4 ms·

One question I always have regarding the 2 page suggested limit -- should I just drop old positions? At some point in a long enough career, just listing compan

One question I always have regarding the 2 page suggested limit -- should I just drop old positions? At some point in a long enough career, just listing company, position, and dates will push it out past 2 pages.

Supermancho 6y ago
> should I just drop old positions Yes. If there is work that you would like to specifically highlight, group your achievement(s) into your summary. If someone says not put a summary in your resume (beginning or end) you are making a mistake. Having an (albeit brief) identity helps you remain memorable in a sea of similarity. No need to list jobs 10 years ago, but saying you have written forum software or worked on a banking app is relevant to your career.
gregdoesit 6y ago
You should think of your resume as a sales pitch. The only goal of it is to get a callback from a recruiter. In Europe, I've had a hiring manager tell me he actually reads longer resumes. Another recruiter in the UK told me for exec profiles he's seen 3-4 pages long ones that were not great, but passable. The other 23 recruiters and hiring managers all suggested to fit it into 2 pages. I would say, make sure everything important is on the first 2 pages. The book has an example of a person with 20+ years' experience refactoring their resume to a 2-page one, cutting off 10 years of less relevant experience, and getting a lot more callbacks.
- quicklyfrozen 6y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. TBH 4 pages has worked ok for me so far -- the most important info is on the first 2 pages, the remainder just stops any questions about what I was doing during that time. But I'm open to change :-). I've also gotten conflicting opinions on leaving off my graduation date so I end up alternating back and forth on that.
hondo77 6y ago
Remember that it is a resume, not a biography. As the author mentioned above, it's a sales pitch for yourself. If people ask about a gap, tell them about it. No big deal and at least the resume got them to respond. If I can condense 35 years (and lots of companies) into a two page resume, it can be done by most people.

Supermancho 6y ago

> should I just drop old positions Yes. If there is work that you would like to specifically highlight, group your achievement(s) into your summary. If someone says not put a summary in your resume (beginning or end) you are making a mistake. Having an (albeit brief) identity helps you remain memorable in a sea of similarity. No need to list jobs 10 years ago, but saying you have written forum software or worked on a banking app is relevant to your career.

gregdoesit 6y ago

You should think of your resume as a sales pitch. The only goal of it is to get a callback from a recruiter. In Europe, I've had a hiring manager tell me he actually reads longer resumes. Another recruiter in the UK told me for exec profiles he's seen 3-4 pages long ones that were not great, but passable. The other 23 recruiters and hiring managers all suggested to fit it into 2 pages. I would say, make sure everything important is on the first 2 pages. The book has an example of a person with 20+ years' experience refactoring their resume to a 2-page one, cutting off 10 years of less relevant experience, and getting a lot more callbacks.

quicklyfrozen 6y ago
Thanks for the feedback. TBH 4 pages has worked ok for me so far -- the most important info is on the first 2 pages, the remainder just stops any questions about what I was doing during that time. But I'm open to change :-). I've also gotten conflicting opinions on leaving off my graduation date so I end up alternating back and forth on that.

hondo77 6y ago

Remember that it is a resume, not a biography. As the author mentioned above, it's a sales pitch for yourself. If people ask about a gap, tell them about it. No big deal and at least the resume got them to respond. If I can condense 35 years (and lots of companies) into a two page resume, it can be done by most people.