Most of the time we are confused about how long our resume should be. Most people are of the opinion that a lengthy resume means that they have more experience in the job and hence are capable of performing more on the job. But this is not the case, the fact is proved by the Elon Musk resume. Although he is one of the most famous people in the world, Elon Musk resume is well contained within a page, with all his achievements at the place, which clearly defines that a single page resume is all you need to do the trick.
But you might be wondering why a multi-page resume is unnecessary. Well, here are a few reasons which may clarify your doubt.
Although most resume screeners will go through your whole resume before deciding whether or not to forward it further, there are certain absolutists who directly put a multi-page resume in the bins. As they have to go through a huge number of resume in a small period of time, hence it is better if you can reflect all your achievements into one page which he/she can scan through in one go. The Elon Musk resume is one of the perfect examples of how to do so.
They say, “ the first impression is the last impression”, although these words are not completely true, still first impressions do matter a lot when it comes to resume selection. Hone-page resume which is drawn like that of the Elon Musk resume with all the achievements rightfully reflected in the same. Although many people will consider a multi-page resume, their first reaction on viewing it would be “Ugh!” and you don’t want that to happen.
You think greater the resume length more the experience? Having a huge amount of content on your resume doesn’t translate to the fact that you have more resume. Have you seen the Elon Musk resume? For a man of his experience he should have had a hundred pages resume at place, but in fact all his experiences and job roles are defined well in a single page.
Recruiters or resume screeners usually have a limited time to scan through a large number of resume which translates to the fact that they will have limited time to scan through your resume and usually that time averages to around 15 to 30 seconds per resume. Hence, if you have a multi-page resume, you are just making their task a harder one as they won’t scan through your resume just because it is long, but would rather read it in a half-hearted manner which may lead to missing out on vital points.
When you have a multi-page resume with huge blocks of texts which defines what you have done in your previous job lives, recruiters will have a tendency to skip the entire section due to the lack of time. This causes them to skip on certain achievements that you may have in your job life. Putting all your achievements in a precise manner on one page, like the Elon Musk resume, ensures that the recruiter will at least glance through it and not skip it entirely.
When it comes to writing a resume, the lengthier it becomes, the more diluted it becomes too. Why? Well, if you have a single page resume, you will only be able to fill it in with you’re a grade content and achievements and won’t have space for the achievement or jobs done in the B or C grade manners. However, a lengthy resume will certainly mean that you are diluting it off with such contents which might make the recruiters have a negative impression about you which could have been avoided by a single page resume. In this world, where competition is tough, you won’t want to get your impression diluted with your multi-page resume, hence it is best to be precise.
It is quite clear to you that recruiters and resume screeners don’t read your resume, but they simply glance through the same. In such cases, the more precisely you provide them with all your achievements, the better the chances are of them noticing the same. When you give them a multi-page resume to read, your greatest t achievement might just lose its position in a hoard of texts. Hence, keep it precise like the Elon Musk resume and become a star.
Although it might just sound bad, a lengthy resume holders are not as awesome as he might think it is. When asked to shorten the resume, most people will get rid of the unimpressive points on the resume and keep just the important ones. This proves that a multi-page resume is filled with junks which the recruiter doesn’t need to see. Hence, make space for your achievements which are worth showing to the world and make your resume price and to the point by getting rid of the unimportant parts.
When you are applying for a position, chances are that you are competing with people who have a lot more experience and have better resume points that you do. The world is filled with competition and you need to rule them out in order to become a winner on the go. An impressive, short and precise resume like that of the Elon Musk resume, might just help you do so. If you have the understanding of what you should say to a recruiter and what you don’t, you will be able to fit the same within just a page. This provides the recruiters with your best image in a small range of time.
Hence, it is absolutely clear that multi-page resume may in fact be one of the negative points about you the person you are applying to. So, follow the Elon Musk resume and try containing all your points into a page which will be well received by all.
