How long should a CV or resume be?
Updated
In the UK and most CV-using countries, a CV should be no longer than two A4 pages; one page is enough for students, school leavers and early-career roles. In the US, a resume is usually one page for under about ten years' experience and two pages for senior roles. Academic, research and medical CVs are the exception: they list publications and can run to several pages.
Recommended length at a glance
| Situation | UK / Ireland / Australia CV | US / Canada resume |
|---|---|---|
| Student, school leaver, first job | 1 page | 1 page |
| Graduate / up to ~5 years' experience | 1–2 pages | 1 page |
| Experienced professional | 2 pages | 1–2 pages |
| Senior / executive | 2 pages (3 only if every line earns its place) | 2 pages |
| Academic, research, medical | As long as needed (publications, grants) | As long as needed (academic CV) |
Why length matters less than relevance
Recruiters usually skim a CV quickly the first time. A focused page that shows the right experience beats two pages of padding, and a full second page is fine if everything on it is relevant to the job. The question to ask is not "how many pages?" but "does each line help this application?".
How to cut a CV that is too long
- Delete the objective line if you already have a personal statement.
- Summarise jobs older than 10–15 years in one line each.
- Keep 3–6 bullets per role and remove duties everyone in that job does.
- Remove "References available on request", full address and personal details such as date of birth.
- Merge short sections (courses, certifications, languages) into one.
- Tighten layout: 10–11 pt font and sensible margins — but never cram text.
If your CV is too short
- Add relevant part-time work, volunteering, placements, projects and responsibilities at school or university.
- Expand each role with results rather than adding filler.
- Add a skills section with tools and certifications.
- Do not stretch the layout with large fonts or extra spacing to reach a page.
Page size and format
Use A4 for the UK, Europe, Australia and most other countries, and US Letter for the US and Canada; export as PDF so the page count stays fixed. For the wider differences between the two documents, see CV vs resume. Build yours in the CV builder.