How long is your resume?
The length of a resume can make or break you when it comes to catching the eye of recruiters. How long is your resume? A better question may be: What is the appropriate length of a strong resume?
The truth is, there is no perfect answer. The length of your resume should coincide with your years of experience. That said, there are a few things you should understand about the length of a resume.
- You should always try to keep it to one page, two pages at most. If you have several years of experience, you may go into a second page.
- If it’s 3 or more pages, it is unlikely it will get read by recruiters. They simply do not have that kind of time. You get 7 seconds of a recruiters’ attention. Make those 7 seconds count.
- If you are a recent graduate or new to the work world, your resume should never, ever be more than one page. I will say it again, NEVER. I see recent grads all over the job market with lengthy resumes. Let me remind you, 7 seconds. If you are a recent grad and you have a 4 page resume you, may want to rethink it. You are including your life history and that is not what this document is about. Shorten that thing up! Less is more when it comes to resumes.
Do not clutter page one of your resume because you are trying to keep it all on one page. If it is too busy, again, recruiters will not take the time to sort through it. Don’t make them hunt for the important information. 
A very large percentage, ranging from 75% to 85% of resumes get passed over by recruiters because they are too long or too chaotic.
A resume should be a concise, yet complete overview of your experience to date, not an exact play by play of everything you have done thus far. If you are fortunate enough to gain the attention of a recruiter, you want to show them the best of you, briefly. Highlight your work experience using industry specific keywords. If a recruiter wants more information, they will ask. They will not ask if they don’t read it. You have to get the attention of the recruiter.
How long is your resume? In most cases, too long. Ask for help. Get a professional to guide you on the appropriate length, based on your experience. A well written resume gets interviews. You cannot get the job without the interview and you will not get the interview if you have a long, poorly written resume.
Need help? Message me at
Kristin@HRCreativeConsulting.com
#Resumes #CreativeEdgeResumePros #ResumeWriting #ResumeTips