Dear Cindy – How Long Is Too Long for a Résumé

How long should my résumé be?

Sincerely,

The Long or the Short of It?

The standard nowadays for employers in the US and Canada is one to two pages. Why? Mainly because HR staff only have so much time. And because if an HR person senses you're rambling on about nothing, they'll stop reading anyway, so why waste your time?

Even if you have lengthy, excellent experience, it's a good idea to remember the words of Polonius in Hamlet: "brevity is the soul of wit." (Yes, yes, Hamlet scholars, I know that the irony is that Polonius himself was never brief, but it's like the situation with one's parents – "do as I say, not as I do.") So, for example, you do not need to include a list of 50 duties and 50 achievements for each of your last 5 jobs. Pick some real highlights relevant to the job for which you are applying. You can expand on things at your interview. And keep in mind that astounding achievements from 20 years ago don't have the impact of more recent achievements.

So while one to two pages is not really a do-or-die rule, try to stick to it. If the résumé is longer, read it through to see what you can remove entirely or make more concise. And don't force a fit into one or two pages by, say, bumping your font size down to 4-point and stretching your margins to 0.2 inches!

If you're doing a curriculum vitae (see: Dear Cindy – Résumé Versus CV), you can essentially run amok. A caveat, however – a CV is not appropriate to every occupation, and even CVs will lose power if they're too long-winded.

For more information on résumés, see: Résumé Tips.