Résumé Length Matters
4 ways to determine how long your resume should be.
by Shane Christopher

In the military, you’re accustomed to standard operating procedures, forms and point papers that spell out details and directions for the documents that you produce. In the civilian world, you won’t have as much structure. You’ll be asked to create more things from scratch. And that’s particularly true of your first civilian task – writing your résumé.

“How long should my résumé be?” is one of the most common questions military transitioners ask. A general rule of thumb is that your résumé should be about one page for every 10 years of work experience. That makes sense because the longer you work, the more experiences and accomplishments you offer a potential employer. I generally recommend you adhere to this rule.

Nothing is more aggravating to a hiring manager than leafing through a 22-year-old’s two-page résumé. Detailing job responsibilities as a pizza delivery driver or a grass-cutter does not interest a hiring manager. Keep the résumé contents relevant to the position you’re hoping to land. In general, start your résumé chronologically when you start your professional work career. In most cases, that begins after high school or college. If you lack work experience, include any internships or other relevant experience you picked up while getting your education.

Articulate Your Job Experiences
Use the fewest words possible to make your point. Eliminate boring details of duties that are already obvious in the job description. Keep the details of the résumé to key accomplishments, performance (especially versus your peers) and specific job responsibilities (number of people or dollars managed).

Stand Out in the Crowd
Consider personnel officials who are looking for project managers. How many times do you think they’ve read the job description of a project manager? Do them a favor and don’t make them read it again. Instead, give them something that whets their appetite, makes you unique and forces them to give you an interview.

You should also ai-m to fill the entire page. Partial pages are annoying. If your first résumé draft is one-and-a-half pages, try to reduce it to one full page. Never leave less than a half-page of content on one piece of paper. Adjust font size and margins for a good fit. Just be sure not to go below 10-point font (11 or 12 is preferred) and leave at least 1-inch margins on all four sides.

Keep the big picture in mind. Nobody gets hired from a résumé. Your résumé should simply land you the interview.

Short and articulate works best. Save colorful details for selling yourself in person!