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Myth Number One: The proper length of your résumé
should be one page.
Of all the nonsense that has been written about résumés,
this is the most spurious.
Your résumé is the principal marketing tool for
repositioning your career and obtaining the job you
crave. The focus of your résumé is to present your
strengths, abilities and accomplishments in the most
attractive way. If this can be done in one page,
then your career is either brief (recent grads, take
note) or unimpressive.
Greek mythologists wrote of a character named Procrustus,
an evil son of Poseidon who preyed upon weary travelers
along the road to Athens. Procrustus would offer
travelers a place to sleep. Unfortunately for the
unwary traveler, Procrustus had only two beds, a short
one and a long one. If the traveler was tall,
Procrustus would tie him to the short bed and chop off
his legs to make him fit. If the traveler was
short, Procrustus would stretch him to fit the long bed.
Tailoring the data to fit the container is called the
Procrustian Solution. It remains as irrational now
as it was in the time of Procrustus.
Let the length of your career and your many significant
accomplishments determine the length of your résumé.
Recent grads can use a one page résumé with confidence.
Two, three and even four page résumés are not uncommon
for more seasoned executives. Indeed, CEO résumés
often go on for six or eight pages.
The myth of Procrustus died thousands of years ago.
Let the myth of the one page résumé rest alongside the
myth of Procrustus and we will all be better off.
Send your résumé for
a Free Procrustian Critique
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