Benefits Of A Two Page Resume
Imagine youre a recruiter. You have a pile of resumes to get through and limited time to get through them. You see one resume that is only one page, but its packed with information. Then, you see a two page resume with the same amount of information, but spread out in a way that makes it easy to skim quickly. The point? A shorter resume is not always better.
You might even have more success going up against applicant tracking systems if you use a two page resume. By giving yourself extra space to expand upon important resume keywords, or even creating a keyword bank or skills section, you make your resume more compatible with those pesky resume screeners.
How To Reduce Your Cv Size
1) Is it all relevant?
Remember: you dont need to include everything. Youre advertising yourself for a role, not giving them your life story.
Take your employment history: while the paper round you did when you were 14 may have built your confidence, unless youre going for the job of senior paper delivery boy, your employer probably wont need to know.
The same goes for your interests. You may like eating out, and long walks along the beach but the reality is that the person reading your CV probably doesnt care. We all enjoy socialising with friends.
Keep it pertinent and, above all, relevant.
3) Are you afraid of the white space?
Nearly all recruiters will be skim reading your CV, so always avoid trying to cram as much information in as possible.
You need to grab their attention, and keep them interested. Presentation can be just as important as the content. Dont be afraid of the gaps. Be bold. Use bullet points
Keep the focus on what you want them to see, and draw attention to any key facts or bits of information that may be relevant. Leave out everything else.
And whilst you may think that moving the margins and changing the typeface is a clever way around this, itll only make your CV stand out for the wrong reasons.
5) Are you getting straight to the point?
This not only reduces length, it also makes sentences more active, giving your accomplishments greater authority. Play to your strengths, but get straight to the point.
Do You Need A Two Page Resume Format
If youre like me, you might have one page only! ingrained in your brain when it comes to how long a resume should be.
If youre like me, you might have one page only! ingrained in your brain when it comes to how long a resume should be. However, once youve been in the workforce for several years, your one-page resume is likely bursting at the seams. Is a two page resume the answer? Turns out, its not as taboo as you may have thought.
You May Like: Academic Projects Resume
How Long Should A Resume Be One Page Resume Vs Two Page
How many pages should a resume be? One page resume vs two page resume. Get the answer to how long should a resume be with expert tips to shorten yours.
One page resume? Two page resume?
How long should a resume be?
“If it’s too short, the hiring manager might think I’m inexperienced. If it’s too long, will they ever read it?”
Dont panic.
Theres an easy answer to the resume length dilemma.
It depends on your experience.
This guide will show you:
- Definite answer to the nagging How long should my resume be? question.
- One page resume templates you can use.
- When to use a 2-page resume.
- How to make a resume one page.
Save hours of work and get a resume like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from
What users say about ResumeLab:
I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: Wow! I love your resume.PatrickI love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!Dylan My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!George
Why You Should Consider Creating A Two
If you are a mid-level professional, there are several good reasons for creating a two-page resume. Perhaps the most important of these is that many companies now use an automated applicant tracking system to carry out the initial screening of the resumes they receive .
Such systems are programmed to privilege resumes that use and repeat specific keyword phrasesthe bots assess both the placement and the frequency of industry-specific keywords in a resume. They also look for the length of experience one has in using particular job skills.
Expanding your resume to two pages will enable you to repeat these essential keywords throughout your professional experience section.
Although this may seem awkward and redundant stylistically, it is one of the best ways to ensure that your resume is one of the scanned resumes that actually make it to the stage where it will be considered by the human eye of a hiring manager.
Also Check: Resumes For Small Business Owners
In Some Circumstances Your Type Of Work And The Job Opening May Merit A Two
The one-page résumé has long been considered the optimal approach for selling yourself in the modern job market. Its normally enough to provide recruiters with sufficient information to prove your suitability, and its short enough to hold their attention when they are sifting through hundreds of applications. But are there any occasions when a one-page résumé just isnt enough?
If you find yourself in any of the following situations, you may have a strong case for straying on to that second page.
How Long Should A Cv Be
Does size matter? When it comes to your CV, the answer is yes
CV length can be a crucial factor in determining whether or not you get the job. Think about it: if a recruiter has 100 CVs to go through in a day, theres a chance that at some point theyll lose concentration. So, the trick is to grab their attention and, crucially, to make your CV stand out from every other applicant.
To help you keep it short and sweet, here are how many pages recruiters really want, and some of our top tips for reducing the length of your CV.
91% of recruiters we surveyed called two pages the perfect CV length.
Obviously, this might vary depending on your experience. If youre just graduating, for example, chances are you wont have as much to say as someone whos been working in an industry for 30 years.
Even so, you should always try stripping back to include only the main facts. If you can fit it on one page, then do it. If you cant, two should generally be the maximum.
Also Check: Microsoft Excel Resume
Is It Ok For My Resume To Be 2 Pages
Create a professional resume in just 15 minutes, easyCreate a professional resume in just 15 minutes, easyExpanding your resume to two pages will enable you to repeat these essential keywords throughout your professional experience section.For your most recent job, stick to about five.
Here are a few situations where its acceptable to use a resume with multiple pages:If you have enough relevant experience, training, and credentials pertaining to the position to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for it.If you have tailored your resume for the position youre applying to and removed unrelated skills or irrelevant work experiences and you still cant fit the resume onto one page, you should add a second page.In fact, its desirable for many job seekers!
In the vast majority of cases, someone will only scan your resume for less than a minute to make a determination about you.It is important to keep the information you provide.Its particularly useful for job seekers with 10 or more years of relevant experience.Most resumes should be two pages long.
My argument was that since i have such a lot of experience , surely it should be ok.No one is reading every single bullet on your resume.No, it doesnt matter, 5 pages is fine, etc.Professionals with lots of experience in technical professions often need a two page resume.
What Number Of Pages Should A Resume Be
A busy hiring manager will not be involved sufficient to get to the second web page of every resume. Also understand that this info doesnt have to be in textual content format. Ive seen some great resumes lately that haveoutlined this stuff utilizing pie charts, timelines, and graphs.
It could be strange in case you have been working for fifteen years and wouldnt have profession accomplishmentsto fill two pages of a resume. A one-page resume for somebody of this seniority would certainly set off alarm bells. If you may have had the luck to solely work for one employer, maybe break up your work expertise into the respective positions that you undertook. Give depth to your accomplishments and quantify where attainable.
Also Check: Bowling Green Corvette Plant Reopening
Whats Wrong With A Two
There might be some readers out there for whom two-page resumes are the norm who are wondering why this article exists at all. To those readers, we extend our congratulations so far, youve been lucky enough to avoid lazy or harried interviewers who consistently receive far too many applications for them to read.
While everyone who applies for a given job position deserves a fair shot, the truth of the matter is that at the end of the day, hiring managers and recruiters are just people. And people are flawed, stressed out, and above all usually in some kind of hurry.
Thats why two-page resumes have historically been viewed as bad for a hiring manager at a large company who might typically receive over a hundred applications for any given listing, reading every resume closely just isnt feasible.
But that doesnt mean that two-pagers are always a bad thing. In fact, there are a lot of situations in which a second page might be preferable, even with the added time this might take to read.
Why Are There So Many Opinions About Resume Length
Unfortunately, theres no best answer.
The hiring landscape has changed considerably in recent years. Not even 20 years ago, keeping your resume down to one page was both a strategic and cost-effective move .
Going even further back in time youll read that keeping your resume to a single page is your best option.
Two pages are also acceptable.
But, anything longer makes it too difficult for employers to go through.
Today, these worries are less pronounced. In fact, theres a growing trend of recruiters preferring two-page resumes over single-page ones.
According to a study by ResumeGo, its found that hiring managers are 2.3 times more prone to select a two-page resume format over the one-page resumes. No matter what the candidates professional level is, it doesnt make a big difference.
So why do people still argue for a one-page resume?
In one word: relevance.
Every resume has an audience. But, not everyone will have the same opinion.
And, thats why its difficult to assume what the ideal resume length is.
Some recruiters and hiring managers will follow the one-page rule to the letter while others will think the rule is useless. To help overcome this difficulty, its best to research the hiring practices of the organization youre applying to and see the common traits associated with page lengths.
Read Also: How To Put A Scholarship On A Resume
You Have Tons Of Technical Experience
It is not uncommon for technical résumés to spill onto the second page. An expert engineer or developer could have hundreds of tools and technologies in their arsenal, so they cannot always reasonably be expected to squeeze them all onto a single page. As a technical person you are also required to translate your technical knowledge to less technically minded people in the recruitment processand this will take up valuable space on the résumé.
You may also find it helpful to add a technical skills list at the bottom of your résumé to present a complete picture. This ensures that recruiters will find you in tech specific searches but you wont overwhelm readers by cramming every tool youve ever used into your profile at the top of your résumé.
When A Longer Resume Is Acceptable
That said, there are some scenarios where you may not manage to cram your entire valid work history onto a single page. For example, if you’ve held several high-level positions, each of which entailed a different set of responsibilities, you’ll want to include all of that information to prove that you’re the well-rounded worker you claim to be.
Say you held several management positions, one of which focused on product development and another of which was marketing-oriented. If you’re now applying for a vice president’s role — in other words, a level above your current one — and you want to prove that you’re experienced in both product development and marketing, you might need more than a single page to accomplish that.
Additionally, a longer resume is often needed if you job-hopped a lot during your career. If you omit certain employment information, you risk leaving a gap in your work history, which could turn off some potential employers.
Also Check: Edit Resume On Linkedin
However Dont Go Overboard
While there are certainly some occasions that warrant the use of a two-page résumé, its probably best not to spill on to the third. Sure, some recruiters might not mind it, but you have to bear in mind the attention spans in the modern job application process. Hiring managers and recruiters are normally inundated with applications for every vacancy, while facing short deadlines to get them filled. Unfortunately, this means that while most people who review your résumé would love to give it the attention it deserves, they simply just do not have the time.
If its vital that you include some extra details that move your résumé into the two-page territory, theres no need to panic if that information is significant and well-formatted, recruiters will likely give it a read. But if your résumé is heading for three or four pages of rambling text, then its unlikely that many recruiters or hiring managers will even read that far in todays job market. If youre struggling to keep your résumé under two pages, then review it, grade each section on relevancy, and cut out or summarize some of the less relevant information.
Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of Job Description Library, and StandOut CV, two leading career advice websites with a mission to help job hunters land the jobs they want. He is regular contributor to CV Library and The Guardian.
Provide Key Information On Page One
Start your first page with a resume introduction. For experienced job seekers, a resume summary is the best option because you can highlight four or five of your biggest career-related achievements.
However, there are other ways to start a resume, and the best choice for you depends on your professional background.
After your introduction, list your work experience. On a chronological resume, list your most recent job first, and then work backward. You can use your second page to continue your work experience section if necessary, but make sure the listed experience is still relevant to the role youre applying for.
Your resumes skills section should also appear on your first page.
Read Also: What To Write In Email Body When Sending Resume
You Have Worked Extensively In One Field
If you have worked in your field for years and gained extensive knowledge and expertise, you may struggle to squeeze it all on to one page amidst all of your education, achievements, and skills.
So, in some cases it may be perfectly acceptable to stretch your work experience section over two pages. While you could attempt to squeeze all of your previous roles onto a single page, you may find that does not leave you with enough space to truly demonstrate your contribution and impact.
If your most recent two or three roles are hyper-relevant to the vacancies you are applying for, then employers will thank you for providing them with more detail on them, and that will lead to more interviews for you. Bulk up those recent roles to show off the skills you used the most. To add to this, include some powerful achievements, backed up by facts and figures. Even the busiest of hiring managers will make time for a two-page résumé if it is packed with proven results.
If you find that expanding on current roles is leaving you with little space on the second page, you can always provide one-line summaries for less recent experience, or even completely omit roles that are no longer relevant.
List Additional Information On Page Two
Since youre using a two-page resume, its likely you have a lot of relevant work experience, which means that your resumes education section is less important. You can safely put your education section on the second page of your resume, along with your qualifications or certifications section.
If you have a relevant degree or qualification you want to highlight on your first page, include it in your resume introduction to make sure the hiring manager sees it.
Recommended Reading: How Many References Does An Employer Usually Want
How Many Pages A Resume Should Be
How long should your resume be? The answer is that the length of your resume depends on a number of factors. It depends on how much experience you have and what level candidate you are. If you’re an entry-level candidate, a page should be plenty.
For more experienced candidates, it’s fine to have a longer resume. Read below for more detailed information on how long your resume should be, and tips for making your resume the perfect length.