Resumes....3 pages or more?

Unless you're applying for a position running a company, two pages is enough.

You don't have to list every job and every detail you can think of, just the ones that apply to the position you're applying for.

A lot of people have one resume and that's a downfall, they end up cramming every detail in those. Instead focus your resume and your cover letter should cover a lot as well. Keep that to three paragraphs. If you have a lot of credentials/ IT titles under your belt, list those on a separate piece of paper and add it to the back.

 

I've always been told that no resumes (except in rare circumstances) should be longer than a page, but then again I'm not in a position where I've had managerial experience/interviewed others to fill a job. Can anyone comment on this?

 

One page if the job is simple like a teenager or a part time gig stocking shelves. Two pages if you have a cover page and I believe that a cover page should always be included no matter what position is sought.

For the OP a cover page and a two page resume should be enough room.

With three pages and a cover page you can wager that not every line will be read. Do you want someone skimming your resume {which is YOU on paper} or do you want them to be hooked on each line? {Hooked on YOU}

And don't use the same words over and over again "my duties were, my duties included, my job was, my tasks were, my roll was" etc.

 

P.S. When did you hear that?

 

These would also qualify for a longer resume. I will assume less people will be considered and more emphasis will be placed on finding the right person in this scenario, by all means, write a book.

 

He probably heard it in college/high school.

That's what I've been told, but I've always equated it as applying to your first (few) job(s). If you have a ton of accomplishments, and/or jobs it's impossible to not have more than one page.

 

The length of the resume is not as important as what it says. It could be anywhere from 1 - 10 pages long. What matters to me is how well does it address the key qualifications for the job requirements.

For example, for a Sr. IT Management job, I'd be looking for evidence of the following somewhere in the applicant's work history:
- ability to establish and expand meaningful customer relationships,
- exhibits areas of technical leadership,
- ability to lead and motivate subordinate staff,
- monitors quality of project results, does root cause analysis of any problem areas, takes decisive corrective actions,
- works well with peer level managers and effectively interacts with executive management,
- has a subset of key technicians that have followed them from job to job, ensuring their success along the way,
- stays current on latest technologies (either self-taught or has a history of taking new training at key points during their career).

Most hiring decision makers have some sort of "checklist" like this in their head as they are reading your resume. Spend a few minutes trying to be in their shoes and come up with the checklist of what you would be looking for if you were them. It is likely that doing this technique will get your resume a lot closer to what "hits the nail on the head" for what they are looking for.

Also, clean up any MySpace or Facebook entries. In the IT profession, many employers do web searches on their applicants. A good site to use to extend your resume info is Linked In. If you could get a strong profile defined there and get some real-world customer testimonials connected to it, that would be fairly impressive to most IT companies. Be sure to add your Linked In profile address on your resume if you've got a good one established.

Good luck.

 

make it 1 page, be specific with your current position and your last whether it is with or without this company. The other jobs list and give your position, company name, time, etc. but leave it at that. When submitting to HR or wherever it will get lost if someone actually has to "read" it versus skim to get the idea. Small margins and smaller fonts, you can get it on 1 page.

 

So where do we draw the line between a resume and a CV?

 

I heard the one page deal in college as well in technical writing class. When a resume is too long it sticks out as an ego maniac in my book, a braggart. Plus when you have a new job every year or two it makes me wonder what the problem is. Maybe that is the wrong way to look at it but when I take the time to hire a person and get them into the system, I am hoping for many years together. I don't read the long ones at all. Keep it short, to the point, and don't thank me until I hire you. Many people start thanking you over and over in the letter or resume and it turns me off. Thank me when you get the job.

 

From a friend that has been recruiting 10+ years; Keep it to 2 pages, unless you're an MD or in Academia and need to outline every little thing.

Go back 3 jobs, then just make note of anything older than that. Go 4 jobs if space allows. Your current job should have the most detailed description, your last job about 50% less, 3rd job about 25% of the first.

From my perspective, If you hand me a 3 page resume, I'll pretty much ignore the last 2. I've hired 50+ people in the last 3 years, at everything from entry level to Manager level. I'm more interested in what you've accomplished than I am in what your duties were.

 

Shorter is better. You should list your work experience in one page and have an addtional page of listed projects that demonstrate your abilities. That is my opinion, YMMV.
BT

 

20 years ago.

Today, two pages is standard.

 

Yup, simply outdated advice, good to know:

http://career-advice.monster.com/resume-writing-basics/How-to-Decide-on-Resume-Length/home.aspx