How Long Should Your Resume Be?

Is there a rule I can use?

No, there are no absolutes or hard-and-fast rules regarding resume length. Accordingly, take any definitive statements you see or hear with a grain of salt. (For example, “if you have less than 10 years of experience, never go above one page”).

Several factors can affect the appropriate length of your resume, including:

• Your level of experience
• The type of job you’re applying for
• Whether you’re transitioning careers

With that said, this Let’s Eat, Grandma flowchart considers these factors and provides guidance on what resume length is best for your specific situation.

How to make sure your resume is the right length 

Targeted and careful editing will ensure your resume is at the right length. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Here are a few tips to make sure your most important accomplishments stand out, no matter the length of your resume:

Lead with the most relevant, interesting information 

Since recruiters and hiring managers often only give your resume a cursory glance at first, make sure everything you include is up to date and relevant to the job description.

This includes starting your resume with a Summary of Qualifications that shows how your experience has prepared you to excel in the role you want. Think of it as your resume’s elevator pitch—you want to hook the recruiter immediately and keep them engaged.

For your Professional Experience section, you want to make sure you highlight accomplishments from the last 10-15 years that you know a hiring manager for the role you want will find interesting and impressive. Make sure to list your most important accomplishment bullet points first within the entries.

If you have a lot of relevant experience, you may end up needing two pages to list it all. As we mentioned, that’s fine! You just want to make sure your most impressive achievements are front and center, and on the first page if possible. To keep the resume focused, you can include fewer bullet points in older experiences, or reduce those entries altogether to an Additional Experience section. Targeted section titles or a Key Achievements section can also help you pull out important older experiences to showcase them it on the first page.

Is all this editing making you nervous? Remember, LinkedIn is the perfect place to include experiences you may have to cut from your resume!

Include metrics and data

Ideally, every bullet point in your resume will include metrics, for example, “Increased sales by 20%,” and “Increased sales from $2 million to $2.4 million.” Including numbers like this helps add context to your accomplishments and makes them more relatable and impressive. This could be anything from how much revenue you generated in a previous role to how many people you managed.

And bonus, numbers are impactful without taking up a lot of space!

Use power words

In addition to using data and metrics, make sure each bullet point starts with a powerful  active verb. These words pack a punch and ensure your bullet points capture the reader’s attention. For example, instead of saying “created,” you could say “devised,” “initiated,” or “spearheaded.”

Not only do power words make your accomplishments sound more impressive, but they can also help you fit more information into a smaller space.

Pro Tip: Power words are very different from overly-technical jargon or “buzzwords.” Stick to words that anyone could understand, even if they’re not in your industry.

Avoid “empty” words

Every word counts in a resume, so it pays to be intentional with your word choice. Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash

When you’re trying to keep your resume concise, it’s important to avoid using “fluff” words and phrases that don’t actually add anything. For instance, words such as “very,” “various,” “several,” and “many” don’t tell the reader anything specific and can usually be removed without changing the meaning of a sentence.

Instead of saying “with plenty of experience,” try “with 10 years of experience.” Not only is this more concise, but it’s also more specific and impressive. When in doubt, ask yourself if a certain word or phrase is adding anything valuable to your resume. If not, get rid of it.

What to avoid when shortening your resume

When job seekers hear that recruiters and hiring managers prefer shorter resumes, they sometimes make certain mistakes that end up doing more harm than good. Here are a few things to avoid if you’re trying to keep your resume short and sweet:

Omitting important information

Just because you’re trying to shorten your resume doesn’t mean you should leave out important information. For instance, don’t omit your contact information and assume the recruiter will be able to find it or ask for it later. You can remove your physical address, but include your email address and phone number.

Tiny fonts

Another common mistake job seekers make is using tiny fonts to fit more information on one page. Not only does this make your resume more difficult to read, but it also looks unprofessional. Stick to a font size that’s between 10 and 12 points. Anything smaller than that’s difficult to read, and anything larger looks unbalanced.

Overcrowding the page

When job seekers try to shorten their resumes, they sometimes make the mistake of overcrowding the page. In other words, they reduce the margins and line spacing. If you reduce the margins, don’t go lower than 0.5”. And if you reduce the line spacing, don’t go lower than 1”.

What are some exceptions to the norm?

Just because the “general” consensus is to keep your resume short and sweet, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any exceptions. In some industries and positions, two pages (or more) is perfectly acceptable—and even encouraged. Here are a few examples:

Executive-level positions

Executives may need a longer resume to fit all of their accomplishments. Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

Executive positions often warrant longer resumes as well since these roles typically require a fair amount of experience. Executives often their resumes professionally written—and can end up with documents that are 3 pages since they include everything from board memberships to awards and recognition.

Super-specialized positions might also require a longer resume, like IT Consultants. Because consultants are often hired for their extensive knowledge and experience, and their experience often spans a variety of companies, they often have resumes that are several pages long.

Academics and researchers

If you’re applying for an academic or research position, it’s not uncommon to have an academic CV that’s 3-5 pages—or even longer. That’s because these positions often require extensive publications lists and detailed descriptions of research projects.

Medical professionals

If you’re in the medical field, you may also need a longer CV, rather than a resume. That’s because you’ll likely need to include a list of all the licenses and certifications you’ve earned and a detailed description of your experience (including residencies, fellowships, and so on). In such cases, a one- or two-page resume simply won’t cut it.

Federal government positions

If you’re applying for a position with the federal government, you may be required to submit a detailed resume of everything you’ve done in your career thus far, whether it’s directly relevant to the job you want or not. That’s because the government needs to know everything about your work history to determine if you’re qualified for the job.

The bottom line: There’s no magic number

When it really comes down to it, while the standard resume length is 1-2 pages, each job seeker’s situation and experience is different. Certain industries and job positions may require a longer resume, and so do certain stages in your career.

The best thing you can do is focus on quality over quantity. Make sure it’s well-written and contains all the information the employer needs to know, in a concise, skimmable format. If you do that, you’ll be sure to impress the hiring manager—no matter how long (or short) your resume is.

Not sure if your resume is the right length? Submit it for a free critique by one of our senior resume writers.