What is the ideal resume length? How do I know if my resume is right?
There is always much debate about the right length of a resume and I can tell you there isn’t an exact science for length either.
Resume Length Myths
- I’ve heard some great myths on the length of resumes here are some I’ve heard just in the past 9 months.
- Resumes should be only one page
- All resumes should be a minimum of two pages regardless of work history and experience
- Resumes should be no longer than three pages
All these rules are making me dizzy!
The Proper Resume Length
The Ideal Resume Length
Your resume length is determined by several factors, including the number of years of experience you have, your position level, and industry. For new graduates or people with 5 to 10 years of experience, a one-page resume is typically appropriate. For management-level candidates or C”-level executives, and those with 10-15+ years of experience, a two-page resume is appropriate.
For a CV, on the other hand, these are 3-4 pages. Very rarely are you asked to produce a CV, but if you are they require a different layout and style that a standard resume.
The truth is that a longer resume will be read if it contains relevant information. But if you only have enough work history for one page, then this is perfectly acceptable too.
How Do I Know If My Resume Is Too Long?
The longest resume to date that I have had to read was 25 pages, and the longest I’ve had to re-write was 15 pages. Would I consider this too long? Yes, yes, yes! Why? Well a few reasons;
- The work history was longer than 15 years
- The education included: kindergarten, primary school, high school and beyond information
- Position information was duplicated. This client had held similar positions in the past and simply copy and pasted information from one job to the next. Each position’s information was sometimes up to 1/2 page in length
- Every professional development course this candidate had ever been on was listed
- Every project this client worked on was included as a separate appendix
Now, how do I know this information wasn’t relevant?
Firstly the candidate was going for a career change and moving into a semi-related industry. All the professional development and project work wasn’t relevant to the new vocation.
Secondly, all work history beyond 15 years wasn’t required. It was not only outdated skills but certainly not relevant to the new vocation.
Third, unless you are fresh out of high school there is never any reason to list: kindergarten, primary school or high school details on your resume.
Final Point
If you are still unsure about the proper resume length and whether yours is ok, have someone else read it for you and give you feedback.
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Important Tips For 2 Page Resumes
- Be sure that if you are going to use 2 pages, that the second page is at least 3/4 full. Otherwise, you will end up with an odd, unbalanced resume.
- Where possible do not allow a role to dangle awkwardly between the two pages. If a role does fall between two pages, give it an appropriate heading on the second page such as “Job title, Company Name, Continued.”
- Keep all formatting and style elements consistent with those that appear on the first page.
