How long is your resume?

I'm trying to update my resume and it's being really difficult to stay under 2 pages without removing a lot of stuff (like entire jobs, or trim down too much). I reduced the certs I put there and left only a few ones that I care about. I don't have a summary anymore, it's basically work experience, education and certifications. I'm listing 7 companies, so that doesn't give me a lot of space to stay under one page and a half (still need to add degres/certs), so I keep hitting 3 pages. My past experience is pretty much related to what I'm still doing, so I'm reluctant to remove it and give a first impression that I have been working for less time, or have less years with certain tech they want.

The idea to craft your resume to each company you apply is great, but when someone approaches you on linkedin with an opportunity and asks for your resume, they don't usually give you much detail about the position/company so you can edit your resume for that. So, should I keep fighting with word and keep it under 2 pages, or some of you guys (and girls) use 3 and don't bother?

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Comments

scaredoftests

I have 3 pages. I still get called.

BradleyHU

2.5...

the page length myth is just that...MYTH!!! if you've been working for a while, and been in various roles/firms, then its obviously going to be more than 1 or 2 pages.

Swaswaswa

I keep my resumes just under one page.

thomas_

Three pages. I'm at the point where I think I'm going to have to start shortening some of my past job experiences.

ITSpectre

mine is 2 pages

dave330i

2 pages. I just list my title on the older positions and note complete history is available upon request.

Essendon

Not even 2 full pages. The last 7 years of my life are in the first 1.5 pages and more than enough about what a prospective employer would/should want to know about my employment history.

kohr-ah

Mine is about 1.5 pages. Can go up to 2.

As I leave newer jobs I scale back what I did at previous jobs and leave just the major accomplishments and go to more detail about newer jobs.

Guys/Gals who've been doing this much longer than me it seem to be 3 pages.

scaredoftests

If I get rid of software used, I can put it at 2 pages. I think I will do that.

636-555-3226

1 page resume, 1 page cover letter. Anything more is just fluff and waste IMO. Tailor the resume & letter to the position and you can fit it into one page.

ITSpectre

I was always taught to list the last 3 jobs I had... or only list jobs that pertain to IT or whatever field I wanted to go into or had exp in.

markulous

At the moment mine is about 1.5. I keep only what I think is necessary on it. Once I finally get into a security role I'll likely trim it back down to 1 page

ThePawofRizzo

To me two pages is reasonable for someone with lots of experience. Mine is mostly bullet list format of repsonsibilities, technologies, etc.

I think the bigger point of a resume is readability and content. I've seen some three and four page resumes that were margin to margin paragraphs of rambling about skills and abilities - in one case this from a desktop tech who had worked two different IT jobs, and who wasn't really all that skilled (needless to say the manager was not impressed). Now, I could see a highly skilled engineer or architech level resume might be longer than two pages if they are outlining large implementations or projects in which they've been a key contributor. It's important though that the information be somewhat of a summary or bullet points of your experience and jobs, rather than a multi-page essay about your IT life.

gorebrush

Two pages is fine for me.

networker050184

Mine is two pages. When I read resumes I really dislike ones longer than that. Being able to convey information in a condensed format is a great skill to have!

gespenstern

2 pages, 40 years, 20 years of experience.

Worked a few years ago with professional resume services, paid them to rework my resume, get general advice, etc. Wast told that it shouldn't be longer than 2 pages because of software that processes resumes automatically.

Of course, majority of projects I've made don't fit. I use them as components to construct different editions, tuned for a specific job description.

So it's just 2 pages.

jasonperry10

I have mine at 2 pages, I could easily go to about 2.5 pages. I was always told to stay at 2 pages. So I've been struggling to keep it at exactly 2 pages and I am constantly editing stuff to keep it under 2 pages.

wolfinsheepsclothing

Mine is just under 3 pages; certs and degrees listed first. (I get 5-10 calls/day). Content is king, in my opinion; I highly doubt a qualified individual would be discarded simply because their resume was too long or had an unusual format.

636-555-3226

wolfinsheepsclothing wrote: »

Mine is just under 3 pages; certs and degrees listed first. (I get 5-10 calls/day). Content is king, in my opinion; I highly doubt a qualified individual would be discarded simply because their resume was too long or had an unusual format.

You get 5-10 calls a day?

networker050184

wolfinsheepsclothing wrote: »

Mine is just under 3 pages; certs and degrees listed first. (I get 5-10 calls/day). Content is king, in my opinion; I highly doubt a qualified individual would be discarded simply because their resume was too long or had an unusual format.

Of course they won't not hire someone qualified for having a bad resume. They might not get to know you're qualified though if your resume is excessively long or poorly formatted.

EnderWiggin

Thirty pages. Six-point font. Single spaced.

aftereffector

Mine was two pages when I started out and it's getting shorter and shorter as I move along in my career. I find myself removing skills and experience that I just don't care about anymore (for instance, when I started out, I listed my experience working within a BMC Remedy environment and working on Active Directory - neither of which are things that are even remotely relevant to my current or anticipated future positions). I have two or three major versions of my resume tuned towards different career paths such as security engineering, presales, DoD contracting, etc which I update more or less in parallel. I found that approach to be easier than trying to make one resume that would fit all the different jobs I was interested in.

kohr-ah

For sure. As you get higher level certs remove the lower level ones that you don't use anymore.

Also most the resumes I get are I did this, this, this, this, this, this, etc.

Mine is I accomplished this, this, this, this and I note the equipment used in there.

Is hope a Sr Network Engineer can route and do switching. I don't care what models you've used unless they are newer like N9k, Dell s5000-48, etc

dhay13

i was over 3 pages so had to do some editing. got it to 3 full pages but would like to cut it back some more but hard to decide what to cut out. i have my law enforcement background listed as my thought is it might help with IPSEC jobs (credibility, passion, trust, etc?). and about 10 years of IT (4 different jobs). also, 2 degrees (AAS. and BS). but i would love to get it down to 2 pages. should i cut out the LEO experience?

TechGuru80

7 companies? What time period does that span? How many jobs would cover 5 years? If previous experience points to your current job, look for a way to just list the skills under your current job instead. Also, if your previous job titles are self explanatory than you could just list the title / company / duration but it sounds like you have repeat information based on what you said.

The summary is actually pretty important because it says your objective for what you want at this point in your career.

wolfinsheepsclothing

636-555-3226 wrote: »

You get 5-10 calls a day?

Slight hyperbole, but I get quite a few daily. Thankfully the calls go to a GoogleVoice line.

Sheiko37

Where are you hosting your resume to get that sort of attention?

dustervoice

2 Pages here. I list things that can be used in a conversation during an interview.

These are just my personal rules when thinking of candidates i need to call for open roles:
1. Over 2 pages i get bored and put that CV at the bottom of my call back list.
2. Tools on CV also bores me bottom of list.
3. If you are in Infosec and I see your address on a CV that goes to bottom of pile. I dont need to know where you live. Provide that information to HR when hired.
4. Any form of logos ....goes straight to bin

joelsfood

2 pages

CSCOnoob

networker050184 wrote: »

When I read resumes I really dislike ones longer than that.

+1

I personally do not like reading more than two pages for resume too. We're reviewing resumes now and people who has more than two pages aren't doing very good in terms of the chances of us calling the person.