How long should your CV be?
In the last week I have spoken to three people asking us how long their CV should be.
My answer has been "it depends" as there are different standards for different job levels.
Here are some general guidelines:
Graduate/Entry level: 1 to 2 pages
Professional: 1 to 2 pages
Executive 2 pages
You will notice that my guidelines never include 3 pages. It can be difficult enough to get a recruiter/manager to read 1-2 pages never mind a third. A CV should be concise. There is a fine line between detailed statements and too much information. What you have to do is tell the reader the most amount of information in the least amount of words.
As always there are exceptions to the rule, for example, if you are an experienced Sales professional, then it would be okay to have a third page dedicated to your accomplishments as long as these are specific and measurable.
Consider two pages the standard across the board and adjust as necessary.
My answer has been "it depends" as there are different standards for different job levels.
Here are some general guidelines:
Graduate/Entry level: 1 to 2 pages
Professional: 1 to 2 pages
Executive 2 pages
You will notice that my guidelines never include 3 pages. It can be difficult enough to get a recruiter/manager to read 1-2 pages never mind a third. A CV should be concise. There is a fine line between detailed statements and too much information. What you have to do is tell the reader the most amount of information in the least amount of words.
As always there are exceptions to the rule, for example, if you are an experienced Sales professional, then it would be okay to have a third page dedicated to your accomplishments as long as these are specific and measurable.
Consider two pages the standard across the board and adjust as necessary.
posted by Heidi Whitelock @ 09:27
1 Comments:
At 16 September 2009 at 18:18 ,
christopher.kang@hillandknowlton said...
Hi,
This was a really interesting article on CV length. My name is Chris Kang and I work for the Careers Advice Service.
One of our CAS advisers, Guardian Careers Expert Marie Williams and qualified business trainer Claire Whitmell will be engaging in an online discussion about the perfect CV tomorrow September 17th on the Guardian Careers site. Your opinions would be very much appreciated. It will be occurring between 1-4pm at http://tiny.cc/FZE6u. I look forward to seeing you there!
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