Can My Resume Be Three Pages or Longer?

If you have an extensive work history, you might find yourself writing a three-page, four-page, or even a five-page resume. Maybe you've held a lot of jobs, or perhaps you've been in the workforce for decades. You might also have the overwhelming urge to add in a lot of detail to each job on your resume, trying to maximize your keywords for the applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan.

So, is it okay to have a three-page resume?

There are a few exceptions, but generally no, the length of a resume should almost never be more than two pages.

Why is this?

A hiring manager only skims a resume for a few seconds before deciding to either look at it in more detail, or send it to the rejection pile. You want to provide them with a resume that’s clear, concise, and relevant. There’s just no reason to have a resume length of more than two pages to achieve this.

Hiring managers often have hundreds of applicants per job posting, and may be hiring for multiple positions at any one time. Resumes that are longer in length might annoy a hiring manager, since a lot of the information on there is likely to be not at all relevant, and a waste of time for the person reading it.

So, what is the ideal length of a resume? It’s either one or two pages, depending on where you are on your career path. For graduates or those at the start of their job journey, a resume length of one page should suffice. Other than that, a resume length of two pages is plenty, unless you’re an academic with a mountain of publications under your belt, or a medic who needs to show a complete career progression.

But generally, your goal is to effectively communicate that you're right for the job in as little space as possible.

When it's acceptable to have a resume length of three pages

There are some fields that require a longer resume, or Curriculum Vitae (CV), due to the inclusion of research, publications, and detailed projects. These resumes with multiple pages often involve professionals in the fields of science, medicine, academia, and engineering, as well as some federal posts.

Even then, it’s advisable to keep your resume length to two pages, unless you have critical information that the hiring manager needs to see, or that is relevant to the job you’re applying for–such as a request for a full list of publications. If you detest the idea of all your hard work being sidelined, take the step to include additional information on your LinkedIn profile, online portfolio, or as part of a personal website.

Note: this advice is specifically for people writing a resume. If you're not applying for a corporate job in the US or Canada, you may want to brush up on when to use a CV instead.

So, how can you cut your resume length down to two pages? Below are some tips to trim your resume down to be a more effective and streamlined document that proudly conveys your qualifications..

How to get your resume length to under three pages

1. Keep it relevant

One of the most common reasons that job seekers have a resume length of three pages or longer is the inclusion of irrelevant information. In 2023, the work experience career summary--that’s the meaty part of the resume--only needs to go back in detail to between 10 and 12 years ago. So don’t include a whole page on customer service positions that you held 15 years ago, especially if you’re applying for an accounting position. One of the keys to writing an effective resume is including information that’s relevant.

The goal of your resume is to show that you're the best fit for the job opening you're applying for. This means including only relevant experience, skills, and qualifications that matter to the prospective employer.

If something on your resume doesn't directly demonstrate how you would add value to this specific job, then remove that information from the document. Go through your resume with a fine tooth comb, deleting irrelevant details in order to reach the right resume length.

2. Use the right resume format

Your overall format, font size, and font type of the resume can also be a reason why your resume might trickle over onto a third page. Keep your font size at 12, and if you’re just going a line or two onto the third page, either try another font or reduce the size to 11. Some fonts take up more space, so you could try several different ones to see which one works the best.

If you aren't sure what resume format to use, this guide walks you through the three most popular resume formats for American and Canadian employers.

 3. Keep your experience clear and concise

Another reason many job seekers go over the recommended resume length is because they include too much information on each position held. Don't use paragraphs when describing your work experience. Instead, incorporate clear and concise bullet points on your resume.

Our team of over 100 career experts, professional resume writers, and former recruiters recommend using between four and six bullet points for each position, as long as they are within the last 10 to 12 years.

Doing this will keep your work experience focused and relevant, while making it easier for hiring managers to scan and pick up on your skills and achievements quicker.

4. Remove outdated experience

As a general rule, your resume should only contain your work history from the last 10 years, starting with your current or most recent position. Even if the information is relevant, you don't really want to include positions you held over a decade ago on your resume. A lot of job seekers feel the need to include their full job history; however, this might be hurting you because it's less relevant. Plus, any skills you picked up 15 years ago are likely to be rusty.

What about the times when you really need to include work experience from more than 15 years ago?

Is that a thing? Can you do that? Occasionally, yes. As with most things, there are the exceptions to the rule.

• If you’ve been out of the job market for a very long time, due to taking a break to have a family for example, and you only hold skills and experience from more than 15 years ago, then it’s likely you would want to include these on your resume. That’s fine.

• If you’re applying for a job in a field that you used to work in over 15 years ago, and you don’t have the recent professional experience to shout about. In that case, it’s advisable to include old relevant experience, as that’s better than no experience at all.

• If your dated experience is of high importance. Were you the Chief Executive Officer at Netflix or maybe you used to be Vice President at Microsoft? In that case, you can use it to your advantage as it proves your qualifications and prestige, even though it might be old news in anyone else’s book.

5. Ban the resume fluff

It's time to cut out the resume fluff once and for all. If you’re including resume buzzword phrases like, “hard-working” or “team player,” you’re taking up valuable real estate and wasting the hiring manager's time by inserting meaningless words and phrases. Keep your resume free of annoying clichés and buzzwords.

The key to a great resume is, “show, not tell.” You probably are a fabulous team player. So show that you are, with real-life examples, and not just empty rhetoric.

Summary

When deciding on how long your resume should be, keep in mind that the hiring manager will only look at it for a few seconds. You want to capture their attention with clear, concise, and relevant information. A resume that spans three, four, or even five pages in length will be an absolute turn off to a hiring manager. So do everyone a favor by only including the most impressive, relevant, and recent information on your resume. You’ll be thankful you did that once you start landing interview after interview.

Good luck with your job search.

Recommended reading:

•  200+ Resume Examples For Every Job Title and Industry

•  Can Employers Check Employment History With A Background Check?

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