Myth Number One: The proper length of your résumé should be one page.

posted by Waffles

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.

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