Survey shows longer resumes now more acceptable

The "keep your resume to one page" rule may be on its way out, a new survey suggests. While more than half (52 percent) of executives polled believe a single page is the ideal length for a staff-level resume, 44 percent said they prefer two pages. That compares to 25 percent polled a decade earlier who cited two pages as the optimal resume length; 73 percent of respondents preferred a single page at that time. Respondents also seemed more receptive to three-page resumes for executive roles, with nearly one-third (31 percent) citing this as the ideal length, compared to only 7 percent 10 years ago.

Both national polls include responses from 150 senior executives - including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments - with the nation's 1,000 largest companies. They were conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

Executives were asked, "What is the preferable length of a resume for staff-level employees?" Their responses:

                                        Current        10 Years Earlier
  One page .............................  52%                 73%
  Two pages ............................  44%                 25%
  Three pages or more ..................   3%                  1%
  Don't know/not sure ..................   1%                  1%
                                         100%                100%

They were also asked, "What is the preferable length of a resume for executives?" Their responses:

                                        Current        10 Years Earlier
  One page .............................   7%                 28%
  Two pages ............................  61%                 64%
  Three pages or more ..................  31%                  7%
  Don't know/not sure ..................   1%                  1%
                                         100%                100%

"Many employers are willing to spend a little more time reviewing application materials so they can more easily determine who is most qualified and act quickly to secure interviews with these candidates," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Although employers may be willing to review longer resumes, job seekers shouldn't go overboard, Messmer noted. "Employers want to see that applicants can prioritize information and concisely convey the depth of their experience," he said.

Accountemps offers the following do's and don'ts for determining what information to include in a resume:

           Do                                      Don't

  -- Describe key contributions you    -- Use exact dates of employment.
     made at prior roles and how          Months and years are
     they impacted the bottom line.       sufficient.
  -- Summarize software expertise      -- Include irrelevant details
     and other specialized skills.        about your personal life or
  -- Devote extra space to                list your hobbies.
     describing work experience that   -- Misrepresent your education or
     is most relevant to the job          career experience.
     description.                      -- Use professional jargon and
  -- Use terms referenced in the job      abbreviations.
     description if they apply.        -- List references or include a
  -- Firms often scan resumes for         lengthy objective.
     key words included in the job     -- Use complete sentences; short
     description.                         bulleted statements are better.
  -- Reference your activities with
     professional civic
     associations, community
     involvement and knowledge of a
     second language - if they
     relate to the job opportunity.