HOW MANY PAGES SHOULD A RESUME BE? | HOW LONG SHOULD A RESUME BE?

[@JonathanBatchelder]

2 pages. Thank you for your advice! I fit into the busy-grad category. I had multiple internships and lots of relevant projects in college and jam-packing it into one-page simply did not look good. Thanks!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Glad this helped Jonathan!

[@CodyNorris]

"Take the reader through the evolution of our careers" really stuck with me. I have 10 years of experience and have been trying to cram it onto one page. I'm taking the plunge to start developing 2-page resumes so I can craft my story! Very helpful video!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Wonderful to hear Cody!! Thank you!! Glad that helped give some clarity around how to approach your resume in a way that works for YOU!

[@WealthProtectionLady]

Thank God I don't need to worry about my resume anymore, but I was always under the impression to keep it to one page, but that was really difficult to do.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

You're not alone in that impression! I'm hoping more job seekers see this so they don't have to stress out about forcing their resumes to fit a small space! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SixFigureBusinessCoaching]

Now this answered the question in my mind back in the days! Thank you for the clarifications!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

That's great to hear! I'm hoping this will clear that same question up for people who are actively job searching as well!

[@YesToTech]

Wow! Your advice is pure gold Kamara! I've always wondered how long resumes should be! This is so, so, so helpful! :)

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Thank you Marina! You're certainly not alone in wondering that! It's one of the most common questions I get. Glad you thought this was helpful!

[@dukkieb]

It was drilled into Gen X that resumes should never be longer than one page. More than one page was taught to be a huge mistake and certain death in applying for jobs. With decades of experience this leads to a very cramped and incomplete picture in a résumé. After watching your videos, I'll add the Skills section and the Early Career section to my résumé to improve readability for the recruiter and to avoid ageism.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

You could also use "Other Experience" instead of Early Career if you prefer. I'd love to hear how everything goes for you!

[@JohnTube2K]

My resume is 7 pages. I have tons of experience at 6 Fortune 100 companies and smaller companies. It doesn't have any fluff. I have over 20 years experience in IT. If anything I get a lot of compliments from the hiring managers and recruiters when reviewing my experience.

[@MarielaMerino]

Great info here! I have always tried to make mine one to two pages. I’ve seen others that are way too long

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Thank you! Yes some can be waaaayyyy toooo looooooong. Lol

[@TristanMillz]

Thank you, this is a wonderful video. It really helped!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

So glad you found it helpful!!!

[@MichelleRoots]

Such great info! 2 pages for sure!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Thanks Michelle! 2 pages is definitely my "go to" length for sure.

[@OlleyThorpe]

Great topic! I think its cool to do as much as you can! I'm a video person so I would say include a video URL! thin that would be a cool way to stand out too! happy new year!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Happy New Year! Interesting idea! Unfortunately recruiters are often limited on what links they can “click” in a resume as they have been burned in the past by viruses and malware. I like the idea of including a video if you have it, but I would recommend including it in your LinkedIn profile, which is likely to be checked.

[@OlleyThorpe]

@@thatswhatshesaid that makes sense! whats your opinion on adding a photo or yourself into the resume?

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Great question! In some regions, a photo is expected. But here in North America, including a photo is strongly discouraged because it's not standard, and can also expose us to more bias.

[@RLiz08]

10 years since I graduated from college. Degree in IT but most of my work experience is either in the BPO industry or more of clerical work. Would a 2 page resume work? This isn't necessarily for job hunting but mostly for a current work requirement in terms of accreditation.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

I see no issues with using a 2-page resume regardless of having work experience that isn't direclty tied to your degree.

[@thesqaanalyst]

Great info thank you. I have a question for you and just wondering how you would approach this. I currently have a 4 page resume, it has served me well given my 20-25 year career in IT. I am not interested in a b̶a̶b̶y̶s̶i̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ management position, more like a senior or lead position. But for my current job search, I am rethinking how to clean-up my 4-pager and maybe condense it to 3 pages. A lot of my positions have been the same duties and tasks. So I am feeling like it might be repetitive in some areas. With that said, I was thinking of just listing the position, employer, employment dates but without any details about the position for those jobs I had over 10 years ago. What do you think?

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Thanks for your question! Since you're looking at non-people leadership roles, you'll want to make sure that your resume de-emphasizes any people management. I think your resume is probably due for a bit of a trim. That said, I don't recommend including employer, dates, position, and nothing else. The purpose of your resume is to show how you're qualified for the job to which you're applying, and so the details are very important. That said, you should be emphasizing accomplishments that demonstrate the skills required in your target role by writing accomplishment statements. Check out my video on writing accomplishments (the Darryl Philbin case study). If what you have in your resume is feeling repetitive, that tells me you're probably including too much about responsibilities, and too little about accomplishments. Also, check out my video on beating ageism (the Creed Bratton case study). Not saying you're old! But this video will help show you what to do with your oldest work experience and how to keep just the BEST from your earliest work experience so you condense without losing critical details. Finally, check out my videos on resume space savers and space wasters. Hope this helps!

[@DavidMitchellJr]

2 pages. It’s Long enough to let you know who I am and not a book on my every move lol

[@thatswhatshesaid]

That's perfect David! LOL yes, we really do want to avoid writing a whole dissertation on our every move.

[@devinrunyon2487]

Amazing info, I have 2 solid and full pages in my resume, now this does not include a cover letter, I have never used a cover letter, are these counted in the "page count" of the resume and are they needed?

[@thatswhatshesaid]

I am a big believer in including a cover letter. There is no “page counting” happening so make sure to include a well-written, targeted cover letter with each application.

[@SocialConfidenceMastery]

You explained this well!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Thanks Myke!

[@thatswhatshesaid]

How long is your resume? After watching this, will you aim for a 1, 2, or 3 or more page resume? Tell me in the comments below.

[@AryaTCS]

Hi, Thanks for the video! i have a question, i have had long academic background but low work experience, is it okay to be one pager and half for an instructor job thing? i can fit in one page but it will be so much info at first sight . i am kindaa confused now

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Not ideal because it looks poorly planned. I'd rather you go to a full 2-pages with ample whitespace.

[@jamesdecius122]

It’s really hard for me to fit all my experiences in a single page.

[@bruceyi7738]

Hi Kamara, where can I ask your help for resume modification? Thanks

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Please feel free to browse my services and reach out to me here: kamaratoffolo.com/

[@huongnguyen-zj2hp]

how did you do it can you share with me , thank you

[@shaleen6163]

I am Design Engineer and 11+ years of experience 3 pages is fine ? Bcs 2 pages its looks not good please answer.Thank you in advance.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

11 years of experience should fit nicely on 2 pages. The fact that it’s not tells me you’re sharing too much about duties rather than focusing on accomplishments. Check out my videos on writing accomplishments.

[@pandathedeveloper6660]

Is it acceptable to use a 2-page resume for a software engineer with 3 years of experience? I really want to highlight my projects and using 1 page resume isn't enough.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Great question. First I would recommend including only your BEST select projects. The ones that best highlight your skills. Projects should be listed under the job in which they happened. That means no dedicated “projects” section on your resume. All this said, yes, you’ll be ok to use a 2 page resume.

[@pandathedeveloper6660]

@@thatswhatshesaid omg thank you so much, this is very helpful!

[@veronicajulius9990]

Does this resume include New Zealand format as well

[@thatswhatshesaid]

This video is about number of pages and resume length. The theory is universal but please make sure you’re aligning with expectations and resume standards of your region.

[@jamaallilly-thegamegarageg5862]

😊

[@thatswhatshesaid]

:)

[@sanpri2007]

Watched your video and its very helpful. I'm a 21 yrs experienced civil engineering professional actively looking for opportunity in UK/EU/Middle East. If I get your mail id or any link where I can send my CV for your review and any advice for necessary changes, I would be thankful.

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Glad you found it helpful! I'm not currently offering resume reviews but I can recommend Adam Karpiak's resume review service. Google Karpiak Consulting as if I post a link KZbin will probably hide the comment.

[@dezyandco5855]

Front and back? Or no?

[@thatswhatshesaid]

Like if you’re printing your resume? No. Single-sided.