energy sector, details them as Energy Sector projects, a note on size of clients (broadly) and some notes on projects. On length of CV: an 11 page CV seems counter intuitive, but this is your shop window, so if you feel you need an 11 page CV to get yourself across, then use one - for consulting. HH and line managers alike are very wary of gaps in information - it's a red flag in MC hiring, so close the gaps and worry about length later. If you haev 3 pages of drivel personal profile it won't do you favours, but 10 pages of hard evidence about what you have done/can do is all good.While we are on the subject, avoid ANY statement you cannot directly attach evidence to. 'I am a dynamic senior executive and change catalyst' is ok for speed dating, but not a CV. Best strategies for job hunting currently are to talk to people, be proactive and get to roles below the radar: a fraction of available roles are directly advertised in the press/internet - talk to recruiters, contact hiring managers directly at firms you want to work for, network.

So what is the answer to the crucial question in paragraph 2 above - do people choose the sandwich based on the bread or the filling?Answers please...

I'd choose my sandwich based on the filling. But if it didn't have any bread - I wouldn't buy it.

so that's where I went wrong...!