# Should resumes be limited to two pages? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028 "2009-06-17T02:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/81 "2009-06-19T20:07:02Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Can we all agree that different fields have different expectations regarding resumes? And that modern electronic processing of resumes may well make the “one-page rule” obsolete? > > If no one ever handles a paper copy of your resume, and said resume is in plain text (say, something you’d open in Notepad), how would the “one-page rule” even be strictly applied? I do agree that different fields have different standards and that online processing has made some changes. If no one is ever handling a paper copy, you may well have gone through one of those online applications that already told them you had 6 years of COBOL programming more than 5 years ago, and so on for all the programming languages. There’s even less reason for a lengthy resume in that case. If someone’s application process for IT jobs is to just invite Notepad documents, I guess they’ve got it coming as they sort through whatever they get. People do wind up printing paper copies of finalists quite a bit, just because it’s easier to do comparisons with them all in front of you and easy to mark up. If I see one more college student or new college grad with crap dangling onto the second page of their Word document because they chaired their fraternity’s spring formal and published a poem in the college literary magazine, though, I’m going to scream. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/82 "2009-06-19T20:14:45Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > A resume, these days, needs to be as long as it needs to be. > > Gone are the days of 2 or 3 page resumes. For one, most will be electronically scanned for key words before a human even has a chance to review it. > > Secondly, 5, 6, 7, or even 10 page resumes are not unheard of nowadays. Your resume MUST be tailored to the specific job to which you’re applying. If you need 10 pages to inform that employer why you are the preferred candidate, then so be it. > > I have been out of work for months and have taken some courses regarding the above. Trust me on this one. I know this is insensitive, but am I the only one who thought: “I’d be more willing to trust you on this one if you FOUND a job with a multi-page resume?” How do you know your multi-page resume is isn’t getting tossed out on the jobs where you’ve heard nothing? Oh, and for what it’s worth. In the past when I was laid off I was given as part of my layoff package time with ‘displaced professional’ service where they showed you how to retool your resume, dress for success, etc. etc. I found out the hard way that that company just made money preying on companies who had to lay people off. Half of the shit they taught there was either complete horse shit, or painfully obvious. They fucked up my resume and put it on nice paper. My success didn’t come until after I changed my resume back to like it was. Oh, one more thought. I think the best help I received on a resume critique was from the job search office at my local university. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/83 "2009-06-19T20:17:55Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I know this is insensitive, but am I the only one who thought: “I’d be more willing to trust you on this one if you FOUND a job with a multi-page resume?” After reading the entire thread, I can answer your question: No. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/84 "2009-06-19T20:33:56Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > After reading the entire thread, I can answer your question: No. What’s funny (stupid?) on my part is that i typed my response yesterday, and it got buried in other windows on my work machine. I never submitted it. So without reading all of the new replies I went ahead and posted. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/85 "2009-06-20T04:24:42Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Does that two pages that most people on here seem to be suggesting include references? The reason I ask is because my resume is three pages, but one of those is just references. The first page is work experience and the second one is college, awards and various workshops and conferences I’ve attended for my work. References should be provided only by request. Example - you send out 50 resumes and per chance all of those companies contact that poor reference. By the time they receive that 50th call, what kind of feedback do you think they are going to provide? Or even worse, you posted it on line and every staffing frm in the world has now contacted this reference trying to weasel their way in to being a service provider for that firm. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/86 "2009-06-20T12:13:56Z")
It seems odd to me that there are two different people who are in charge of hiring arguing over whose view is right. Does not the fact that there is even an argument indicate that the two pages is no longer a hard-and-fast rule? From my own point of view, throwing resumes out for artificial reasons is stupid. Assuming that someone who has a large resume is not suited to the task seems counterproductive, as you don’t know if the person actually has that many qualifications. And you don’t know if they just summarized on the front page and gave you more information if you need it or just to get HR to get their resume to someone who actually knows something. Of course, this whole idea of having an uneducated person decide whether somebody more educated than them is qualified to work at a company seems really stupid. The HR guy should know enough about the job to at least understand the basics. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/87 "2009-06-20T13:49:51Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Some years ago I went to a job-seeking seminar, and they stated that a resume should be no more than two pages. Agree/disagree? One page is far far better. And if you have a cover letter, then 2 pages is too many. When I was hiring I tossed aside anything longer than two pages. Some people gave me 3, 4, 5 pages, and I knew I would never trust them to write a report I’d want to spend time reading. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/88 "2009-06-20T16:35:08Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > A resume should be like a bikini. It covers everything that is essential, reveals much that is interesting, and inspires the wish to meet the user in person. Love that! Last night, I just emailed my revamped resume and cover letter out. I am employed, but not happy and willing to look around for something better. My resume did slip onto two pages, and it only includes relevant post-university employment. I did include my references, because I’m not posting the resume publicly, I’m only going to apply for specific openings that appeal to me. Interests? An experienced friend in the same business advised me to add that, so I did. (“Gardening, literature, photography, computing.”) I left out aimless websurfing, writing smut, randomly reorganising my household possessions and chronic dieting. I am wondering about including something to ping interest and make me stand out, but I don’t want to be \*kooky \*and have my resume tossed. I’m quirky in real life. This is my emailed cover letter: COMPANY NAME ADDRESS Good afternoon: Re: Property Manager’s Assistant Opening I am submitting my resume for the position of property manager’s assistant that was advertised June 19, 2009 on [Craigslist.org](http://Craigslist.org). I have over four years of experience in a property management office, and find the work to be challenging and interesting. I enjoy administrative work and my role as support to a busy property manager. My experience is with residential property management, with a varied portfolio of single strata units, apartment buildings, houses and multi-unit properties. I am comfortable with all aspects of property management, beginning with meeting an owner to assess their property, marketing, tenant selection, lease setup, and then the ongoing management of the tenancy and care of the property. If the property manager who requires an assistant is a strata manager, I believe my existing experience can transfer well to working in a strata environment. In residential management – handling many condos – we are often involved with strata managers and must be familiar with most aspects of strata property management. I would be interested in working for COMPANY, a company whose name I immediately recognised. Your firm is long established, well-known and of good reputation in Victoria. I hope you will find my experience and qualifications suitable, and that you will consider me for your team at COMPANY. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Savannah’s RealName Anything I could do to make this better for the next time around? I had the first name of the contact, but not his last name, and couldn’t locate him on the company website. I would have waited to call the company to get his last name, but this was last night after work, and I didn’t want to wait until Monday. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/89 "2009-06-20T16:38:13Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Most IT work is a combination of several technologies. Putting “Java application developer/access control” means nothing. “Java application developer. Used DB2, Tivoli data extractor, LDAP, Siteminder, Websphere 6, for real time access control of enterprise level 10,000 user SOA, context-based SOX compliant Application” Means slightly less than nothing. It takes a good 10-12 line paragraph to explain the project to the level any IT interviewer worth a damn cares about. Start adding in multiple projects for dozens of separate contracts, and it is just not doable. Alright, I am confused. Your 2nd example seems like a perfect summary of what the job entails. What exactly would you do to make this into a 10-12 line paragraph? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/90 "2009-06-20T18:28:27Z")
I recently received a resume (for a college teaching position requiring a doctorate) on a 3"x5" index card. (I am not making this up.) Under two pages, yes, but do you think that’s overdoing it a little? ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/91 "2009-06-20T21:21:18Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Last night, I just emailed my revamped resume and cover letter out. I am employed, but not happy and willing to look around for something better. Oh, my gosh–I have an interview tomorrow. :):eek:🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/92 "2009-06-20T21:45:20Z")
A few months ago I was surprised to get called for an interview. I felt woefully underqualified for the position, and had applied on an impulse. In my interview I felt I had nothing to lose by asking why they had selected my resume out of 70+ applications. I was told that (a) my resume was easy to read (lots of white space, well-organized, and I’d summarized my related skills first, in point form); (b) my accompanying letter was well-written, concise, with no errors; and © both my hard skills and my soft skills were easy to pick out. My resume is in Arial font, 11 or 12 pt, it is two pages, and it is organized as follows: Page 1: Objective Skills Summary (point form) Related Experience (point form) Page 2: Employers, Dates of Employment, and Position Held Education (Institution, Program, Dates) I have a third page with my References, but I don’t submit that initially, instead I bring it to the interview. My resume gets me interviews 9 times out of 10, in a very competitive job market. P.S. - I got the job! ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/93 "2009-06-20T22:04:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > From my own point of view, throwing resumes out for artificial reasons is stupid. It’s not stupid. You have to find ways to arbitrarily make a huge stack of resumes into a manageable stack of resumes. I don’t think the IT sector has been hit as hard this time around, but in previous economic downturns several hiring managers that i’ve talked to consistently did something in common… [ol] [li]Get rid of resumes where the person was looking to change career path because their old career was hit hard by a recession (because it’s not worth it to chance hiring someone who only wants a job until they can move back into their career line of work)[/li][li]Weed out resumes based on lack of education. Sure you’re missing a few gems, but in general it’s a pretty safe way to go.[/li][li]Weed out long resumes. Again, you’re probably missing a few gems, but it’s easy, it’s probably not going to hurt you.[/li][/ol] People need to remember, very rarely do employers look for the one right candidate… they look for the FIRST right candidate, and if they weed out a couple of good ones on accident, what do they care? In most cases they’ll be able find someone to do the job. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/94 "2009-06-20T22:10:55Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > A resume should be like a bikini. It covers everything that is essential, reveals much that is interesting, and inspires the wish to meet the user in person. > > Regards, > Shodan That is a fantastic line. I’m going to steal it. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/95 "2009-06-20T22:22:15Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I recently received a resume (for a college teaching position requiring a doctorate) on a 3"x5" index card. (I am not making this up.) Under two pages, yes, but do you think that’s overdoing it a little? Send it to **Oakminster**. This applicant might summarily make partner. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/96 "2009-06-20T23:11:28Z")
Law student here. We’ve been told to make our resumes one page, two at most if we reaaaally need to. Mine’s currently one page, and even then I think it has a lot of fluff (still have my McJobs on there from college, since I’ve only had one legal-related job). It’s pretty easy to fit the job description/experience into only a couple lines. Ditto the school (name, GPA, quick list of honors, etc). Maybe it truly is different in IT jobs, but I can say that personally, just looking at the example one which **wolfman** linked to, there’s a lot on that page that makes me get bored and blurs together: the entire first paragraph (which unfortunately could lead to the important language skills being overlooked) is the most egregious example. And it’s overly wordy (“compatible team player” when only “team player” is needed, for example). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/97 "2009-06-21T04:04:31Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I know this is insensitive, but am I the only one who thought: “I’d be more willing to trust you on this one if you FOUND a job with a multi-page resume?” > > How do you know your multi-page resume is isn’t getting tossed out on the jobs where you’ve heard nothing? Oh, and for what it’s worth. In the past when I was laid off I was given as part of my layoff package time with ‘displaced professional’ service where they showed you how to retool your resume, dress for success, etc. etc. I found out the hard way that that company just made money preying on companies who had to lay people off. Half of the shit they taught there was either complete horse shit, or painfully obvious. They fucked up my resume and put it on nice paper. My success didn’t come until after I changed my resume back to like it was. > > Oh, one more thought. I think the best help I received on a resume critique was from the job search office at my local university. The assistance provided to me was trough an Employment Ontario program. Coincidentally enough the folks at this office primarily help IT folks. As I’ve continued to read this thread, IT does indeed seem to be an outlier for resume styles. I have just cut my resume back to two painfully simple pages thanks to all the kind folks here. I changed my mind and I agree with you; two succinct pages should work if I wordsmith it correctly. Ignorance fought and all that. I’ve never been one to NOT accept advice and you guys swayed me. Let’s see what happens. (Although, originally I was only dealing with a 3 page resume, but I’ve put much more information up-front in my profile now and will take the suggestion of **tim-n-va** and include a variant of my own quote. I appreciate the advice. ---
**Author:** ![ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/98 "2009-06-21T12:28:31Z")
I’ve been going through a lot of resumes lately (for programming jobs) and it unfortunately seems as if “longer is better” has become the new standard. Many of them are in the 5+ page range. Personally, I will say that usually we don’t bother to read them very carefully when they are so long. For the most part, if I don’t like you by page one I’m not really going to keep going. At the very least, this should indicate that if your first page doesn’t stand on it’s own (pretend the staple fell out and the rest got lost) then you are doing it wrong. Also, on a technical resume… Listing every single technology you’ve worked with by name and version really annoys me to no end. Claiming proficiency in languages you’ve written “hello world” in, or “taken a class” in, is similarly annoying. Most of these resumes are just a technology word-salad, and it’s not fooling anyone who knows what they are looking at anymore. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/99 "2009-06-21T19:21:46Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > A resume, these days, needs to be as long as it needs to be. > > Gone are the days of 2 or 3 page resumes. For one, most will be electronically scanned for key words before a human even has a chance to review it. Came in here to say this. If you’re applying to a small business, a human being will be reading it, so then you probably shouldn’t have a long resume. 1-2 pages at most, I’d figure, unless they’re a highly specialized business (i.e. a law firm). Ditto McJobs-- 1 page, 2 pages max. But any _large_ company these days (Fortune 500) is almost certainly going to have an automated HR department. This is especially true for any company that asks you to submit a resume electronically-- they’re going to just scan that puppy in and use keyword search to see if your resume is relevant. In that case, length isn’t an issue-- relevance is. For the U.S. Federal Guvmint, that’s precisely the case-- length doesn’t matter, the resume has to be as long as it needs to be, AND in a special format (RESUMIX is common). The format is completely plain Jane: nothing creative at all, just a specific order to everything in your history. Deviate from that at all, and your resume won’t pass electronic muster. Don’t include the right keywords (i.e. the _exact_ words mentioned in the job description), and your resume won’t “hit.” It literally is a percentage match, BTW. “This resume is 50% relevant, this one is 30%,” etc. If you apply for a Senior Executive Service job, it’s even worse. Those resumes go on for eight or more pages, easy. You not only have your work history, you also have to include your assessment factors and specific experiences that demonstrate you’re capable for the job. Bottom line answer: shorter resumes are better, except when they’re not. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028/100 "2009-06-21T20:21:38Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Yes, It is right there. This isn’t like 2nd grade where 5 pages is some insurmountable task. > > I guess it is just a IT mindset. It workers and managers like to have the relevant information onto which to base a decision as efficiently as possible. Providing detail is a good thing. You will never convince me that a manager is going to make 30 random cold calls fishing for info, when they can scan nice detailed resume and get it it 30seconds. I have never seen it happen, when I have sat in as the tech advisor for a hiring, any resume like your format has gotten seriously back-burnered for ones with actual detail. What you gave is a highlights section, which is right after the objective. But no way can even be considered for competancy. And you are never going to convince me that your 5+ page resume doesn’t contain 3+ pages of superfluous data on: -technologies you are only passingly familiar with -technologies you haven’t used in 5 years -obsolete or out of date technologies -pedantic listings of every version, add-on, service pack and other variation of the same technology -material that is not particularly relevant to the position I am hiring for It may be great for getting search engine hits, but it’s not going to jump out at my that you are the right guy for this job. I have a hard time you can be an expert in all the technologies you list on a 5+ page resume. Also, I expect that a certain amount of skills will transfer from one technology to another and that you should be smart enough to fill in the gaps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-resumes-be-limited-to-two-pages/500028.md?page=6)