Ending the myth of the 1 page resume

One of the biggest myths in job hunting is that of the one page resume. A new survey reveals what job seekers are actually doing.

Resumes Inching Up; Survey Shows Longer Resumes Now More Acceptable

 MENLO PARK, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The "keep your resume to
one page" rule may be on its way out, a new survey suggests. While more
than half (52 percent) of executives polled believe a single page is the
ideal length for a staff-level resume, 44 percent said they prefer two
pages. That compares to 25 percent polled a decade earlier who cited two
pages as the optimal resume length; 73 percent of respondents preferred a
single page at that time. Respondents also seemed more receptive to
three-page resumes for executive roles, with nearly one-third (31 percent)
citing this as the ideal length, compared to only 7 percent 10 years ago.

 Both national polls include responses from 150 senior executives --
including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments --
with the nation's 1,000 largest companies. They were conducted by an
independent research firm and developed by Accountemps, the world's first
and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance
and bookkeeping professionals.

 Executives were asked, "What is the preferable length of a resume for
staff-level employees?" Their responses:
                                       Current        10 Years Earlier
 One page .............................  52%                 73%
 Two pages ............................  44%                 25%
 Three pages or more ..................   3%                  1%
 Don't know/not sure ..................   1%                  1%
                                        100%                100%

They were also asked, "What is the preferable length of a resume for
executives?" Their responses:
                                       Current        10 Years Earlier
 One page .............................   7%                 28%
 Two pages ............................  61%                 64%
 Three pages or more ..................  31%                  7%
 Don't know/not sure ..................   1%                  1%
                                        100%                100%

 "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(R) (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

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

 Accountemps has more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe,
Australia and New Zealand, and offers online job search services at
http://www.accountemps.com.