How long should your CV be?

2-pages. But the thing is: It often doesn’t matter.

When I hire, I look at the CV for proof that this person can accomplish the job I need done. Ideally, I’d like to look at no more than 2 pages, before making my decision. That doesn’t mean that I’d automatically disregard any CV that’s longer. I once got a CV of over 8 pages and I did look through it entirely.

However, I’d never make a CV for myself that’s more than 2-pages long. For a few reasons:

• I’m a writer. I should be able to effectively summarise my 13-years short career in 2 pages. The CV itself is a writing test for me. 🙂

• The key to a successful CV is relevance. I doubt I’d have done more than 2-pages worth of relevant work, for any given job.

• The job of a CV is to get me an interview, not tell them my life story. I’ll tell my life story, the way I want, in the interview.

But, you do you. If your recruiter asks for a longer CV, give it to them. If you feel like you just need one page, go ahead. Don’t let arbitrary numbers and standards limit you.