When figuring out how long the resume should be, you should consider factors such as experience level, industry standards, and the specific job application. In most cases, resume builders will give you a one-page document. It’s the standard, but it doesn’t necessarily work in all situations.
Resume length is important for getting a hiring manager’s attention. They won’t spend more than a few seconds (6 to be precise) to scan your application before deciding whether to continue reading. If your resume is too long, it will lose interest, but if it’s too brief, it won’t show all relevant skills and accomplishments. The key to success is to strike the right balance between brevity and detail. A hiring manager should immediately notice your potential without being overwhelmed.
If you don’t know how to write a resume, how long to make it, and how much of your experience to include, we’ll help you by addressing key questions and exploring the best practices for different career levels, as well as industry-specific expectations. Finally, you’ll get practical tips on how to keep your resume concise yet impactful.
A one-size-fits-all answer would make your life easier. But as with most things in life, it is a bit more complex. The job application process is not simple at all, especially in the current job market.
Factors That Affect the Resume Length
First of all, the recommended length will depend on your experience level.
Entry Level Applications
0-2 Years of Experience: 1 Page
For those who are just starting their career, a one-page resume is the standard recommendation. Early-career professionals don’t have a lot of work experience. They can easily keep their resume concise so a hiring manager can quickly evaluate their potential.
A single page gives you enough space for you to include the following details:
✅ A brief summary or objective statement
✅ Education (degree, relevant coursework, certifications)
✅ Internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer work (if relevant)
✅ Skills (both technical and soft skills matter)
To achieve the length of a single page, focus on your achievements rather than job descriptions. You can use bullet points to present key skills and responsibilities. No matter how limited your experience is, avoid listing unrelated high school gigs. If the jobs and projects are relevant, you can certainly include them. For example, a recent graduate who applies for a marketing assistant role can include coursework in digital marketing, an internship in content creation, and relevant extracurricular activities, such as managing the school’s social media page.
Mid-Career Applications
3-10 Years of Experience: 1-2 Pages
If you have a few years of work experience, one page may still be enough, but if you have more relevant details to include, hiring managers will be ok with up to two pages. In this case, resume trends focus on career progression, key achievements, and relevant skills.
Here’s what you can include in a mid-career resume:
✅ Your most recent and relevant job experience, usually covering the last 10 years or less
✅ Notable accomplishments and measurable results
✅ Technical and industry-specific skills
✅ Professional development (certifications and training programs)
When you look through successful resume examples for this particular career level, you’ll see that some of them are one page long, and others are a bit longer. Here’s an informal rule to follow: if you’re applying for a job in a different field and only including transferable skills, one page will be enough. But if you’re listing multiple roles within the same industry and you have some measurable accomplishments to present, don’t be afraid to expand beyond that first page. Still, you have to keep the resume to two pages max.
Senior Level Applications
10+ Years of Experience: 2-3 Pages
Executives and experienced professionals are subjected to different resume writing standards when compared to lower-level job applicants. They often need two to three pages to include all relevant leadership roles, strategic achievements, and a long work history.
Here’s what you can include in an executive resume:
✅ Your last 10-15 years of relevant work experience
✅ Leadership roles and high-impact projects
✅ Any industry awards, recognitions, and major contributions
✅ Board memberships and professional affiliations
To make sure your resume is not too long, avoid listing entry-level and mid-career roles that you held more than 15 years ago. If any early-career positions are relevant to the current role you are pursuing, summarize them under the section “Additional Experience.” For example, a senior financial analyst transitioning to a CFO role will focus on strategic decision-making, financial forecasting, and leadership experience. They won’t highlight their first accounting job from 17 years ago as a junior CPA.
Other Types of Application Documents
Academic, Federal, and CVs: 3+ Pages Are Acceptable
Certain industries require longer job applications, especially if the standards call for a CV (Curriculum Vitae) instead of a resume.
✅ Academic CVs include publications, research, conferences, and teaching experience.
✅ Federal resumes follow strict guidelines, with detailed qualifications that often exceed three pages.
✅ Medical and scientific fields require detailed research work, clinical experience, and certifications to be included in a resume.
For example, a professor who’s applying for tenure will need a comprehensive academic CV that lists any research papers they wrote, teaching experience, grants they received, and conferences they have participated in.
Exceptions and Special Cases
- Career changers are an exception to the informal length rules we listed above. They focus on transferable skills, so they don’t need to list every job in detail. In that case, one or a maximum of two pages will be enough.
- Freelancers and consultants shouldn’t go to great lengths, either. If you’re in those industries, summarize your expertise and focus on key clients instead of listing every project. A two-page resume with a link to your online portfolio should work.
- Gig workers and contractors should also keep it brief by grouping similar roles under one section. Your goal is to focus on results rather than listing every contract separately. When you get to the point of cover letter writing, you can describe the details.
Why Resume Length Matters
It’s not uncommon for job seekers to be confused: how long should a typical resume be? Some worry that a one-page resume will fall short of showing their qualifications. Others fear that a long resume will overwhelm a hiring manager. It’s essential to make a strong impression quickly. To do that, position the most important information at the top (your resume summary and key skills). Instead of writing in long blocks of text, use bullet points (4-5 will be the perfect amount).
If you’re writing a resume and you plan to list every responsibility from an old job, stop right there! Writing something like “Managed customer service for a retail store” doesn’t mean much for a hiring manager. Write like this instead: “Increased customer satisfaction scores by 30% by implementing a new complaint resolution system.”
How the ATS Processes Resume Length
It’s no secret that most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to sort through the resumes they receive. They help narrow the selection of candidates so the hiring manager’s job will be simpler. ATS scans resumes for keywords, formatting, and structure to see if the candidates are a good fit.
How does ATS evaluate resume length? These are the main things to know:
✔️ The system doesn’t reject a resume based on length alone. However, it struggles with overloaded and poorly formatted resumes. If your resume is too long and stuffed with unnecessary text, it will make it difficult for the software to extract important details.
✔️ The most important thing is to keep the format clean. Avoid any tables, images, or excessive design elements unless your industry allows for some creativity.
✔️ Use clear headings and standard fonts, such as Education, Skills, and Work Experience.
✔️ Analyze the job description to draw keywords from it, but avoid keyword stuffing - readability is the priority.
Brevity Improves Readability!
Once your resume gets through the ATS, actual recruiters and hiring managers will read it. This is the point of the hiring process when a well-structured, concise resume makes a difference. It’s far more appealing than a text-heavy document.
Keeping it short is important for these reasons:
A short resume is easier on the hiring manager’s eyes. They are used to scanning applications, so they can quickly find the details they need when you’re not bothering them with unneeded text.
The right length shows you’re a true professional. It proves you can communicate effectively in writing and prioritize information.
When there’s too much to read, hiring managers will skim over key details.
Keep Your Resume Concise without Losing Impact
The perfect resume is all about balance. It needs enough detail to show your qualifications, but it mustn’t overwhelm recruiters with information they don’t care about. A cluttered, overly long resume will most definitely dilute the impact. On the other hand, a clean and well-structured one will make a strong impression. Here is how to edit your resume to achieve the perfect length.
1️⃣ Get Rid of Unnecessary Information
Many job applicants fall into the trap of listing every job they’ve ever had. Let’s face it: if you’re above entry-level positions, most of those roles are no longer relevant. Your resume should focus on what’s most applicable to this particular job.
These are the things to remove:
❌ Old jobs, especially if the position is more than 10-15 years old. You can keep it only if it’s directly relevant to the role you’re applying for.
❌ Unrelated work experience that doesn’t contribute to your current career goals. If you’re applying for a role in IT, there’s no point in mentioning that summer lifeguard job.
❌ High school education unless you don’t hold a college degree, but even then - with over 10 years of professional experience, skip it altogether and focus on certifications.
When editing, keep these points:
Relevant job experience, with a focus on the last decade.
Transferable skills from previous roles if they apply to the new position.
Education, certifications, and training relevant to this job.
2️⃣ Use Bullet Points
Bullet points make your resume well-organized and easy to scan. They break up large chunks of text if used improperly. But they can still clutter your resume.
Don’t go over 5-6 bullet points per job.
Always start with action verbs, such as managed, led, developed, or increased.
Achievements are more important than duties.
Whenever you can quantify your success, use numbers. Include things like revenue growth, time saved, and customer satisfaction increase.
3️⃣ Remove Outdated Skills
Technology evolves quickly, and so do job requirements. Listing outdated skills makes you look out of touch and takes up valuable space in your resume. These are the things to remove:
Software and tools that are no longer used in the industry. Do not mention Office 2003 and Windows XP or typing speed.
Basic computer skills, such as Word, Excel, and email. It is assumed that all applicants have them.
Old programming languages or marketing tools. If they are rarely used nowadays, you should replace them with modern equivalents.
Keep these things:
Industry-standard tools and technologies that are still relevant
Advanced or specialized skills not everyone has
Certifications in current software or methodologies
For example, you can include your proficiency in modern UX/UI tools like Figma but avoid listing outdated software like Adobe Flash.
4️⃣ Optimize Job Descriptions
If you’ve had a few similar jobs, there’s no point in listing the same responsibilities under multiple roles. Here’s how to avoid repetition:
Group similar roles under one section. Let’s say you’ve held several marketing roles. You can create a unique section in your resume and give it a title: Marketing Experience.
If the tasks differ in one way or another, you can use different wording to show growth.
Focus on your unique contributions instead of repeatedly listing the same duties.
For someone who’s been a project manager at multiple companies, a simple “led a team of developers” won’t work. Instead, they can vary the descriptions like this: “Led a team of 10 developers; launched a new e-commerce platform”, or this: “Managed a team of 15 to improve product development timelines by 20%”.
