The Truth About Resume Length

For an executive recruiter, the following old-school advice is one of our biggest pet peeves.

“A resume should?never?be more than one page”. (WRONG)

I’m happy to report that there are no absolutes when it comes to the proper length of a television spot, the size of a print ad – or even the number of pages for a resume.

How do I know??As a recruiter, it’s my job to know.?Here are some other things I know:

TIPS ON RESUME LENGTH:

Use as many pages as it takes to tell a persuasive story that is relevant to the position to which you aspire - but no more. Only those candidates with a focused personal brand supported by qualifications are interviewed. As a result, more - not less - relevant information is needed within a resume – especially now that we live in the search engine/digital age. However, don’t confuse a resume with an autobiography. Everything on your resume needs to support your personal brand. If a “factoid” doesn’t contribute to your candidacy for your targeted position – throw it overboard. And remember, the primary objective of a resume is to generate leads that result in interviews.

Don’t try to stuff two pounds of flour into a one-pound bag. It’s actually less taxing to read a well-formatted two-page resume than a cramped one-page resume with 10-point type.

When it comes to digital resumes, key words are king. For resumes, in digital formats, intended to be placed directly in online databases – whether for an employer or for a job search web site – page-length is immaterial. Remember, when it comes to digital resumes, key word searching drives results.

New grads and entry-level candidates. As a general rule-of-thumb, resume length depends on the level of the position. Resumes for new grads and entry-level candidates are often, but not always, one page. Most college career-placement centers tell students to limit their resumes to one page. In most cases, new grads don’t have enough relevant experience to justify more than a page – so that makes sense. However, some new graduates have had a considerable amount of relevant experience before entering college – so, in this scenario, a two-page resume could be far more appropriate.

The two-pager: The average length these days. A two-page resume is the typical length for the vast majority of job seekers who are above entry level, but below the executive level. Once someone has been in a career for 10+ years, it is very difficult to keep everything on one page.

Skills/Achievements-based resumes: For people who need to “rebrand” themselves – in order to go in a different career direction or be perceived in a different light. Those who want to pursue a different career after several years in the same field or industry, typically need a skills-based resume that is often 2 1/2 to 3 pages in length. For instance, if you’ve had a 14-year career in wholesale footwear sales, but want to make a change, you’ll need to present your achievements/awards very early and then go into some detail to show that you have skill sets that are transferable to other industries. This also allows you to push your footwear industry pedigree to the second page. Otherwise, if you include the three different shoe companies you’ve worked for on the very first page, you’ll be instantly pigeonholed by the industry you've served - rather than your functional expertise.

A secondary “short version” of your resume is perfect – when presented in-person in a hard copy form. Once you show up for an interview or a meeting with a contact, a short, standard-format resume is often ideal. At that point the objective of the resume is no longer to be found among thousands of other digital resumes on a search engine. Instead, it just serves as a paper-based snapshot of your background and credentials.

Resumes for the corner office dwellers. When it comes to senior-level positions, a hiring company will be making an enormous investment and betting the future success of the company on the candidate, so they need to know much more about the candidate than can typically fit on even two pages. For a highly experienced C-level candidate, it isn’t unusual to see three or more pages. If it goes beyond three pages, it sometimes makes sense to add these additional pages in an addendum form. For instance, you might want to place a long list of projects on a separate page.

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Need to update your resume? While executive recruiting within Greater Nashville is our core, FiveChairs is also one of the nation's leading career branding companies and we're experts at crafting resumes and Linkedin Profiles that greatly improve your odds of getting the interviews you desire. Send us your old resume - and we'll be happy to schedule a time to provide free, 1-on-1 feedback and advice over the phone. [email protected]

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