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
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.
Senior Level And Science Candidates
Executives or senior-level managers often have a long list of accomplishments and experiences that they have to include. The same is true for people in the sciences or academia who want to include their licenses, patents, or publications. These job seekers can write a resume that is three pages long or even longer.
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Simple Professional One Page Resume Template
This Simple Professional Resume Template and CV Template is straightforward and effective. It uses design to stand out in a good way. Like the Modern one-page resume template above, its divided for easy readings, with attention-getting headings. The big name and dark heading give it oomph.
Expert Hint: Not all Free Resume Builders are ATS friendly. To make sure your creative resume reaches a human reader, send it directly to the recruiter’s inbox.
How Many Pages Should Your Resume Be In 2021
- / By Biron Clark
As a recruiter, one of the most common questions job seekers ask me is, how many pages should my resume be?
Theres a lot of conflicting advice about when one-page resumes are best, when two-page resumes are better, and the main purpose of your resume to begin with! So Im going to clear this up
This article will explain how long a resume should be for professionals, college students, and more. After reading this page, youre going to know how many pages to make your resume.
Im also going to share some of my BEST tips for how tweak your resume to get more interviews when applying for jobs, so make sure to read until the end.
Lets get started
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Play With Size And Font
When you are trying to make a one-page resume, but your information overflows onto a second page, there are many ways to shorten your resume. First, change the font of your resume . If your headings are a very large size, try making them slightly smaller. However, you probably still want them to be slightly larger than the rest of the text.
How Long Should A Resume Be Its Up To You
Your resume should be exactly as long as it needs to be and no longer, while also being as brief as possible without selling yourself short.
Resume length is a tricky one. If youre having trouble figuring out how long your resume should be, try focusing more on highlighting your top traits in the most reader-friendly way possible regardless of page count. If youre frustrated trying to smoosh all your experience into a single page, try a two page resume.
Most importantly, dont keep doing the same thing if its not working. Seek out new advice, try different techniques, and use all the tools at your disposal.
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Can A Resume Be 2 Pages
Yes, a resume can be two pages long. A two-page resume is a good choice if you have more than 6 years of relevant job experience. In this case, a two-page resume may even be necessary to convey all of the critical information an employer needs to know. Also, two-page resumes are usually accepted for academia and grad school applications.
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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Create An Earlier Work History Section For A Senior
If you have 20+ years of experience or changed jobs frequently at the beginning of your career, you may need more than a one-liner to cover the work experience. An alternative is to add an Earlier Career History section at the bottom of your professional experience that lists the job title, company name, and location of each role.
Remove A Hobbies And Interests Section
âSometimes listing your hobbies and interests can help you stand out from the job-seeker crowd,â says Jennifer. âBut tread carefully: Some hobbies/interests can have a negative effect based on the personal biases of your audience.â
If you feel strongly about your hobbies or interests, include them in your summary section as opposed to their own section, and stick to the main one or two that make you stand out as an applicant and a co-worker.
Safe hobbies or interests that can set you apart from other applicants:
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Musical talent: if you play an instrument, sing in a band, or write music
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Physical activities: If you hike, swim, or kayak
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Community-focused work: if youâre involved with charity work, Eagle Scouts, or local theater
Steer clear of anything with a religious or political affiliation.
A better way of including hobbies or interests is to join LinkedIn groups related to the topic, or posting about your passions on LinkedIn or another blogging forum. You can also establish yourself as an expert or thought leader on Reddit and Quora, which will likely come up when an interested hiring manager looks you up online before calling you in for an interview.
Example: Including interests/hobbies in a resume summary:
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Get Guidance On When You Should Send A One
The right resume length depends entirely on your background.
Resume length is among the biggest quandaries for job seekers. The presiding belief is that if its too long, you risk a hiring manager not reading the whole thing if its too short, you might look like you dont have enough experience. For all the times youve wondered, How long should a resume be? you probably figured the universe has decided on an answer by now. Alas. Theres no magic resume length that works for everyone.
The trick is figuring out the best number of pages for your situation. Follow these tips.
Thefacts: Recruiters Only Look At Your Resume For 6 Seconds
I know variations of this statistic are thrown around, but its for good reason. Many recruiters have a step-by-step process to fill the countless orders they receive. Briefly judging a resume by how it looks is at the top of that list.
This is one of the reasons why the length of your resume is so important. You want to catch their eye but not overwhelm them.
Now that you know the required length of a resume, are there any edits that need to be made? Do you need to add additional details to fill out one page, or are you looking to narrow it down?
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Try Different Margins Ranging From 5
Appropriate margins for a resume are .5, .75 or 1 inch. The goal is to make sure your text is evenly distributed on the page and not packed in too closely. Try adjusting your margins to the different options to see which looks best for your resume. Usually, resumes with less text will have larger 1-inch margins and resumes with more text will have smaller .75 or .5 margins.
Why Was One Page The Right Choice
Catching attention
Gal had all the experience in the world, but his aim wasnt listing as much as possible in his work experience section, skills section or education section.
His aim was to catch HRs attention.
Recruiters can look at resumes for less than 7.4 seconds. Having a long, drawn-out resume might be the difference between the No and the Maybe pile.
Gals one-pager gives a quick, non-exhaustive record of his work history and talents. He knew once he secured an interview he could get the job. Catching the attention of the recruiter with a succinct resume was therefore vital.
Staying concise
There was no need to include multiple pages as Gals descriptions were concise and to-the-point.
He went into detail on his most recent job and kept other relevant experience down to two bullet points. His industry expertise was conveyed quickly using one-word visuals too.
Business development is rooted in your ability to communicate and do so as effectively as possible. Gal knew recruiters would be looking for a short few words on how he has led previous businesses to success.
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How To Fit A Resume On One Single Page
Lets get real.
An entry-level applicant can insert all relevant information under one page because he/she doesnt have much relevant experience. The alternative is appearing like theyre not making a serious enough effort to write a concise application.
For folks with more experience, however, this can be a bit trickier.
Here are some tips on how to turn your resume into a concise one-pager:
How Long Should A Resume Be 2022
Questions Answered
How long should a resume be 2022?
How do I update my resume to fit the ideal length?
How far back should my resume go?
Is a three page resume too long?
Does a Resume Have to be One Page?
Resume length is often misunderstood and one of the most common mistakes young professionals make when writing a resume.
There was once a time when you wouldn’t dare pass beyond writing a single-page resume, but those days are gone!
Today, factors including experience, job title, industry, and the number of past employers all dictate the length of your document.
Lets say you have a recent graduate who has a sales background and 2 years of mid-level experience.
Chris is going to use less space to properly validate his skills compared to Java developer Amanda, who’s been working contract jobs for the last 13 years of her life.
Remember, one size does not fit all, so take your background and professional experience into consideration when deciding how long your resume should be.
Related:
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Rule 3 Add Keywords Relevant To Your Work Industry And Experience
When potential employers search the web for qualified candidates, they do so by typing in key skills the position requires.
If you add too many of these key terms, your resume looks cluttered, but if you leave something out, they might miss you altogether.
Find a happy keyword balance with good flow!
Note: I tend to focus on keeping experiences and skills directly relating to the role included within the resume.
Do a quick search on your favorite job search engine around the job you are targeting, and find the Must Haves or Required skills, making sure they are well established within your resume.
The Ideal Resume Length Depends On You
Are you a student or new graduate with qualifications that dont quite fit on one page? Go to two. Are you a CEO with a penchant for getting to the point? Try a one-page resume. The rule is there is no rule.
Dagliano recommends removing resume length from the equation. Ask yourself:
- Is the content relevant?
- Is the theme consistent and clear?
- Is the information current?
- Does it distinguish you from the competition?
- Is it well written and grammatically correct?
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Why Your Resume Should Be Three Pages
You could have more than two pages if youâre a high-level or senior-level executive or in a very complex, technical field. For example, a scientist may need more than two pages to showcase background, education, published work, and studies. An executive resume usually shows a clear progression of responsibility and job titles with many related experiences.
Your professional document can be three pages if you are actually writing a Curriculum Vitae . This is more common if youâre applying for jobs outside of the USAâread more about the difference between a resume and a CV here. In the US and Canada, there are some other industries that use CVs such as academia and medical.
Federal resumes also follow a different format and can easily be three pages or more.
Read our article on for more information.
How Long Should Your Resume Summary Be
When writing any resume summary, it can be tempting to simply fill it with every major point you want the reviewer to know. That would be a mistake, though–for several reasons. First, no recruiter or hiring manager wants to read a professional summary that just rehashes every point made in the body of the resume. That sort of summary will simply be ignored. That would defeat the purpose anyway.
The reality is that your summary should be a âhookâ that captures recruitersâ attention and gives them a reason to read the rest of the resume. To do that, you should write a resume summary statement that contains between four and six lines of text that highlight key points that will invite further reading.
A summary for someone with little to no experience or making a career change will of course be shorter. You can check out our post on writing a resume summary for an entry-level position for tips on how to keep a resume summary relevant.
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Never Put Irrelevant Or Unnecessary Info On Your Resume To Make It Longer
Dont try to fill your resume with fluff or try to make it longer. No hiring manager is going to decide to interview you because you had a longer resume than someone else.
The only exception to the rule above is if your resume content is not even reaching the bottom of page one. In that case, try to make your resume fill a full page, because that just looks better.
But otherwise, you should be writing relevant skills, experience, and other qualifications that you feel demonstrate youll be a good fit for the role youve applied for.
But once youve put all the relevant info you can, stop. Adding irrelevant information just for the sake of making your resume longer is NOT going to impress any hiring managers or recruiters.
Your resume has one main purpose: To show the employer that you have the skills and experience to step into their role and be successful.
So if something isnt helping you do that, then its hurting you !
For example, if you held an irrelevant job 15 years ago and have built an entirely different career since then, take it off!
Or if youre listing 25 skills but only 10 are relevant to your current career, take those other 15 off!
By leaving them on there, youre just making it HARDER for the hiring manager or recruiter to find the relevant info that will make them want to interview you. So by leaving irrelevant info on your resume, youre costing yourself interviews.
Add Other Sections To Your Two
Cutting extras makes the important parts of your resume stand out.
Expert Hint: Not sure whether to cut your two page resume down to size? Look at each bullet as if its the only one. Will it wow this employer? If not, lose it.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? Theres 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Expert Hint: Not all Free Resume Builders are ATS friendly. To make sure your creative resume reaches a human reader, send it directly to the recruiter’s inbox.
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