CV Writing Advice

CV length is almost certainly one of the most important aspects of your CV.

Surprisingly, most people don't realise this.

The longer your CV is the less enticing it is to read.

In fact, this doesn't just apply to CVs, it applies to pretty much any document.

CV Length

If you factor in the fact that employers are very busy people then it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that if your CV is too long then it is not only less enticing to read than a shorter CV, but worse still, it could even be a deterrent.

Further tips and advice on CV length

Depending on who you listen to your CV should be a certain length. Some people say two or three pages. And two pages are better than three. However, one page CVs can be the most powerful of all.

Please note, people who say that two or three page CVs are the best don't do so on the basis of sales and marketing principals (because sales and marketing companies very much value the strength of a concise message), they tend to do so primarily because they don't have the writing skills to be able to refine their two or three-page CV down to a better length without compromising the sales message.

The trouble with refining things down is that it is extremely difficult to convey your work history and sell your skills powerfully in just one page (or a maximum of two pages). However, refining your CV down to just one page whilst selling your skills and improving its impact can be done, but very few people can do this well. Even most professional writers struggle. However, the very best CV writers can do this.

Writing concisely but very powerfully is what we do for clients on a daily basis.

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The above original content is based on extracts from a comprehensive CV book by Paul Hichens, who is one of our senior consultants and is not for distribution or reproduction without permission.