Random Resume Question - need opinions pls!

michmix

Dreamin' of Oz
Apr 7, 2007
441
2
I'm working on an updated CV today and this is driving me bananas!

Is your resume/CV one, one and a half or two pages long?

My friends and I are having a debate about this and we can't agree.

I would like to fit everything onto one page...but this is getting difficult. But, if I try and cut it down so it's as succinct as possible it ends up just over a page - which I think looks a bit unfinished and untidy??

I've read that most recruitment managers prefer one page CVs but I have a lot of relevant stuff I want to present and it won't fit!!

Help!
 
I read somewhere that the reason people prefer one-page resumes is that they show that you tailored it to the needs of the position you are applying for. I'm not sure if that's accurate. Going by that logic, I would think that if you have lots of relevant experience then the manager won't think "Oh she just gave me a generic resume with everything she has ever done on it", so maybe in that sense it would be okay? Sorry, I'm not a lot of help.
 
I read somewhere that the reason people prefer one-page resumes is that they show that you tailored it to the needs of the position you are applying for.

That is a very good point! Thanks! I think I'm going to have a break from it today, wait and see what some other tpfers think and then have another stab at it tomorrow...
 
I'm working on an updated CV today and this is driving me bananas!

Is your resume/CV one, one and a half or two pages long?

My friends and I are having a debate about this and we can't agree.

I would like to fit everything onto one page...but this is getting difficult. But, if I try and cut it down so it's as succinct as possible it ends up just over a page - which I think looks a bit unfinished and untidy??

I've read that most recruitment managers prefer one page CVs but I have a lot of relevant stuff I want to present and it won't fit!!

Help!

There is so much bad advice going around and it frustrates me when my candidates tell me they were told to do this. If you have a long career you need to reflect that IMO. The only people who should have a one page resume are recent college grads. I've had so many candidates leave off pertinent job experience and when I'm doing my resume walk I am frustrated having to make sense of it all, VERY FRUSTRATING for a recruiter. Also please, please DO NOT put just the years on your resume, 2006 - 2007, drives all HR people nuts, that could mean December 2006 -February 2007, be specific with the months, if you have a gap in employment explain it on the resume, GOOD LUCK!!

You can always do 2 pages and if you have more relevant experience you can list it differently.

Example:

NAME, Address , email (no [email protected]) funny but true, lol

Current job, year and months) (detail, accomplishments)

Last job, year and months (detail, accomplishments)

Prior work experience in list form

Job, year (with no detail)

Job, year (with no detail)
RANT OVER, lol. :graucho:
 
Last edited:
I just read an article on a career board for women about it. Can't find a link right now, sorry. But it said, that if you have a lot of stuff that is relevant, it is fine for it to be over one page long. It said it makes no sense to try and cut relevant stuff JUST to make it fit on one page.

So I guess the real question is: is everything you want to put on there REALLY relevant? Then you might just need to make it over one page. But you should definitely try to put all the very important stuff on page one.
 
Last edited:
I just read an article on a career board for women about it. Can't find a link right now, sorry. But it said, that if you have a lot of stuff that is relevant, it is fine for it to be over one page long. It said it makes no sense to try and cut relevant stuff JUST to make it fit on one page.

So I guess the real question is: is everything you want to put on there REALLY relevant? Then you might just need to make it over one page. But you should definitely try to put all the very important stuff on page one.

Agreed - if you've got more than a page worth of relevant information, experience, and skills, then list it. I don't think any employer would want you to leave off important information about why you might be a good fit for the job in the interest of keeping things to a single page. I'd say don't go over two, but if you need more than one, just keep the info relevant and succinct.
 
Also, if you're a college graduate and worked part-time in school, you can put that experience on the resume. I was interviewing someone for a management position and she left off that she worked as a supervisor/hourly manager at GAP, that experience (although part time) counted towards the required experience needed and working while going to school IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING!
 
Agreed - if you've got more than a page worth of relevant information, experience, and skills, then list it. I don't think any employer would want you to leave off important information about why you might be a good fit for the job in the interest of keeping things to a single page. I'd say don't go over two, but if you need more than one, just keep the info relevant and succinct.

Absolutely!! Remember that most larger companies use key word searches to search CVs in their databases (where you send your CV if you apply online). If you leave out experiences simply for the sake of space, you may lose an opportunity to be considered for the job!

If you do write a 2 page CV, PLEASE REMEMBER to put your name, contact information in the HEADER of the document so that it appears on page 2. You would be surprised how many interviewers shuffle papers around and misplace page 1 or page 2 of a person's CV.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone!


I have managed to get it down to one page by cutting out the irrelevant pre-college job history and made a separate section for the most important training and voluntary experience. This seems to have worked!

As soon as I was 14 I got my first job and have worked different jobs right the way through school and college, so I had a lot to put in but I just had to be ruthless and cut all that out. It’s funny how those jobs were just for money, then used to get other jobs and now they’ve just gone back to being jobs for money again!
 
My resume is 1 page. As someone who has interviewed candidates, I would try and keep it to 1 page 1 and a half most. Any jobs or things that you did over 10 years ago, do not list. They are no longer relevant. (unless you were at the same career for the past 10 years) Potential employers want to see the most relevant information in a quick glance. My main concern is to make sure all grammar is correct.