How Long Should a Resume Be in 2025?

When writing your resume in 2025, you should always aim for short and sweet.

However, your industry, years of experience, and position frequently determine the best resume page count.

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The best resume length is one page for most applicants

A one-page resume is suitable for college students, entry-level applicants, and those with under a decade of work experience. This resume length should be enough space to outline your professional experience and skills without going into too much detail.

Hiring managers do not want to read a long, wordy document. Your qualifications will stand out more if your resume is clear, concise, and tailored to the job.

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4 tips for the perfect resume length

If your resume is too long, a good look at your resume format, structure, and word choice will often reveal opportunities to reduce your page count.

1. Adjust your formatting

Tweaking your formatting is often the quickest fix for a resume that is spilling onto the next page.

You can reduce your resume margins down to ½” to fit more words per page without making your document cluttered.

Alternatively, reduce your text size. Most resume fonts are still easy to read at 10 pts. Save your resume as a PDF to double-check that you can read your application without squinting.

Make your skills section more space-efficient by setting bulleted lists across two columns.

2. Cut extra resume sections

Headers and section breaks take up valuable space. If you’ve listed your projects separately or created a standalone certifications section, your resume might look longer than necessary.

Look for opportunities to incorporate your additional qualifications into the core parts of your resume. You could incorporate projects into your work experience bullet points or list certifications in your skills or education sections:

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Advertising, June 20XX
The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.8/4.0)

Google Analytics Certification, June 20XX

You should also think about how you’ve arranged your resume sections on the page. Resumes with two-column layouts tend to be more space-efficient than resumes arranged in one vertical column. Experiment with different resume templates to find the best format for your profile.

3. Be selective about which roles you include

If your work experience section is looking bloated, it’s time for an edit.

Every role on your resume should showcase relevant experience or demonstrate a useful transferable skill. Cut any jobs that don’t achieve these goals.

For example, if you’re writing a marketing resume, you don’t need to highlight your experience waiting tables.

If removing irrelevant work experience leaves your resume with noticeable career gaps, switch to a functional resume format.

4. Use 3–5 bullet points for each role

Your work experience entries should be concise but informative. Recruiters don’t need to know every detail of your work history.

Limit your accomplishments to three to five bullet points, highlighting only the most impressive details. Provide fewer bullet points for jobs earlier in your career. One or two points highlighting your most relevant achievements or skills is an appropriate amount for jobs you left several years ago.

To shorten your bullet points, remove filler words (like “very” and “extremely”) and minimize your use of adjectives.

When to write more than one page

In certain situations, you’ll need to write a longer page count to cover your essential qualifications. Here’s when writing a two-page resume or multi-page resume is appropriate.

You have several years of relevant work experience

If you have 10 or 20 years of work experience, you’ll often need extra space to include your relevant achievements and industry knowledge.

Manager resumes, in particular, should be 2–3 pages long.

Still, you should think carefully about how you use the extra space. Remember, your resume should be a concise overview of your qualifications. If you want to go into detail on a particular skill, role, or achievement, consider highlighting it when you write your cover letter.

You’re writing a federal resume

Federal resumes differ significantly from resumes you should write for private sector jobs.

Federal employers typically expect a resume length of 2–5 pages, depending on your experience level. This is because you need to provide in-depth descriptions of your previous jobs, skills, and achievements, as well as these additional details:

• citizenship status
• veteran status
• GS grade
• security clearance (if applicable)
• salary and hours worked per week at each job

You’re an academic

There’s no maximum page limit if you’re writing an academic CV.

In addition to the standard resume sections employers will expect you to provide a detailed summary of your research, teaching experience, memberships, and academic achievements.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some common questions to help you get the right overall resume length.

How long should a resume for a college student be?

Your college student resume should be one page long.

One page is enough to cover your key qualifications, education, and relevant skills.

Highlight your academic accomplishments along with relevant part-time work, projects, or internships that prepare you for the role. A concise resume emphasizes your top qualifications, making a stronger impression on employers.

How long should resume bullet points be?

Keep your resume bullet points under two lines so they’re easy to scan for key details.

Each bullet should cover one achievement or responsibility and be detailed enough to tell the employer:

• what action you took
• the methods or tools you used
• the impact of your actions

The goal is to strike a balance between providing enough detail to showcase your skills and keeping the information digestible for recruiters.

How long should a resume summary be?

For entry-level and mid-level applicants, a resume summary should be 3 to 5 short sentences — enough to briefly outline your strengths and qualifications.

The goal is to give the recruiter a taster of your industry experience and encourage them to read further, so keep it focused and tailored to the job at hand. If you need help introducing your resume in a concise, attention-grabbing way, you can use a free resume summary generator.

How do I decide what to cut or keep to ensure my resume is the right length?

To decide what to cut or keep, focus on relevance.

Prioritize details that address a skill need or responsibility that appears in the job description. As a whole, your resume should tell the specific hiring manager how you’re a good fit for their vacancy.

Focus on aligning your resume with the job’s key skills and responsibilities. Highlight relevant tools, like WordPress or Typo3, if CMS experience is required. Showcase standout achievements, such as leadership experience, even if not explicitly requested.

Cut overly descriptive information. You don’t need to provide detailed context for your skills and achievements on your resume. It’s better to do so when you get to building your cover letter.