How long is your resume? Who cares?

If you sat a group of recruiters and career experts around a table, probably no question would be more likely to cause them to consider hurling projectiles at each other than whether a resume should be one page or two.

Maybe I just get that impression from this video from Jason Seiden that argues, vehemently, that anything longer than a one-page resume will seriously harm your job search:

Oh wait.  Brian McCullough of TheJobBored addresses this “pet peeve” with his own belief that two to three page resumes are often appropriate. It appears there is vehemence on both sides.  I’ll hide the staplers.

My take:  I’ve been in the situation that Jason talks about in the video, and felt my eyes glaze over and recognized that it’s going to take too much effort to process the content of the page.  So, from a recruiter’s standpoint, I understand the impulse to insist that resumes be short and sweet.

But every resume is written for three distinct audiences.  Yes, you must get through the recruiter.  You must also perform well in a database keyword search as well as connect with the hiring manager.

An Accountemps survey of hiring managers says that 61% of hiring managers want to receive a two-page resume for management jobs.  So, by narrowing to one page you please the recruiter, perhaps, while potentially sacrificing providing what the hiring manager needs.  And maybe you don’t even please the recruiter — if he knows that the hiring manager won’t respond positively to a resume that looks “light” you still may not make the cut.

When you consider that a two page resume will certainly allow for more keyword-rich content, it seems that a one-page resume could hurt you as much as help you.

Instead of focusing on the length of your resume, focus on:

• Creating a powerful, crisp, descriptive first third of the first page.  A great first step to this is a summary statement.  Under no circumstances does it include an objective statement.
• Eliminating any spare words, nonessential details, and repetitive statements.  Don’t say in ten words what you could say in five.
• Making sure that everything on your resume is relevant to the position at hand.

A well-written resume — one that puts your value proposition at the top of the page in language that engages even the most jaded reader — will get at least a thorough skim, regardless of length.  Bottom line: focus on the quality of content over the quantity.

Related posts:

1. Your resume summary statement: Quantify, quantify, quantify
2. Key Skills Resume Section: How to Highlight Relevant Experience
3. My resume objective? Eliminate yours.
4. Embrace resume keywords, eschew buzzwords
5. Resume roundup: 15 must-reads for job seekers

Tagged as: Career, job hunt, job search, resume