Length and font for a resume (tech)

Question

I have been reading advice about the resume format.

I have been reading that a resume should be at most 1 page long in one source, elsewhere at most 2 pages for 5+years of experience and another source claiming to have as much pages as possible. Which of these is correct based on your experience?
What are the most appropriate fonts to use so that the resume looks professional and readable and take advantage of the space so as to be able to occupy the proper space from (1)?

I've seen a 17 page CV just being binned without looking at it. "As much pages as possible" is grammatically wrong, should be "as many pages as possible", and is factually wrong. — gnasher729, Nov 01 '21 at 12:24
Does this answer your question? How can I reduce the size of a long resume without hiding all my skills and experience? — mustaccio, Nov 01 '21 at 12:31
@mustaccio: seems having relevant info except the fonts to use — smith, Nov 01 '21 at 12:33
@mustaccio: I wasn't aware. Is it better? Do you have an example? Also what about size? — smith, Nov 01 '21 at 12:49
So long as it's not too flouncy or obnoxious, I don't think anyone (sensible) will care about which font you use. Just, overall presentation is more important. — Omar and Lorraine, Nov 01 '21 at 13:20
To answer your question it would be good to know: What country are you in? Which industry are you in? — Omar and Lorraine, Nov 01 '21 at 13:21
@OmarL: yes I understand that. But if i try to keep the length small the proper font should help with that and readability right? Tech — smith, Nov 01 '21 at 13:27
There isn't really that much difference in how many lines you get on a page with different fonts. Usually, the default body font of your favorite text editor will do just fine in terms of readability. — Bart van Ingen Schenau, Nov 01 '21 at 13:34
There are no global standards for the tech industry. You will need to add at least a country and maybe a position. A CV for an apprenticeship will look different from a CV for senior architect. A German CV contains things considered borderline illegal in the US and vice versa. — nvoigt, Nov 01 '21 at 14:11
Your resume should act like a sales brochure to highlight the best reasons to bring you in for an interview. Ask yourself, if you had a stack of sales brochures to evaluate, would you prefer they be short and concise, or long and wordy? — Seth R, Nov 01 '21 at 15:44

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 01 '21 at 13:25

There is no reason to assume that a one-size-fits-all solution exists.

Apart from geographical/cultural differences, it probably depends very much on the type of position being sought.

When applying to a consultancy that expects to sell you on to their clients, I imagine they would want a very full resume/CV stating all skills and roles undertaken in excruciating detail.

A smaller company seeking a quite specific role would probably prefer a much shorter resume/CV tailored to their exact requirements.

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 01 '21 at 14:12

"As many pages as is needed to tell your story."

Your resume should be as long as it needs to be to illustrate your abilities and achievements. I got hired with a four page resume. I've seen resume's as long as six pages.

There is no hard,fast and specific rules about resume lengths. Certainly about font size though. Never go smaller than 10 pts. If it needs to be longer, don't try to force it into a set number of pages. If it is forced, it will look forced and that counts more against you than going one more page to comfortably fit things in.

The most important thing about a resume is that it piques interest.

The point of the resume is not to get the job, it is to get the interview.

A few general rules of thumb:

Avoid gimmicks and trends, the most interesting thing about your resume should be the content, not the format.
Use "action" words
Avoid repetition
Summarize, don't explain
include industry jargon, most resumes never get seen by anyone unless they can pass a keyword filter.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 01 '21 at 15:59

The length itself isn't the important part.

Make sure the first page shows why you're a great fit for the job you're applying to. People will look at page 1 and decide whether to keep reading or bin it. If the job is JavaScript programming and page 1 doesn't say you've worked with JavaScript it's likely to go even if later on there's 10 years of JS somewhere.
Explain what you did and generally in what technologies for each position over time. Some people go too lean on this and it gives me no insight into what they might know. "Programmer at Bank." Well sure, but what languages man, what kinnd of systems, give me something to go on... But do sum up more the older it is, "Novell admin in 1993" is fine I don't need more drilldown than that (unless this is a novell job in 2021, which probably exists though I shudder to imagine where).
Use a legible font. No smaller than 10 point, no reason really to go below 12.

Then the resume is as long as it is. I've been in tech nearly 30 years so my resume is long. I'd expect someone in tech <5 years for it to be a one-pager, but if they did a lot of stuff maybe slopping over to 2.

score -4 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 01 '21 at 14:03

-4

Write as simple, as true, as powerful as it could be with Times New Roman.

For example in Experiences: CCIE validation in 2020.

These 4 simple words alone would almost grant any door in the industry.

answered Nov 01 '21 at 14:03

JamaisVu

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Welcome to the workplace. If you could add a little bit of detail, your answer may be better received – Old_Lamplighter Nov 01 '21 at 14:14

Length and font for a resume (tech)

4 Answers4