How Many Pages Should a Resume Be

How Many Pages Should a Resume Be?

The certain dilemma of how long should a resume be, tops the list of questions surrounding the job process. When in college, your career counselors might have cleared you all the rules about setting a resume be. But as demeaning as it may sound, these hard and fast rules are, in no way, applicable to professional circumstances.

You might have heard a lot of people say that 1 page resume formats are the best, if you want to be considered for a job. However, these requirements change with the drop of a hat. A format that helped you get an internship in college might not necessarily get you a job in a multinational firm.

Why Does it Matter?

A reasonable query to involve here is; Why should the length matter? Shouldn’t the employer concern the quality instead of checking the quantity? You may be partially right. But the thing is, your extra-ordinary experience and skill level will get you nowhere if you don’t know how to present it.

According to research.

For every job, there are about 250 applicants, on average.

In this scenario of shoulder bumping competition, the employer will find it difficult to read the resumes of these 250 applicants. So, instead of reading them thoroughly, he will try to skim them and shortlist the ones he finds attractive and interesting. Because of this,
An average employer spends 6-8 seconds in analyzing your Resume.

In this scenario of shoulder bumping competition, the employer will find it difficult to read the resumes of these 250 applicants. So, instead of reading them thoroughly, he will try to skim them and shortlist the ones he finds attractive and interesting. Because of this,
An average employer spends 6-8 seconds in analyzing your Resume.

If you give him a 4 page long resume in this scenario, he won’t be able to skim its important details, and will eventually lose interest. However, if you keep the resume compact in 1-2 pages and add a cover letter instead, it can help increase your chances for the job. So, if you haven’t considered it yet, you can check out How to Write a Cover Letter.

Resume Length vs CV Length

No matter how similar and mixed they sound, resume and CV have different formats and rules, according to which they work. If you’re still confused when to use which, you can go through our previous article Resume or CV: What is the Difference?

For Example, a 1 page document might seem fit for a resume, but will be considered too short for a CV. Similarly, a 3 page file might work with a CV but will be useless when it comes to resume.

• The ideal length of a moderate resume is 1-2 pages.
• The ideal length of a descriptive CV is 2-3 pages.

When to Use a 1 Page Resume?

You may wonder why your campus advisors and career counselors emphasized so much on 1 page resumes? It’s because, at that level, you had no experience and were going for the job with your skills and campus achievements. This is where the 1 page resume format works perfectly.

The length of your resume depends on the job scenario. If you sense that there a lot of other resumes in contrast to yours, then a 1 page document will be ideal for you. Because, it would be simple, easy-to-read, and attractive.

When Do 1 Page Resumes Work?

• You’re a fresh graduate with no experience.
• You have little or no experience.
• You’ve recently changed your career focus.
• You’ve only worked with a single employer.

When to Use a 2 Page Resume?

We’ve talked about the fresh scenarios, but what if you have sufficient experience in a field? What to do when you’re looking for a better job with new experiences?

In this scenario, you will have a certain amount of experience behind your back. So, your ideal objective will be to highlight it as much as you can. For this, you will have to use a format longer than a single page. The more you express your relevant achievements, the more chances you have of securing that targeted job.

As compared to other formats, a 2 Page Resume has a 2.3% greater chance of securing the job.

So, if you’re looking for some extra space to convince the employer, 2 page resume is your ideal. Be sure to fill the first page with compelling material such that the second page supports it.

When Do 2 Page Resumes Work?

• You have more than 10 years of experience.
• You’re looking for a better opportunity.
• You have a lot of achievements related to the job.
• You want to stand out and look like a professional in the field.

When to Use a 3 Page Resume?

This is where a lot of people lose hope. If you’re a mid-level candidate with 10-15 years of experience in a field, you’d never need a 3 page format. But these needs change with circumstances.

In the case of research-related and senior-level jobs, 2 page seem a lot less deal. This is because these jobs require a significant amount of research and experience, that can even take your whole life. So, if your job is related to the profession of education, research, or technical fields, then you consider going for a 3 page long resume format.

When Do 3 Page Resumes Work?

• You’re applying for an executive position.
• You’re in the academic field and have lots of publications, licenses, and patents to display.
• You have the experience of a senior managerial position.
• You have the background of a project manager and want to mention them in detail to highlight your technical skills.

The Ideal Resume Length

To your shock, you would have understood by now that there are no clear ideals to set when it comes to resumes. The number of pages you should keep strictly depends on:

• The type of job you’re applying to.
• The amount of experience you bring to it.
• The job requirements.

When writing the resume, try to keep it as concise and relevant as you can. Play with its fonts and sizes. Make it contrasting so that it immediately attracts the eye of the employer. If you haven’t started with the basics yet, you should check out How to Make a Professional Resume?

Conclusion

Now that we’ve analyzed all the aspects, there are no hard and fast rules to how many pages should a resume be. It’s all about the conditions and perceptions. What you have to do is analyze the job scenario and then match your conditions to come up with the perfect resume length for your job resume.