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My experiences have told me that 1 page is right for many folks, but once you hit 15 years of experience or so 2 pages is better.
If you're going to manage folks you should probably be submitting a two page resume, because once you arent at a entry level job the content of it is far more important, and more then 10 seconds are being spent on it.
I have 20 years experience in variety of industries...mine is 3 pages, most of it as a design engineer. When I joined my current company back in Dec 2010, I was at 2.5 pages. When I joined another business segment within the same company in Feb 2014, I added another half page.
My LinkedIn profile is an extension of my resume. I have been getting contacts from recruiters. It's not hurting my ability to seek better employment.
Yup, mine is 3 pages. But I have my dissertation and a few bullets about it, my book publications and my professional conference presentations as well as all of my relevant work experience.
Do you even have to submit a resume to the federal government? You can just fill out the info on the OPM online form. Does an additional resume help?
I don't know. I think you could do the online form and it wouldn't be any different. But I got my job using my own resume, I didn't even look at the OPM form. So I don't think it really matters too much.
How am I supposed to fit 30+ years of experience on a single page? Just indentifying Company or segments within a large company I have worked for would fill that up without the education or other qualifications. Mine runs 3 pages. Managers are welcome to only read the first page if they want, that goes back about 12 years. They will miss some of the more interesting things on page two and three but if I feel they are relevant I'll mention them in the cover letter.
I have talked with several associates who are currently hiring managers and they agree that a two to three page resume isn't a sin for senior technical people
Generally I would say two pages on average. Now if they ask for a CV then you can go further. I choose two instead of one because frankly you want to express experience, education and a tad of background (volunteering and serving on various non paid positions). Describing what you did and making it as relavant as possible in the space provided is more important than page size.
Besides most resumes will go into a form of a datebase to make those terms searchable. No hiring manager in their right mind is going to take dozens if not hundreds of resumes and manually put them on a table and go back and forth.
If the job requires accounting ok Control F "Accounting" "Finance" etc.
I can speak for the Federal government side (20 plus years with DOD in HR Management, worldwide). Federal government (the HR specialists rating you, that is) wants to see if the experience you're describing in your resume meets the minimum qualification criteria for the grade level of the position you're applying for. Private industry style with bullets & short statements may not be enough to get you qualified. The more significant, directly related quality of experience you describe in your resume the better. Remember, in the Federal system...just being minimally qualified may not be good enough. You may have to compete with those in the Best Qualified category.
There is no specified format for the Federal style resume. As I mentioned...the usual private industry bullet style...short blurbs about your experience...does not say much about what and how you did your job. So do it the Federal way. Basically, Federal style resume should show on Top page--your name, address & contact info. NO OBJECTIVE STATEMENT REQUIRED. It should be simple, to the point, right into describing your jobs.
Two spaces down...and move right on to the most recent or present job you have. Start with dates...From - To (whatever date ended your employment) or if you're still in that job...type PRESENT. Then title of the position you're describing. HR COORDINATOR, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR, ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN, MEDICAL BILLING CLERK, whatever. Followed by your salary. Next, name of supervisor and his or her contact number. Indicate if it's ok to contact that supervisor. If not...say so. OK to contact...or ..do not contact. Without paragraphing...continue right on to describe the job. Key in on significant duties, responsibilities and accomplishments...in easy to follow sequence. Your narrative should be one continuous paragraph...no spacing. When you're done, go down two spaces and on to the next most recent job. Do the same as you did for the previous job...and so on.
How much of the required experience should you have? The vacancy announcement should indicate that. Read the vacancy announcement thoroughly! Most Federal jobs require at least one year of specialized (directly related to the position you're applying for) experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility at or equivalent to the next lower grade in the Federal system (most common is the GS system). If the position you're applying for is a GS-9, you must have had at least one year of directly related experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade..GS-8. However, if the series of the position (i.e., 201 is HR, 301 is General Adminstration, 801 is General Engineer, etc) is in a two-grade interval series...then the next lower grade would be GS-7. If you have not been a GS before...it's difficult to figure just what your job in private industry is equivalent to in the GS system. You almost have to research the position description of a GS-7 of that series...and compare to the level of difficulty and responsibility to the job you're describing.
How far back should you go? Soon as I determine that the applicant has met at least the basic qualification criteria...I don't bother to evaluate other experiences beyond that. I personally, would not describe (other than as a short summary) jobs I've held five years ago and older. It is really irrelevant...once the applicant has been rated qualified based on the last four years of most recent experience. It's up to the applicant to go all the way back to his or her first job. It just wouldn't amount to anything...if any at all. In some situations...particularly if the most recent two or three jobs has no bearing on the experience requirements of the position you're applying for....but say, a job or two you held four or five years ago is deemed to be directly related to the job you're applying...then, of course, you should describe them in full. Keep in mind, particularly if the work you did years ago required a particular knowledge and skill in operating a particular automated program...but that system has since become obsolete...that aspect of the job may not render you qualified, if it is a requirement in the job you're applying for. Unless you can show that you've kept up with the latest system in use today. The automated system I operated in my last job just a couple of years ago...has since become obsolete. If I were to go back to work today...I may not qualify. Or if hired, I'll have to learn whatever the latest system in use. You have to keep asking yourself if the next job is at least equivalent in complexity, difficulty and responsibility to the job I'm applying for. If the other jobs you want to describe are clearly below the level of experience required...say, if they were clerical jobs...obviously, whatever you did as a clerk is not going to count for anything towards the requirement of the job you're applying to.
Next, a couple of spaces down...start another heading: Training and Education. Here, list your formal education...I mean, whatever you have completed: BA in Business Administration, (year graduated), name of school and location.
AA in Medical Administration, same same
Next add your relevant training. If you are applying for an administrative job...don't show training you had in Karate or Tae Kwan Do or Vipassana Meditation. Include training you've had in the military if they are relevant to the job you're applying.
The next section, if applicable, should be MILITARY SERVICE. Here, briefly show the dates you served, Branch of Service, highest rank held, and if you want, your MOS (and title) in the military. Show type of discharge you received.
Then you can create another section titled MISCELLANEOUS.
Here you can indicate that your appointment eligibility. Example, if you meet the requirement for VRA...type VRA Eligible; or if you meet VEOA appointment eligibility...indicate VEOA Eligible.
Some HR offices do not want you to send eligibility documentation until requested. Do not send with your application unless requested.
Nowadays, you can upload your resume and relevant documentation (DD-214, SF-50, Letter from VA Certifying your Service-Connected status) on line. Go to USAJOBS and learn more about the application procedure and the various appointment eligibility requirements. Last I check, a few weeks ago...this style is still valid.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by FCStraight; 05-08-2014 at 08:31 PM..
Reason: Correct typos, add/change statements.
The only time a resume should be less than two pages is when someone is just graduating college.
Not true in my experience as job placement consultant for 20 years or in my own personal career searches.
A one page resume is fine for most jobs. People don't have the time to read long resumes. You can indicate you have more experience in the cover letter. A long explanation of experience just dates you. Besides, a full discussion of experience is what interviews are for!
If you are concise, you can get it on one page, unless you job hopped for years and years or you have multiple educational degrees. In that case, you may want to do a different type of resume highlighting your transferrable skills from similar jobs, and just list the jobs within each paragraph about skills without putting start and stop dates.
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