The question of how many pages a CV or resume should be? arises frequently, so I’ve had a google around at advice on length of CV on the web and found that opinions differ. In order to try to provide you with some sensible advice I thought I’d ask the very people who should know how long a CV should be, whose opinions really matter, and those who will be making a judgement on you based on your Curriculum Vitae – the end employers and Human Resource managers. So in order to write this article and give you the best possible advice, I’ve asked all my HR contacts to complete a short survey regarding how many pages a CV should be, and in this article I will share my findings with you. I’d like to point out that the opinions are solely those of UK employers, and so the optimum length of a CV in other countries may differ, however the general advice may well apply, and for those job seekers applying from overseas for jobs in the UK it will also be useful information.
When asked the question “What is the ideal length of a CV (number of pages) in your opinion and experience?”, the overwhelming response was 2 – 3 pages. I have seen articles saying a CV should be no more than 1 page long, which I consider too short. So I asked the question “What is your reaction to a CV of only one page?” Again the response was overwhelming in saying that this would be too short. Employers considered a CV of only one page to be vague, lacking in information, crammed, not enough experience to make a judgement on, and even graduate CVs were expected to contain more than one page demonstrating why they would make the ideal potential employee. I thought I would go the other way, as many people ask me if their CV is too many pages. I asked “What is your reaction to a CV of 5 or more pages?” Again the response was almost unanimous in the perception that a CV longer than 4 pages was waffling, contained too much information, irrelevant detail, was too long and that they would lose interest and perhaps even stop reading it before then end.
This led me to thinking what about the more experienced candidate who has been working for say 30 years, how should they detail their work experience and do justice to the vast knowledge they have amassed while not exceeding the 2 – 3 page rule? I asked the question “If you are reading a CV of someone with 10 years plus experience, how important is the detail about experience which is more than 10 – 15 years ago in your assessment of the candidate?” Most employers responded to this by saying that over 10 to 15 years you should only put dates, employer name and job title, they thought that you should omit the detail of the role. The information on jobs more than 10 – 15 years ago gives them insight into how your career has progressed but the detail was not at all important. This advice should help those with more work experience to shorten their CV without feeling that they are compromising their experience. Employers are most interested in what you have been doing recently, remember that as an applicant you are probably being assessed against a large number of other skilled and qualified candidates, so it will be those who most closely recently match the job requirements who will be shortlisted. This may be depressing news for some who feel that they have substantial and relevant experience albeit from 15 years ago, but I’m sharing inside information here about how it will be perceived. Incidentally for those looking for a change of career, perhaps back to something they did several years ago, you may be interested in another article I have written on this subject. Click here for career change advice.
The quality of CVs that come across my desk daily varies enormously, so as an afterthought I asked “How important is spelling and grammar to you when assessing a CV?” Again the overwhelming response of the people who will typically be reading your CV or resume, and making a judgement on your suitability, responded that poor spelling and grammar reflected an applicant who couldn’t be bothered, lacked effort. They replied that poor spelling and grammar on a CV generally gave the impression of someone who hadn’t put any real care or time into making their application. I realise that spelling and grammar is not a strong point for many people, but you probably have spell check on your computer, you can buy a dictionary and you can ask someone else to proof read your CV for you…. I expect this last point will prompt a flood of eagle eyed Giraffe blog readers to respond with numerous errors on this very blog! I really must get round to reading Eat Shoots and Leaves one day!
For more advice on writing a winning CV you might like to watch the 4 short videos I have prepared offering further advice based on inside information on reactions from hiring managers and my own experience of spending the majority of my working day reading applicant’s CVs. http://blog.giraffejobs.co.uk/inside-advice-on-how-to-write-a-great-cv-resume/
Given that it was in the paragraph on spelling and grammar, is it safe to assume you omitted the comma from ‘Eats, Shoots and Leaves’ for comedic effect?
I have learned a lot from this post today. This is what Job Seekers should look into.
Simply Fantastic. Good Job
Brian, you have me there! No, the exclusion of the comma was not intentional. How ironic, especially as the book is also subtitled the zero tolerance approach to punctuation! The danger of covering such topics in my blog leaves me wide open for criticism. Well spotted!
Thanks for your positive feedback.
Hi Rowena,
As an employer of professional, technical and non-technical staff in the USA I would like to point out that over here… across the pond… we have two distinctively different documents for presenting education and experience.
In the US we reserve the term CV for “academics” and high level professionals. As such, a CV “is as long as it is…” One of my professor’s CV was 56 pages. Why you ask? Because he was a professional expert witness. Also, US academic institutions require full CVs.
Leaving the rest of us, with a “resume”. I would remind any yank readers, if they replace CV with resume in your article, then they would be dead on. I personally ask for two pages that hopefully covers 10 years of education and experience.
An appropriate quote, “If you can’t explain your thought in two sentences, don’t.”
Cheers’
Hi James, thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog. You make a really good point here. I was aware that the common American term for the British “CV” equivalent was “resume”, but unaware of the use of the word “CV” in USA. I deliberately used the term resume, to try and make my CV advice relevant to our cousins over the pond!
Thanks for your interesting point.
Rowena
Hi Rowena
What’s your view on the “Personal Profile”? As a hiring manager I find these irrelevant and indeed irritating as they are uniformly waffling with vague sentiments (“a team player used to working on own initiative” etc).
I’m interested in the facts about a person not their subjective view of themselves. A profile penned by a colleague like the recommendations in LinkedIn would be more useful as there’s a third party perspective.
And yes, 2-3 page CVs are the right length; poor spelling and grammar means you get binned.
Thanks
James
Hi James,
Thanks for your comment. I agree, a personal profile on a CV which contains generalised statements, does little to persuade a hiring manager or recruiter that this person is right for the role. I also agree that having specific skills and facts on work experience closely related to the job description is the key to getting to short list stage. When in competition with a large number of applications, CVs which don’t immediately jump out as being close to the job description are in danger of being passed over.
Thanks for your perspective on this.
Rowena
I agree that a personal profile filled with meaningless cliche and overblown hype is not going to endear a hiring manager to you. But include relevant facts about your expertise, special skills, or a couple of key professional achievements, and you’ve got a succint summary of why you’re a good candidate. The key is to avoid vague statements, and to give concrete proof of your abilities. You could even call your professional profile your Career Summary, to focus more on what you’ve actually achieved, rather than on how you view yourself.
You can also add a third-party testimonial underneath your summary (one sentence quote from boss, client etc) in quotation marks to give your summary extra credibility. There’s no reason why you have to leave your references for the interview – choose select quotes and put them in your CV.
Clare,
Thanks for taking the time to contribute. That’s a good point about using a third party quote extolling your virtues on your CV, and one I hadn’t really considered. It may also work on the level that according to psychological studies people will make choices according to what others before them have chosen. Perhaps this could apply to job candidates as well as breakfast cereals! I’d just add that if applicants decide to use this technique, remember to either keep the author of the quote anonymous, or make sure you have asked their permission to use their quote on your CV.
Your blog looks interesting and may well be of interest to readers of this blog.
Rowena
you just “wowed” me with your research. I have always taught that a CV/resume must be preferably 1 page if anything no longer than 2 pages. I’ve considered one page but now think of expanding to at least 3 pages and let my experience and education stand out.
thanks for you thought.
Ralph,
Thanks for your feedback, there’s no guarantees that you won’t be read by someone who is an exception to the sample that I polled. However 3 pages will allow you to sell yourself. Read more about how to write a winning CV on this blog, where I continue to try and impart the knowledge I have gained. Always remember that your CV is the one and only chance of getting to interview stage, so it’s crucial you get the CV / resume right at this stage.
Rowena
As a middle/upper manager who has recruited 100’s of staff over the years on a very limited amount of available time, I would look for a 2 page CV, 3 pages maximum, and 4 pages plus would go in the bin!!
Thanks John,
It’s good to get feedback from a manager who has been in the position of reading CVs from job seekers. I think your comment highlights the need to stress that hiring managers have a limited time to read multiple CVs, and that it’s so important to make sure that your CV is concise and that every word counts.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Rowena
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