Recruiter Roundtable Resume Length

Recruiter Roundtable Resume Length Recruiter Roundtable Resume LengthBy Yahoo HotJobsThe Recruiter Roundtable is a monthly feature that collects career and job-binnenseeking advice from a group of recruiting experts throughout the US. The question we put before our panel this month is For resumes, does size matter?How long is too long?Content is KeyIts content, not size, that matters.More specifically, its the quality of the content in a resume -- the information that immediately tells me why youre the right person for the job -- that matters.If youre wondering what to leave in and what to take out, a simple rule of thumb is toinclude information that is relevant to your career -- membership/leadership roles in industry associations, education, speaking engagements or published articles -- and to take out any personal information -- age, marital status, number of children, health or political/religious affiliations. Whether your resume is one or two pages, make every hundertprozentig count.-- Cheryl Ferguson, recruiter, The Recruiters StudioLess is Still MoreI think its always good to remember that a resume is not unlike a business card it gives the recruiter and hiring manager information about you, but is by no means you. I give points for being succinct and for originality. After reflecting on some of the best resumes Ive seen, I would recommend keeping to 700 to 1,000 words. I also recommend keeping it to one page unless you are at the VP-or-above level. And in that case, less is still more. If you are at the exec level, only brief information is needed about your first few jobs.-- Ross Pasquale, owner, Monday VenturesPages Mean Less OnlineElectronic communication has changed the old adage of no more than one page.As a recruiter, I dont even notice scrolling through a couple of pages.The more important factor to me is that the format is easy to read (i.e,. clean, simple sentences, flows nicely, etc.), identifies what the candidate has done and where they di d it, and relates to the position at hand.In the presentation of your information, make it easy for the audience to see how your background correlates to the position you are applying for. -- Sionnon Gruenberg, executive staffing consultant - Wells Fargo Technology Information GroupSummarize with AccuracyI have seen resumes that have literally been 10 pages long.Recruiters and hiring managers simply do not have time to read resumes that long, regardless of experience.The best resumes I have seen are two to three pages long highlighting skills and accomplishments.Dont get too wordy -- we dont want to read a novel, just a summary.And be accurate. If it is on your resume, recruiters and managers will ask you about it.-- Bob Hancock, senior corporate recruiter, Electronic ArtsWhat Resume?More and more companies allow applying without a resume.Sometimes they even prefer this, as it may be a sign that you are a passive job seeker. I have seen in many companies that they do the screening w ithout using a resume they only require a resume in case of an interview.So the general advice I would give is to make sure that whatever is required in the online application is filled out. And of course do have a resume with all the necessary keywords if you are an active seeker.-- Yves Lermusi, CEO of Checkster