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Survey shows longer resumes more acceptable

Bigger is better: Resume survey

The "keep your resume to one page" rule may be on its way out, a new survey suggests. Only 13% of executives polled believe a single page is the ideal length for a staff-level resume while 73% said they prefer two pages. Respondents were also more receptive to three-page resumes for executive roles with nearly half (49%) citing this as the ideal length.

[ 2007-05-09 ]

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Both polls include responses from 100 senior Canadian executives -- including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments. They were conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Accountemps, a specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

"Many employers are willing to spend a little more time reviewing application materials so they can more easily determine who is most qualified and act quickly to secure interviews with these candidates," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Although employers may be willing to review longer resumes, job seekers shouldn't go overboard, Messmer said. "Employers want to see that applicants can prioritize information and concisely convey the depth of their experience," he said.

Accountemps offers the following dos and don'ts for determining what information to include in a resume:

DO

- Describe key contributions you made at prior roles and how they impacted the bottom line.

- Summarize software expertise and other specialized skills.

- Devote extra space to describing work experience that is relevant to the job description.

- Use terms referenced in the job description if they apply. Firms often scan resumes for key words included in the job description.

- Reference your activities with professional civic associations, community involvement and knowledge of a second language -- if they relate to the job opportunity.