How Long Should a Resume Be?

Did you know that 91% of resumes are more successful (and useful) if they contain relevant work? This means that regardless of how much experience you have, awards you've won, or roles you've held...you do not need to document your entire professional life on your resume. When wondering, "How long should a resume be", the best thing to do is to keep things short.

You only have six to seven seconds to catch the eye of a potential employer. So, it's safe to say that if your resume is too long, it won't make the cut. At first glance, recruiters want to get into the meat and potatoes of your professional life which is your experience.

That first glance is also what will determine if your resume is tossed or passed on to the hiring team. It can be hard to condense a lot of experience into a short calling card, just as it can be to stretch out little information to fill a length requirement.

Luckily, there is no set-in-stone length requirement for resumes. However, there are some guidelines that will help you get noticed so, keep reading to find out what they are.

The New Job Market Requires a New Resume

Entering today's job market or trying to navigate it, in general, may seem or sound overwhelming, but there is some good news. The job market as of 2023 isn't nearly as rigid as it previously was. Employers are planning to increase their hiring efforts and are preparing to hire 3.9% more college graduates in 2023.

Graduating classes within this year's time frame will need to brace themselves for a marketplace that is much more manageable than what they might have been exposed to during peak times of the COVID-19 pandemic because now, things are getting back to normal. If you're navigating open roles or trying to transition or add to your current career path, the playing field will be more neutral than impossible.

This is something that is surprising to job seekers and even hiring managers because now, more roles are getting filled and companies have the working capital to bring on more employees.

The Job Market Today Is in Your Favor

Unemployment is currently at the lowest it's ever been since 1969 and is sitting at 3.4%...something no one has seen in more than two vicennial. While the competition for prospective roles might be lower than normal, you're still going to have to put in the work to get yourself noticed and the way to do that is with a convincing resume.

You're going to need to use the right language to put yourself out front and center, learn how to demonstrate your skills in a condensed manner, and understand how to optimize your resume. While you do need to learn how to do each of these things to increase your chances of getting an offer, the most important thing is length. Without complying with the appropriate length, chances will be slim at catching a recruiter's attention. 

What Should Be Included in Your Resume

Knowing how long should a resume be and what to include on a resume is just as important as the length of it. After a recruiter considers your resume, the information on it is the next determining factor of whether you're still in the running for the job. 

Some of the basics include your contact information, your professional title as well as your professional summary. However, one thing that people don't do is tailor their professional summaries to the role that they are seeking to apply for. 

In a job market that does offer competition, it can be common to binge-apply when looking for a new role. Over half the population is seeking a new job right now (56%) in search of higher salaries, better benefits, and gaining experience. A lot of those that are applying for new roles or even their first role may be rage-applying, which is actually something that is becoming more expected among job hunters today. 

Don't Make These Mistakes

When rage-applying, it's also common to have a very generic professional summary, and this is a mistake. Instead, tailor your professional summary to showcase your most impressive strengths and try to match what the company is looking for. The same concept should go for your professional title as well. 

In addition, don't waste space on your resume by listing an endless amount of hobbies and awards. This is something that recent high school or college graduates fall into, but most of the time, it can be a waste of space. Instead, if you want to list these types of things without wasting space on your resume, include a link to your personal website or an extended version of your resume that is featured somewhere online. 

Or you could add a link to professional platforms that you are a part of. If you do want to list awards on your resume, they should only be awards that are directly rooted within your industry and not random mentions. Something else to consider is finding ways to bulletproof your resume. 

Make Your Resume a Solid Winner

Bullet-proofing your resume involves helping recruiters skip additional steps. For example, some companies require you to provide references. To limit the length of additional conversations that you have with a recruiter, listing your references on your resume and opting in to have recruiters contact those references if and when needed can save a lot of time during the hiring process. 

Also, if you can verify your educational credentials or credentials for certifications that you hold through platforms like Credly, this can save significant time in the hiring process. For roles that require technical skills such as data analytics, medical or technical writing, it would be beneficial to add a link to an online portfolio or website to showcase those skills. 

Even roles such as graphic design, creative writing, grant writing, or market research could call for the need to verify those skills. Instead of having a recruiter ask you to take certain skills tests within the hiring process, you may be able to bypass those types of steps if you add a link to a portfolio. 

You also want to keep in mind that a comprehensive resume with links to relevant additional resources will save you and the recruiter time. It will also put you ahead of applicants that don't have these things on their resumes.

How Long Should a Resume Be?

Your resume length should fall within one page. Technically, you don't want to exceed two pages when constructing your resume. While some may say that three pages are even okay, you should avoid doing so if you can.

Instead, if you have information that will push your resume sections onto multiple pages, you can make use of links. Keep in mind that you will often be sending this document electronically. This means that you can engage recruiters with these links.

If your resume looks interesting enough at first glance, they may want to click around if you give them the option to do so. This is when you can add a link to an extended version of your resume, a personal website, or something like a LinkedIn profile.

The 6-Second Test...Yes, It's a Thing

Six seconds means that your resume needs to be very easy to skim. If a recruiter can't see a few key things that line up with their job posting within six seconds, your resume has a high potential of getting tossed. Keep in mind that we mentioned that you have six to seven seconds to get and keep the attention of a recruiter.

That seventh second is sort of like a grace period but won't always be guaranteed. To pass the resume test you need to leave the right impression and the best way to do this is to highlight your most relevant experience and not all of your experience. Now that you know you have a very small window to up your chances of having your resume put into the 'yes pile', you might want to know how to pass the six-second test.

It's Not Too Difficult To Do This

The best way to do this, aside from presenting your most relevant experience, is by highlighting a few other primary things. Some of these must-have items should be:

• Relevant certifications (if you have multiple certifications and listing all of them takes up too much space, only list those relevant to the job you're applying for)
• Contact information (try to include a link to your LinkedIn, portfolio, or other professional networks and not just a phone number and email)
• Professional titles at the start of your resume (targeted professional titles help AI with getting you noticed)
• References (this isn't always necessary but can help increase your chances of hearing back)

Including each of these things on your resume is essential for not only getting noticed but getting quick responses. Typically speaking, it can take anywhere from three to six weeks for the hiring team to reach out to potential candidates.

To combat this, start optimizing your resume with the above information. Also, just as job ads can be targeted to reach a certain audience of job hunters, you can construct your resume to target the attention of certain companies.

Know What Will Get Your Resume Kicked to the Side

Just as it's important to get your resume to the right length and have the right information on it, you also need to know what will get your resume kicked to the side. It's easier than you might think to unintentionally set your resume up for failure, even if you have the right length. One of the top things that prompt recruiters to throw out your resume is not having the basic experience for the role.

While you may already have the necessary minimum requirements for the role, your resume just might not highlight it. What you need to do is word the information on your resume in a way that points to what the hiring team is looking for. You can do this with keywords, changing the verbiage that you use to match the companies, or slightly adjusting your experience to match their official descriptions on the company's website. 

Know What Is and Isn't Appropriate

In addition, not paying attention to detail will also cause your resume to be excluded. You also want to keep in mind that complexity is not appropriate for resume writing. 

While it might seem like it would give off a good impression, it will do the opposite. Formats that are too difficult to read won't pass the six-second test. Formats that are also too complicated could potentially confuse recruiters and if they get farther than six seconds, it won't take them too long before they throw it out.

Consider these additional red flags that recruiters are looking for before anything else.

• Poor grammar and bad punctuation
• Misspelled words
• Not following directions for the hiring process
• No customization (you might think customization is bad but it can get you noticed if done right)

If you know what the red flags are on unsuccessful resumes, you're less likely to have them on yours. 

Don't Forget to Expand Your Thinking

Another thing to look out for as an applicant is to limit signs of job hopping. Job hopping is also something that can be misrepresented on a resume. For example, if you are an independent contractor and have worked within multiple contracts this can appear as hopping from job to job when in reality, working different contracts is your job. 

If this is the case, you may want to highlight that these are contract positions, only list relevant contracts, and combine contracts if they are with the same company. It can also be beneficial to highlight the fact that your professional experience was gained as an independent contractor in your professional summary. 

Doing this highlights that you have a diverse skill set and experience working in different capacities. This could also be helpful if some of those contracts were remote, as this can bring attention to the fact that you have extensive exposure to remote opportunities.

Tips for Getting Your Resume Noticed by Recruiters

Now you know the answer to, "How long should a resume be". A resume shouldn't be a narrative about your professional life. This is where many applicants fall short. Instead, do exactly that and keep your resume short and sweet.

Make everything bite-sized and lure a recruiter's attention with links, relevant certifications, and detailed but concise information about your most 'relevant' experience. To get more information about how to not just pursue but lock in your future career, consider joining Honor Society.