How Long Should My Resume Be?

One of the most common questions resume writers hear from clients is, “how long should my resume be?” If you’ve ever screened resumes before, you know that length does matter. If it’s too short, you don’t get a complete picture of what the candidate has to offer. If it’s too long, you’ll check out and stop reading. So, what’s the magic balance between too short and too long?

The answer: it depends. It depends on the target position, the candidate, and the job search strategy. A candidate who is just starting their career or targeting a new industry will have a different resume than someone who has been working for 5+ years and are looking to take their career to the next level. There is no specific number of pages that will guarantee you an interview. The truth is that many jobs have become so complex that it simply takes more space to tell a complete story.

The key? Relevance. A resume will start conversations if it provides information that is relevant to the target role. To do this, you need to eliminate unnecessary details. Here’s how:

Remove previous employment that doesn’t relate to your target job.

Every piece of information on your resume must build your case for the new position. For example, let’s say you are an Accountant looking to move into a Controller position but started your working career in retail. There likely is no need to go into the details of your retail jobs.

Don’t waste space on details that won’t get read.

Further to the above, leave off things like hobbies and interests. To put it bluntly, nobody cares if you like to spend time reading or with your family. Resume real estate is valuable—use it for valuable information! Save hobbies and interests for small talk in an interview.

Lastly, don’t include things you haven’t done.

Hopefully, this goes without saying. Even if it’s in your job description, if you haven’t done it, don’t put it on your resume. Everything on your resume is fair game for interview questions, so be prepared to elaborate on everything you choose to include.

Click here to contact me and find out how I can help you eliminate the unnecessary information from your resume.