How Long Should my Resume Be?
Introduction
The question a lot of people are asking right now is should my resume be one or two pages.
I know, I know, people are asking A LOT of other questions as well. However, let’s make no mistake that finding a job right now is not that easy. We’re going through a period of record layoffs and unemployment. Hiring slowed dramatically in 2025 with little to no jobs added in the last 5 months of the year. Monthly job growth in 2025 was only 44,000/month, the lowest since 2020.
Ok, so what does this have to do with my resume format you ask? Well, if fewer people are being hired, then it stands to reason that you need to ensure your credentialed qualifications stand out from the pack. So maybe the question isn’t necessarily “how long should my resume be?”
Maybe the question at hand is: What’s the best way to set up your resume in a competitive supply chain job market?
How Long Should My Resume Be? 1 Page or 2 Pages?
For years, talent has emphasized that resumes should be no longer than a single page. This is not necessarily bad advice. Sometimes less is indeed more. However, as with everything, there’s always an exception, especially when it comes to the world of supply chain talent.
If you’re an early to mid career professional, then shorter is probably better. Your education and certifications will pair well with your relevant experience (remember that because it’s going to get it’s own section). Keep it punchy and make sure that you’re emphasizing performance metrics and not just duties and responsibilities. How did your work improve the company?
Tailor Your Resume to Each Job
Two words: RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
If you’re customizing your resume for each position, length shouldn’t matter. Your relevant experience, metrics, training, certifications, and education are what matter.
For example, if you’re applying for a Warehouse Manager role at a Wholesale Distribution company, you don’t need to include the law clerk position that was your first job out of college.
(Sounds like I shouldn’t have to say this, but trust me, I do.)
The people looking at your resume are usually pretty busy. Respect their time. If you get lucky, a supply chain recruiter will contact you and be the point person for your resume. They’ll give you pointers on how to adjust it for optimal impact.
Build a Resume a Recruiter Can Find
Job seekers reach out to us all the time asking for help. While recruiting is mostly a one way street between us and our clients, we counsel job seekers and professionals looking to optimize their supply chain careers. We have an abundance of resources – from podcasts to videos to blogs – discussing how to accelerate your supply chain career.
If you want to attract a recruiter, you gotta start thinking like one. How does one do that, you might ask? Here are a couple ways:
- Submit your resume to our online database. That way our recruiting teams can access your information and include you in search results should there be a match.
- Keyword optimization for your resume. Read a few job postings for similar roles and front load your resume for repeated terms. Avoid keyword stuffing.
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) look for hard skills. List those followed by quantifiable results.
- Make sure your LinkedIn Account is optimized. Recruiters LOVE using LinkedIn to source candidates.
These are just a few ways you can improve your resume and make it more visible to recruiters.
How to Leverage AI to Optimize Your CV
It’s 2026 and Artificial Intelligence has become ubiquitous. It’s not going anywhere, either. So you may as well utilize it to help increase your visibility during your job search.
Tools like Jobscan and Resume Worded can be used to compare your resume against job posts.
But this is just a tool. There is no substitute for legitimate experience and knowledge. Use AI to help your assets align with what people are looking for. But make sure that what’s on your resume is worthy of consideration.
You can also seek professional advice on how to create a highly specialized linkedin profile and resume.
It’s All About Who You Know
If you want your resume to be read, finding a way to connect with decision makers at your desired employer will make more of a difference than if your resume is one or two pages. Yes your resume is absolutely essential in getting noticed and documenting your qualifications for desired positions. There’s a saying from a famous move, “if you build it, they will come.” But your resume is not Field of Dreams. Just because you put the greatest resume together doesn’t mean that it will get noticed by people who matter.
Your job search success hinges upon a multitude of factors, most influential of which could be “who you know.”
To that end, your job search is made a lot easier and more efficient if you are proactive about maintaining and cultivating professional relationships:
- Don’t burn bridges. You never know who could come in handy in a job search.
- Join professional associations. These are fantastic places to network and stay connected to people in your field.
- Become a mentor or mentee within your current organization. Build more in depth connections with your peers and colleagues who can help you expand your professional horizons.
Conclusion
The length of your resume is not as important as who you know and how well you’ve optimized your resume – and of course the content of your resume. Spend time ensuring that you’re conveying all of the value you’ve added. Quantifiable results are the best metrics to include on a resume. And honestly, if your relevant experience fits on 5 pages, then by golly, include it! Doesn’t matter how perfectly your resume/cv is constructed if no one reads it. That should be your takeaway from this article. Having a robust and active professional network is not something that is curated overnight. It needs to be a priority for you in an ongoing sense. Keep an active network and always be the best person at your job that you’re currently working. If you’re only asking yourself how long your resume should be, you might be missing other more important questions.
