How Long Should a Resume Be in 2023?

When writing a resume, there are possibilities where you end up writing your biography and making it a short essay of 5-6 pages. It might make you think that whatever you wrote was very much needed but we’re afraid to say, “they were unnecessary and not required.” If you’re wondering “Is a 4-5 page resume too long?“, it definitely is. Resume length is still a mystery for many because some people have 1-year experience and some have 25+ years of experience, so it’s hard to gather all in a 1-page document. 

Before looking more into ideal resume length, you need to know what a resume is.

What is a Resume?

A resume is a summary of your skills, qualifications, and achievements. The resume is submitted as part of the application process for an open position or an interview for a job you are applying for. A career center or your local employment agency will ask to see this document, so it must be done correctly. The resume’s purpose is to highlight the skills and qualifications that are important to employers and help them decide if you are a good fit for their company.

Writing a resume can be challenging, but proper formatting, prioritization, and use of keywords will help you get a job.

How Long Should Your Resume Be? – Ideal Resume Length

The above information is very important, but if you’re still unclear on how long your resume should be, remember that the shorter it is, the more effective it will be. 

The ideal resume length is 1 to 2 pages – most people with a good resume have a one-page document, and there is no harm in starting with a short one. 

A one-page resume is an effective marketing tool as you want to ensure that the employer gets all of your most important qualifications and achievements on the first page. The second page should be used as a continuation of additional qualifications and achievements.

If you have more than 5 years of experience, experts suggest using a two-page resume. However, if you have more than 6 years of experience, your best bet would be to use a 3-4 page resume instead. That’s because if the hiring manager is scanning a two-page document, they will only be able to scan through it twice before moving on due to time constraints.

During the interview process, employers often ask candidates what they can bring to their company. This is the time when you must be prepared to talk about yourself. You will have to explain your document and show how it can benefit the company. Get familiar with all the important aspects and ensure you know exactly why you want the job.

Employers pay attention to your experience, education, skills, responsibilities, and achievements from previous roles. It’s important to consider all of these things when writing your resume to be relevant to what you are seeking in a career move.

Most Common Resume Mistakes You Must Avoid:

1. The greatest mistake made by people who don’t understand what types of content to include in their resumes is that they first start with the wrong objective! The primary key to any successful resume – no matter what type – is to set clear objectives. The objective or summary portion of your resume should spell out exactly why you want this job and what your qualifications are in detail.

2. Don’t make these common resume mistakes:

• Don’t use your personal information on your resume if you don’t want it to be used. Save that info for your application form.
• Don’t write negative things directly! Your resume should be entirely consistent with the job you’re applying for. Employers will ask about different qualifications, but there’s no need to bow down to the company by rubbing their face in it! Work hard on being completely objective with your resume.
• Don’t tell potential bosses what they’ll like to hear instead of providing them with the truth to help them decide whether you are a good fit for their company and the job at hand. – Don’t include irrelevant information.
• Don’t have a long, drawn-out intro paragraph to your resume. 3-5 sentences are fine – anything more will be boring and make your resume too long!

3. Formatting is the next big mistake when writing your resume. The purpose of a job application is to help companies sort out those they want to interview and those who don’t – it’s not the time to show off the cool formatting you’ve worked so hard on! Use common fonts like Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial at 11- or 12-point size so that formatting does not distract from the content of your document.

4. Job titles are not the most important – the skills and achievements of the candidates are more important. For example, in a candidate’s profile, it may be very clear what their duties were and their role within a company, but often it is not as clear about ‘why’ they were so good at that particular job. Skills and Achievements are usually much more valuable in a resume than just listing your duties.

5. Make sure all your qualifications are relevant to the position you are applying for.

6. Don’t make too many changes to your resume before you hit ‘send’ as that can lose you the opportunity to catch mistakes and typos.

7. Don’t get too hung up on the content as it is really about the content and not how pretty it is!

8. Make sure you read carefully through the job description and then make a few changes (if needed) so that it’s relevant to what you have done in your previous jobs, with real-world examples of what they will be looking for in a potential candidate.

Looking forward to creating an ideal resume within a few minutes without any hassle? Okay, GeeksforGeeks FREE Online Resume Builder is here for you that allows you to create a professional, enriching, ATS-friendly resume within minutes. All you would require to do is answer several basic questions related to your educational background, skills, achievements, etc.

Final Words:

As mentioned before, many factors go into the success of a resume. You need to be aware of what issues employers are looking for in a candidate and make sure you present yourself accordingly, but you cannot control these things all the time. The most important thing is to have an objective in mind when creating your resume and know exactly why you want this job – there’s nothing wrong with asking ‘why.’ Employers may not be looking for a resume expert, but you need to ensure that your resume is as relevant and good as possible.

FAQs on Resume Length (2023):

Q1. How long should the resume be?

Ans. An ideal resume shouldn’t be more than 2 pages. 

Q2. What does a good resume look like in 2023?

Ans. To know what a good resume looks like and how to get your resume shortlisted by tech companies check out these articles: 

• Resume Building – Resources and Tips
• 20+ Tips To Get Your Resume Shortlisted For Top Tech Companies

Q3. Is a 2-page resume too long?

Ans. No, a 2-page resume is not considered a long resume, in fact, it is often considered as ideal resume length.

Q4. Is a 3-page resume too long?

Ans. 3-page resume is generally considered a bit lengthy, especially for freshers or beginner-level working professionals, as recruiters don’t go through everything. What you can try to do is optimize the information/data and compile it into 1 or 2 pages.