How Far Back Should a CV Go?

Every sentence of your CV should work hard to help you to secure your next role. But how far back should a CV go?

For a professional with more than 10-15 years of experience, this provides a dilemma. How much of their early career do they include on their CV? There is no requirement for such candidates to include details about every role. No hiring manager will expect you to include career stories from over two decades ago. So, what are the options? 

To start with, a two-page CV should be packed with the most relevant accomplishments and in-demand skills. If you have included five roles and are struggling to impress, consider adding a sixth to give that extra sense of gravitas. 

Contrary to popular belief, many companies value experienced leaders who can demonstrate that they have been able to move with the times. More roles over a longer period does not automatically mean that you are an inflexible dinosaur. Include evidence that you have adopted the latest technologies and ways of working as they have appeared.

Having said this, age discrimination does remain a stubborn subconscious issue. Seeking to fool an employer by artificially shortening your work history or omitting the dates from your education section will only delay the potential judgement. You don’t want to walk into the interview with them expecting you to be a decade or two younger.

If there are skills from a previous role that you wish to include, the skills section is a great place to mention them without bloating your work experience. If they interest a hiring manager, you can then tell the story at interview. 

It is also common to include more details on the most recent roles in the work experience section of your CV. Include just one or two bullet points for the older roles. If they are hyper-relevant, there is every reason for them to be there.

Exceptions to how far back a CV should go

…. If you have worked at a couple of companies for 5+ years, it may make sense to show your diversity of experience by including an older role. 

…. Certain professions (particularly government or civil service roles) may require 15+ years of experience in the field. This will be clear from the job description. 

…. If a particularly old role contains crucial skills that are lacking in the rest of your application, it may also be a good reason to include the position. 

…. Equally, if you are seeking to return to a previous career, including older roles may advance your case.

You may not want to include the full details of your career on your CV for various reasons. There is always the option of including a link to your complete LinkedIn profile. Most employers will check out LinkedIn in any case, and there is more space there to expand on each position. As with a CV, only include relevant details, but you certainly won’t be constrained for space.

Your CV will act as the aide-memoire for an interviewer. If you include old roles because you feel that it is required, you run the risk of irrelevant questions and wasted interview time.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).