How Long Should Your Resume Be Key Takeaways
Truth is, theres no perfect answer. There are too many factors to be considered to allow for a simple determination. Nonetheless, the strategies and topics discussed will help you in making the decision.
Before submitting your resume, use the following checklist summarised from everything in this guide:
- Ive looked at the typical traits of one page, two page, and three + page resume
- Ive answered the who, why, what, and how questions of a resume
- Ive ensured all of my experience is specific, relevant, and measured
- Ive determined the significance of each item included on my resume and believe removing any section would negatively affect my chances of being hired
- Ive consulted other successful resumes to see how others have crafted their resumes for inspiration
- Ive used Enhancvs builder to present all of this information in a sleek way and have capitalized on their unique sections to stand out
If youve followed these steps, chances are you have the perfect resume length for you.
As weve learned from Gals case study, sometimes rules-of-thumb do not fit your situation. Daniels story shows us that sticking to one page isnt always an advantage, and Mia shows us that in some cases, the recommended length is the best length.
As long as youve done the research and followed this guide, there is no right or wrong answer.
Do you agree with our tips? How long do you prefer your resume to be? Share your own insights in the comments below.
Whats The Ideal Resume Length For The Hiring Manager
CV length is the difference between an experienced candidate and an irrelevant candidate. If your resume is too long, its a complete waste of time to go through.
On the other hand, if a resume is too short they wont get an overview of your suitability for the position. Its good practice to scope out the hiring preferences of the company you are applying to. This will allow you to tailor your resume to the known preferences of your hiring manager to give you the best chance of getting noticed and called for an interview.
Lets take a look at this a bit further by breaking down an entry-level resume and an executive-level resume.
Trim Your Work Experience And Highlight Your Skills
Cut down your work experience to make room for additional elements on your CV. Exclude work experience if it’s more than 10 years old. Include the names of your previous employers, your job title for each position and the dates you worked on one line to save more space on your CV.
You can replace some of your work experience with a skills section if they relate to the position you’re applying for. If you choose to focus more on your skills, write a brief paragraph on how you earned them.
For instance, if you’re applying for an entry-level graphic design internship, underline the graphic design skills you’ve learned and give evidence on how you improved them. So, let’s say you worked on a project that earned praise from a professor or a client. The explanation of your skills and how you developed them can indicate your potential for future success to your prospective employer.
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List Any Awards You’ve Won And When You Won Them
When you’ve been recognized by someone else, you should let potential employers know about it. But you shouldn’t worry if you haven’t received any awards just skip this section.
Examples:
Richmond County National Essay Contest, Honorable Mention, May 2006.
Honor Roll, South Satchewan High School, Junior and Senior Years, 20082010.
When To Go Back 10
Most experts recommend including 10-15 years of work history on your resume. For the majority of professionals, this includes between three and five different jobs. For instance, if you are a 30-year-old elementary school teacher, 10 years of work experience includes the four years it took to earn your bachelor’s degree, one year of assistant teaching, three years of work for your first employer and two years working in your current position.
Ideally, including 10-15 years of experience allows you to show a comprehensive overview of where you started, how you have grown and where you are now. For many, 10-15 years can cover everything from their college graduation to their most recent promotion. However, some more experienced professionals might have only held one or two positions during the span of 10-15 years.
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If Youre Less Than Three Years Into Your Career
On this, the experts we spoke to seemed to agree: Job seekers early in their career should keep it to one page, says Sean Pritchard, cofounder of Military Hire, a job website for military personnel and vets.
No one expects you to have a lot of experience, and in fact, it can look like youre inflating yourself if you blow your background out too much.Within that short length, though, your words should be carefully selected. Hone in on the pieces that are truly relevant to the job you’re applying for, adds Shayleen Stuto, a talent coordinator for TechnologyAdvice in Nashville.
How Long Should A Resume Be: The One
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to squeeze 15 or more years of work experience into a one-page resume. In fact, until recently, only entry-level candidates were urged to keep their resumes to one page, as most employers assumed someone who was new to the post-college workforce wouldn’t have enough information to justify more than one page of resume real estate. But, thanks to new data, this resume-length rule may no longer apply to most job seekers at any level, as career experts claim.
According to a study that involved nearly 500 recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals and nearly 8,000 resumes, recruiters are 2.3 times as likely to prefer two-page resumes over one-page resumes, regardless of a candidate’s years of experience.
So, why the change in opinion? I think there are two factors to consider.
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Passive Tone Of Voice
Rather than just listing your job duties, which can be passive and boring, use action verbs that imply you actively got things done. Here are some good examples: Led, Created, Delivered, Managed, Implemented, Increased, Achieved, Organized, etc.
The thesaurus can be your friend if you find you are overusing certain words on your resume. Just dont get too crazy trying to impress them with your awesome vocabulary you want them to actually understand what you did .
Your resume is your first face forward to the employer, so its very important that you take the time to to make sure it looks great and is an accurate and powerful representation of your qualifications. Common mistakes can kill your chances of getting an interview. When it comes to your resume, you really cant be too perfect.
How To Ace Your Next Interview
Youve perfected both your resume & cover letter. Now, its time for the next step – the dreaded job interview.
Whether youre an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. After all, sitting there while someones prodding into your past experiences and judging the hell out of you isnt the most fun experience.
Did you know, though, that most interviewers ask the same questions? Yep – all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and youll be an interview away from landing your dream job!
Want to learn more? Check out our complete guide to Job Interview Questions and Answers.
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How Do I Politely Ask For A Hiring Decision
In the best situations, hiring managers will let you know in your interview what you can expect in terms of hearing back from them. If that didn’t happen, or if an employer hasn’t updated you on your application’s status on the timeline they indicated, you may decide to reach out by phone or email and ask whether a hiring decision has been made.
The key is to be polite, reiterate your interest in the role and thank the person you contact for their time and assistance. It’s usually best to avoid mentioning why you’d like to know if they are going to offer you the position, such as because of an offer from another company.
Resume Summary Or Objective
Its not a secret for anyone that first impressions matter, whether theyre in your personal life, or your career.
If you leave a bad first impression, chances are, its there to stay. After all, its very hard to change someones opinion of you.
The same applies to your job search – the HR manager spends around 6 seconds scanning each resume. Yep, your carefully-worded, hand-crafted resume only gets 6 seconds of attention. Unless, of course, you manage to leave an amazing first impression.
The way you accomplish this is through either a good resume summary or objective. Both are placed at the top of your resume, right around the contact information section:
So, heres what you need to know about the two:
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Tailoring Your Resume To Each Job Application
Wait! Before you start moaning and groaning because you don’t want to write a new resume for each job you apply for, hit pause. Yes, you should be tailoring your resume to specific jobs, but this won’t necessarily require you to write an entirely new resume each time. You can easily customize your professional summary, skills section, and work experience to match each specific job.
The best way to write a targeted resume is to consider the job posting. See what skills and experience the company wants, and consider how you fit the description. Call out your most relevant experiences and qualifications in your professional summary, and integrate those keywords into your skills section and job descriptions.
How To Write A Resume
There are many elements that you need to consider when crafting the perfect resume. Whether you are setting out in your job search to write your very first resume or youve decided to re-write an existing CV, you may have many questions such as, How to write resumes?, How long should a CV be? and What information should I include? You also have to consider how to tailor your resume and lay it out, as well as consider what format it should take, be it a digital resume or a more traditional form.
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Spelling Punctuation And Grammatical Errors
Always double-check the spelling on your CV. Ensure you are writing in the correct tense and if you are using the third person, stick to it throughout the document. Avoid Americanisms and use the spell-check. If you struggle to spot mistakes, ask a careers professional, mentor or friend to look over your CV or use spell-checking software like Grammarly.
List Your Experiences Or Skills
For Chronological/Combination Résumés, List Your Experiences
Starting with your most recent or current job, list your previous work experiences.
- This section shows where you have worked and when. It also states specific accomplishments for each position or job.
- This is where content can make your résumé run over a page, so be selective about what you include.
- Pick experiences that seem most relevant to the position you seek. For inspiration, think of your full-time or part-time work, summer jobs, occasional jobs, internships, fieldwork and special projects.
- Don’t worry whether your experiences are “good enough.” Employers admire people who have worked hard in a variety of positions.
- Always start each achievement with an accomplishment verb, like accelerated, achieved, expanded, influenced, solved, maintained, generated, effected, advised, controlled, trained or utilized.
- Don’t worry if there are gaps in the timeline, but keep everything in chronological order, with most recent jobs at the top.
Examples:
Southwestern Writing Center, Peer Writing Tutor, Yuma, AZ
Camp Granite Falls, Area Director, Mountainville, TNJune 2013September 2017- Directed staff of four while supervising 20 campers.- Taught crafts, sports and cooking.
For Functional/Combination Résumés, List Your Skills
Examples:
Self-Motivated: Proactively organized volunteers to assist with distribution at the community food bank.
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Next Steps After Your Resume
Now that weve covered everything you need to know about how to create a resume, lets talk cover letters & interviews.
After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To really land that job you deserve, you also need to craft a killer cover letter, and ace that upcoming interview.
How Many Pages Should A Resume Be: The Golden Rule
If you have been in the workforce for a number of years, you’re entitled to a maximum of two full pages of resume real estate. This rule applies to most senior professionals, whether you’ve been in the workforce for seven years or 27 years.
The reality is that most recruiters spend less than 10 seconds reviewing a resume before deciding whether the applicant should receive further consideration. With so little time to make the right impression, it’s important to present a succinct document that highlights the recent and more relevant parts of your professional experience, skills, and education.
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When Should Your Resume Be Three Pages
Your resume should rarely be three pages or more. Most of the information for a three-page resume is better suited for a LinkedIn profile or a comprehensive CV.
âThough we generally advise against a resume length beyond two pages, sometimes itâs necessary,â says Jennifer. âSome professions and industries have a different set of standards when it comes to resumes and therefore require more information.â
Only Include Degrees Under The Education Section
List only the degrees you earned during your academic career to keep your CV concise. You might need to delete information about your dissertation, committees you served on and training you received while getting your education. Add this information to your educational background if it directly applies to the employer.
The exception to this would be if you’re applying to an academic position. In these cases, you’ll want to list your dissertation if directly applies to the future research or teaching you intend to do.
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Resume Length: How Long Should A Resume Be In 2021
Resume length is one of the great mysteries of the job application process. Because of it, you might be wondering, how long should a resume be?
Should it always be one page?
What if you have a lot of relevant experience and need more space to describe it?
If you have a work history that goes way back because youve been working for 25+ years, is three pages okay?
Well, it doesnt help that you can find arguments for just about any length online if you look hard enough.
Fortunately, weve analyzed the resumes of real users hired at competitive companies such as Spotify, Booking.com, Verizon Digital Media Services, Amazon, Intercom, and more. Instead of throwing opinions around, all your questions about resume length are answered in this guide.
Contents:
- Why are there so many opinions about resume length?
- How long should your resume be in 2021?
- How far back should a resume go?
- Should a resume be one page?
- Whats the ideal resume length for the hiring manager?
- How to shorten my resume?
- Summary & Key Takeaways
Alternatively, you can skip this whole section and find a PROVEN resume example for your specific job position. From there, building your resume and seeing what works is simple and easy. Best of all, its free to use!
At any point in time, I would recommend Enhancv as a platform to prepare ones CV. It offers a lot of sample templates as well. Kudos to the entire team and thanks again for getting my dream job! Imran Khan
What Are Some Examples Of A Good Resume
Heres the thing: Your resume wont ever look exactly like someone elses, nor should it. How you choose to format it, organize your information, and talk about specific experiences depends not just on your career path, but on your field, the job youre applying for, the company that job is at, and more.
So there isnt a universal way to do a resume. But there are common themes. To give you some context as to how yours might turn out, here are three examples of different kinds of resumes.
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Choose The Most Suitable Format
Before you start writing anything, the first step is to decide on the right format for your resume. There are three basic resume formats used by job seekers today: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination. Each format has advantages and disadvantages based on how the resume sections are arranged:
Providing Irrelevant Personal Information
The personal details you are expected to include on your CV will vary in different countries. It is important to consider what information you are sharing with employers. In the UK, avoid a CV with a photograph, date of birth, nationality and marital status. Similarly, if you have social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook for personal use, you do not need to share these. This is another opportunity to make a positive impression.
Think about the position you are applying for and how your interests and achievements relate to it. An interest in the exhibitions would be useful to mention if you want to work in the arts sector community engagement activities would be suitable if you want to work in the charity sector involvement in sport activities would be advantageous if you want a career in the sports sector. You can highlight other activities that demonstrate transferable skills and your values.
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