Short answer.... yes. Considering that most keyword search technology highlights the match keyword red though, it only helps you pull up in search results and then you just have a recruiter thinking, "I see what you did there."
Short answer.... yes. Considering that most keyword search technology highlights the match keyword red though, it only helps you pull up in search results and then you just have a recruiter thinking, "I see what you did there."I wonder if you can do the 1998 SEO optimization technique of putting 100 buzzwords in white text at 0.5 pt font at the bottom of your resume to increase your hit rate.
Just got back from talking to my friend. He says the more detail the better. The automated recruiting/resume systems are searching for buzzwords. The hit % will determine if he will even look at a resume, so for him to even view it, it doesn't matter what the length is but obviously a longer resume will more than likely provide a higher hit %.
When he looks at the resume, the majority of folks will include a technical summary which tells him you have experience in Java but he wants to know what you've done with Java and how well you know it. He says a one page resume, especially ones that include a technical summary will not provide him enough detail of your experience, especially when it comes to technologies.
For people he hires, everyone's resumes are 2-3 pages. He ended the talk saying again, the more detail the better.
I'll give you one more response.
My word isn't gospel but this thread started with another user saying only one page EVER. I countered with my experience to provide justification for my opinion that sometimes more than one page is reasonable.
I've been in recruiting for 12 years. I'll stick with the observed standard and preference I've gotten from thousands of hours of recruiters, but you run with that one page approach, go for it!
I responded with You are the one that took the conversation from opinion to a personal slam, and when I responded with some fact-based info about my background you preferred to denigrate my abilities. At this point we are in a personal mud-throwing contest, which is dumb and I do not wish to engage in that. It isn't about the difference of opinion, it's about the approach you've taken to your argument. Not worth my time because it's not a dialogue either of us will gain from.
Sorry, let me clarify. 12 years of performance reviews of 4 or 5 out of a 5 point scale, promotions every 1-3 years, currently own the product development for one of the most major applicant tracking systems on the market. So yeah, I suck at my job.
Stick with your one page resumes, feel free. You go with your bad self!
This.
A one page resume will only have a summary of what positions you've had, an overview of what you did in those positions, and what skills you claim to have. With 2+ pages you can provide some details about what you've done to give the recruiter an idea of how good you are with those skills.
One page only. Ever.
It's an exercise in communication skills. Can you distill your career down to the most relevant points on one page for this job?
The point of the resume isn't to get a job, it's to get an interview. A good interview will spend some time on your resume, but will also spend some time on things not on your resume.
An academic CV is different, and those can be multiple pages.
No one reads a resume when hiring physicians. You basically ask people you know if the person is any good. Who you know is everything.
I have to disagree. Brevity is always good, but what you're really after is getting across the message that you have the skills and experience for the job you're applying for.
All of my job titles have been some play on "Software Developer" which, as mentioned previously, is actually not very helpful. Linux side? Windows? Web? Mobile? Specialist at small sites or ones running on 100+ machines? Generalist? Have I worked on a team before? Led them? Hate them? Am I a toe-shoe wearer?
My resume is two pages in length and gives a one-sentence description of all major projects I've worked on. As a result, the employer A) gains confidence that I have done specific work in the area, and B) they get a feel for the sort of thing I like to do. (In my case, 3-30 person development projects where I architect or lead.)
Point B) is more implicit than explicit, but is extremely important. You'll often hear from employers that they reject candidates not because they lack experience but because they feel somebody wasn't going to be a good cultural fit for their office place. If you soothe their anxiety by having worked on projects X, Y and Z with a team of 4, 12 and 7, you go a long way towards helping them think, "Yeah, this guy does have a track record of the kind of small team work we do. Yeah. YEAH! Let's hire him and bake him a cake."
I also actually provided my resume to AreaCode707 a few years ago for her to critique. In its heavily revised form, I've gotten a number of compliments on it from recruiters, and easily make it to the interview stage via it. I particularly remember debating the use of a "Summary"/"Objective" section, which I ended up including, and have gotten only positive feedback on it as well.
This is true as well. I got a couple of highly regarded people to give me high praise to their managers, which in turn led to job interviews.
I have to disagree. Brevity is always good, but what you're really after is getting across the message that you have the skills and experience for the job you're applying for.
All of my job titles have been some play on "Software Developer" which, as mentioned previously, is actually not very helpful. Linux side? Windows? Web? Mobile? Specialist at small sites or ones running on 100+ machines? Generalist? Have I worked on a team before? Led them? Hate them? Am I a toe-shoe wearer?
My resume is two pages in length and gives a one-sentence description of all major projects I've worked on. As a result, the employer A) gains confidence that I have done specific work in the area, and B) they get a feel for the sort of thing I like to do. (In my case, 3-30 person development projects where I architect or lead.)
Point B) is more implicit than explicit, but is extremely important. You'll often hear from employers that they reject candidates not because they lack experience but because they feel somebody wasn't going to be a good cultural fit for their office place. If you soothe their anxiety by having worked on projects X, Y and Z with a team of 4, 12 and 7, you go a long way towards helping them think, "Yeah, this guy does have a track record of the kind of small team work we do. Yeah. YEAH! Let's hire him and bake him a cake."
I also actually provided my resume to AreaCode707 a few years ago for her to critique. In its heavily revised form, I've gotten a number of compliments on it from recruiters, and easily make it to the interview stage via it. I particularly remember debating the use of a "Summary"/"Objective" section, which I ended up including, and have gotten only positive feedback on it as well.
This is true as well. I got a couple of highly regarded people to give me high praise to their managers, which in turn led to job interviews.
The entire resume is a "claim" of what you did and what skills you have. They have interviews after the resume phase to go more in depth to the claims on your resume. Adding another page to the resume proves nothing.
What does listing the 10th major project add to your resume that wasn't already there by the 8th? The 5th? The 3rd?
Why give examples of teams of 5, 7, 12, when you can just list one?
I'm leading a resume/interview training program right now that gets people jobs from my alma mater in a very competitive industry.
Typical industry applicant -> offer rates at a firm are about 0.5-1%. Interview -> offer rates are about 5-8%.
Compare that to the people we work with where 80% get at least one offer. And they ALL have a 1-page resume. Yes, they have all left things out, but they all bring up the best examples of things that aren't on their resume when they are in the interview.
Fit is something that comes from the interview for sure. After all, fit is a 2-way street, and the applicant has to walk in to the building and meet the people in order to understand whether there is a fit for them as well.
I should back off of my "1 page only, ever" statement because there are examples of industries where more may be necessary, but my statement does apply in general - if you have to ask, the answer is 1 page. If you KNOW that 2 pages is what it takes, then go with 2.
What's more, a lot can be done with the formatting to fit things on to 1 page.
-Decrease the margins until they are as small as you can get while still printing on the vast majority of printers.
-Reducing the font size (it should still be readable though)
-Cramming your name and contact info at the top in fairly small type (ie, no 16pt bold name at the top)
-Wordsmithing so those 3-line bullet points fit exactly into 2 lines
-Removing redundant information and examples that don't add anything not already covered by previous examples
-Removing the "objective" line as it should be in the posting you are applying to, or in your cover letter
How long have you been working yllus.
No one reads a resume when hiring physicians. You basically ask people you know if the person is any good. Who you know is everything.
I think this is my 11th year of being paid to write software.
Agree to an extent. I would rather see a full picture of progression than not. If projects 1-5 were the same role, the person fits a certain pattern. If each project shows new skills, more responsibilities, promotions, etc... then yes, I would rather see all the ways the person has grown.What does listing the 10th major project add to your resume that wasn't already there by the 8th? The 5th? The 3rd?
Why give examples of teams of 5, 7, 12, when you can just list one?
Super annoying because we rarely print.-Decrease the margins until they are as small as you can get while still printing on the vast majority of printers.
To me, super annoying.-Reducing the font size (it should still be readable though)
Agree, I usually skip the name and glance at it, and go to objective, then try to analyze the person's life story.-Cramming your name and contact info at the top in fairly small type (ie, no 16pt bold name at the top)
IMHO, 2 lines should be the rare exception. If it takes you two sentences, not focused enough. If it takes you too long of a sentence, not focused enough. Exception is for cramming with technologies used or keyword loading.-Wordsmithing so those 3-line bullet points fit exactly into 2 lines
Agree. Best practice IMHO is to create an internal content map for what skills/attributes you want to convey, and then come up with 1-2 examples that really showcase and exemplify previous work. This is one of the biggest challenges I see people not overcoming in their content architectures. It breaks the story-flow of a resume.-Removing redundant information and examples that don't add anything not already covered by previous examples
mixed thoughts. I think a cover letter is the place to highlight 3-4 benefits to the employer for working with a candidate, whereas objective provides an opportunity to highlight something a little more philosophical. If they are the same level... both are summary of skills, or both cover what the candidate wants, shows to me lack of understanding about content or marketing approaches.-Removing the "objective" line as it should be in the posting you are applying to, or in your cover letter