How long should a CV be? One page or two, case by case

The short answer

• One page if you're a student, a recent graduate or have less than 5-7 years of experience.
• Two pages if you have long, relevant experience, management responsibilities or technical skills that need space.
• More than two pages only in special cases: academic and research careers, doctors, some public-sector applications, senior executive roles with very complex responsibilities.

Length isn't a value in itself. A one-page CV full of irrelevant information is worse than a two-page CV where every line counts.

Why length matters

In the first read, a recruiter skims your CV in a few seconds to see whether your profile fits the role. An eye-tracking study by Ladders measured an average of about 7 seconds for this first screen. In that time the eye looks for: current role, companies, length of each job, education, key skills.

If that information is buried under secondary details, the recruiter won't find it. If the CV is too thin, they won't have enough to decide. The right length is the one that makes what matters easy to find.

What recruiters actually prefer

The belief that "a CV must fit on one page" is widespread, but it isn't a universal rule. A 2018 ResumeGo study involving several hundred recruiters found that for experienced candidates, two-page CVs were preferred over one-page ones, because they gave a fuller picture of the candidate.

What emerges from the experience of people who hire:

• for junior profiles, a well-made single page shows you can be concise and is enough to hold everything;
• for experienced profiles, squeezing everything onto one page often means cutting the results, which are exactly what recruiters want to see;
• in every case, the second page must contain useful information, not filler.

The right length for each profile

Students and graduates

One page. Education, projects, internships, seasonal jobs and skills fit comfortably. If you go over, you're probably listing every module or describing short experiences in too much detail.

2 to 7 years of experience

One page, or one and a half at most if you've held several roles with significant results. At this stage, summarise your education (degree, institution, year) and give space to your experience.

More than 7-10 years of experience

Two pages are normal. The first page should contain your profile, most recent roles and main skills: someone who stops there should already have a complete picture. Older roles can be reduced to one line each.

Executives and managers

Two pages, rarely three. The CV must highlight responsibilities (people, budget, markets) and business results. For older roles, job title, company and years are enough.

Industries with exceptions

• Research and academia: an academic CV includes publications, funded projects, conferences and teaching. It can run well beyond two pages.
• Healthcare: doctors and some health professionals often include qualifications, specialisations, clinical experience and continuing education.
• Public sector: format and length depend on the notice; some ask for the European format, which tends to be longer. In the US, federal resumes are typically much longer than private-sector ones.
• Creative fields: the CV can be short if it comes with a portfolio.

Length in different countries

• United Kingdom and Ireland: two pages are standard for experienced profiles.
• United States: a one-page resume for most profiles, two for senior ones.
• France: a strong tradition of one-page CVs, especially for juniors.
• Germany, Austria, Switzerland: a tabular CV of 1-2 pages, orderly and with precise dates, often with a cover letter and certificates.
• Italy, Spain, Portugal: 1-2 pages in the private sector; the European format is still common in the public sector.

How to shorten a CV that's too long

1. Cut old, irrelevant roles: beyond 10-15 years, one line or a "Previous experience" section with titles and companies is enough.
2. Trim bullet points: 3-5 for recent roles, 1-2 for older ones. Keep those with results, drop obvious duties.
3. Remove unnecessary information: full address, date of birth, marital status, "references available on request", generic hobbies.
4. Condense education: with experience, school qualifications can go and your degree takes one line.
5. Group courses and certifications: only relevant ones, in a compact list.
6. Shorten sentences: "I was responsible for managing relationships with suppliers" becomes "Managed relationships with 25 suppliers".
7. Review the layout: margins of 1.5-2 cm, 10-11 pt font, regular spacing. You often gain half a page without cutting anything.

How to expand a CV that's too short

If your CV fills half a page, the problem isn't length but lack of detail:

• add a 3-4 line profile;
• describe each role with 2-4 bullet points explaining what you did and with what results;
• include projects, internships, volunteering and seasonal jobs;
• list technical skills specifically (not "IT", but the tools you use);
• add languages with their European level and certifications.

Don't pad it with huge fonts, enormous margins or personal details: it shows immediately.

Length-related mistakes

• A 3-4 page CV for a junior profile.
• A second page with three lines: better to fit on one page or fill the second with useful content.
• Shrinking the font to 8 pt to squeeze everything onto one page: it becomes unreadable.
• Repeating the same information in several sections (skills in the profile, in the experience and again in a final list using the same words).
• Listing every refresher course from the last 20 years.

What about the cover letter?

Always one page at most, roughly 250-400 words, whatever your experience.

With WizardsCV you see a live preview of your PDF as you fill it in: you can tell immediately whether you're going over a page and adjust the content before downloading it for free.