How long should a CV be? Typical length by country
Page-count conventions by country and career stage, and a simple way to decide what to cut.
There is no international rule for CV length, and no country has a law about it. What exists are conventions: what recruiters in a given market are used to seeing. Matching them signals that you know the market. Breaking them is not fatal, but a document that is far longer or shorter than expected makes the reader work harder before they reach your best material.
The table below summarises common expectations. Treat it as a starting point: conventions vary by sector, seniority and employer, and the best evidence is always the job ad and CVs from people already doing the job.
Typical length by country
| Country or region | Usual name | Typical length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Résumé | 1 page early career; 2 pages for experienced applicants | Some sectors (consulting, banking) often prefer one page at every level. Federal government résumés follow their own rules; check the current USAJOBS guidance and the job announcement. |
| Canada | Résumé | 1 to 2 pages; 2 is common for experienced applicants | Close to US norms; Letter paper. |
| United Kingdom | CV | 2 pages | One page is fine for school leavers and some graduates. Three pages is usually only seen for long senior careers or technical contract work. |
| Ireland | CV | 2 pages | Similar to the UK. |
| Germany | Lebenslauf | Often 1 to 2 pages for the CV itself, sometimes 3 for long careers | Often sent as part of a fuller application with a cover letter and, in many cases, copies of certificates and references. Tabular layout with a date column is common. |
| France | CV | 1 page is common, especially early career; 2 pages for experienced profiles | Many French recruiters still expect a concise single page for juniors. |
| Netherlands | CV | 1 to 2 pages | Direct, concise style is generally valued. |
| Nordics (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) | CV | 1 to 2 pages; 2 common for experienced applicants | Usually sent with a personal letter. |
| Spain, Italy | CV / Curriculum | 1 to 2 pages | Europass is used more often here than in some other countries, especially for public-sector roles; private employers frequently prefer a local-style CV. |
| Australia, New Zealand | Résumé or CV | 2 to 3 pages is common; longer is tolerated more than in the US or UK | Both words are used. Some sectors and recruiters prefer 2 pages. |
| India | CV, résumé, sometimes “biodata” | 1 page for freshers; 2 pages for experienced applicants | Conventions vary widely by sector and employer. |
| Academic CV (any country) | CV | As long as your record needs, often 3 to 10+ pages | Publications, grants, teaching and service listed in full. See the academic CV guide. |
Watch out: These are typical patterns observed across job ads and recruiter guidance, not measured statistics. If a job ad states a page limit, that limit wins over anything in this table.
Length depends more on career stage than country
Within any country, the strongest predictor of the right length is how much relevant experience you have.
- Student or recent graduate: one page is almost always enough, even in countries where two is normal. Filling a second page with school prizes and part-time jobs from years ago dilutes the page.
- Three to ten years’ experience: two pages in most markets; one page in the US if you can keep the strongest material.
- Senior, or a long career: two pages, occasionally three outside the US. Older roles shrink to one line each or disappear. See long careers.
- Contractors and freelancers: often slightly longer because of many short engagements; a project list helps. See freelance and contractor CVs.
A decision rule for cutting
If your CV runs over the target length, cut in this order and stop as soon as it fits:
- Margins and spacing last, content first. Shrinking the font to 8 pt to squeeze onto one page makes it harder to read and often looks crowded. Keep body text around 10 to 11 pt.
- Remove duties that any holder of the job title would have. “Attended team meetings” tells the reader nothing.
- Merge or drop bullets in roles older than about 10 to 15 years. Keep the job title, employer and dates; one line is enough.
- Cut the summary to two or three lines, or drop it if your first role already says everything.
- Shorten long bullets. Anything over about 30 words usually hides the result. The builder flags bullets that run long.
- Drop generic skills (“Microsoft Office”, “communication”) that are assumed or better shown in bullets.
- Remove “references available on request” and similar lines. See hobbies and references.
Here is a typical trim of one bullet:
Before: Was responsible for helping with the planning and coordination of a large number of internal and external events throughout the year, including conferences, workshops and client meetings, working with a variety of stakeholders across the business.
After: Planned 22 conferences and client events a year for up to 400 guests, coordinating suppliers, venues and four internal teams.
That saves a line and a half and adds a number the reader can remember.
When longer is genuinely better
Going over the usual length is reasonable when the extra page carries information the employer needs and cannot get elsewhere:
- Academic, medical and research roles, where completeness is expected.
- Technical contract roles where clients scan for specific tools and project types.
- Public-sector applications that ask you to address set criteria, often in a separate statement rather than the CV.
What does not justify more pages: a long list of training courses, every responsibility from every role, or a “personal statement” that repeats the cover letter.
Half pages and spill-over
A second page that is only a few lines long looks unfinished. Either cut those lines to land on one page, or expand slightly with a relevant section (projects, certifications, languages) so the second page is at least a third full. Always check the print preview before you export: a section heading stranded at the bottom of page one with its content on page two is easy to fix by adjusting spacing or moving a section.
The builder compares your length with the page count usually expected for the region you selected and gently flags it if you are well over. It does not block you, because there are good reasons to go over.
Next: one-page résumés and section order and headings.