Of all the thought that goes into writing a resume, one question seems to stick out the most: how long should it be? Resume length can vary based on how many years’ experience a candidate has, the number of previous positions, and the amount of accomplishments throughout the career. While many believe a one-page resume is the golden rule, professional-level candidates shouldn’t be afraid to build out a full two pages, especially if that aligns better with the level of experience. However, professional resumes should never be longer than two pages, and here’s five reasons why that should always be avoided.
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Resume Screeners and Hiring Managers won’t give it the time of day.
Research shows hiring managers already spend less than one minute on resumes, they’re more likely to throw out an especially lengthy resume than take the extra time to skim through it, opting in favor of a candidate who can display their skillset more succinctly and efficiently.
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Longer resumes will age you.
Ageism is a reoccurring issue in today’s job market. If you span your professional or associate-level experience over more than two pages, a hiring manger may pass you over because they believe your too old.
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Your deemed too experienced for certain positions.
Even if you’re applying to a position that aligns with your previous experience, a long resume is a sign of extensive experience and could be quickly thrown out due to that assumption.
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You’ll be labeled as a job hopper.
Good tenure goes a long way. Longer resumes often translate to more jobs in the minds of hiring managers, who will write you off as a job hopper with bad tenure.
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You won’t be seen as relevant candidate.
Resumes past two pages usually include a lot of unnecessary content, whether it be job descriptions, inapplicable positions, or unneeded personal information. Hiring managers want to know what skills you have and what you’ve done that relates to the job position. Intermixing that with so much other irrelevant content makes it hard for the hiring managers to quickly decide if you have the necessary skillset, and they won’t take the time to dig through the resume to find out.