NWR: How long is your resume?

APDSS22 · February 2015

If you do an objective, it should be one sentence maximum and there should be a reason for it. If you're supplying your résumé for an academic project or something that you need to focus your objective for applying, by all means. However, most résumé submissions attached to a job application do not need an objective.

My resume is a single page and I have a handful of years post college with a very varied list of jobs. My husband has a ton more job experience and his is also only 1 page. A resume is bait you give to interest a potential employer, you reel them in with the interview.

mlg78 · February 2015

Mine is two pages. I held 3 positions at my last job that have been quite different from one another so that takes up space. I also have extensive volunteer experience and I served on a board for ten years as well.

For someone with 2 years, definitely only one page. I helped a coworker edit hers last month and it was a trainwreck. She's been a professional for about 15 years and she still had her job as a clerk in college still on there, completely unrelated to her career.

charcoalandblush · February 2015

huskypuppy14 said:

What industry is your friend in? In science they usually want CVs because they are more detailed and list more than just jobs and schooling. My CV is 2 or 3 pages, but I have publications, presentations etc.

I interview a lot at my company, and we get CVs that are 3 or 4 pages long.

She's in state government right now, she's looking at PR jobs and other similar positions in state government and nonprofits. So no CVs.

sophhabobopha · February 2015

I don't even hve one yet.

huskypuppy14 · February 2015

charcoalandblush said:

huskypuppy14 said:

What industry is your friend in? In science they usually want CVs because they are more detailed and list more than just jobs and schooling. My CV is 2 or 3 pages, but I have publications, presentations etc.

I interview a lot at my company, and we get CVs that are 3 or 4 pages long.

She's in state government right now, she's looking at PR jobs and other similar positions in state government and nonprofits. So no CVs.

One page it is!

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

I think a big thing people don't realize is you don't need to list all of your responsibilities, you want to list your accomplishments. Don't waste space listing things that everyone knows are the responsibility of a common job title; list the ways your employer benefited from having you there. Use your space wisely and there shouldn't be a lot of difficulty trimming the length down.

hellohkb · February 2015

I'm in the psych/social services world and my resume is less than a page because I have little experience. My professors suggested adding in what organizations I belong to and my interests and hobbies to fill it up a little and potentially have hiring staff "relate" to me. Eh.

FH works in IT in the networking and security field and he's apparently required to have a long resume. His professors and mentor all suggested making it longer than one page and he started getting a ton of "bites" from HR departments and recruiters. When an old co-worker of his applied to the bank FH currently works for, they flat out told him to make his resume a few pages longer and then re-apply. IT security departments apparently want a LOT of detail before they even bring you in for an interview so you don't waste their time, I guess.

Viczaesar · February 2015

huskypuppy14 said:

What industry is your friend in? In science they usually want CVs because they are more detailed and list more than just jobs and schooling. My CV is 2 or 3 pages, but I have publications, presentations etc.

I interview a lot at my company, and we get CVs that are 3 or 4 pages long.

My full job CV is 5 pages. It's average length for my field.

daria24 · February 2015

My field is weird, so I don't have a traditional resume, just a 2 page credit list, which only reflects my past 4 years of work (I've got 10+ years in the industry). Even with 10+ years experience, if I was applying for a corporate job, I'd keep it to a page. I really think employers are scanning just to see what positions you've held, the company names, and any specific accomplishments you can name.

dcbride86 · February 2015

For some reason, the federal government wants you to have really long resumes, so my USAJobs resume is about 4 pages (on the advice of everyone at work), but my private law firm resume is exactly 1 page. Never more than 1 page

KatieinBkln · February 2015

I would never go more than one page for a resume. (CVs are different, but you'll know if you have a CV).

I agree with others that an "objective" is typically not needed. It might be useful to have if you want to transition out of your current field.

"References available upon request" is unnecessary. As a hiring manager, I'd be like, "Uh, why wouldn't they be?"

Ditto @lolo883 that it's about successes, not responsibilities. IF (and only if) you had a job whose title doesn't exactly make it obvious what you did, then you might try to describe the responsibilities in context with your achievements. For example, I was once in charge of scheduling people (even though my title didn't imply any managerial duties) so I put something like "Increased coverage while decreasing paid hours by revamping the scheduling system to be more efficient." Tells you what I did, but highlights something about it that I did well.

thespeshulestsnowflake · February 2015

KatieinBkln said:

I would never go more than one page for a resume. (CVs are different, but you'll know if you have a CV).

I agree with others that an "objective" is typically not needed. It might be useful to have if you want to transition out of your current field.

"References available upon request" is unnecessary. As a hiring manager, I'd be like, "Uh, why wouldn't they be?"

Ditto @lolo883 that it's about successes, not responsibilities. IF (and only if) you had a job whose title doesn't exactly make it obvious what you did, then you might try to describe the responsibilities in context with your achievements. For example, I was once in charge of scheduling people (even though my title didn't imply any managerial duties) so I put something like "Increased coverage while decreasing paid hours by revamping the scheduling system to be more efficient." Tells you what I did, but highlights something about it that I did well.

Also, at least in my industry, your job title can mean different things to different companies.

A project manager might be an entry level position at one company, mid level at another, or finally mid senior level at another company.

NWR: How long is your resume?

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