Resume Length: Is Longer Better?

The resume is supposed to accurately reflect your professional accomplishments.  It should include the basics: your objective, your attributes, your achievements, your work history, and your education.  If you are at mid-point in your career, your employment category may be longer than average.  You have possibly held various roles, many with significant job descriptions.  In addition, you may have upgraded your skills, accumulated several accreditations, and participated on various committees.  You may have years of volunteer experience to charitable organizations.  These are all significant elements shaping you today, and they are worthy of inclusion.  With all this content, you have the makings of a packed three-page resume.

Many make the argument that anything longer than two pages simply won’t be read.  This may be true in some cases.  It is absolutely fair and accurate to state that managers, directors, and even human resources professionals don’t typically spend more than a few short moments perusing a resume.  They are looking for something pertinent to jump out at them in those first seconds. Frequently, they are looking for a reason to move on to the next.  It sounds harsh, but it is the reality. Hiring managers receive dozens of resumes for each of the many current job openings at the company and there needs to be a system for efficiency.  Often resumes are not even looked at by a human being until they have been weeded out through a keyword search engine.

The bottom line is that employers are looking for relevance and they don’t have a lot of time to invest in finding it. By this theory, it would seem reasonable to assume that when a resume comes along which does bear relevance; the employer would take special notice and continue to read on; therefore, building the case for a longer resume. The key is to focus on quality content instead of the quantity of the content. If your resume is filled with information that will have impact and matter to the potential employer, the length is less relevant.

The rule of thumb is start with one page; but do not go longer than two. Exceptions include international and professional curriculum vitae (CV) formats; generally used in the medical, legal, and executive positions.  You will get passed over if your resume bears no relevance, so if it is three pages, make sure you state relevance on page one, and maintain it throughout. Wherever you net out on page count, make every word tell.