How many pages is your CV/Resumé? 4

[JackMats]

I've always stuck to the 'two-page rule', making sure only the most important skills, achievements etc are presented in a concise manner. However, I have come across a couple of other people CVs and it appears some folks use more (I saw one guys and his was 7 pages long). Maybe I've been thinking about this the wrong way, and it can be long as you like as long as all the information in there is pertinent to the job you're applying for?

I could easily go onto 3 pages and pad out to 4. Would like to see what the general concensus is on this, if any?

 

[SLTA]

Mine is still one, but I also own my own company now so I haven't had to update it in a long time. I could easily hit two.

I really think it depends on the CV's purpose. I cannot imagine folks read past the second page...


Please remember: we're not all guys!

 

[KENAT]

2

Given the type of work I do and positions I'm interested in etc. that's probably as long as I can get away with, especially as some people still harp on about the 1 page resume.

For certain situations/careers/education paths... more is appropriate but probably not for me any time soon.

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[TheTick]

If a hiring manager doesn't see something interesting in the top 1/3 of the first page, it doesn't matter how long the rest is.

 

[Triangled]

someone showed me a single detail they had designed and drawn and i was convinced

 

[msquared48]

2, and a bottle of Blue Label.

I have also developed a list of references and a list of project examples at easy reach if asked for...

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

2 and I second having handy the list of references and the portfolio of past projects/work samples.

Professional Engineer (ME, NH, MA) Structural Engineer (IL)
American Concrete Industries

http://www.americanconcrete.com

 

[JAE]

For a [blue]Resume[/blue] you would want a one or two page document outlining a concise introduction of your experiences/skills - usually used for a particular position that you are seeking.
It may have to be altered depending on the actual position that you are applying for.

A [red]Curricula Vitae[/red] is a more lengthy outline of your total career - usually updated continuously as you add to your work experience and credentials. My CV is perhaps up to about 24 pages.

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[msquared48]

Yea, but JAE uses 30 point type on 3X5 index cards...

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[rotw]

2 pages

 

[JAE]

Mike - OK .... 24 point type....but lots of pictures too!

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[HamburgerHelper]

2 but whoever should know after the first half page whether I am a match or not. Also, I have noticed my descriptions of what I have done for each job has gotten simpler and simpler as I have done more complicated work. Maybe, I am wrong but I sort of feel like if whoever reading this can't figure out what I do, fluffing out a single sentence to a full paragraph explanation won't change anything.

 

[truckandbus]

just over two pages - 25 year career - 3 companies and 13 positions

my first 4 positions are described only with the one-line job title

it would be 2 pages if I didn't make the last company move

 

[Ron]

We use two styles, much like JAE describes. We have subject resumes and we use CV's for more comprehensive info. Our subject resumes go up to a few pages. My CV is about the same as JAE's...25 or so pages

We're not looking for employment though, so there's a difference

 

[zdas04]

For 20 years I kept mine to a single page. Since then I've tried to keep it to 1 page per decade of experience. It is now into its fourth page.

[bold]David Simpson, PE[/bold]
MuleShoe Engineering

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Depends upon the field, too...

Mine is a pretty solid 3 pages (a bit of room to add in the next job or two). The first half of page one provides a quick summary of my skillset/proficiencies, my job interests, etc., and it's immediately followed by a listing of my job experience (chronological order), which continues onto and fills page two. Page three has my Education, a list of paper/presentations, certifications, a list of pertinent skills, and a section for "other information".

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[moltenmetal]

My resume is two pages.

My CV is as long as necessary to tell the reader what I've done. It gets longer as my experience increases.

A resume and a CV are intended for different audiences.

 

[jpankask]

My resume is one page, almost 20 years into my career, plus some relevant school/job information from my college days. I don't have a CV, but if I needed one, I would expect it would be several pages. I've never had need for a CV and don't really expect to in my foreseeable future. One reason I keep my resume to one page is that I was previously in a hiring position. The engineers who caught my eyes were the ones who could quickly and succinctly make a case for why I should hire them. When faced with a stack of 40-50 resumes, someone who rambles on for pages about every detail of every project they worked on would probably not make the initial cut. When faced with all those resumes for 1 or 2 positions, the first pass through the stack is to not only to find the gem you really need to look at closer, but also to weed out the ones you don't want to waste any more time on. Very few resumes I received were more than 1 page. I don't think anyone I hired had a resume more than 1 page. If you can't make your case in the first 1/2 page (30 seconds) to show the person why you merit consideration...your resume most likely ends up in the recycling bin...in many cases (not all obviously).

 

[JAE]

I have reviewed resumes as a hiring employer many times and would always prefer one or two pages...I would look at the second page if the information was relevant and concise.

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[zdas04]

When I was looking at other people's resume's, I only went to page 2 if I had already made up my mind to hire them. If I was on the fence then I never found the information on page 2-15 to cause me to move to the "consider" pile. If you hadn't impressed me in one page then you likely weren't worth the effort to read on.

All the HR managers I worked with said that they read down to the first typo/misspelling or the bottom of page one and NEVER ANY FURTHER. First cut: any typo/misspelling, the applicant goes to the trash. Second cut: do they have the required pre-requisites (without any implication of how well they fit, just that they had the key words)? If not, trash. Final cut: Is the resume "readable" (which is in the eye of the beholder, and no one's opinion matters except the one person reading it)? If not, trash. If so, send it to the hiring manager.

Too many engineers forget that every company has gate keepers to keep from wasting the hiring manager's time. If you can't convince these business majors/clerks/secretaries that you fit the bill then you don't fit the bill. In your third decade it starts becoming common to get jobs from people you know without going through the process, so the hiring manager knows a lot more about you than what is on your resume and your resume becomes pretty pro-forma and can be longer because the HR-puke can't gate-keep you out.

[bold]David Simpson, PE[/bold]
MuleShoe Engineering

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist