Thursday, 21 November 2013

Reader's Questions: Resume Length

Hi Robyn,

Thanks for sending through your question asking about the length a resume should be.

I see that a lot of career advisors recommend that a resume should not be any more than 1 to 2 pages in length as a general rule of thumb; but the reality is Employers will read any length of resume IF the content is compelling and holds their interest in you as a candidate.

I once sent out a six-page resume when I was applying for jobs, and this got me invitations to more interviews (for positions I didn't want) than a tailored two-page resume that a professional resume writer hacked it down to (which resulted in no invitations to interviews at all).

And during this past week while I was out at the shops, I saw a Position Vacant sign in the window of a local shop that invited candidates with a 'ONE PAGE ONLY!!! resume' to apply within.

So my answer to your question is: try to stick with around 1 to 2 pages IF that showcases your skills and experiences to the type of work you are applying for sufficiently, but if you do go over the 1 to 2 pages, understand that it is only the first page that receives the greatest amount of look-over time, so ensure quality information is on that first page so it compels the employer to want to look at the remaining pages.

Hope that helps.