How Long Should a Resume Be? Formatting Tips Included

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Should your resume strictly be one page long? The short answer is that it depends on a few factors, such as experience. Keep reading to find out how long your resume should be, plus tips to write a great document of the correct length.

Want a stronger resume? Try our resume templates. Simply edit and download. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click using our Resume Builder.

Or view our sample resumes made with our professional templates.

How Long Should a Resume Be?

You’re ready to write your resume but need to figure out how many pages it should be. We’ve all been there, especially when the popular advice is to keep it concise. Depending on your experience level and skills, a resume should be one to two pages long and never exceed three pages. We’ll show you how to determine the perfect resume length.

Tips for choosing resume length

1. Experience level: If you’ve had a hefty career with over 20 years of experience and many accomplishments, this should be reflected in your resume; sometimes, one page may not be enough.

2. Industry or field: If you’re applying for a position in an academic, scientific, or artistic field, you can add additional information that makes you stand out from other candidates, and your resume may exceed one page. See our section on CVs further down the page.

Resume Length Examples for Different Levels of Work Experience

How to Keep Your Resume the Ideal Length

Keeping your resume concise is crucial for effectively communicating your qualifications and experiences without overwhelming the reader. Here are some tips to help you keep your resume an ideal length:

Tailor your resume for the job.
Customize your resume for each job application, focusing on the most relevant experiences and skills. This will help you keep it concise by eliminating unnecessary information.
Use bullet points.
Keep your sentences straight to the point when listing work experience using bullet points instead of paragraphs.
Customize spacing, fonts, and margins.
Choose an easy-to-read font in 11-12 points. Adjust margins and line spacing to fit more content on a page.
List only relevant and recent information.
Don’t list your high school education; it is usually irrelevant unless you have no experience. It takes up valuable space.
Take advantage of the builder.
A Resume Builder automatically applies settings that help you use your resume space strategically.

Difference Between Resume and CV Length

The main difference between a CV and a resume is length, which is determined by the sections and information you include. A resume should be a concise document with only relevant information. A CV is an in-depth synopsis of your academic and career journey and will run two to eight pages long.

If you’re applying abroad or for a job in academia or the sciences, we suggest you write a CV.

Easily format your resume with our builder

Whether you write a resume or a CV, our Resume Builder helps you easily fit your experience and skills into the ideal number of pages. Our builders feature:

1. Professionally written content to choose and personalize.

2. Variety of customizable templates.

3. Matching Cover Letter Builder.

4. Option to download in PDF, PNG, SVG, TXT, or DOC.

Key Takeaways

Now that you’ve got all the information to determine how long your resume should be, here are some points to remember.

Aim for a one-page resume, focusing on brevity and relevance.
If you have extensive experience (10-20+ years), a two-page resume is acceptable. Adjust spacing and format to keep it concise. Alternatively, use a resume builder for simplicity.
Unlike a resume in the U.S., a CV is an academic and experience record, typically spanning two to three pages but can extend to eight pages based on background.

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JobHero has published in-depth career guides, resume and cover letter articles since 2014. We aim to share job-seeking tools and empower job seekers throughout their careers! Visit our Editorial Process to see how our authors research, write and revise our articles.

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Last edited by: Ami Icanberry - July 15, 2024

Sarai Ayala

Content Writer

Sarai holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising. Over her years of experience in storytelling, she’s created effective content for offline and online media publications, including her first self-published book. She specializes in culture, social interactions and book editing.

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How Long Should a Resume Be? [Length + Formatting Tips]