Resume Length for Dream Job

sondra_finchley · #1 12-04-2006, 01:57 PM

Folks-

Quandry here. I am applying for a job that would mean a lot to me and really would join my skills, interests, and experience. One of the main requirements is to show that one has knowledge of US and UK business cultures and networking skills. I spent the better part of this decade working on the UK gambling bill and meetin' and greetin' all sorts of academics, govt people, business people, and redevelopment people for my thesis and further projects. Currently the information on the seminars, conferences, and the further projects are NOT listed on my one page resume (although prior UK work experience and the title of my thesis are)- for the instance of this job, would it be adviseable to extend the resume to a second page to include the hobbnobbing and presentation information?

Resume will be mailed for this position.

winneythepooh7 · #2 12-04-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sondra_finchley

Folks-

Quandry here. I am applying for a job that would mean a lot to me and really would join my skills, interests, and experience. One of the main requirements is to show that one has knowledge of US and UK business cultures and networking skills. I spent the better part of this decade working on the UK gambling bill and meetin' and greetin' all sorts of academics, govt people, business people, and redevelopment people for my thesis and further projects. Currently the information on the seminars, conferences, and the further projects are NOT listed on my one page resume (although prior UK work experience and the title of my thesis are)- for the instance of this job, would it be adviseable to extend the resume to a second page to include the hobbnobbing and presentation information?

Resume will be mailed for this position.

It can't hurt. I get 2-page resumes all the time. It helps me get a better picture of the candidate. I also think it sometimes shows someone who may be a better candidate and more detail-oriented.

weary · #3 12-04-2006, 02:04 PM

2 pages are fine. it's pretty hard to get everything on only 1 page once you've been working for a while and have some good experience. i see them all the time and the only ones i've ever had a problem with were the ones that were sstttttrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeetched to make the person look more qualified than they were w/ a lot of fluff words and big font.

good luck!

winneythepooh7 · #4 12-04-2006, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weary

2 pages are fine. it's pretty hard to get everything on only 1 page once you've been working for a while and have some good experience. i see them all the time and the only ones i've ever had a problem with were the ones that were sstttttrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeetched to make the person look more qualified than they were w/ a lot of fluff words and big font.

good luck!

LOL. Yuppers.

sondra_finchley · #5 12-04-2006, 02:11 PM

Lol, ive seen some like that as well. Getting everything on the resume right now to one page is tough enough, Ill go for the two pages so it will look sharp.

Unfortunately this means doing a bit of overhauling the resume today and writing a really concise cover letter, but better to spend the time to do it right for an "old-fashioned" application than to whip out another standard app as what happens for online applications.

Thanks!

wordsmith · #6 12-04-2006, 02:18 PM

Two pages of pertinent info is fine. Two pages that could easily fit onto one is not, but, yeah, as others have said, if you're a couple of jobs into your professional life, and you have even a few bullet points for each, you're eating up one page, easy, just with previous/present employment info. My resume also has awards, education, and professional organization info, in addition to previous/present employment.

AshleyJordan · #7 12-04-2006, 03:33 PM

My resume is also two full pages, because I figured it was worth it to list some of the bigger-name clients I've had, projects I've worked on, languages, PC skills, etc. I have a one-page version, just for reference I guess, but it really isn't enough space to accurately convey my academic and professional experience. . . which is only about 6 years' worth, but still. . . .

cache · #8 12-04-2006, 04:37 PM

Usually I am the one page resume advocate, but in this instance, two sounds OK - as long as you verify that there is no fluff in those two pages - it should all be necessary and important to the position you are applying for.

weary · #9 12-04-2006, 04:40 PM

my boss' resume is 7 pages. seriously.

he's got 30 years of experience...but, damn.

Skyblade · #10 12-04-2006, 04:57 PM

I don't even really know how long my resume is in pages. So many companies nowadays prefer your resume in the text of the e-mail that I've pretty much done away with the attachments and faxing of resumes.

wordsmith · #11 12-04-2006, 05:28 PM

I've mentioned this, but I HAAAAAAAAAAATE online apps that have you paste it into a field and make you lose all formatting. How is THAT reader-friendly?

Skyblade · #12 12-04-2006, 06:01 PM

I just have a plain text file where I have my resume pasted. I've made it as reader-friendly as possible using dashes where bullets would be, etc.

sondra_finchley · #13 12-04-2006, 07:39 PM

Ive got my one page in the format that Skyblade has as well- but its still a pain since the unplain text one looks fantastic, is easy to read, and all the important stuff can be seen in about 15 seconds.

Should it be assumed when applying to jobs via email that employers prefer the resume in the email text and not as an attachment?

MollyM · #14 12-04-2006, 08:23 PM

When e-mailing the resume, I will attach it and send it in the body of the email using the plain text version.
I was the POC on a job announcement and had a few emailed resumes. I don't like opening attachments from random people but I liked the option of printing a pretty version of the resume to show my boss. My preference.