How Long Should a Resume Be? One Page vs Two Pages (and When a CV Is Longer)

"One page or two?" is one of the most common resume questions, and the honest answer is: as long as it takes to show you fit this job, and no longer. In practice, that lands on one or two pages for almost everyone. Here is how to decide, and how to cut down a resume that has grown too long.

I build Resume Builder – CV Maker AI, a free iPhone and iPad app for résumés, CVs, cover letters, biodata and resignation letters, and the screenshots here come from it. If you want to follow along on your phone, get Resume Builder on the App Store.

How long should my resume be?

Your situation	Length
Student, graduate or under 3 years' experience	One page
3 to 10 years' experience	One page, or two if every line earns its place
10+ years, management or senior roles	Two pages
Highly technical roles with many projects or certifications	Two pages
UK, Europe, Gulf or South Asia "CV" for most jobs	Two pages
Academic, research, medical or scientific CV	As long as needed: publications, grants and teaching
US federal government jobs	Often longer, following the agency's instructions

When is two pages better than one?

• When cutting to one page would remove relevant achievements, not just padding.
• When you have several senior roles that each need two or three results.
• When the job asks for a long list of certifications, tools or projects.

If you do use two pages, fill at least half of the second one, put your name on both, and keep your strongest material on page one. A resume that is one page plus three lines looks like a mistake.

How far back should a resume go?

Show the last 10 to 15 years in detail. Older roles can be grouped into a short "Earlier career" line with titles and employers but no bullet points. Leave out school grades once you have a degree or a few years of work, and drop jobs that have nothing to do with where you are heading.

How do I cut my resume to one page?

1. Cut bullet points to results. Keep three or four per recent role, one or two for older ones.
2. Delete duties that anyone in that job would do.
3. Remove "References available on request" and your full address. City is enough.
4. Merge or drop old roles.
5. Shorten the summary to two or three lines. See resume summary examples.
6. Tighten the layout: margins around 1.5 to 2 cm and a 10 to 11 point font, but do not squeeze it until it is hard to read.

Is a CV longer than a resume?

It depends where you are. In the US, a CV means a full academic record that can run to many pages, while a resume is one or two. In the UK, Europe, the Gulf and South Asia, "CV" is simply the local word for a resume, and two pages is normal. I explain the difference in resume vs CV.

Does length matter to applicant tracking systems?

ATS software does not reject a resume for being two pages. What matters to it is that your text is readable and contains the right keywords. What matters to the person reading after the software is how quickly they find your best evidence. See ATS-friendly resume guide.

How Resume Builder helps

• Unlimited résumés, CVs, cover letters, biodata and resignation letters, free.
• Professional templates with a live preview that matches the exported PDF.
• An ATS check that shows how employer software reads your resume.
• Writing help that works on-device, or with your own AI key.
• Import an old CV from PDF or Word, or scan a printed one with the camera.
• No account: your documents stay on your iPhone unless you share them.

Download Resume Builder free on the App Store and have a clean PDF ready to send in minutes.