Resume Length: How Long Should Your Resume Be?

The Short Answer

Here is the rule that works for the vast majority of job seekers:

• 0-10 years of experience: One page
• 10+ years of experience: One or two pages
• Academic, federal, or medical CVs: As long as needed (different document, different rules)

That is the framework. But the nuance matters, because blindly following a page count without understanding the reasoning behind it leads to resumes that are either stuffed with filler or cut so aggressively they undersell you.

Why One Page Is the Default

The one-page resume is not an arbitrary tradition. It exists because of how hiring works in practice.

Recruiters spend an average of 6-7 seconds on an initial resume scan, according to eye-tracking research. In those seconds, they are looking for three things: your most recent title, the companies you have worked for, and whether anything jumps out as relevant to the open role. Everything else gets read only if you pass that initial scan.

A one-page resume forces you to make hard editing choices. That is a feature, not a limitation. When you only have one page, every bullet point has to prove something. There is no room for filler like "Responsible for managing daily operations" or that internship from 12 years ago. What survives is your strongest, most relevant material — exactly what the recruiter needs to see in those first few seconds.

The goal of a resume is not to document everything you have done. It is to get you an interview. Anything that does not serve that goal is taking up space that something better could occupy.

When Two Pages Make Sense

Two pages are justified when you genuinely have more relevant, high-impact material than can fit on one page. This usually applies when:

You have 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in your field and each role adds meaningful new information about your capabilities.

You are in a technical field where listing specific technologies, certifications, or project details is expected and useful for the screener.

The role is senior enough that the hiring manager expects to see depth of leadership experience, board involvement, major initiatives, or multi-year strategic results.

You have significant publications, patents, or speaking engagements that are directly relevant to the role.

Here is a practical test: cover the second page of your resume with your hand. Does the first page alone make a strong case for your candidacy? If yes, and the second page adds genuinely useful supporting detail, you are fine. If the first page is weak and you need the second page to make your case, your resume has a structure problem, not a length problem.

The Two-Page Trap

The danger of allowing yourself two pages is that it removes the pressure to edit. People fill the extra space with:

• Every job they have ever held, including irrelevant early-career roles
• Lengthy descriptions of company backgrounds
• Soft skill lists that anyone could claim
• Redundant bullet points that say the same thing three different ways

If your two-page resume could be a tight one-page resume with better editing, the one-page version will outperform it every time.

When One Page Hurts You

There are situations where forcing a one-page resume actively works against you:

Executive roles. A VP or C-suite candidate with 15 years of experience squeezing everything onto one page can look like they are hiding something or do not appreciate the depth of their own experience. At the executive level, a two-page resume with detailed accomplishments, team sizes, revenue figures, and strategic outcomes is expected.

Federal government jobs. Federal resumes follow completely different conventions. They are often 4-5 pages and require detailed descriptions of every relevant position, including hours worked per week, supervisor contact information, and specific duties. Do not try to apply private-sector resume rules to federal jobs.

Academic positions. A curriculum vitae (CV) is not a resume. It includes publications, research, teaching experience, grants, conference presentations, and professional service. There is no page limit. A tenured professor might have a 15-page CV, and that is normal.

Certain international contexts. Resume conventions vary by country. In some markets, two pages is standard regardless of experience level, and including a photo is expected. Research the norms for the country you are applying in.

How to Fit Everything on One Page

If you are struggling to fit your experience onto one page, the answer is almost never "shrink the font" or "make the margins smaller." Those tricks produce resumes that are technically one page but physically painful to read. Instead:

Cut Ruthlessly

Remove if it does not directly support your candidacy:

[x] Jobs from 10+ years ago (unless highly relevant)
[x] Bullet points that describe duties instead of results
[x] Skills that are assumed (Microsoft Office, email)
[x] Hobbies and interests (unless directly relevant)
[x] "References available upon request"
[x] Objective statements
[x] Company descriptions and addresses
[x] High school education (if you have a college degree)

Tighten Your Language

Every bullet point should be one line, two at most. If a bullet wraps to three lines, it is trying to say too much. Split it into two bullets or cut the weaker half.

Before:

• Developed and implemented a comprehensive new customer onboarding process that streamlined the experience for new users and resulted in a significant improvement in customer retention rates

After:

• Redesigned customer onboarding flow, improving 90-day retention from 62% to 78%

The after version says the same thing in one third of the space, and the numbers make it more compelling.

Adjust Emphasis by Relevance

Your most recent and most relevant role gets 4-6 bullet points. The role before that gets 3-4. Roles from early in your career get 1-2 or just a single line with title, company, and dates. This natural tapering frees up space for what matters most.

What Hiring Managers Actually Think

Hiring managers are not counting pages. They are reading until they are convinced you are worth interviewing or convinced you are not. The page count matters only insofar as it affects that reading experience.

A tight one-page resume with strong accomplishments and clean formatting creates a positive impression: this person is focused, they can communicate concisely, and they know what matters.

A bloated two-page resume with obvious filler creates a negative impression: this person cannot prioritize, they pad their work, and they might do the same in the job.

A well-structured two-page resume for a senior candidate creates confidence: this person has depth, they have led significant initiatives, and they have a track record of impact.

The page count is a signal, but the content is what actually matters.

Industry-Specific Expectations

Different fields have slightly different norms:

If you are in finance or consulting, one page is non-negotiable regardless of experience level. In tech, one page is preferred but a clean two-pager for a staff engineer or VP is acceptable. Know your industry's conventions.

The Real Question to Ask

Instead of "How long should my resume be?" ask yourself: "Does every line on this resume make the hiring manager more likely to interview me?"

Go through your resume bullet by bullet. For each one, ask:

1. Does this demonstrate a skill or accomplishment relevant to the target role?
2. Does this include a specific result, metric, or outcome?
3. Would removing this weaken my candidacy?

If the answer to all three is no, cut it. If you do this honestly and still have more than one page of genuinely strong material, then you have a two-page resume. If everything that survives fits on one page, do not stretch it to two.

Build the Right Resume for Your Experience

Resume length is not about following a rule. It is about presenting your strongest case as clearly as possible. Whether that takes one page or two depends on your experience, your industry, and the role you are targeting.

If you want help getting the length right, Superpower Resume helps you build a focused, ATS-optimized resume that includes only what matters for the specific role you are applying to. Upload your experience and a job description, and get a resume that is exactly as long as it needs to be.

Sources

• Indeed Hiring Lab: Resume Length and Hiring Outcomes — Data on how resume length correlates with callback rates across experience levels
• Harvard Business Review: How to Write a Resume That Stands Out — Expert perspectives on resume structure, length, and what hiring managers prioritize
• SHRM: Crafting a Resume — The Society for Human Resource Management's guidance on resume best practices, including length recommendations for different career stages

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