Is Your Résumé Too Long? Here’s How to Fix It.
Sep 08, 2024
In today’s competitive job market, many job seekers are tempted to bulk up their résumés with extra details, keywords, and accomplishments to stand out. However, experts warn that a longer résumé might actually hurt your chances. Here’s why trimming down your CV could be the key to landing your next big opportunity.
1. Why Less is More Career experts agree that employers don’t have time to search for what matters in a résumé overloaded with information. As Madeline Mann, a career coach, says, “You want to make your résumé a sales page, not a Wikipedia page.” This means focusing on what’s most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
2. Keyword Stuffing Isn’t the Solution Keyword stuffing—adding too many job-specific terms—might seem like a good way to get past AI systems, but it can overwhelm a human recruiter. Instead, focus on highlighting the most important skills and qualifications that align with the job description.
3. Stick to Two Pages For most people, keeping a résumé to two pages is the best bet. If you’re just starting out in your career, one page should suffice. James Neave of Adzuna recommends avoiding the temptation to go beyond three pages, as it becomes a burden for recruiters to sift through.
4. Focus on Recent Experience Your last decade of work, or your most recent four jobs, should be the focus. Recruiters are most interested in what you’ve been doing lately, so avoid overloading them with details about roles from more than 10 years ago.
5. AI Can Help—But Don’t Rely on It Too Much Using AI to draft your résumé is great for catching errors or structuring your experience, but it can also result in generic documents. Make sure your résumé reflects your unique skills and experiences, not just a cut-and-paste of what the AI generates.
Conclusion In the end, your résumé is meant to be a clear, concise summary of your most relevant experience and qualifications. Keep it short, keep it focused, and make it easy for employers to see why you’re the best candidate for the job.
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