You spend hours curating the perfect resume, well technically, a proof of your skills and experience.

You hit send with a hopeful sigh, but then…

Your resume is never to be seen again by a human eye.

Frustrating, right?

According to The Ladders Study of 2018, recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds scanning a resume before deciding to shortlist a candidate.

That’s LESS time than it takes to scroll through a social media feed!

So, how do you make your resume stand out and get into the shortlisted club?

What is the best length for a resume?

In 2024, an ideal resume should generally be one page for entry-level candidates, and up to two pages for mid-level and senior professionals, depending on experience and profession.

This blog is all about how long should a resume be in 2024 and what you can add to it as per your past experience.

Having said that, let’s begin, shall we?

Key Takeaways

• Resumes have a habit of getting lost in applicant tracking systems (ATS) or they don’t grab attention fast enough. Keep yours concise and impactful.
• Recruiters spend mere seconds scanning resumes. Tailor yours to the specific job, highlighting the most relevant skills.
• Don’t go for the multi-page resume unless necessary. Curate an outstanding one-pager that SCREAMS your strengths like a commercial, convincing the hiring manager you’re the perfect fit.

Quick Guidelines: How Long Should a Typical Resume Be?

Before jumping into how long should a professional resume be, here’s a quick overview of how to make it solid.

• Scan up Your Early Career Details: Summarize all your early career roles and analyze if it’s worth adding. Focus on recent, relevant experience.
• Speak Clearly, Not Jargon-y: Balance clarity and expertise throughout. The resume must be understandable to a broad audience.
• Highlight Your Soft Skills with Examples: List out specific instances or situations where your soft skills made a significant impact.
• Use Keywords from Job Descriptions: Include the relevant keywords used in JDs to improve the ATS compatibility (particularly applies to digital resumes).
• Ditch Irrelevant Personal Information: Exclude all non-essential details like birthday, age, marital status, or unrelated hobbies. Nobody needs to know that.
• Add Your Online Presence: Add links to LinkedIn profiles or personal websites for additional information (excellent for digital resumes).
• Keep It Clean and Simple: Use clean, professional formatting. Ensure readability and avoid excessive graphics or complex layouts.

Note: If you are a fresher, you don’t need to feel intimidated by seeing the length of resumes shared by experienced professionals. Everybody started somewhere, and you CAN too. Check this guide to make an impressive resume if you have no experience. 

Why Does Resume Length Matter?

Imagine yourself being a recruiter.

You walk into the office, and your task is to hunt through hundreds (if not thousands) of resumes to hand-pick the most deserving candidate for a single designation.

The cherry on top, you are also running OUT of time. 

So, you simply scan through each of the resumes in a few seconds and decide whether or not it deserves to be read further.

No matter how much a candidate has experience in multiple fields, you WOULDN’T bother to read a 5-page resume.

Today, in the meteoric 60-second reel mindset world, what matters is quality.

This applies to your resume, too!

Before learning how long should a resume be, understand why the length even matters in the first place. 

Most human resources, hiring managers, and interviewers recommend that a perfect resume must NOT be more than 2 pages.

In fact, many prefer two-pagers over one-pager.

As per a study by ResumeGo, 5,375 resumes were shortlisted for hiring out of the 7,712 resumes.

And the fun part was, those 5,375 resumes were two pages.

“In many cases, strong candidates, who do have more experience, write two-page resumes — so hiring managers may have developed a subconscious link between strong candidates and longer resumes.” – Peter Yang, CEO of Resume Writing Services, parent company of ResumeGo

It truly depends.

In case the job role requires a long list of skills and you have expertise in the same, you can extend it.

What matters is, how TACTFULLY you list the skills and show what makes you perfect for the role in the MOST condensed form.

Detailed Resume Length Guidelines for Different Experience Levels

Understanding how to tailor your resume based on your experience can level up its effectiveness.

Here’s a detailed guide for how long a resume should be for different experience levels and how to make your resume stand out.

Entry-level (0-2 years of experience): 1 page

Thinking about – “How many pages should a resume be for freshers?”

For those just starting out in their careers (0-2 years of experience), a one-page resume is ideal.

Here’s what you can include:

• Education: Show your degree and any courses that are relevant to the job.
• Internships or Part-Time Jobs: Try adding roles that have provided you with relevant experience.
• Skills and Certifications: Mention any specific skills or certifications that are relevant to the industry.
• Extracurricular Activities/Volunteer Work: Include activities that showcase transferable skills like leadership, teamwork, and initiative.

Mid-level professional (3-10 years of experience): 1-2 pages

If you are a mid-level professional with 3-10 years of experience and are wondering, a resume should be how many pages long, we have got you covered.

A one or two-page resume is appropriate in this case.

Here’s what you can focus on:

• Professional Experience and Achievements: Highlight your past roles and significant accomplishments.
• Key Projects and Initiatives: Include detailed descriptions of major projects and your role in them.
• Advanced Skills/Certifications: Emphasize skills and certifications that are advanced or specialized.
• Education/Training: Highlight any additional training or courses that enhance your qualifications.

Senior-level professional and Executives (10+ years of experience): 3 pages

Going ahead, do you know how many pages resume should be for experienced people?

If you are looking for how long should a resume be for 20 years experience, it should still be 3 pages.

The key is to mention your recent experiences/ones that are relevant to your prospective role.

Here’s what you can include:

• Work History with Notable Achievements: Focus specifically on leadership roles and impactful contributions.
• Leadership Roles and Strategic Initiatives: Add roles where you have led teams or strategic projects.
• Board Memberships and Speaking Engagements: Highlight any positions on boards or public speaking engagements.
• Publications and Professional Contributions: Mention significant published works or contributions to the relevant field.

Pro Tip: Do not confuse a CV and a resume. Although both may seem the same, they have their fair share of differences. Before applying for your next job, check our comprehensive CV vs Resume blogpost here! 

Ideal Resume Length for Different Types of Professions

Most job seekers create a ‘one-size-fits-all’ resume that becomes easy for them to forward to wherever they see an opportunity.

On the contrary, you MUST realize that every job has its own specific skill requirements.

Hence, more than knowing how long should a resume be, it is necessary to tailor your resume as per your profession, JUST like your high-income skills.

Let’s understand this as per different industries.

Creative Industries (1-2 pages)

If you’re a video editor or a graphic designer, your resume is NOT just a document to your would-be employer.

It is an opportunity to flaunt your personality and skills for the very first time.

A clear, concise, and informative resume with a flavor of your personality will make you an excellent hire.

To make a recruiter READ your resume till the end, be specific.

Always keep your resume on one A4 page, including the following sections:

• About Me
• Career/Work Experience
• Educational Qualifications
• Software Skills
• Interests and Hobbies (that align with the job role)

To be creative, try out-of-the-box ideas. Some amazing bonus tips to make your resume look like a pro include: 

• If you have been freelancing, mention the clients and companies you have worked for. This will give them an idea about the brand size you have hit. 
• Show your creative skills in the resume. DON’T make it bland. Tailor it! Add graphics, add colors, and add fonts!
• Add links to digital portfolios or websites to showcase your work.

Technical Industries (2 pages)

Try adjusting your entire career in one to two pages here.

For example, when applying as a software developer or a data scientist, your resume must begin with a strong summary.

A summary where your professional background, acquired skills, and career goals are clearly mentioned.

Here’s how to make your resume crisp and strong.

• Include keywords from the job description that highlight your technical skills. This will crack the applicant tracking system (ATS).
• Only relevant certificates that highlight the skills required in the particular company should be included.   
• What is your USP? SHOW your achievements. Add your track progress. Add anything that builds credibility in your application. 

Business and Management Roles (1-2 pages)

While opting for management roles, your resume should be one to two pages long.

In fact, this length is more than enough to put up your experience and skills.   

Let’s assume you’re applying for the post of project manager/marketing manager.

Here, you need to highlight your soft skills in leadership, time management, critical thinking, and risk management.

A few BONUS tips to make your resume pace on the other side of the hundreds of piled resumes are:

• Highlight the key projects that you led or have been a part of.
• Mention the awards and achievements you have received by handling a specific project or role.
• Add your education/training/skills as precisely as you can, without missing your important achievements, OR over-explaining them.

Bonus: Have no work experience? Looking for a job that needs no experience PLUS is work from home? We have listed out 13 here for you! Give it a shot. 

6 Strategies to Make Your Resume Fit in One Page (Recommended By Recruiters)

By far, you already know the thumb rule to build an amazing resume.

However, different job roles determine how many pages long should a resume be.

It’s easier said than done, but here are 6 hacks to make your resume crisp and fit on one page. 

1. Get Rid of the Extras: Anything that does not add value to your resume or is irrelevant to the job role must be backspaced.
2. Flush out the Flashy: Fancy words, long sentences, and lengthy paragraphs are the best ways to LOSE the job. If you want it to be precise, use bullets to highlight the important areas. About how long should each bullet point be on a resume, you can wrap it in 10-12 words.
3. Sum Up: Let your job summary look like a summary. You just need 3-4 sentences to create a captivating description of your previous job experience.
4. Add a Touch of Simplicity: Go for a clear and simple layout with minimum formatting. Instead of having too many sections, try merging the sections that are more or less similar. Eg: merging professional and leadership experiences.
5. Opt for the Double Column Template: Always go for a double-column template that is specifically designed to meet application tracking systems requirements.
6. Choose the Right Font: Focus on the font size and style. Make sure it’s not extreme on both sides. Try keeping it within 10-11 for better readability.

Real-Life Resume Examples and Case Studies

One-page resumes have become increasingly popular across a variety of professions since they are crisp.

In this section, we will look at some examples that will help you understand how long should bullet points be on a resume along with how to curate it.

Why Do These Resumes Work?

These resumes work phenomenally because they:

• Are tailored to the specific industry and role.
• Prioritize information that focuses on impactful experiences and skills, leaving out the less relevant details.
• Use concise and clear language.
• Demonstrate value by showing how the candidate can benefit a potential employer instead of listing mere job duties.
• Use excellent formatting, in bullets, to increase readability.
• Highlight unique selling points, i.e., what makes the candidate stand out (technical contributions or quantifiable achievements).
• Focus on what the individual has achieved in their roles, i.e., accomplishments.

6 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Crafting a Resume

Your resume is often your first impression.

Hence, NEVER take the risk of making it your last.

Applicants often make silly mistakes unknowingly, and it eventually COSTS them the job.

Hence, before sharing the resume, check if you are making these 6 mistakes.

• Making Grammatical and Formatting Errors: Of course, you don’t need to be a grammar nazi to craft your resume. However, making grammatical and formatting errors may SPLASH water over your aspirations, highlighting your lack of being a perfectionist.
• Adding Too Much Information: Your recruiter is least interested to know all about you. Give them what they need, and highlight only the skills that match their job description. 
• Wrong Contact Information: This is a non-negotiable. Candidates often keep on applying with the same resume they created years ago. Make sure your resume is updated with the correct contact information.
• Focusing Too Much on Responsibilities: Recruiters hire you to fulfill certain responsibilities. Let them know what makes you deserving to handle those responsibilities by exhibiting your achievements and NOT your duties.
• Lack of Quantified Data: Business is all about numbers. Make sure that you provide them with exact stats and numbers of your achievements and skills. Show, don’t tell.
• Flaunting Fake Skills: Don’t show what you’re NOT. Be real. Skills can be learned. NEVER add a skill that you don’t have. Instead of attracting, the recruiter may fire you for lying. (Ok they may not. But it’s never a good idea)

Wrapping It Up

Summing up, your resume is your one-page commercial.

It is important to consider how long should a resume be.

You would not want to write a mini guide to get the job but would want to grab the hiring manager’s attention in those first few seconds and CONVINCE them you’re the perfect fit.

Nevertheless, by following the tips listed in this guide, we are sure you will curate one hell of a resume! (We really do mean it)

Yet again, keep in mind that it is not about cramming everything you’ve ever done onto one page.

It is about highlighting your most relevant skills and achievements in a clear, compelling, and organized manner.

Good luck with your next application!

For more such valuable resources and career guidance, stay connected with PenChise.

FAQs | How Long Should A Typical Resume Be