Résumé Advice From A Professional Résumé Writer

How Long Should My Résumé Be?

This is a very common question. I get asked this question everyday by senior executive’s to office assistants. Most people will tell me they had it drilled into their heads in high school that a résumé should not be more than one page. Some people will say they heard it from a résumé writing expert at their career center in college. In fact if I’m writing a resume for someone and it’s longer than a page, you can see them shifting in their seats because they are hearing those old teachers’ voices preaching the one page resume gospel. The only time I absolutely agree with a one-page resume is if you are attending a job fair.
This misunderstanding comes mainly from the fact that many hiring managers threaten to throw away long résumés because they don’t have time to read a “life story.” While it is true hiring managers, recruiters and human resources personnel do not have time to spare to read lengthy diatribes, in many cases, a one page résumé is very limiting. In fact, I was giving résumé critiques at a recent job fair and the recruiter at the table next to me told me he likes to see a page for every five years of experience. This may sound excessive, nevertheless it’s something to take into consideration when composing your résumé. Keep in mind that HR managers and recruiters read resumes in a different fashion than you may think- top to bottom, scanning for keywords, bottom to top, scanning for keywords.
A résumé is a very subjective thing. You can talk to two résumé writers and they’ll both say something different. In the end, you must base it on a few crucial things. First you must consider how much legitimate experience you have. By legitimate, I mean, is it relevant to the job you are seeking. For example, if you worked at Wendy’s part-time while you were in college 10 years ago, and now you’re seeking a promotion to a management position with the non-profit agency you’ve worked with for five years, you probably don’t need to include your Wendy’s experience.
A résumé should not tell a life story, but you should include all relevant experiences. You can figure out if your experience is legitimate if you compare your duties to the duties of the job you are applying for. On the other hand, if you are just starting out in your career and have very little experience or none at all, you may want to list those part-time jobs you had through college simply to show your level of commitment or dedication. Those managers can also be great references.

Think of writing a resume as a form of art. If you don’t draw and paint over a period of time, you might not be creating ‘masterpieces’. No one likes to continually update, rewrite, and reedit their resume so most people lose the “feel” for the art of resume writing. I’ve been professionally writing, editing, and reviewing resumes for two years and hold certifications in the field. I’m involved and actively participate in industry seminars and conferences…I know what works…

Something else you want to ask yourself is how many years of experience do you actually have. A good rule of thumb is to go back no further than 10 years. If you take that advice and mix it with the advice from the recruiter, a two page resume should be pretty typical. If it’s a double-sided resume, you’re still within your “safe” area for a “one page” resume… Now, if you are trying to change your career and you had legitimate experience 15 years ago, you could use a functional resume format and highlight the skills you gained from that position 15 years ago, without writing a life history. Check out the functional resume format for more information.
At a conference I went to recently, there was a panel of HR managers. All five agreed that they get a scowl on their faces after the second page. So, how long should a resume be? The majority of resume writers will agree that it’s based on the individual case, however two pages is an agreed standard. Of course, if you’re talking about federal resumes, all bets are off, but that’s another story…

Tina

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1. Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Your Résumé