Make a good first impression.
First off let me say that regardless of how long or how many pages your resume is, you have in my opinion about 5 seconds to make a good impression. That first gut reaction from the person reading your resume. It’s either going to be “Hmmm nice resume” Or “geez what a mess”. If you have a 10 page resume you’re probably going to get the what mess reaction.
So how many pages should it be?
According to Kim Isaacs a Monster resume expert, that depends on the amount of experience you have. If less than 10 years, you should keep it to one page. If more than 10 years, it’s OK to have a 2-page resume.
“The new guideline is: A resume should be long enough to entice hiring managers to call you for job interviews.” – Kim Isaacs
Liz Ryan a senior contributor for Forbes and the founder of Human Workplace https://humanworkplace.com/ agrees. She also has some great advice as to what should be included in your resume, do’s and don’ts and samples. I have found her website to be a great resource.
I review hundreds of resumes each month, and I would say the standard is 1-2 pages. A well written 1- or 2-page resume should highlight your experience and accomplishments. How can add value to the company you are applying to. The resumes I see that are longer than that are typically not well organized or well written.
Your resume should make the reader want talk with you. It is your personal marketing piece or personal brand. Make it count. There are tremendous resources out there. I tell my candidates the best investment they can make in their future is getting professional help with their resume.
So, I say rule of thumb should be 1-2 pages and make it count!