How long should a CV be - one page or two?
"Keep it to one page" is repeated so often it's treated as law. It's a good default - but not an absolute rule, and forcing it can do more harm than a tidy second page.
When one page makes sense
Under about 8-10 years of experience, one page is almost always achievable and preferred. Recruiters spend seconds on a first pass; a focused single page is easier to scan than a padded one.
When two pages is fine
Senior, specialist, or academic roles with a longer relevant history often need the room. A clean two-page CV beats a cramped one-pager with 9pt font and no white space - readability matters more than the page count.
How to cut length without cutting substance
- Drop roles older than ~10-15 years unless directly relevant.
- Cut bullet points that repeat the same achievement in different words.
- Remove the objective statement - your summary already covers it.
- Tighten margins and line-height before you touch the font size.
The rule of thumb
Fit everything relevant, cut everything that isn't, and only add a page when the content genuinely needs it - never to look more experienced than you are.
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Comments (2)
I shrank my font to 9pt to hit one page and it looked terrible. Cutting old jobs instead fixed it properly.
Exactly the right call - tiny fonts hurt readability more than an extra half-page ever would.
15 years in and my CV is two pages - didn't realise that was actually fine.