Keep It Short and Sweet: How to Shorten Your Resume

Your resume is a living document that provides potential employers with a snapshot of what you bring to the table. It needs to be constantly tweaked to reflect your most up-to-date skills and experience, tailored to the job you are applying for, and updated to demonstrate the impact you have made at each organization you have been with. So how long should it be, and how do you choose what stays and what goes? That’s what Hannah from the University of Missouri-St. Louis wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hey Brian – I have a 4-page resume. How do I get it down to a more reasonable range?”

How Do I Shorten My Resume?

While keeping your resume to one or two pages is a good rule of thumb, your resume length can vary depending on your experience and how relevant the information you put in the document is to the job you are applying for. That said, if you are looking to condense your resume, here are a few things worth dropping entirely for length or other considerations:

1. Objective Statements: These are a waste of space. Replace your objective statement with a summary paragraph that explains the skills and qualities you bring to the table.
2. Older Jobs With No Relevance: Employers want to see what you have been doing recently and how it ties into your desired job with them. However, if there is a relevant accomplishment from a long-ago position that you still want to include, consider using a hybrid resume format. This can also protect you from age bias.
3. Graduation Year: This won’t save you a ton of space, but it’s another way to avoid age discrimination if you obtained your degree more than 5–10 years ago.
4. Unprofessional Email Address: Again, not a space saver, but a consideration. A provocative or unprofessional email address can cause employers to eliminate your resume from the pile quickly.
5. References Available Upon Request: Speaking of relics of the past, this statement serves no purpose in a resume. Employers know you’ll provide references when they ask, so omit this phrase entirely.

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If you follow these steps, your resume should be both an appropriate length and highlight your strengths to potential employers. You can get more resume advice in our resource center, or check out our resume writing services to get a leg up.

Enjoy the full episode for more tips on how to shorten your resume. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is also available on our YouTube Channel!