How long should a CV be? How to find the right length

CV length: one page or two?

A good rule of thumb is one page if you are a student, a recent graduate or have worked for only a few years, and two pages if you have more experience. Three pages or more is rarely necessary, apart from in a few cases you can read about further down.

The rule is not a goal in itself. A one-page CV with everything important is better than two pages where half is filler. And two clear pages are better than one page so crammed that nothing stands out. Ask yourself for every line: Does this help the employer understand why I am right for this particular job?

Remember that your CV is not a complete record of your life. It is a selection of what is relevant to the job. That also means the length can vary a little from one application to the next. If you are unsure about the structure, read the guide on how to write a CV.

When a one-page CV is enough

One page works well if you have little relevant experience. As a student or recent graduate you typically have your education, a part-time job, a summer job and a few voluntary roles. That fits on one page, and a short CV shows that you can prioritise. See CV for recent graduates for how to make the most of a short list of experience.

One page can also be wise if only a small part of your experience is relevant to the job, for example when you are changing industry. Then it is better to show what fits, clearly, than to fill the page with everything else.

An example: Ida is 24, has a bachelor's degree in economics, has worked in a shop alongside her studies and was treasurer of her student association. She does not need more than one page. With a short summary, her education, two jobs, the voluntary role and her skills, the page is full without feeling cramped.

When you need two pages

If you have worked for several years and held several positions, two pages is normal. You have more responsibility and results that deserve space. Squeezing everything onto one page often leaves descriptions so short that the employer cannot see what you have actually achieved.

With two pages, it is the first page that has to do the work. That is where your summary, your most recent and most relevant experience and your key skills belong. Not everyone reads page two as carefully, so the most important things should never be there.

Page two does not need to be full, but it should have more than a few lines. If it is almost empty, you can usually cut a little and fit everything onto one page.

How far back should you go?

For most people it is enough to describe the last 10 to 15 years in detail. You can group older jobs in one short line, for example: “Earlier experience: sales assistant and store manager in retail, 2005 to 2011.”

Summer jobs and part-time jobs from your school days can go once you have relevant work experience. The same applies to upper secondary school once you have higher education. The exception is a trade or journeyman's certificate (fagbrev or svennebrev), which you should include if it is relevant to the job.

The aim is not to hide your age or gaps. When you cut older experience, you can still mention it briefly so the timeline holds together. If you have periods without work, it is better to explain them briefly than to leave them open.

What you can cut from your CV

If you have a three-page CV and want to get down to two, there is almost always something to remove. What most often takes up space without giving anything back is long lists of tasks. “Responsible for customer service” says little. “Led a team of five in customer service and cut email response times from two days to the same day” says a lot, and takes up almost as little space.

You can usually remove these without losing anything:

• Your full address, date of birth, marital status and nationality. Name, phone, email and the town you live in are enough.
• The line “References available on request”. The employer assumes that anyway.
• Tasks that are repeated under several jobs. Write them where they mattered most.
• Obvious skills such as Word and email, unless the ad asks for them.
• Old courses that have nothing to do with the job.
• Hobbies that say nothing about you in a work context.
• Vague words such as “structured”, “solution-oriented” and “team player” without examples.

Layout that keeps your CV easy to read

Do not shrink the font or the margins to fit more in. That makes your CV heavy to read, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid. Stick to a font size of around 10 to 12 points for body text, and margins that leave some white space.

Make sure the layout also works in applicant tracking systems. Many employers use systems that read your CV before a person does, and tables, text boxes and multiple columns can cause the text to be read incorrectly. Read more in the guide to an ATS-friendly CV. Send your CV as a PDF unless the ad asks for something else, so it looks the same for the recipient.

These touches make your CV easier to skim:

• Clear headings for each part, such as Experience, Education and Skills.
• The same date format throughout, for example “March 2021 to present”.
• Three to five bullet points per job, with the most important first.
• Job title and employer in bold, so the eye finds them quickly.
• White space between sections instead of lines and boxes.

Exceptions: academia, the public sector and consultant CVs

In academia a longer CV is normal. If you apply for a position at a university or university college, you are often expected to list publications, teaching, research projects, conferences and supervision. Your CV can then run to several pages, and that is perfectly fine. Follow what the job posting asks for, as many institutions have their own requirements for what the application should contain.

In the Norwegian public sector you often apply through a portal, such as Jobbnorge or Webcruiter, where you enter your education and experience in separate fields. The page count does not apply in the same way there, but short and clear descriptions matter just as much. If you also upload a CV, the same advice applies as elsewhere.

The consulting industry often uses a project CV, where each assignment is described with the client, role, period and technology. It can get long, but it is made for a different purpose than an ordinary job application. If you apply for an ordinary job outside consulting, make a shorter version.

How recruiters skim your CV

A recruiter with many applications rarely reads every CV from start to finish the first time. Their eyes go to the top of the first page: your name, summary, latest job title, employer and dates. If they find what they are looking for there, they read on. If they do not, they often move on to the next one.

That is why the most important things should be at the top. A short CV summary of three to four lines tells them who you are and what you can offer. Use the same words as the ad where they match your experience, so the reader recognises what they are looking for.

If you want to know how your CV is read, try the CV score on Selja. You get an honest assessment of the whole CV, the way a recruiter reads it, with what to improve. Your first assessment is free.