How Long Should a Resume Be? Complete Guide and Tips

Key takeaways

Most resumes should be one to two pages, with three-page or longer resumes reserved for mid-career professionals and leadership positions. 

• Succinct bullet points describing your job duties can help you keep your resume to one or two pages.

• Use concise, active language in your resume to reduce word count and save space.

• You can enhance your resume by incorporating keywords that an applicant tracking system (ATS) will notice.

Learn more about how long your resume should be and explore some helpful resume tips. Afterward, if you’re ready to build stronger writing skills for your resume and beyond, consider enrolling in the University of Michigan’s Good With Words: Writing and Editing Specialization. In as little as two months, you’ll learn creative ways to use syntax and helpful punctuation tips. 

How many pages should a resume be? 

Most resumes should be between one and two pages long. However, some can be three pages or more. The number of pages a resume should be will depend on your work experience and the industry you work in. To figure out the best approach for you, review the list below of resume lengths for some common scenarios. 

One-page resumes 

The most common length for many resumes is one full page. 

Ideal for:

• Job seekers with one to 10 years of relevant work experience

• Current students or recent graduates

• Career switchers with irrelevant prior experience\

Two-page resumes

In the past, most resumes were expected to be only one page. Today, some professionals argue that two-page resumes are preferable, particularly because they allow job seekers to include more keywords that automated systems might recognize in their resumes. When in doubt, though, err on the side of the more focused and shorter resume.

Two-page resumes are becoming increasingly common, particularly as electronic resumes replace paper ones. Now, hiring managers can easily scroll through resumes digitally rather than having to thumb through a physical stack on their desk, making a two-page resume a less daunting prospect. 

Ideal for:

• Mid-career professionals with 10 to 15 years of relevant experience

• Applicants for leadership positions

Three-page (or more) resumes

You should rarely submit a three-page resume unless you meet a specific set of criteria or the industry in which you work specifically asks for resumes of this length. 

Ideal for:

• Researchers or academic professionals with extensive citations

• Mid-to-late-stage professionals with 15+ years of experience

• Senior-level positions

Still not sure? Consider this rule of thumb:

You won’t find a one-size-fits-all resume length. While some might find that they can fit all their professional experience into one page, others might find that they can only make their resume work with two pages. 

When in doubt, remember this easy rule of thumb: the ideal resume length is as short as possible while also including all your relevant accomplishments, skills, and experience. Try to keep your resume short without losing value.

Read more: How to Make a Resume: Resume Writing Guide

5 tips for resume length

You may find it difficult to keep your resume short without compromising prior work experience. Use these tips to edit, refine, and focus your resume to make the greatest impact. 

1. Use only 3 to 5 bullet points. 

One of the key places that resumes can bloat is in the work experience section. You should limit your bullet points to three to five for each work experience item. You’ll keep your resume focused only on the experiences that matter to the job you are applying for. 

If you have too many bullet points under each job title, consider consolidating some of them. This is a particularly effective strategy when the bullet points overlap. 

To do this, read through your resume and look for related bullet points currently separated. Then, combine them. 

For example:

2. Focus on achievements rather than duties.

Another good way to reduce the size of your resume's work experience section is to emphasize your concrete achievements rather than simply listing every duty you performed in a previous position. In addition to cutting out unnecessary descriptions of potentially irrelevant tasks, this technique also allows you to highlight your impact at your previous place of employment. 

To do this, read through your resume and identify the duties listed without describing a greater outcome. While it may be obvious to you what the purpose of a task was, it likely won’t be to a busy hiring manager who is simply scanning your resume. Be as explicit and concrete as possible with your achievements.

The example below illustrates this principle in action:

3. Use active language (and be concise).

You want your resume to be a focused representation of what you have accomplished and what you can bring to your next place of employment. As a result, use active, action-oriented language that succinctly describes what you did and accomplished rather than spelling out full sentences that make scanning difficult. 

To make your writing more action-oriented and concise, remove unnecessary words that take attention away from the actions you performed and the outcomes you achieved. For instance, consider the two examples below: 

The first example is much longer and less impactful than the second one because it hides the applicant’s actions and achievements in excessive text. While the “Before” example would be suitable for a cover letter, the “After” example is better suited for a resume, which is more likely to be scanned than read by a hiring manager. 

4. Only include relevant experience.

When applying to certain jobs, you will likely find that not all of your experience is equally relevant to the position. Consider excluding work that doesn’t seem particularly relevant to the job you are applying for.

For example, if you are applying for a senior-level position at a company, you can safely leave out the work you did while an undergraduate in college. Similarly, if you are a career switcher, then you might leave out some of the work that you have done previously that doesn’t relate to your new position. 

You might consider keeping the work in if taking it out will create significant gaps in your employment history that might make employers believe you were out of work for a long time. Use your discretion when following this tip, but it is wise to always tailor your resume to whatever job you are applying for, making sure that you only include the most relevant work experience. 

5. Include keywords. 

Today, many employers filter and rank resumes using applicant tracking systems that scan them for relevant keywords. Typically, these systems use the job description to identify relevant keywords and search resumes to rank them according to keyword matches.

As a result, you should tailor your resume to mirror the language used in the job description whenever you have experience or skills that match it. That said, don’t lie on your resume about work experience you don’t have or stuff your resume with too many unnecessary keywords. Some systems might discard resumes that do so. 

Some of the best places to include keywords or key phrases on your job application are in your cover letter and in the summary, skills, and work experience sections of your resume. 

Access free resources for your career advancement

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with industry trends and career tips. You can also explore these resources to help guide your job search:

• Develop your resume: How to Actually Write Your Resume, Part Two 

• Watch on YouTube: Resume Timeline Tips: What to Include (and Skip) 

• Consider your options: Career Test: What Career Is Right for Me? Quiz

Whether you want to develop a new skill, get comfortable with an in-demand technology, or advance your abilities, keep growing with a Coursera Plus subscription. You’ll get access to over 10,000 flexible courses. 

Build job-ready skills with Coursera Plus

Start 7-day free trial

• 
• 
• 
• 

Start 7-day free trial