Signs Your Resume is Too Long

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Have you spent hours crafting a resume that you believe highlights ALL of your important professional qualities but you’re still not receiving as many callbacks for interviews as expected?

To get your resume in top-notch shape, here are three signs that there’s too much information on your resume.

It’s more than 1-2 pages (for professionals 4 or less years of experience)

If your resume is more than 1-2 pages, consider editing it down for length.

Typically the real problem underneath a resume that’s too long is that it lacks focus, which ultimately will leave an employer confused and unable to spot the most important elements of your background.

“Job seekers early in their career should keep it to one page,” Sean Pritchard, the co-founder of Military Hire, told Monster.  Prevent your resume from being put in the toss pile by only keeping the most pertinent information about your experience that’s relevant to the job posting.

Dr. Marcia Robinson, founder of The HBCU Career Center stresses that the top 35% of the resume is the most important section that makes a recruiter want to read the rest of the page.

You have too many headers and sections

Having excessive headers and sections can take up a lot of space on your resume, making it longer than necessary. To simplify your resume, try combining sections to reduce the number of headers and free up space. “A good way to do so without sacrificing relevant content is by creating separate sections for professional experience and education and then fitting all the remaining information, such as skills, achievements and interests, into a general section with a name like ‘Additional Information’” (Indeed).

Remember that your resume is only one of your tools. Your LinkedIn profile is another tool that has no page restrictions. Many employers will look you up on LinkedIn.

Need more resume help? Get free resume feedback here.