How Long A Resume Should Be?
2 years ago
How Long A Resume Should Be?
This is a question that many people have had in the past when editing and writing their resumes because it has become evident that there are a lot of opinions on this. There are hundreds of thousands of opinions on how your resume should be formatted what should be included in it.
What is the ideal resume length?
For most applicants, a resume should be one page long. But while most people agree that shorter is better, some candidates will need longer resumes. If you've got a lot of varied experience or a long career,
When You Should Write A One-Page Resume:
Recent Graduates or Entry-Level: recent college graduates and people with very little experience to no experience who have only been in their workforce for one or two years, if you can fit everything you want to showcase in one page then don’t go overboard, also if you’re looking to make a career change and don’t have much experience relevant to your new goal, then a one-page resume might be right for you.
When You Should Write A Two-Page Resume:
Mid-Career Business Professionals:
People who have enough relevant skills, experience, and keywords to fill at least a page and a half. For many job seekers, especially those who are further along in their career, two pages is the right choice for them. Keep in mind, however, that the second page likely won’t get as much attention as the first, so it’s best to make sure you’re using the right resume format
When You Should Write A Three Or More Page Resume
Seasoned and Senior Job Seekers
If you have had a lot of experience, with 10 or more years of relevant job experience. You could be a senior-level manager with a long track record of accomplishments; or you’re writing an academic CV for a research or scientific position and have an extensive list of publications, speaking engagements, professional courses, licenses, or certifications; then you may need to extend your resume to three or more pages.
What You Don’t Want To Do:
Cram in as much information as possible, with zero white space, and zero margin space, as well as small size font.
You want to make sure your resume is readable, which means making sure; you have enough white space for the eyes to want to read the rest of the resume. When it’s cluttered and jammed up with texts, with zero margins and zero spacing it really makes it stressful for the reader they might not want to continue reading.
If You Are Going Over One Page:
Make sure that you're not printing on the other side of your resume paper. not only does this look pretty unprofessional, but in most cases, employers are not going to be flipping your resume over to look at it, it's much more convenient for you to staple it or print a nice folder and nice presented package for them so they can see that you have multiple pages to your resume that they don't miss anything very important
Less Is More:
Your resume is not a book report. It’s a sales pitch! Here are some handy tips for how to shorten your resume,
Eliminate Unnecessary Words and Passive Voice:
Active, powerful language is crucial for a compelling resume. Wordiness will obscure your accomplishments, making your resume bloated and hard to read.
Here are some common examples:
“In order to” can usually just be “to.”
You rarely need to use “very” or “currently!”
“Worked closely with” can be replaced with “Partnered” or “Collaborated.”
“Assumed responsibility for” doesn’t add value, unless you stepped in to take over something outside of your usual duties.
Make Your Objective Statement As Short As Possible:
Objective statements are important, as they are usually the first thing a hiring manager sees when browsing through a resume. However, making them too long can take up too much space and diminish their impact. Be as objective as possible and succinctly describe how your skills and experience can help you excel at the position you are currently applying for.
Avoid Listing Overly Common Skills:
When creating a resume, it's tempting to list any skill and quality that you possess and may be considered relevant for the hiring manager. However, if one or more of your skills are common among potential applicants for that position, adding them to your resume may be unnecessary. A good example of that is adding proficiency in common office computer software.
Use Bullet Points:
Use bullet points instead of paragraphs. Write in short sentences, up to two lines at the most. Use keywords, numbers, and power words to come up with punchy statements without the fluff.
Drop references and “References available upon request.”
It’s unnecessary at this point to share your references or even to mention them. It should be obvious you’ll provide them when the time comes and you can use this space for other things.
And lastly, what you should keep in mind is that an eligible candidate would not be passed over because their resume is marginally too long or too short. What you say in the space you do have is far more important. If you show how your expertise is important to the job and tell a convincing tale, the reader is likely to be too intent on what a wonderful find you are to consider the length of the resume.
