All guidesBy SuitedCV TeamUpdated
How long should a CV be, really
One page if you have less than about ten years of relevant experience; two pages if you have more, and every line on the second page earns its place. That is the whole rule. Length follows your content and your career stage, not a magic number, and a recruiter never rejects a CV for its second page, only for padding. Below: when each length is right, and how to cut a CV down without deleting the results that win interviews.
How many pages should a CV be?
A CV is as long as it needs to be to show you are a strong fit, and not one line longer. In practice that maps to experience: early career fits on one page, a decade or more of relevant work often needs two. The number of pages is a result, not a target.
Recruiters do not reject a CV for having a second page. They lose interest when a page is padded, repetitive, or slow to reach the point. A tight two pages beats a padded one, and a focused one page beats a stretched two.
When should a CV be one page?
- You have under roughly ten years of experience, or are early in your career.
- You are a student, a new graduate, or writing a first CV.
- You are changing field, and only some of your history is relevant.
- You are applying somewhere that reads fast and values brevity, like most startups.
Is a two-page CV okay?
- You have a decade or more of relevant experience with real results to show.
- You are in a field where depth matters: senior engineering, research, medicine, law.
- You have publications, patents, or a project list a recruiter genuinely wants.
- Every line on the second page earns its place. If it does not, it belongs in the bin, not on page two.
How do I shorten my CV without losing substance?
Most CVs get noticeably shorter, with nothing lost, once you cut what was never working:
- Drop the objective statement and any generic summary of adjectives.
- Shorten old and junior roles to a line each; keep the detail for recent, relevant work.
- Cut duties that every person in the role obviously did, and keep results.
- Remove skills you would not want to be interviewed on, and long tool lists.
- Tighten wording: one strong line per achievement, not three that circle it.
How does SuitedCV help with CV length?
The live preview shows exactly where each A4 page ends as you edit, and the status bar warns the moment your CV spills onto a second page, so length is never a surprise at export time. When content barely overflows, a one-click tighten reduces spacing to pull it back onto one page.
If you would rather keep everything on a single continuous page, the PDF export offers a single-page option for a multi-page CV. And because each application is a tailored version, you can run long for a senior role and tight for a startup from the same master CV.
Common questions
Is a one-page CV always better?
No. One page is right for early and mid careers, but forcing fifteen years of strong experience onto one page usually means cutting the very results that would land the interview. Let content decide.
Will a two-page CV get rejected by an ATS?
No. Applicant tracking systems read text regardless of page count. Length is a human judgement, not a parsing one. See the guide on writing an ATS-friendly CV.
Does a longer CV look more experienced?
The opposite, usually. Padding reads as an inability to prioritise. A short, sharp CV signals that you know what matters.
What should I cut first?
The objective statement, duties anyone in the role would list, roles from more than ten years ago, and any skill you could not discuss in an interview.