How Long Is A Resume Supposed To Be

The Remaining Pages Of Your Resume

After your professional experience, you can include two other sections:

• Hobbies and interests: Hallam says its a good idea to include something about your life outside of work. Including your hobbies, passions or interests is a great way to differentiate yourself and make yourself memorable. Its also an opportunity to build rapport with your interviewer, especially if you share common interests, he adds.
• References: you may also wish to include a note at the end of your resume to say that references are available on request.

Keep It Clear And Easy To Read

Your priority should be to keep your resume clear and easy to read. Be sure to leave enough white space on each page, use a 10- or 12-point font, and use a font that is easy to read .

That being said, dont leave too much white space. The key is to fill all, or at least three-quarters, of each page with relevant and helpful information so that the recruiter’s attention is not drawn to the blank space on the second page.

How Many Years Of Experience Should You Include

How should you decide what to include? If you are uncertain how many years of experience to include on your resume, let the job posting be your guide. In general, 10 years of experience is standard, but you may need to include more depending on the employer’s requirements and how your qualifications fit those requirements.

If a job requires 20 years of experience, for example, you’ll want to include more than 10 – 15 years of work history.

Include positions from earlier in your career that are relevant to the role you are applying for.

It’s acceptable to include 10 – 15 years of experience on your resume. In many industries, sharing experience that dates back more than 15 years just isn’t very helpful for hiring managers. It doesn’t support your candidacy to share an experience with tools and technology that are no longer in use.

Plus, when you have many years of experience, listing it all can flag you as an older job seeker to employers.

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The More Concise The Better

Communicating your most important and relevant information as briefly as possible is crucial. Recruiters and employers only have a few moments to decide whether or not your resume is a good fit for the role. In keeping with this practice, be critical of every point you include on your resume. Here are a few ways to make your resume more concise:

• Instead of including every job duty for each position youve held at every company youve been at, consider including two to three bullet points of quantified achievements.

• Avoid using filler words, such as that, the, a, an or like.

• Consider removing experiences or information that may not be relevant to the position youre applying for.

• Study the job description to get a better idea of what the employer may be looking for in your resume and what potential keywords to include.

What Is A Cv

A CV, which stands for curriculum vitae, is a document used when applying for jobs. It allows you to summarise your education, skills and experience enabling you to successfully sell your abilities to potential employers. Alongside your CV employers also usually ask for a cover letter.

In the USA and Canada CVs are known as résumés. These documents tend to be more concise and follow no particular formatting rules.

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How To Cut Down Your Resume If Needed

If you find that you do want to trim your resume down a bit, here are a few easy ways to go about it:

A hiring manager wont discount a qualified candidate because their resume was slightly too long or too short. Its far more important what you say in the space you do use. If you demonstrate how your experience is relevant to the position and craft a compelling story, chances are the reader will be too focused on what a great find you are to even notice the length of the resume at all.

Forbes

When Two Page Resumes Are Okay

Including a second page to communicate key experiences, achievements, projects or other relevant information that show your direct qualifications for a role is absolutely acceptable to employers. Alternatively, if those two pages are filled with irrelevant information such as unrelated job duties or hobbies, this can be a turn-off and put your application at risk of being passed over.

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Though higher-level candidates like executives tend to have lengthier resumes due to more experience, level is not necessarily an indicator of how many pages a resume should be. While senior professionals may have an extremely well-crafted one-page resume packed full of concise, relevant information, students may also have two pages full of applicable projects, coursework, leadership experiences and internships.

When deciding on resume length, the key is to create the most concise, relevant and easy to read document possible. If possible, err on the side of one page, but not at the expense of readability. Whether your resume is one or multiple pages, length is secondary to quality content and high clarity.

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Case Study: Gals One Page Resume

With over a decade of experience, Gal was searching for a new job in business development.

From starting his own company to leading software solutions all the way to speaking three languages, you could say he was spoiled for choice.

Most people would say that 10+ years of experience = two pages.

But, Gal took a different approach.

On one page, he successfully told the recruiter who he was, why he was motivated for this job, the experience hed bring, and how he would make an impact.

Amidst the fog like Gal, you will hear different opinions about how long your resume should be. For someone with over 10 years of experience, most professionals and job seekers around will expect to have a two-page resume.

That doesnt necessarily mean you should.

Since Gals resume was one page, it was completely different to the rest of the other applicants. In other words, it was a gateway to standing out from the crowd and getting his voice heard among the chaos.

Be like Gal and get hired for the competitive job posting at your dream company by using Enhancvs free resume builder. Use the same one-page formula now below!

It only takes a few minutes!

How Long Should A Cv Be

Were going to say it before you ask:

Yes, in the USA, a CV is different from a resume.

A resume is customized to each individual job you are applying to and is strictly one page.

A CV, on the other hand, covers the in-depths of your career and academic journey. It is usually used in Academia.

Because the goal and nature of a CV are different than that of a resume, you shouldnt necessarily strive for the shortest pitch possible.

Most recruiters agree that the average golden length for a CV is two or three pages.

However, depending on your years of experience, accomplishments, training, and education, it can go up to eight pages.

Not sure if you need a CV or a resume? Check out our guide that explains the difference between the two.

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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

Types Of Cover Letters

Application Letters

An application letter is written when applying to a job or internship. Along with a resume, it typically accompanies a job application form. The main difference between application cover letters and prospecting cover letters is that an application letter is written for a specific job or internship position.

Prospecting Letter

A prospecting letter is used to inquire about possible opportunities when none are advertised. It is also sent with a resume, but does not address a specific job opening. When writing a prospecting letter, you should state specific knowledge of and interest in the company or program you are inquiring about, then describe the skills and knowledge you offer that could add value to the company.

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How Many Years Of Experience To List On Your Resume

Do you have to include every job you’ve ever had on your resume? Not necessarily. When you have extensive experience, you don’t need to list your entire work history.

Your resume is a synopsis of your qualifications and experience that shows what you have accomplished that is relevant to the job. You don’t need to include everything you’ve ever done on your resume, especially if you’ve been in the workforce for many years or have shifted careers.

In fact, you may want to have several versions of your resume. One with all your experience so you can keep track of it, a targeted resume that you can customize for each job you apply to, and a shorter version for career networking and job fairs.

Why The Design And Layout Of Your Resume Is So Important

A great resume is about substance, so while it might be tempting to dress up your resume with fancy fonts and graphics, its much more compelling to have a clean and fuss-free design and layout. According to Hallam, there are other good reasons to ensure a simple resume design:

• Resumes with graphics and too many columns wont actually get through Applicant Tracking Systems , so a poorly-designed resume may not ever be seen by potential recruiters.
• Fancy or hard-to-read fonts are distractingbusy recruiters and employers wont view them favourably.
• An aesthetically appealing, functional resume is a reflection of who you are as a potential employeeit shows your professionalism.

This doesnt mean youre expected to come up with a knock-out resume design yourself, thoughchoosing a simple resume template and making it your own is the best way to go.

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How Do You Write A Cv Personal Statement

A personal statement should be used to showcase what personal skills you offer in a short, punchy paragraph at the start of your CV.

When compiling your personal statement, try to satisfy the requirements stipulated in the people / job specification for which you are applying. We find it is easier to write a personal statement last you can note down some of your career highlights and key skills while writing the rest of your CV.

Why Was Adding A Second Page The Right Choice

Showing you who he is

HRs are interested in culture fit to identify whether employees practices and passions align with the employers goals.

Daniel opens his resume with a short summary of his career, and later goes on to provide useful links where the HR can learn more about him .

Using a two-page resume, he didnt have to worry whether including these details would detract from his previous experience.

Is it bad to have a 2-page resume?

Working in technical support and engineering obviously requires a certain level of technical expertise.

Hiring managers need to clearly see the extent of Daniels knowledge on his resume. This means exploring the projects hes worked on and the technologies he has experience with. He dedicates just under two full pages explaining these and highlights his own projects under a Projects section.

This shows the extent of Daniels knowledge along with his initiative and ability.

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Case Study: Daniels Two Page Customer Support Resume

Daniel had been involved in remote work for over two years.

Two years of experience doesnt sound like a lot. But the impact hes had during that time was huge, which left him with a lot to say.

The nature of his work requires more detail on who he is and his ability to fit company culture despite the distance. It was also necessary to explain the reasons why hes gravitated towards remote working too.

His less than 10 years of experience would typically lead us to a one-page resume. However, in this case, two pages were needed.

The hiring manager wants to see the value you can provide for the company. Even if you dont have as much experience as Gal does and youre someone like Daniel, you want to talk about the results you were responsible for.

When the employer sees what youre capable of, its more likely theyll hire you for the job posting since they understand how valuable you are.

If youre like Daniel and you want a proven two-page resume template to secure your new career, click the button below to get started for free!

It only requires minimal effort. Its that simple!

Youre A New Grad Or Early In Your Career

If youre a new graduate looking for your first professional job or you dont have a lot of professional experience , the reality is that there likely just isnt enough information or experience to warrant a longer resume.

For example, lets say Jane just received her BA in marketing and is looking for her first post-college job. She had a few part-time positions while in school, and completed a few relevant internships. But she doesnt yet have much professional experience working in her field. In this case, Id recommend that Jane focus her resume on her relevant academic work and internships. And she could stick to the one-page resume even once shes been working in marketing for four or five years. She can start to build out her professional experience section, including examples of accomplishments and projects shes worked on. In order to make room for some of this new information, shed remove internships, extracurricular activities, or even earlier or less relevant entry-level positions if shes held several roles by now.

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Get Help With Your Cv

If you’re a student or recent graduate and you’d like help creating a CV then you can get professional advice from your university careers service.

During COVID-19 many university careers services have moved their programme of activities and events online to support students and graduates during the pandemic.

The Importance Of Page One

The first page of your resume is prime real estate, and using two columns is a good way to optimise this important space. Hallam says there are five key things you should include on page one:

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Too General Or Irrelevant

Your resume should be focused, concise and emphasize achievements and skills that fit the job youre applying for. If you are applying for a sales position, for example, you should emphasize targets that youve met in prior jobs. Including percentages and numbers can be useful.

For example, Think about how best to present your experience and skills in a way that would impress your potential employer.

This probably means customizing your resume for each position, especially if you are considering more than one type of opportunity. Carefully review the job description and then take the time to tailor your resume to emphasize the strengths and experience that are most relevant for the position.

How To Fill The Gap Left By The Covid

The first thing to know is that COVID-19 has disrupted the career plans of thousands of students and you’re not alone. As a result of the pandemic career-boosting activities such as work experience, internships and volunteering have been postponed or cancelled. If this has left you worrying about the corona-shaped gap on your CV let us put your mind at rest.

Employers understand the challenges caused by lockdowns only too well and they won’t expect you to have completed a period of work experience in this time. That said you could still demonstrate to potential employers how you used this time wisely – showing yourself to be a proactive, dedicated and resilient candidate.

You could mention:

• details of online courses or Massive Open Online Courses you’ve undertaken or webinars or online events you’ve attended
• the acquisition of new skills, such as learning a language or learning to code
• volunteering work such as checking in on and shopping for vulnerable neighbours or caring for young siblings or elderly relatives
• charity work – perhaps you got involved with fundraising or raising awareness of a particular ogranisation.
• new hobbies such as starting to vlog, picking up a sport, learning to cook or setting up a community book club.

Remember – you’ll need to relate these to the job you’re applying for so focus on the skills these activities taught you and how/why they’d be useful.

Read our example cover letter explaining a gap in your CV.

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