Shorter Resumes Are the New Trend

Shorter résumés are becoming more popular and tend to give job seekers a greater chance of success in their job searches. Experts recommend submitting a résumé that is only one or two pages in length at most. Job seekers need to write concisely to fit all their relevant information into such a small space.

Research shows that the average recruiter spends just six seconds scanning a résumé before putting it aside. Shorter résumés therefore have an advantage over longer résumés, as a recruiter's eye is more likely to scan over the entire résumé rather than just part of it.

In most situations, a shorter résumé that is no longer than a single page is the most appropriate form. In certain industries, the résumé might need to stretch to two pages to include information about the candidate's technical skills, qualifications and experience.

In studies conducted by the jobs website TheLadders, recruiters spend most time looking at the education and previous positions of a candidate. They often skip over the objective statement and information about the candidate's career goals. When trying to write a shorter résumé, you may want to remove these sections, as they provide few benefits.

A clear layout is also important in a shorter résumé. It's easy for a shorter résumé to look cramped, which can make it difficult to read. Bullet points are very useful for conveying a lot of information quickly, which is why many recruitment experts recommend using them as much as possible instead of using sentences and paragraphs.

Writing a shorter résumé often means leaving out some information. Job applicants need to decide whether all the information on their résumés is relevant to the application. For example, a part-time retail job held 15 years ago might not be relevant to an application for a job as a senior software engineer. It can therefore be omitted to create a more focused and shorter résumé.

For most people, the process of writing a résumé involves two stages. During the first stage, candidates write down as much information as possible about their careers and experiences, including examples of times when they have demonstrated particular skills. This usually results in a résumé that is much longer than one page. The second stage involves cutting out any information that is irrelevant or repetitive and then editing the relevant information, so that it is presented as concisely as possible. This process creates a shorter résumé that communicates its key messages quickly.

Shorter résumés are favored by many recruiters. This is why it is a good idea to edit a résumé to make it as short as possible — no longer than two pages — before submitting it as part of a job application.

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