How long should a resume technically be? Is one page enough? Are two pages overkill? These are questions that we hear on a consistent basis, and the answers are not as cut and dry as you might think. Regardless of what is said in the many articles that you might read in your sporadic Google searches, the art of writing a strong professional resume is a unique process rather than a rigid template. It takes knowing the job candidate and the potential job description in order to produce the perfect document.
The key word is customization. The resume that you had two years ago, or even two months ago, is not the same piece that you might write up today. Your career experiences and relevant trainings and certifications have led you to your current position and have set the stage for what potential opportunities stand before you. There is a certain finesse to using structured words and formatting to represent your aptitude without providing too many details. There are certain pieces of your work history that are pertinent to your current job search and other pieces that can easily be left off. It is up to the judgment of the resume writer to determine which elements should or should not make the cut.
So, if you are struggling to determine the proper length of your resume, then we would advise you to chase after that happy medium. You want to give a concise vision of your previous career experience without any gaping holes, yet there is no need to provide detailed information about your work in a field that is fully unrelated to the dream job you are now pursuing. When it comes to sharing your academic background or listing out your various technical skills or professional affiliations, there is a point where enough is enough and where too little or too much information can dissuade the hiring manager to read any further. You have to engage without boring, to ignite curiosity and whet the appetite for learning more about your story.
If you can pack everything in one page without undercutting yourself, then you may be golden. If you are struggling to reduce your words and minimalize your career history down to three or four pages of text, then it will take the full two pages to complete your resume project. Anything more than two pages is too daunting for the reader and will likely be quickly cast aside. At Platinum Resumes, we have the knack for determining what the right length is for you. There are many times when two sentences can easily be reduced to just a few power words. There are also times when you are diminishing an angle of great importance or trying to highlight certain skills that really aren’t that applicable to where you are now headed with your interests and passions.
Give us a call today to learn more about our resume writing process and how we can work our magic in creating that standout resume that is perfectly tailored for you!