How long should your CV be?

CV writers and recruitment professionals all have their opinions in regards to the optimal CV length, but the fact is that there is no definite rule which dictates how long a CV should be. For example, a job seeker who is more mature and has a larger job history and set of working skills may find that one page simple isn't enough, while a new graduate might find things are completely the other way around.

We can still give a good response to the question of CV length however. In the past, employers would frown upon CV's that were lengthy, though today employers are much more accepting of longer resumes, especially if they are concise and are not full of filler material. Anywhere between one and three pages is normal for a modern CV, though some are actually bigger, and it is no shame to produce a CV longer than a page if your skills and work experience justify it.

Instead of using a page limit to restrict what you need to include in your CV, the best thing to do is to ask yourself how many pages will make clear your skills and accomplishments, and use this as a general basis for your CV length. Once you have completed writing it, you now need to consider whether the CV will benefit from more whitespace or less whitespace. You might have all your content fit on one page, but if the content looks crowded, then it will probably be better to extend the CV to two pages to make the resume for readable and attractive. Margins and other formatting are good for getting more information on a page.

Regardless of the length of your CV, employers will often only read the first ten or fifteen lines before they move onto the next one. This makes it crucial to include as much of the most important information near the start of the CV as you can. This increases the chance of the employer actually seeing a key attribute or skill in you, making them want to read on.