Applying, step by step · 5 min read
How long should a CV be?
Two sides of A4 in the UK, one page for most early-career US resumes, longer for academic CVs. Then cut whatever this employer won't care about.
The short answer
Most UK careers services say a CV should be no more than two sides of A4. In the US, a resume is usually one page for students and people with under ten years of experience, and two pages after that. Academic CVs have no fixed limit. Within those limits, shorter wins when every line still earns its place: the first reader may skim for only seconds, so put the experience this job asks for at the top of page one.
On this page 4 sections
The usual limits
| Your situation | UK CV | US resume |
|---|---|---|
| Student, graduate or part-time job | One side of A4 is often enough | One page |
| A few years of experience | Two sides of A4 | One page, two at most |
| Ten years or more | Two sides of A4 | Two pages |
| Academic or research post | As long as the record needs | As long as the record needs |
The University of Sheffield's careers service puts it at two sides of A4 for most placement and graduate roles, with one side usually fine for part-time jobs. Harvard's career offices describe the US norm as one page for students and early-career applicants.
Why shorter often reads better
The first person to read your CV is usually deciding whether to read it properly. Ladders' 2018 eye-tracking study reported that recruiters scanned for job titles and section headings, and were put off by CVs without clear headers. Whatever the exact number of seconds, the first third of page one does most of the work.
How to cut without losing anything
- Keep a long master CV with everything. You cut copies from it, so nothing is lost.
- For each job, keep the lines that prove the post's must-haves. Move them to the top of each role.
- Merge roles older than ten to fifteen years into one 'Earlier experience' line.
- Delete any line you couldn't talk about for a minute in an interview.
OffLadder CV is our free Chrome extension for this step. Open a job post and it lists the post's must-haves, shows which ones your CV already mentions, and rewrites your CV for that job. Every change is checked against the CV you gave it, so it never adds experience you don't have.
Questions people ask
- Is a one-page CV better?
- Only if it fits what you've done. A one-page CV suits students, graduates and part-time roles. Squeezing fifteen years into one page in tiny type is harder to read than two clear pages.
- Can a CV be three pages?
- For academic, medical and some senior or technical roles, yes. For most other jobs, a third page usually means old roles or detail this employer won't need. Summarise anything older than about ten to fifteen years in a line or two.
- How long do recruiters spend reading a CV?
- A 2018 eye-tracking study by Ladders reported an average first scan of about 7.4 seconds. It published few details about its method, so treat the number as a reminder rather than a rule: the top of page one has to show the job title, the most relevant experience and the main skills fast.
- Does font size or margin size count?
- Yes, in the sense that cramming fails. Keep body text around 10 to 12 points and margins wide enough that the page breathes. If it only fits at nine point, cut words.
- What should I cut first?
- A generic personal statement, a list of soft skills with no evidence, references (say nothing or 'available on request'), hobbies that say nothing about the job and duties without results.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- How to write a CV · UCAS
- Writing a CV · University of Sheffield Careers Service
- Resumes, CVs and portfolios · Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Eye-tracking study shows recruiters look at resumes for 7 seconds · HR Dive, reporting the Ladders 2018 study
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.