How many pages should your CV be if you have 10+ years of experience?

This is probably one of the most common questions my team and I get asked, and the answer is invariably subject to Chinese whispers and urban myths.

Many people will confidently tell you to stick strictly to two pages, but quite where that rule came from, no one really knows. It is not a bad yardstick to start with, but my firm advice is that your CV should be exactly as long as it needs to be without becoming a copy of War and Peace.

Stop shrinking your fonts Clearly, an entry-level candidate is going to have a much shorter CV than a C-suite executive with decades of track record. There comes a point where shrinking down to a microscopic font and using razor-thin margins just to force everything onto two pages is a fool's errand. It ruins the readability of your document and frustrates the person reviewing it.

The reality for senior professionals and contractors If you are a highly qualified or senior person, a CV of up to three pages is absolutely fine. Furthermore, if you are operating out there in the contract or interim market, a four-pager is really not going to raise too many eyebrows. You have a complex project history to convey, and that takes space.

Mind the geography We do have to accept that there are regional nuances at play here. If you are applying for roles based in Europe, the Middle East, or the USA, the two-page document tends to be a bit more of a strict rule than it is here in the UK. Nevertheless, we still see plenty of three-pagers in those regions that recruiters and hiring managers find perfectly acceptable. On the other end of the spectrum, countries such as South Africa are entirely used to receiving CVs that might be five or six pages in length.

The Golden Rule: It is all about Page One Ultimately, the overall length of your CV is not the be-all and end-all. The real trick to winning work is making sure that page one contains all the juicy stuff.

Your first page must present a compelling business case that leaves the reader 80% of the way towards shortlisting you. What they see on subsequent pages should simply serve to confirm their initial thinking.

It would be incredibly odd for a client or recruiter to reject a highly capable job seeker simply because their career history spilled onto a third page, especially when pages one and two completely hit the nail on the head.

Q&A: The Truth About CV Length

Q: Do I have to stick strictly to a two-page CV? A: No. The two-page limit is largely an urban myth. While it serves as a decent yardstick, your CV should be as long as it needs to be to sell your capabilities without becoming overly tedious to read.

Q: I am a seasoned contractor. How long should my CV be? A: For those in the contract and interim market, a four-page CV is perfectly acceptable and will not raise eyebrows. You have extensive project work to evidence.

Q: Should I reduce my font size and margins to fit everything onto two pages? A: Absolutely not. Doing this is a fool's errand. It makes the document difficult to read and looks unprofessional. It is far better to spill onto a third page with a clean, readable layout.

Q: Does the ideal length change depending on the country? A: Yes, regional nuances exist. In the USA, Middle East, and Europe, two pages are more heavily favoured. In the UK, three pages are completely standard for senior folks. Meanwhile, in places like South Africa, a five or six-page document is normal.

Q: What is the most important part of my CV when it comes to length? A: Page one. You must ensure that the first page contains all the juicy stuff that proves your value. If page one does 80% of the work in getting you shortlisted, the remaining pages are just there to confirm the reader's decision.