The ICT Job Hunter Blog

After having talked a bit recently about resumes and all the exciting stuff that needs to go into them, it struck me that it might be worth saying a few words about the length of the document.  This is a debate which still rages constantly amongst the ranks of recruiters and career experts alike, and yes, of course you want to wow employers with all those impressive skills, achievements and qualities, but should you really be presenting him with what looks like a copy of War and Peace?

The advice that you will find concerning the optimum length of a resume generally ranges from a single page up to four pages, and those who recommend the one-page document are often quite adamant that it shouldn’t be any longer.  The main reasons why they consider such brevity to be important are firstly because recruiters are very busy people who don’t have time to wade through reams of what is often irrelevant information, and secondly because the ability of the candidate to make himself look like a superstar on a single sheet of paper in itself says something about the skills of the writer.  In practice, however, unless you shrink the size of the font down to something unreadable (which you should never do, incidentally), fitting everything in to one page is often not feasible.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, a four page resume is likely to be a huge turn-off for a recruiter, who may very well choose to cast it aside without so much as a glance.  Contrary to what many job seekers might think, waffling on for four pages doesn’t suggest that you have more great things to talk about, but simply that you don’t have the skills to be able to select what is relevant and express it concisely.

To my mind, unless you are genuinely able to make yourself shine in a one page document, two pages is the ideal length for a resume and there are very few recruiters who would take exception to scanning a couple of sheets of paper.  If you are struggling to condense the information that you are trying to put across, then bear the following in mind:

• Although your resume is one of the first places that the recruiter will look to get an idea of what you are all about, it is not the only one.  A carefully worded cover letter provides you with another great opportunity to blow him away with all you have to offer, as does the interview
• Really think about the relevance of what you have included.  Remember, you don’t have to include details of every job that you’ve ever done during your working life.  If some of the earlier ones are no longer directly relevant to the post that you are applying for, then leave them off
• Using bullet points can often help you to express what you want to say more succinctly
• Combining your achievements with other relevant information about your skills and experience can halve the space that you use.  For example, saying something like ‘Used proven cost-reduction experience to steer the production team of a Fortune 500 company through a global recession, limiting the bottom line impact to just 11%’ saves you having to explain the skill, the achievement and the type of company that you worked for on separate lines
• Resist the temptation to list the tasks that you carried out in your former roles.  The recruiter doesn’t need a job description; he needs to know what added value you can bring to his company

When you create your resume, don’t just dash off a first draft and send it off in the mail, but really stop to think whether it is as succinct as it could be, while still being informative and giving the recruiter a clear picture of all your great skills, achievements, experience and qualities.  The extra work that you put into redrafting will ensure that you end up with a document which is far more likely to have employers beating down your door to arrange an interview.