Help! My CV is lost, how do I recreate it?

[Anon22]

I have worked for our family business for the last 14 years full time, legitimately, paying tax and national insurance. For a number of reasons, the business is no longer able to continue and I will need to find employment elsewhere.

The problem is, I don't have a copy of my CV. I had it saved to a CD (this was pre cloud era). But I cannot find the CD anywhere. I have checked and triple checked, there is no hard copy, and no soft copy on any of our laptops or storage or email. I have also checked through paperwork for P60s and payslips - but no success. I definitely don't have it anymore. We have moved several times since I last few years.

I cannot recall everywhere that I have worked in the last 30+ years, let alone pinpoint actual years or job titles (I did a lot of fixed term contract/project work).

I have tried contacting HMRC who told me that they would only be able to tell me the last 5-7 years. I have tried to find out through National Insurance contributions but only thing I could find was for claims for compensation. I have tried contacting my two previous employers but they no longer have a copy of my CV on record and were unable to confirm my employment dates.

Can anyone suggest what else I can do? I really don't want to have to create a CV that isn't accurate. I can remember most of my employers and job roles, but the dates are proving more difficult.

Thanks

Have you ever emailed it to anyone if so check your send

Experience in last 14 years is probably the most important. Start by detailing that, and then before then as you do it might jog your memory as to things you did before. Where you worked when kids were small etc. Think of friends you picked up on the way- any from work etc?

Have you ever used LinkedIn or any of the job search websites like Indeed? They might have a copy of it or at least the dates saved.

Thank for the responses so far.

Its definitely not in any of my email folders for any email addresses. My husband doesn't have it either.

I've tried contacting the agency I used to use, their records don't go back that far.

I'm not on and have never been on LinkedIn and I never used any job search websites. If I joined LinkedIn would I be able to view other people's details, it might give me a better idea of dates?

I've got a spreadsheet timeline of places where I know I was working eg when I met my husband, millennium, when I got married etc

Can prospective employers run checks and if they can how can I do one too?

You don't need what you've been doing for the last 30 years. No employer cares.

All you need is your qualifications and the last 10-15 years. So you will effectively be writing a new one anyway.

No one is likely to check your references further back than that, but if you can list one previous employer other than the family business that might help. Employers would simply reference check by contacting them for a confirmation of employment dates and status.

Employers aren’t ready interested in more than the last 10-15 years of work history anymore, so I wouldn’t worry about it just start over.

If you have no way of getting the information the places you apply won’t have any way of verifying it (and won’t be interested in doing so 30 years back). Have an honest go but no need to go back through all your jobs. I often leave my first two jobs off now (20 years’ of working) as they don’t fit and aren’t relevant).

Just start writing it again and fill in the gaps as best you can. If you don’t have a copy of it, it’s probably unlikely anyone else has, so that’s the best you can do.

Really? That's such a relief! Thank you, I have been feeling very stressed and under pressure to document the last 30+ with 100% accuracy.

Are there any particular CV formats which you'd recommend?

What have you been doing and what sort of jobs are you hoping to apply for?

The chronological format is standard. Name, work history of last 10-15 in reverse chronological order, education and qualifications, references on request. I would probably just do one page unless you've held several different jobs with the family business.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I"m feeling a lot more positive now.

The positions I am looking at are admin roles.

My current role is the only non-billing one within the business, I am one the Directors, but would say Office Manager would be an appropriate title. All my previous positions have been glorified admin: product data management, change management, internal account management etc.,mostly within tech companies but also chemicals, pharmaceuticals and utilities.

I just put down the last few relevant roles then a line saying ‘Further employment history available on request’ and for references I write ‘available on request’.