Answering The Most Common Resume Writing Question, “How Long Should My Resume Be?”

“I heard that a resume needs to be one page,” is one of the most common questions our team at EResumes hears from job seekers. Is that true?”

No, is the short answer. Somewhere along the line, a hiring manager must have expressed a strong preference for one-page resumes, and the mythology spread throughout the candidate landscape. And it stayed with the candidates. We've yet to meet a hiring manager, human resources executive, or anyone else in a hiring position who has ever turned down a candidate because their resume was longer than one page.

So how long should a resume be?

Again with a short answer  – as long as it takes to effectively and succinctly communicate a candidate's background and experience. We recommend the following as a general rule of thumb:

·         New grad: 1 page

·         Two to five years of experience: 1 to 2 pages

·         Six to ten years of experience: 2 pages

·         Over ten years of experience: 2 to 3 pages

Important caveat: Because each candidate's situation is unique, the above should only be used as a guide. A job seeker with ten years of experience, a college diploma, and a single job throughout their career may be able to fit their entire work history onto one page. A job seeker with four years of experience, on the other hand, may need two pages to fit their college diploma, advanced degree, multiple internships while in school, and responsibilities and accomplishments from two different jobs.

Can a resume be too long?

Yes. There are only a few occasions when a resume needs to be longer than three pages. Unlike a traditional CV (curriculum vitae), a resume does not provide a comprehensive overview of a person's work history. Rather, it's a document that highlights a person's work and education, emphasising the aspects that are most relevant to a specific job.

Need more insights on the same? Get a resume makeover with our professional resume writers!