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.
Length is one of twelve things worth checking before you send. You can score your CV against ATS rules for free and see how its length reads against your career span.
Appliora's live preview shows exactly how long your CV is as you write it - free to build.
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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.