Appropriate Length
So should your resume have all your qualifications and experience and be 2-3 pages long or should you condense it to just 1-page resume?As mentioned above, the length of your resume depends on various factors such as the position you are applying for, your candidature and your level of experience.
How many pages should your resume have?
A one-page resume is considered fairly standard for Entry level applicants, students, fresh college graduates and even professionals with up to 2-5 years of experience. Less is more while making a resume but if you are a professional with more than 10 years of experience and if you think that relevant details from your background and experience will come in handy for your selection then you must go for a two or even three-page resume.
Why you should prefer a one-page resume
Most of the employers prefer a concise one-page long resume without a lot of extraneous information which might not be much relevant to the job you are applying for. The recruiter only spends seconds reviewing the resume so the more compact and concise it would be the easier it would be for the recruiter or the hiring manager to review it.
A one-page resume helps you present your skills and work history concisely in a page so the recruiter can see at a glance how well suited you are to the job.
In fact, many recruiters these days use software to screen job application resumes, so making sure you have a one-page resume focused on the job you are applying for, you are more likely to be selected.
In general, it's best to avoid overburdened busy recruiters with a long resume which just exaggerates about yourself and drags on. If you have filled the extra pages with irrelevant information to make you look more qualified, that can be a turn off for the recruiter and can put your application at the risk of being passed over.
Benefits of having a one-page resume
When you are applying to a large company, there are higher chances that your resume will be printed out and reviewed by multiple people or shared electronically. Having a short and concise resume makes it much easier for the recruiter to review it than to review a 2-3 page resume.
How to write a one-page resume
Make sure whatever you include in your resume should be relevant to the position you are applying for. Because many employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen job application resumes, try to use keywords from the application in your resume. This will increase your chances of passing the first round of resume reviews.
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List your contact information
Put your name and other contact information at the top of the resume. This is done for most of the resume but is especially important for 1-page resume. You should be sure that the hiring manager probably knows where to send the invitation for the interview. He'll probably reach you out by phone or email so you don't need to mention your full address. -
Make relevant resumes for different job
Keep it relevant. Just because you make a resume doesn't mean that you have to send the same resume to each and every job application. Carefully read through the requirements for each job, adding or eliminating elements of your resume so that you have a resume tailored to the specific job listing.
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Match your qualifications to the job
Analyze each job that you are considering to apply and circle the statements that correspond most closely to the wants for that specific position and then accordingly match for the job. -
Combine work experiences
You may have worked at three companies performing similar tasks. Since the work experience is most important, combine those three companies into one entry on your resume. List all the relevant tasks you performed at all three. If you held different titles at each, mention only the highest position you achieved. -
Include only the necessary education
There's no need to include our high school education unless it improves your candidacy. Include your college degrees and other educational achievements if they are relevant. Do not include any unnecessary certificate courses which you have taken which are not at all relevant to the job you are applying for. -
Use Bullet points
Instead of writing paragraphs, condense your thoughts to one or two-sentence bullet points. This will help in saving a lot of space and make your resume look neat. The recruiter can easily find the information they are looking for. -
Keep the size and font low
Put your name and other contact information at the top of the resume. This is done for most of the resume but is especially important for 1-page resume. You should be sure that the hiring manager probably knows where to send the invitation for the interview. He'll probably reach you out by phone or email so you don't need to mention your full address. -
Play With Spacing
You can play with the spacing of your resume. For example, if you have got two spaces between each heading, try reducing this to at least one space between each heading. -
Skip the references
It's not necessary to mention "references available upon request" on your resume. It's understood that you will provide references, if required, as part of the job application process.
Career Expert at CV Owl
Your CV or resume is your first impression for any company. With the help of CV Owl, you can get a well-structured CV and your time will be saved. Everything on your CV should be written in a formal manner and in a precise way. You have only 20 seconds to impress your recruiter with your CV, make the best out of it. Visit our series “The HR Talk” where we help you know everything about your job interview from the recruiters.
Try CV Owl as we help you furnish a fully-formatted in a chronological order resume on our RESUME BUILDER or cover letter. You can also try our CV REVIEW SERVICE, through which you get a CV writing expert reviewing the insight of your CV and advising you so that you can make your CV stand out.
