How Long Should A Resume Be In 2024?

Guess What! The quality of the content (relevant experience) you put in your resume is much more important than its length. Well, ‘one page’ is the ideal length for a professional resume, depending on your mastery level, even if you’re just starting your career. In this blog, we’ve conveyed an explicit overview of why a one-page resume is considered the “ideal length” for most job seekers.  

For the majority of applicants, however, a one-page resume is the usual length. The resume should be as brief as possible and should only include relevant information about the job for which you are applying. A two-page resume is fine if you have a lot of professional experience or are requesting a job where longer resumes are required.  It may extend to several pages if it’s considered for an academic role or an executive position.  

How Long Should A Professional Resume Be? - Tips and Advice

Most applicants should limit their resume to one page, especially if they are students or have less than ten years of relevant job experience. Employing managers leads hectic lives; therefore, one-page resumes allow you enough to showcase your skills and professional background without being overly technical.

Still, if you have over 10 years of experience in your field, you can compose a two-page resume to highlight all of your work skills and qualifications. Do you want to create your CV and save your valuable time quickly? Take a glimpse at our resume builder. It is way simpler and easier to use. Plus, you’ll get ATS-standard resume templates with just a single click.

Optimal Resume Length

The most crucial factor, when it comes to resume length is that all of the information you provide should be clear and relevant. A two to three-page resume should only be problematic if it contains outdated employment history or irrelevant material that does not accurately reflect your current skill set. Some common case studies indicate that overqualified candidates face a harder time securing a job.

Here are the recommended lengths for resumes, depending on your degree of experience:

Single Page Resume

Your resume should be 1 page long if you’re a:

• New graduate

• Current student

• First-time resume creator

• Professional with fewer than 10 years of experience 

Multiple Pages Resume

Your resume should be more than 1 page long if you’re a(n):

• Academic

• Applicant submitting resumes online

• Candidate for leadership-level positions 

• Professional with 10+ years of experience

Why Is Resume Length Important?

Unfortunately, there isn’t any visionary response to this question. In recent years, a noticeable shift in hiring conditions has been observed. Resumes should not be overly long or too short, as hiring managers and recruiters typically spend less than a minute assessing them.

• Upon receiving an excessively lengthy resume, the recruiter might not feel motivated to read it. Additionally, if you’re unable to briefly present your facts, they may not take you seriously.

• Hiring managers can assume that you lack the knowledge and expertise necessary to execute the responsibilities outlined in the job description when your resume is shorter than one page.

30-Second Rule for Resume

Ever heard of the “30-Second Rule for Resumes?” Now you must be suspecting what it could be and how it could possibly be valuable. Did you know that in a competitive workforce, you have 30 seconds to make an impression on the interview panel with your resume? They won’t let you have a chance to present yourself in person. Instead, your resume will end up in the rejection pile. 

Thirty seconds is beyond the time limit that a typical recruiter usually takes. You may be sure that your resume won’t pass a resume test and that more work needs to be done if it is difficult for them to understand your career objectives and qualifications. Try simplifying the language on your resume by reading it multiple times. You won’t believe this! You can get a free resume review today at OfferLanded.  

Top Tips For Achieving The Perfect Resume Length

So, you now understand the appropriate length for your resume. It’s even more challenging to summarise all your experience and skills on one or two pages. 

No more worries! With these below-discussed key tips, anyone can hit the perfect resume length. Utilize them to focus, edit, and optimize your resume so it can make the most appealing impression. 

Tip # 1: Tailor Your Resume to Each Application

To ensure the ideal length and tailor your resume, remove any information that doesn’t fit every job application. Qualifications and criteria vary from job to job when you apply. Examine each line of your document from the viewpoint of a hiring manager. You can only achieve that by trimming unnecessary information. 

Save time tailoring with OfferLanded. Let’s notice the key points,

1. Analyze the job description

2. Use the right keywords and phrases

3. Prioritize relevant experience over quantity

Tip # 2: Adjust Formatting

Perhaps some additional resume length is acceptable as long as you don’t scare the hiring manager away with excessive text attempting to fit on a single page. Try adjusting your resume’s format, such as

• Header - shrink it to free up extra space

• Font size - smaller but not harder to read (i.e., 10 pt) 

• Margins & Line-Spacing - minimum to adjust more words on one page

• Headings & Sections - use clear headings to distinguish between sections

• Tables (with no borders) - to organize smaller sections like skills, etc. It also allows you to include more valuable information

Tip # 3: Add Selective Roles

One of the common mistakes among many job seekers is believing that their resume must list all jobs they have held in their career. Still, this is solely applicable if you’re composing a ‘master resume’ or an ‘academic CV.’ Add achievements to your resume in such a way that it demonstrates you’ve virtually already nailed the position. 

Keep in mind that the hiring manager will probably find your resume to be overly long if it feels lengthy to you. You can remove particular roles from your resume or any bullet points that don’t directly address the job requirements if you don’t want to leave any glaring gaps in your experience. 

Tip # 4: Shorten Resume Descriptions

Everyone must have faced the challenge of how to shorten a resume. Avoid repetition of the same achievement. Rather than mentioning 10 network issues, 8 software bugs, and 5 hardware malfunctions, say you fixed over 20 technical difficulties, including network, software, and hardware malfunctions. This is concise to one bullet point. 

One other example says, Write ‘20 years of experience in different fields,’ instead of saying separately, like ‘I have experience of 3 years in copywriting, and 12 years of experience in resume writing.’ 

Tip # 5: Use Only 3-5 Bullet Points for Each Role

On average, recruiters don’t want to learn about every aspect of your previous employment when assessing your application. Your resume should have a brief yet informative professional experience section. Focus on highlighting the most impressive traits of your role’s achievements in 3-5 bullet points.

Instead of describing your professional era experiences in paragraphs or heaps of lines, use resume bullet points. Each role ought to have:

• only 1 or 2 lines

• 3-5 bullet points of milestones achieved

• metrics, figures, and facts to emphasize influence

Tip # 6: Focus on Achievements 

Replace responsibilities with achievements. Not only will your resume be excessively long, but it will also be boring for the reader. So, carefully peruse the job description and list accomplishments that match. It contains acronyms or phrases that the recruiter may not comprehend. 

Tip # 7: Use Active Language

Compared to spelling out long statements that make scanning difficult, use active, action-oriented language that momentarily communicates what you did and accomplished. Remove any irrelevant words that divert attention away from the activities you performed and the results you acquired to make your writing more action-oriented and brief. 

Tip # 8: Remove Graphics

When applying online, remove all images and logos from your resume because certain elements simply shouldn’t be included. Save the graphics for your printed resume or LinkedIn profile, as these become confusing lines of code for ATS. Keep it professional. 

Tip # 9: Include Keywords

Include enough keywords for the ATS without diluting your true worth. You'll know what skills or characteristics to emphasize, what keywords to add, and which details about your past will be most appealing to the hiring manager. Use the right section and number of skills-based keywords, including those that match the job description. 

Tip # 10: Proofread and Improve

While you may not write resumes for a profession, your editing skills should be comparable to those of a licensed professional resume writer. Even tiny errors or the use of filler words might diminish the effect of your material, potentially costing you the opportunity to establish a good first impression. 

Moreover, proofread your resume attentively before submitting it. Avoid filler words such as “the,” “a,” “an,” “that,” or “like.” A well-polished, error-free CV reflects your attention to detail.

Furthermore, editing your resume isn’t a one-time job; edit and then edit again and be aligned with:

• Grammar

• Spellings

• Redundancy

• Abbreviations or Jargon

• Any irrelevant information

Conclusion

But here’s the twist, there are no hard and fast rules regarding resume length. However, what matters most is that the material you include on your resume must be appropriate. Keep your information clear and straightforward. Use bullet points and brief sentences (i.e., one-liners). Moreover, utilizing a resume template allows you to become creative with the length of your resume. 

Now move on to the question, “What’s wrong with my resume?” Avail of an online AI resume builder, such as ours, that provides satisfactory service for tailoring, optimizing, suggesting keywords, and much more. Implement all the discussed strategies to craft an outstanding resume that captures the attention of prospective employers. We’ve also written some more must-read blogs.