One of the most common CV writing questions people ask is how long should my CV be? Writing your CV is a balancing act between writing enough to interest the recruiter and writing a CV which is too long with irrelevant information. This blog post outlines how your CV length depends on your experience and career level, and dispels the myth that all CVs should be two pages long.
What do recruiters want?
Recruiters want a CV which is clear and concise, so they can quickly assess how closely your experience matches the role requirements, as they can receive hundreds of CVs each day. Your CV needs to showcase your skills, experience and achievements, tailored to your chosen career path.
You may be relieved to know that most recruiters do not assess your CV length, unless they have specified in the recruitment advert that they require a one or two-page CV. They are only likely to notice the length if your CV is particularly short (e.g. one page) or too long (over three pages). Academic and medical CVs are always longer because they contain additional sections which are not required on an average CV.
What is the correct length of your CV?
This depends on your skills, experience, and the number of roles you need to include on your CV.
A recent school-leaver or graduate with little or no work experience will be able to showcase their skills and education on a one-page CV, whereas this would be inadvisable for an experienced professional as it would omit vital information. Don’t try to squeeze your CV onto one page, unless this is requested for a specific role. A one-page CV makes it extremely difficult to provide enough information about your skills and experience, and for this to include the relevant keywords, so for most candidates a one-page CV is likely to result in less interview invitations. Many one-page CV templates use multiple columns, which are difficult for a recruiter to skim read.
If you have several years of experience, your CV needs to be two or three pages long. A two-page CV is preferable, however this is only achievable if you include two or three detailed role descriptions with key achievements. If you need to include additional relevant roles, most recruiters prefer three pages of concise content which really sells your experience and sets out why a recruiter needs to hire you, than for you to over-summarise your experience, losing vital information and keywords to fit your CV onto two pages because you think this is expected.
I only recommend writing a four-page CV (or longer) for academic or medical CVs which require additional sections, or for individuals who have held numerous contract, temporary or short term roles. If you have held numerous roles, it can be worth considering using a skills based CV format which summarises your skills and experience, rather than writing a detailed description of every role.
Your CV needs to fit neatly onto the number of pages you have chosen to use. If your CV is between a few lines and quarter of a page over your desired length, you may wish to try some of the tips in this article about reducing the length of your CV.
Why do people say your CV should be two pages long?
This was a regular topic of conversation whilst I worked in HR. Every in-house recruiter and HR colleague I worked with preferred a two-page CV for graduates and junior roles, and a three-page CV for experienced professionals and managers. However, many candidates felt pressured to delete the valuable information we were looking for in order to reduce their CV length and fit this onto two pages (or in some cases one page).
Whilst a two-page CV has an excellent aim in making you write clearly and concisely, a two-page CV is unattainable for most people, particularly people who have held several roles. Rather than focussing on the length of your CV, focus on ensuring your CV is clear, concise and tailored to showcase your skills and experience for your chosen roles.
I may be cynical, but I think the myth that your CV must be two pages long is likely to have been invented by CV writing companies to increase demand for their services. This message is repeated by lots of recruitment consultants, many of whom are within the early stages of their career, and think this is what clients require. They tend to be very surprised when a client requests to see a candidate’s full CV. Wherever this myth has come from, it’s certainly not based on recruiters, or hiring managers expectations.
However, dispelling this myth comes with a caveat; please don’t infer that this provides permission to write a long, irrelevant, wordy CV. Your CV needs to be clear, concise and tailored to showcase your skills and experience for your chosen roles.
Ensuring your CV stands out
As we’ve seen, whilst anyone can write a CV, it’s much harder to write a CV which stands out to recruiters. It is vital that your CV clearly and concisely sets out what you can do for your next company – not just what you’ve done in the past. The easiest way to maximise the impact of your CV is to have your CV professionally written for you.
As a professional CV Writer, I offer CV writing help including a CV writing service which includes a telephone consultation to discuss your skills and experience and tailor your new CV to a role of your choice. For more information, please visit my CV Writing Service page, call me for a friendly chat on 07917 137210 or email me via becky@interviewsuccess.co.uk
