How many pages are appropriate for a resume?

The one-page synopsis is a thing of the past. And now that I've said this, all you employers please put your teeth back in, take a valium and read on.

First of all, length is really irrelevant compared to content. Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager for a moment and I'll explain why. The hiring authority must sift through dozens, or even hundreds, of paper résumés to choose a first list of candidates who MIGHT be qualified. Give him a break! And not by giving fewer words, but more meat. When you synopsize, you run these risks:

1. You assume the reader will read between the lines and come up with the correct evaluation of what it is you can do, or will do. As a recruiter, I get very frustrated with this. I can't tell whether you are lazy, modest, or have no idea why anyone would want to hire you.

2. You assume the reader knows the size and structure, the product or service and the marketplace of your current employer.

3. You assume the reader will be impressed by your title(s) and know where you fit in the hierarchy of responsibility in your corporate structure.

4. You assume that using vague business platitudes will "sort of cover every possible job opening" and therefore, not limit your chances.

5. You assume the reader is in the business of using his own time and imagination to try to figure out what your potential could be within his company, in other words, what his company could do for you to help your growth.

When you make these assumptions, you are putting the responsibility (the "work") on the hiring manager. Your chances of being chosen for an interview are only 50 - 50, because the reader can only relate to your verbiage from his own experience in the business world, and his own pre conceived ideas about certain companies, titles and résumés AND his own time table for filling this position. Don't limit your chances by vagueness. TAKE CONTROL. BE SPECIFIC. Don't make more work for a hiring manager than he already has. The only "limiting" this will do is limiting the amount of time wasted by you and the interviewer.


Appropriate Length:

Unless you have only 1 or 2 short jobs to relate, a résumé can easily be 2 pages without being overkill. The longest résumé I have seen without any fluff is 8 pages. Of course, this included 3 addendum pages of appropriate publications, languages, and key business relationships, and was a paper customized for a Marketing position that called for detailed technical writing skills.

The point here is that if you write a very full, factual, chronological résumé you should be covered. A skimmer-type of hiring manager should be able to skim and see the important facts jump out. A detail person will be able to glean the answer to all his basic questions and also get a good sense of you as a person.


The objective statement

Forget the Objective Statement. Now, this doesn't mean to forget your objective. You need to have an objective. But we will discuss that later in the Silver Thread section.

"To obtain a high-level position in a stable, forward-thinking, growth-oriented, well-funded company where my true potential can befully realized, and my experience and skills can be utilized to attain the long-term goals of your company."

Blech! This is what all Objective Statements tend to read like. This is fluff. Don't insult the interviewer.

First of all, those companies are rather scarce these days. Secondly, WHAT ARE YOU, NUTS?!! Do you think everyone else uses:

"To obtain a low-level position in an unstable, backward-thinking, static, financially shaky company where my potential will probably not be realized and my background will have no relevance."

Let's face it, employers are looking for someone who fits their objective, and it is your responsibility to do the research of the potential employer's goals and objectives, and it is your responsibility to accept or reject an offer from a company that may or may not have the same values and goals as yours.

Remember to think of your job search as a win-win endeavor. You are not begging for a job and the employer is not desperate to have you. You have specific strengths, financial goals and intangible needs that must be addressed in your next position. Excuse my preaching, but you are truly a unique set of energy, opinions, dislikes, skills, preferences and idiosyncrasies. You are the only one who can take care to see that all your needs are met. And, you are the only one who can justify yourself to a potential employer, no matter how many glowing references you have and how silver tongued a head-hunter is representing you.

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