Resume - How many pages do you have?

How many pages do you have on resume? I have heard different opinions, based on the degree of experience and qualifications.

Example: College grad will probably have a one page due to limited work experience and a 10 year systems administrator might have a two page to list the various job positions.

Your thoughts?

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Comments

tr1x

I'm a recent grad and mines two pages. There was no way I could reduce it to one and still list a few jobs, degree, certs, summary, and all the systems/software that I specialize in. Two pages has served me well this far and I have no plans of reducing to one or increasing to three.

effekted

I'm still working on mine and plan to not exceed 2 pages while having the 1st page highlight the things employers are looking for so that if someone is just going to skim or look at the 1st page I'll hopefully have their attention.

ptilsen

Three is too long. More than three is way too long.

I'm at one, but if I update it it will probably go to two.

Brain_Power

Does anyone have an issue with a 2 page resume? If you have a high skill set and strong experience, why would you choose a one page resume?

Anyone else have comments on this?

spicy ahi

I have two resumes. One is about 3 1/2 pages long and lists everything I've done. This is basically the one I post to Dice and Linkedin and anywhere that is kind of a catch all where key words are needed. I usually build a special resume for the jobs I apply for and only include the information that's pertinent to the job description. If there is a job that I have that doesn't have more than three bullet points which pertain to the job description, then I'll fill it in with major responsibilities. I think after a few jobs, of if you have a lot of jobs where your scope of work was broad it becomes difficult to have a cookie cutter resume that's shorter than 3 pages. Oh, I had a female boss that told me a great line regarding resumes as well. She told me your resume should be like a bikini on a woman. Too much and there's no mystery. Too little and you won't be noticed. Show just enough to make them want to see more.

ptilsen

spicy ahi wrote: »

I have two resumes. One is about 3 1/2 pages long and lists everything I've done. This is basically the one I post to Dice and Linkedin and anywhere that is kind of a catch all where key words are needed. I usually build a special resume for the jobs I apply for and only include the information that's pertinent to the job description. If there is a job that I have that doesn't have more than three bullet points which pertain to the job description, then I'll fill it in with major responsibilities. I think after a few jobs, of if you have a lot of jobs where your scope of work was broad it becomes difficult to have a cookie cutter resume that's shorter than 3 pages. Oh, I had a female boss that told me a great line regarding resumes as well. She told me your resume should be like a bikini on a woman. Too much and there's no mystery. Too little and you won't be noticed. Show just enough to make them want to see more.

LinkedIn doesn't really "count" since it's not a resume. Outside of that, you should never, ever, ever have a three-page resume. It doesn't matter if you've worked eight relevant jobs in thirty years. Two pages is the max or your resume is getting thrown out.

Some claim there's never a reason for more than one page, and I disagree with that. But I don't know anyone involved in the hiring process who would say three pages is acceptable. I, for one, will not grant an interview to anyone with a three-page resume.

The number of three-page votes on this survey is disturbing. People, trim down the crap and play with your formatting. Keep it concise.

Essendon

Gotta agree with everything ptilsen just said.

paul78

ptilsen wrote: »

Some claim there's never a reason for more than one page, and I disagree with that. But I don't know anyone involved in the hiring process who would say three pages is acceptable. I, for one, will not grant an interview to anyone with a three-page resume.

Perhaps a more interesting survey would be to target the hiring managers around TE to see if anyone eliminates candidates based on resume length. I have never eliminated a candidate based on resume length. If I am about to make an investment of 100-250k of my budget and the corporation's dollars, its my fiduciary responsibility to know as much as I can about that person before I make a decision.

QHalo

Never had a problem with my 3 page resume.

N2IT

Two pages here. Both packed with good information.

This will vary though depending on the job. I usually try to rewrite my resume for each job to customize it for the position. So it will changed from time to time. I do have a 1 page version as well. It's very high level, not much detail at all.

Qord

I voted one page, but it depends on the job. For IT work, 1 page is perfect. If I'm applying for a management or supervisory position, I use two pages as there's more information relevant that I can add to that.

FloOz

graduating in may and have 1 page

petedude

Brain_Power wrote: »

How many pages do you have on resume? I have heard different opinions, based on the degree of experience and qualifications.

Glad you brought this up-- the responses have been enlightening.

paul78

I think the general consensus is that there is not magic answer. It all about the context of where someone is in their career and who they are speaking with. IMHO - you need to know your audience. If its an online resume finder, maybe the more detailed the better, to get through HR screener - maybe shorter, to give to hiring manager or advocate - maybe in between.

Heck - a few times, I have even received a full portfolio from recruiters and our HR on a candidate.

cyberguypr

I am a proud two-pager. I highly doubt I would go to one or three. Since I have experience across multiple technologies and industries I always pick carefully what to include and align it with the specific requirements of the position I am pursuing. I never send the exact same resume to different companies.

networker050184

I say put as much quality and relevant information as you can on a resume. If that takes up two or three pages its not the end of the world. I used to think one page was the way to go, but the more experience I get I'd have to leave some good stuff off to keep it low.

Who would want to work for someone so **** they have a set resume length for the people they hire anyway?

QHalo

networker050184 wrote: »

Who would want to work for someone so **** they have a set resume length for the people they hire anyway?

Couldn't agree more. Especially when it's a highly subjective matter. How do you know that the person you're sending the resume to doesn't like X pages of resume? Good luck with that.

the_Grinch

I wish I could trim mine to one, but sadly I cannot. Two pages is the max for sure!

BradleyHU

2 pages...its a myth about keepin your resume to just 1 page...however, keep it to one page if you have little to no experience, or no relevant experience for the job you're applying to.

tpatt100

Mine is two but I usually review it after I complete a major project so I don't forget about it when it is time to look for a position.

TheCudder

Mine is 1 page --- I had to modify margins, eliminate the "objective" & consolidate skills into the work experience. Really glad I did that as mine was never a true 2-pages, but was "leaking over" to a second page. I have 3 jobs listed with about 7 years of experience shown.

cmitchell_00

spicy ahi wrote: »

I have two resumes. One is about 3 1/2 pages long and lists everything I've done. This is basically the one I post to Dice and Linkedin and anywhere that is kind of a catch all where key words are needed. I usually build a special resume for the jobs I apply for and only include the information that's pertinent to the job description. If there is a job that I have that doesn't have more than three bullet points which pertain to the job description, then I'll fill it in with major responsibilities. I think after a few jobs, of if you have a lot of jobs where your scope of work was broad it becomes difficult to have a cookie cutter resume that's shorter than 3 pages. Oh, I had a female boss that told me a great line regarding resumes as well. She told me your resume should be like a bikini on a woman. Too much and there's no mystery. Too little and you won't be noticed. Show just enough to make them want to see more.

I would agree with your boss. I find recruiters and hiring managers etc. always look for the experience and they want to see really what you have been doing in the I.T.world. Now, if you've been with an company for 7plus years; please show how you grew the company with new projects etc. or more current certifications. If not you won't get notice and you'll be on the bench with those people who downsized their resume to 1 page.

Crikey

I've been involved with IT hiring in my department for years, and I can tell you that more than 3 pages is excessive. That being said, that's how we look at it. YMMV.

The first page is the key - get the good points in and elaborate a bit on the second page and third page if necessary.

The bikini analogy is pretty good, I'm passing that along.

buzzkill

I'm going to try 1 page next time I hunt for a job after reading the 50,000 clone threads on here that have the same back and forth discussion.

Of course it may all be for naught when the recruiters butcher it beyond belief as they cram it into their template before sending it on to their client.

Devilsbane

Crammed onto 1 as long as I could, playing with margins and font size and all of that. I think 2 jobs ago I converted to the second page just because I needed more room to list things and allow adequate spacing so that it looked professional.

As someone pointed out above, ditch the objective. It should be pretty obvious what your objective is based on your past work experience and education. If you're changing career paths, then maybe you need it. But 99% of people don't.

Nothing wrong with 2 pages, and if you need 3 then go for it. Just don't add an extra page of fluff. Take as much space as you need to provide good information. Don't stretch things with BS because a good manager will see right through it. And NEVER leave a partial page. If you have just a bit on the 2nd page, make it fit on 1. If you are 3/4 down the second page, find a way to fill it out without being redundant. Not much worse than someone who chooses to hand in white space.

keenon

your resume will grow depending on years of experience and job changes. on average most IT people change jobs every 2 - 5 years, so that being said 4 job changes in 10 yrs can mean 2 -3 pages easy. also including education which can grow as well.
at my last check I have 4 pages

ptilsen

If you have three pages on your resume, it means you are not able to communicate concisely and differentiate what is valuable from what is not. This is why a three-page resume will be rejected by many hiring managers; it reflects poorly on your communication skills and judgement. It's also much, much more than anyone wants to read. Someone who has 20 resumes to sort through is always going to favor the shorter ones.

As far as having lots of information to put there, you have to understand that a resume is not a life story or a portfolio. It's a snapshot of your most valuable qualifications. That doesn't mean everything you've ever done. It doesn't mean every detail of every job you've worked. If you had a lot of them, it doesn't even mean every job you've worked. It needs to be a concise, effective demonstration of your value to an employer. If it's three pages in anything but enormous font, the hiring manager will have to spend far too much time parsing through the nonsense to find out whether you are an ideal candidate. If it's three pages in enormous font, reduce the font.

I'm not making this up or basing it purely off of logic; I've had to sift through system engineer resumes ranging from no-experience level 1s to people with 30 years of experience. If I have ten resumes to go through and five of them are three or more pages, I'm going to skim. The longer they are, the more I will miss, and the more likely I've decided the candidate is not a good fit. I am not the only one involved in the hiring process at my organization, but the others share my opinion on this matter. It's not that we won't interview someone with a long resume; we're just much less likely to given a sufficient pool of qualified candidates.

networker050184

That is just ridiculous to me that someone would take length of resume into consideration in the hiring process. I can see if someone has four pages of crap, but if they are a well seasoned veteran with quality info on their resume there is no way I would pass them up for the job opportunity. I would also say not wanting to look at a three page resume says more about the laziness of the reader than the inability to communicate of the person submitting the resume.

keenon

networker050184 wrote: »

That is just ridiculous to me that someone would take length of resume into consideration in the hiring process. I can see if someone has four pages of crap, but if they are a well seasoned veteran with quality info on their resume there is no way I would pass them up for the job opportunity. I would also say not wanting to look at a three page resume says more about the laziness of the reader than the inability to communicate of the person submitting the resume.

agreed, as stated mine is 4 and it hasn't stopped all the calls i get. I also have 12 years of experience

docrice

Mine is currently 4 pages and it has served me pretty well when I've been in the market. I think a key factor in a resume's effectiveness regardless of length is initial proposition - that first half page or less. If it doesn't grab the reader, it's out. I've been in positions where I've read resumes from candidates and for me the general rule is roughly 2 pages, but longer is fine as long as the content justifies it. Quality of content is important, but everything else matters: presentation, spacing, language, tone, etc.. When there's "filler" it's obvious.