William Bahrt ⋅ Sequim , WA Arizona Public Service Company ⋅ 15 years experience

Much of what I am writing has been repeated in the other answers to your question. Two pages-acceptable. Economy of description-mandatory. Type of resume- can make a huge difference. But what I have to offer that is different deals with form and style.

First, your resume should be constructed in a style that the important information is made to stand out and is in a form consistent with all of the other information in the resume. i.e. The time line needs to be featured and with the use of capitalization, underling and "bolding" will make it easy for the interviewer to see the unbroken line of experience. When you write the name of the Company with its location, again use of a consistent format with techniques for making the information stand out is helpful. If you would send me your resume I will give you an idea of what I mean. Secondly, a two page resume is a good length to give the prospective employer. That is an accepted fact. BUT, if you were to take the time to construct a resume that included all of the information that describes your background, complete with names, dates, and places that would be required to complete an extensive government job application no matter how many pages it would be, and you kept it in a notebook for your own use in the interview, you would have a valuable reference to use during the resume. The format for this exhaustive resume should be the same as that used for the resume you give to the employer. Third, keep in mind that almost everyone lies on their application and resumes AND EMPLOYERS KNOW IT. So, if you have college transcripts, fitness reports, and documents that verify the claims you make in the resume in that notebook, you can strengthen your position in the interview. A well-prepared interview book can be a great asset in the job search. I have had to be vague in my description of what you might try, but if you have questions on anything I have said, just drop me a line. Good luck and thank you for your service.

Kimberly Smith ⋅ Chicago , IL AT&T ⋅ 30 years experience

DONT FOLLOW TRADITION! the new resumes flip information on its head. People first want to know about you and what you bring to the table regardless of the job. Think about what someone asks in an interview and answer it up front. Your first line is an "executive summary" - a statement about who you are and what you bring to the table, about 3-4 sentences. Then a section about "expertise". This starts with a bullet point section, 3 columns, 3 rows so 9 total words that describe you. under that, bullets that spell out examples. Maybe project management, leadership, delivery, communications, etc. Add a last bullet about "professional affiliations" - where you spend free time, volunteer, professional groups, community groups etc say alot about who you are. Then list your formal education and training - anything new that you have done to make yourself marketable, not just schooling. This is all your first page. Your second page is a bullet point listing of your careers from newest to oldest. First 2 or 3 jobs can have more details, the rest can just be place, time, title and a one sentence to talk about what you accomplished or performed. This is the least important.

Understand that you can spend a lifetime honing a skill across multiple roles and jobs - it is the SKILL they want to know about, not so much where you got it, that can come in conversation.

Steve Hall ⋅ Beaverton , OR ⋅ 18 years experience

I concur, a skills resume is a great choice. I have found that a one page resume is not effective as the information is too general. I will submit and will read resumes that are over two pages in length. I agree with an earlier answer where you allow the reader to quickly get interested in your skills, then to read more detail if he or she wishes to.

The detail sections and job history must match and support the logical acquisition of the skills you list. The observant reader is likely to reject resumes because the details contradict the skills, seeing this as sign of overselling oneself and more importantly a red flag as to a potential lack of honesty.

Also, most companies of any size are using automated software to screen resumes. An overly general resume is likely to get screened out. Try to find key words in the job descriptions for positions that interest you, and get those key words into your resume and cover letter. The resumes with the best match are the ones that get forwarded to the hiring managers. Again, be honest don't include key words that you cannot back up by education, training, or experience.

James Watson ⋅ San Diego , CA General Atomics ⋅ 30 years experience

Jeff-

If you would send me your resume in Word, I would try to help answer you question.

drjamesfwatson@gmail.com

Scott Fruchter ⋅ San Bernardino , CA Attorney at Law ⋅ 18 years experience

I don't care what you did; I care about what you can do for me. If something on your resume doesn't show how you will help me in this position GET RID OF IT. Yes, you will need to have several resumes, each aimed at a different position. That is the penalty for having lived an interesting life.

Bob Molluro ⋅ Wilmington , DE Benchmark Consulting Services ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

Jeffery more important than the resume is getting someone to read it. Your best chance of success is networking with people who can get you to the person you want to interview with. Imagine the recruiting manager who has 200 resumes on his desk. He gets a call from someone he knows who recommends you. That person sends the resume to the recruiting manager. Your resume is now on the top of the pack. Be sure your strategy is focused on getting properly introduced and as long as your resume is adequate you will get the interview.

Pat Cullins ⋅ Pompano Beach , FL U.S. Army, Private ⋅ 1 years served

I am on the Advisory Committee that helps Veterans prepare their resumes and prepares for interviews. A free program, no cost to the Veteran. Also helps with job placements in much higher than entry level jobs. Check out their link below:
http://ver2.thewelcomehomegroup.org/

Krystal Yates ⋅ Lewisville , TX EBR Consulting, LLC ⋅ 19 years experience

This has been answered by many, and I haven't read the responses, but I feel so strongly about this I have to reply. There are absolutely no absolutes when writing a resume. Unless the hiring manager of a specific position that you are really interested in specifically asks for a one page resume, it is not necessary! Sometimes one page is appropriate and sometimes two pages are appropriate. I work with lots of job seekers and would be very hard pressed to put twenty years onto one page. I'd stick with two in your case (except in the case I mentioned above). If you squeeze it down to one your are going to have to consolidate and leave out quite a bit of information.

Jim Williams ⋅ Fpo , AE Navy Facilities Command - Public Works Department - Naples, Italy ⋅ 4 years experience

I just transitioned out of the Navy after serving 27 years. It took me four months to land a decent job as a manager. I had multiple versions of resumes tailored to the positioned I was applying for. Most of the resumes I kept to two pages and only went back 10 years. I did have a one page resume that I used to hand out at job fairs, but I can't say the one pager helped much. I had multiple people look at my resume and provide feedback. it seemed like everyone had some degree of differences as to what they thought the resume should be like. Once I got to the point were I felt good about my resume, I stuck with it. Most of my job hunting efforts involved handing out a business card and networking through ACP, LinkedIn and local veterans organizations.

Kelly Williams ⋅ Newark , DE Stars to Stripes Military Transition Assistance ⋅ 10 years experience

Jeffrey,

If you are submitting a lot of online applications, I would actually advise against the use of a one page resume. In my opinion a one page resume will not provide you with enough content to rank highly in an ATS database.

If you message me your email address I can send you a corporate and federal resume template to work off of. My company also provides free resume critiques to all military service members. You can submit your resume to us via email or by using our secure online submission form:

Email: Info@ExpertResumeSolutions.com

Form: http://expertresumesolutions.com/freeresumereview/

Please allow 3-5 business days for completion. We use two different formats for corporate and federal applications. I can send you examples of each to get you started.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kellywilliamsmaresca

Thank you for your service.

Warmest Regards,

Kelly Williams

Career Strategist & President

Security Cleared Careers
Expert Resume Solutions

Business: (732) 686-6455

Email: info@expertresumesolutions.com

www.ExpertResumeSolutions.com


Job Board: wwww.SecurityClearedCareers.com

Darlene Casstevens ⋅ Oxford , NC Liberty University ⋅ 13 years experience

HI Jeffrey,
I received advice from a career coach at North Carolina State University. With 20 years of experience, it is better not to go back more than 10 years. You do not want to make yourself look out-of-date. I hope this helps!
Darlene

Gerald Mannikarote ⋅ Houston , TX dMann Training Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

A ton of great information here. I would highlight my major jobs and successes and add a link to LinkedIn where you could add my extended resume. Just my two cents.

Mary H. ⋅ Waltham , MA Hewlett Packard Enterprise ⋅ 20 years experience

The size of your resume really depends on the job for which you are applying. I used to read long resumes for entry-level positions, which to me said was not a good fit. Something higher than entry-level can require more details and expect a longer resume.
As for how to decide what to keep or what to cut, again, it depends on the job - as you may want to customize it toward the position. Generally, I advise you try and recognize what skills are personal; It is easy to get emotionally attached to the skills you fought hardest to acquire, but it won't necessarily translate to an outsider to your role/project.
Try and think like the people interviewing you. If you were receiving a batch of resumes, what would make one stand out? Get that in your mind, then consider if they wanted the opposite of that. Might make your head hurt, but may also give you more preparation, so you can go along with the direction of the interview. The resume just opens the door.
For me, the people coached by professionals resulted in a pile of resumes that all looked alike, especially if many came from the same school. I called it resume trends. It made the info blend together. I disregarded resumes with spelling/grammar/contact mistakes. If they can't even pay attention to basic details, I didn't waste my time.

George Valencia ⋅ Elk Grove , CA Financial Services ⋅ 20 years experience

Plenty of good information already stated, but two item that I would advise that you keep in mind when crafting your resume is as follows:

- Average time your resume is reviewed by a human person is 7-10 seconds
- Many resumes today are reviewed by automated systems and focus on key words and phrases

Hope that helps with the plethora of feedback and input received.

Good luck out there!

Jim Jones ⋅ Getzville , NY Fidelis Care ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Jeffery, again great pieces of advice. Best suggestion that I can provide is study the job description, the company, network with people in the company via alumni associations and linkedin in order to understand how to best tailor your experiences and education to fit the job. Its all about tailoring your skills to meet the job requirements. Also your resume should reflect accomplishments, not job duties. Stay away from words like "responsible for". Use powerful words like, "developed, implemented, recommended" and how your recommendation, implementation helped achieve a goal. Good Luck.

Stacey Murphy ⋅ Denville , NJ Beacon Consulting ⋅ 18 years experience

Jeffrey, nice to meet you and thank you for your many years of service. The advice on this board is excellent, and absolutely a 2 page resume is fine especially for your years of service. One page would not be enough in fact. I especially agree with Kimberly's comments about providing that excellent executive summary up front. You should highlight your skills and talents that are most relevant to the role are looking for. So for example, your executive summary could start with something like "US Army Veteran transitioning into the Insurance Claims Field. Excellent investigative, negotiation and people skills..." and a few more lines. If you have a particular expertise in construction or some other area that claims adjusters work in, you could highlight that.

Also, I always recommend that you bullet accomplishments, not tasks. So if you have been able to make improvements (improved efficiency, improved communication among teams, negotiated better pricing, exceeded recruiting targets, etc.) include those in your bullets. Three or four bullets that show how you added value are better than eight or ten that listed tasks and activities.
Happy to talk through further with you.
All the best in your search!
Stacey

Sabryna-Joi King-Bell ⋅ Chicago Heights , IL Crowe's Protection Services ⋅ 25 years experience

Greetings Jeffrey,

This is an arduous task.

Instead create a Resume template that is a "composite" of your skills.

Then craft a cover letter that references your educational and professional experiences.

Most importantly, you will need to customize your cover letters and resumes for each position you apply.

Hope this helps!

Respectfully,

Louis Schwarz ⋅ Somerville , NJ AIG ⋅ 43 years experience

Two pages is what I want, a larger resume is full of things I donot need to know. Current experience is critical. Anything older than 5 years , you will never do again, just mention it as a history. I want what you can do now and tomorrow, yesterday is a reference. Good luck!!

Jose Roman ⋅ Norfolk , VA Military Resource Center Regent university ⋅ 8 years experience

Two pages is the standard for a resume.

As a rule of thumb, I say one page for every 8-10 years of education and experience. Explain what you bring to the table with an executive summary up front.

* Include your formal education
* 3-4 bullets for each position you held
* Summary of other skills certs etc.

Remember your resume will be reviewed for 3-5 seconds make that time count.
AND always tailor your resume to the position you are applying for. Never send or shotgun a generic template resume. ALWAYS tailor the resume to the position you are applying for. Tailor your resume to the position before submitting and omit everything that is not relevant to the position.

I cant emphasize this enough.

David Dickens ⋅ Forney , TX AT&T ⋅ 35 years experience

Hello Sir,

As a 21 year Navy Chief retiring from the Naval Nuclear Power program I used a bullet type format with more descriptive writing for the most recent experiences. Having wrote it myself, I knew I could provide more details in a technical resume later or during the interview. Below is from one of my older resumes that got me an interview with a company called Rackspace for data storage. Currently I'm employed with AT&T as an implementation engineer, building the network.

OBJECTIVE: To provide excellent engineering planning and maintenance that is transparent to Rackspace
Customers.

EDUCATION:
• 2000-2009 Various certifications and courses in wireless switching platforms and support systems operations and maintenance including products from Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson, and Tellabs.
• November 2000 Completed certifications as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Novell Certified Systems Engineer with Exchange Server 5.5 as elective.
• 1999 Hydril MUX Control System course completion.
• Feb 1996 Graduated Associate of Science University of New York.
• 1984 Various core curriculum courses at Chabot College, Hayward, California.
• 1977-1995 Various Naval Nuclear power program courses of instruction including air conditioning and refrigeration.

EXPERIENCE:
• (1999-2009)Ten years experience in wireless telecommunications from ground up office development to new platform installation. Maintenance includes battery and diesel power plant maintenance and audits as well as DACS, Switching, and SONET systems build out, test, and repair. I am proud to be considered a key player in making North Texas the number one wireless market in the USA. Familiar with current ATT Bell core power and build out requirements.
• (1998-2000) Subsea Engineer II. Operated blowout prevention stack hydraulics using a multiplexed token ring control system.
• (1996-1998) Nuclear Repair Team Manager and nuclear power plant operations supervisor for eight reactor plants onboard USS Enterprise.
• (1994-1996) Ship maintenance Activity, San Francisco, CA. Assistant nuclear Quality assurance officer providing oversight on repairs to all West coast nuclear powered aircraft carriers and cruisers. Created nuclear work agreement used for all availabilities and implemented the new standards for fleet QA.
• (1992-1994) USS Samuel Gompers, nuclear repair ship. Implemented and managed the nuclear QA program. Trained and developed the quality assurance team performing audits of all repair, welding, and brazing operations including controlled materials for critical jobs.
• (1977-1992) Trained and certified to operate and maintain various nuclear powered ship propulsion plant systems. Continuous training and development as an instructor and examination writer.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

Combined disciplines of nuclear power program procedural compliance as well as engineering methods learned in the deep ocean drilling environment have given me an appreciation for problem solving. I love a challenge.

Jerry Welsh ⋅ Middleville , MI Master Military Transition Advisor/HPS GPO ⋅ 30 years experience

If you have been requested to stick to a one page, then the skills resume, but do not forget work history i.e. 1996-2016 US Army. If you have an option I would recommend a combination resume, with work history listed like above and your accomplishments bullet-ed under headings by type i.e. Hr, Operations, Leadership, Communications etc. It really depends upon your career choice, I recommend a lengthy master chronological 4-6 pages depending upon your career and next career. Always include at least the situation and the result, accomplishments without results in quantifiable numbers are less powerful. If you are seeking the Logistics/Supply Chain; then pull from your Master your multiple levels of logistics accomplishments, then some general management etc. It all depends upon what the job posting indicates, accomplishments in order of how they list the needs of the position. Of course they want supply chain first, then maybe budgeting skills, communications with upper management etc. The VP of Human Resources for Google feels that 1 page for every 10 years of experience is a good bell weather, but if the company only wants 1 give them what they want! Good luck, thanks for your service and God Bless.

Emanuel Carpenter ⋅ Alpharetta , GA SDR Master Class ⋅ 20 years experience

Jeffrey:

It's best to move to a skills resume versus the traditional chronological resume. Start with your most important skills, then move to your highest level education. At the bottom, list your employment history (company name, your title, and dates employed is all you need). However, you don't have to list every job you've ever had. Your last two or three jobs will be plenty. In this resume, what you can do is more important than where you've worked.

It is quite alright to have more than one skills resume to match the position you're seeking. If you
Google "skills resume" and click images at the top menu, you will find plenty of sample skills resume.

Stefan Beyer ⋅ Kirkland , WA Wipro Ltd ⋅ 12 years experience

I find listing at the top of my resume my skills, education, and employment history. I then go project-by-project in reverse-chronological order. Assume that the first page is all they'll read, and the second (and subsequent pages) are there for if they're interested.

I'm fairly detailed in what my responsibilities in my most recent companies & projects are, and less so for the ones longer ago. For the ones near the start of my career, I generally just mention the name of the project and my job title. If there's something relevant or important I'd like to point out, then I mention it in a one-line bullet point.

I wrote an article with some more specific advice at: https://acp-advisornet.org/articles/326/resume-cover-letter-multi-talented-individual.

John Green ⋅ Cary , NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

More important than brevity is the description of your skill. What skill are you offering the market place that has relevance ? Leadership, MBA, HR and other soft qualities are only somewhat relevant. You need to highlight a concrete skill that the market will pay for. For example, in IT, this might be Java development experience, or Cisco networking experience. In restaurant management, this might be xx percent increase in sales with xx percent decline in expenses.

So what we need in your question above is more meat, that describes what skills you have to offer. Can you revise your question and put more information in that will help us help you?

Michael Hendri ⋅ Warminster , PA Alfa Laval ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello Jeffrey,

Everyone has a different opinion on resume length and content, so use what works best for you. My preference is a two page resume for candidates with work experience. I think a one page resume is too short and I only expect to see one from candidates that either are just starting out or have limited work experience. More than two pages and you lose the interest of the recruiter.

When you write your resume consider providing your most recent experience and or relevant experience for that position. It is a good idea to adjust your resume for each of the positions you are planning on applying to. Recruiters prefer to see a chronological resume because they want to know how recent the experience is.

I have used a combination of chronological and functional resumes depending on the position and skill sets I wanted to highlight. I would prioritize based on the skill sets and experience required for the position.

I hope that helps.