Is your resume too long, too short or just right?
There is a lot of advice out there about how long a resume should be. One person will tell you it must be one page, another will insist it should never be more than two, while someone else will tell you that five pages is perfectly acceptable.
The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all rule for resume length.
Your profession, occupation, industry and level of experience all play a part. What makes sense for a recent graduate will be very different from what is appropriate for someone with 15 or 20 years of experience.
The important thing is to strike the right balance. If your resume is too short or skimpy, a recruiter or hiring manager may wonder whether you have enough experience or skills to bring to the table. On the other hand, if your resume is unnecessarily long, the person reading it may lose interest, particularly if it contains information that is repetitive or not relevant to the role.
When one page is enough
A one-page resume can be ideal for people who are at the beginning of their careers.
If you are an entry-level worker, a recent university graduate or someone with only a few years of work experience, you may not have enough relevant experience to justify a longer resume. And that is perfectly fine.
Your focus should be on making the most of the space you have. Include your relevant education, work experience, skills, achievements, internships, placements, projects and other experience that demonstrates what you could bring to the role.
A one-page resume can also make sense if you are changing careers and do not yet have much experience that is directly relevant to your new career direction.
The goal is not to fill two or three pages simply because you think a longer resume looks more impressive. If everything an employer needs to know about your suitability can be covered in one page, there is no reason to add unnecessary information.
When two or more pages make sense
As your career progresses, your resume will naturally become longer.
If you have 10 or more years of relevant experience, for example, trying to squeeze your entire career into one page could mean leaving out information that an employer genuinely needs to see.
You may have held several relevant positions, taken on increasing levels of responsibility, managed teams, delivered major projects, achieved significant results or developed specialist skills and qualifications. Those details can help demonstrate the experience and value you could bring to a new employer.
For many experienced professionals, a two, three, four or even five-page resume can therefore be perfectly reasonable.
The key is that every page needs to earn its place.
If the additional pages contain relevant information that helps demonstrate your suitability for the role, they can add real value. If they are simply repeating the same information or listing every task you have ever performed, they are probably doing more harm than good.
It depends on your occupation too
Your occupation can also influence how much information you need to include.
Some professions require more detail than others. A senior executive may need to demonstrate a substantial history of leadership, organisational change and business results. A technical professional may need to include specific systems, projects, certifications and areas of expertise.
And then there is academia, where an academic CV can be considerably longer because it may include publications, research, teaching experience, conferences, presentations, grants and awards.
This is why applying the same page limit to everyone simply does not make sense.
It is what fills the pages that matters
Ultimately, the length of your resume is not nearly as important as what you put in it.
A two-page resume packed with relevant experience, strong achievements and information that directly relates to the position is far more valuable than a five-page resume filled with unnecessary detail.
Think of your resume as a bit like the blurb on the back of a book. The purpose of the blurb is not to tell you the entire story. It is there to give you enough of the right information to make you want to read the book.
Your resume should do something similar.
It should give the employer enough relevant information to think, “This person has the experience and skills we are looking for. I'd like to learn more.”
That is why there is no magic number when it comes to resume length.
A graduate may only need one page. Someone with a few years of experience may need two. A highly experienced professional may need four or five pages to properly demonstrate their career history. An academic CV may be considerably longer again.
Don't focus on hitting a particular page count. Focus on making every page count.
