Here's how my CV looks:

Page1: Title "Phil MCR"

Experience. Current Job: 1/2 page. 5 bullet points. 1 paragraph each.
Previous job: 1/4 page. 3 bullet points. 1 line each.
Previous job: 1/4 page. 3 bullet points. 1 line each.

Page 2:

Continuation of previous job: 1/4 page. 5 bullet points. about 4 words each.
Education: 1/2 page. 5 bullet points.
Languages: All on one line
Other interest: 3 listed, all on one line
Nationality and permits: 2 bullets (just to show I am EU and have a B permit)

no age. no DOB. no photo. no address. no contact details. (arguably this would be a good idea)

Best to tailor CV to specific role you are applying for e.g. instead of writing a 10 page essay on everything you've done. you just put the most relevant 3-5 in the bullet. in the example above, i listed 5 items in a single bullet (each item around 5 words long) to describe the 5 major projects/things i did.

as mentioned by others above, the CV is just a teaser - you need enough to get you to an interview but not more.

my CV is around 35% white space. of the filled space:

1.25 pages experience
0.5 pages education
0.25 pages other

i just downloaded the Europass CV - it is a pile of w@nk. don't use it if you want to get a job.

EDIT to add: beware of recruitment agencies messing up your CV by copying/pasting it into their own 'format'. send it to them in PDF and insist they use the exact format.

Any suggestion?

I would like to ask if a 'Letter of Recommendation' or 'reference letter' should have on it, the last date you worked for a company, in any case.
Or if it is ok, to have any date on it?

I mean, lets say that I work for a company for four years and I want & I take a 'reference letter' from the boss while I still work for the company and with no intention for leaving from the current company.
Can I use this one in the future, even if I work for this company additional years?

Or the date of the letter should be exactly the same with the date of the departure from the company?

Listing objectives is highly arrogant. You are applying for a specific work place, so people already know what you want, no need to put a cherry on top.

No. Once you are finished with your education, you can leave out the first schools and once you're older, also your summer jobs.

I just saw a tv documentary about interviews and some recruiters told that we should include some of our 'achievements' in cv.
I use europass template like many people do, and I cannot understand where these 'achievements' should be places, as there is not such section in europass cv template.

Should I create a new section by myself?
Should I omit it if swiss labor market do not require such thing?
What I should do?

swiss cv vs american cv?

better make it YOUR CV

think out of the box!

Putting your picture is a strange concept for me. What could this possibly accomplish but to have someone use your appearance as either a negative or a positive. I would not want to work for anyone who wanted to see my face before granting an interview. Employers should be granting interviews based on experience and education from your CV, not what you look like.

Better they have a look at your foto than to invite you for an interview, have a look at you and reject you for exactly the same of course unsaid reason. The first solution is much more efficient and saves you a lot of time.
I sincerly hope that you will never have to look for another job in this country. Because most of the employers ask for a full application (CV, certificates an photo).

My approach was to take my résumé and to update it to include all the details of what is expected within Switzerland and extend it to a long form résumé (meaning about 4 pages as compared to 2) as it is more applicable to my career level. In addition to that I have my "complete packet" that includes a more detailed work history and all my letters and other stuff.

My advice would be to ensure that you differentiate yourself from the rest of the people and sell yourself on the first page of the résumé. Assuming your résumé is about 3 or 4 pages then I would just integrate some points needed for CH and roll with that one.

My experience is that the long format is not that important, once you get the first interview you can use that opportunity for all your anecdotes. You need to get the good job yourself, your résumé can only get you the phone call ;-).

other than that network, network, network.

True, but at least if you get to the interview, you have the chance to show your personality, not just your face. I have mt plenty of sour looking people who actually are lovely people. If you asked me to judge simply on looks alone, I would have said they seem miserable, but if I get the chance to talk with them, I find out the opposite.

According to studies the interviewer decides after the first few seconds whether he sees you as a possitbility or not. Not much time to make a good impression.

Americans can't have "Résumés" where would they find the "é" on their keyboards...

Giving the fact that there are many teleconference interviews as I am informed, especially for foreigners, I am thinking to add my 'skype id' to cv, beside the other contact details(mail, phone, etc).

Is it a good idea? Anybody that already did it?

Can you please remind me the max number of pages a cv should have?

How 'bad' is exceeding such number, when somebody has written really good and relevant stuff in cv? Should we omit entries in order to get it shorter, throwing away useful things?

I find myself struggling to compress my cv, doing all about microsoft word stuff adjustments(font size, paragraphs etc) in order to avoid going to a fourth page, but I don't think I will manage it anymore in the near future, giving the fact that I add relevant information inside it, all the time.

I don't know what the rule is myself, but if my CV were getting long, I would probably look at my skills and give some an "expiration date," especially if I were in a technical profession. Also, having multiple versions of your CV allows you to put some things on one and others on another; you can elaborate more in the interview.

It is important to be ruthless and focus on the important facts. If your CV is too long, it could well get binned without being read.

Don't resort to a small font and cramming it together to get it on to two sides. If the employer finds it difficult to read they could bin it for that reason alone.

Focus on the key points in the job advert. If it is a speculative CV, get rid of stuff over 10 years ago unless there is something unique or especially relevant

in my mind, a person who has a long CV makes me think that:

- he does not know how to prioritise
- he is not able to separate what is important from what is not important
- he is not able to get to the key points
- he is unable to communicate a succinct message

for me 3 pages is the maximum. more than that and it goes into the bin.

A friend of mine who has some experience from Switzerland, told me that it is a good thing to write down when I can start the new job.
It is common for people already being in Switzerland, and for foreigners who should manage a lot of tasks before they leave from their countries. As I have been told, it is common to declare something between 2 or 3 months(longer than this, leads to a gap in cv).
Something like 'time needed for the transition'.
What is your opinion about it?
Where should I mention the time period I will need to start working to the new employer? Write on cv or elsewhere?

"I am completely desperate to accept any offer because I am currently unemployed and ready to start tomorrow" is something only Swiss friends would write in their CVs.

Hint: It's not going to help when discussing salaries.