How To Shorten Your Resume

Why is a Shorten Resume Important?

Your resume is generally the initial impression that an employment manager receives of you once you have applied for a job. Even though it is crucial to include all your professional and academic achievements and related skills to the job for which you are applying, excessively lengthy resumes tend to receive less notice than brief one-page resumes. The reasons for such are normally linked to the time and attention of the hiring manager since most vacancies receive a large number of applications. Because of this, it's important to know how to keep your resume as short as possible without removing any information that would increase your chances of getting hired.

Here are several ways in which you can shorten your resume without eliminating any important information:

Remove any information that isn't directly related to the job you're applying for

Your resume should be refined based on the nature of a specific job or industry. Objectively go over each section of it before presenting it to them and remove any information that isn't necessarily necessary for the work you're being hired to do. Even with the omission of significant educational and professional milestones likely being difficult to do, it should result in a less cluttered and readable document that may enhance your probability of acquiring employment.

Make your page margins smaller.

Most resumes should only be one-page in length for their maximum impact, and a very easy way to find more space is to cut down the page margins. Using a half-inch margin all around still leaves your resume looking organized, and it allows you to put more text on the page than if you kept the conventional one- or two-inch margins.

Combine several sections.

Each section needs a heading, which uses a lot of space. You can prevent that by looking for ways in which you can merge several sections. If you're wondering how to shorten resume content effectively, try limiting your resume to three or four main sections. One way of doing so without giving up pertinent content is through the development of distinct sections for education and professional experience and then condensing all the rest of the information, like skills, achievements, and interests, into a general section with a title such as "Additional information."

Minimize the amount of contact details.

If you are applying for employment that is relatively near where you are presently located, you should put your city and state on the resume. If the opportunity for employment is in another part of the geography, you might want to refrain from putting your present location. Not only does this conserve page space, but it also dispels any possible concerns that the hiring manager might have about your willingness to move.

When discussing prior employment, only include accomplishments.

Most resume long formats contain detailed and lengthy descriptions of professional responsibilities at past jobs. Although such information is pertinent, you need to emphasize your principal accomplishments at past jobs and talk about the nitty-gritty of the job during the job interview to conserve space.

Keep your objective statement as brief as you can.

Objective statements are important because they are usually the first thing that the hiring manager looks at when scanning through a resume. That being said, making them too long affects readability and negates the purpose. To make your resume short and powerful, be brief and clearly state how your experience and abilities will enable you to excel in the position that you are applying for.

Use bullet points.

Bullet points limit the amount of space you are taking up and as we've discussed, paragraphs take a lot more space and are a bigger ask of the reader. You want to be able to express points in a quick and clear manner. Bullet points allow you to do this, allowing the hiring manager to keep up with you are trying to say all at once and keep your resume to one page.

Don't list too many skills.

When making a resume, it's easy to include any skill and trait that you have and might be deemed applicable to the hiring manager. But if one or more of your skills are ubiquitous among prospective applicants for that job, including them in your resume might be redundant and make your resume too long unnecessarily. A good case in point is including proficiency in standard office computer programs.

Whenever possible, use statistics.

Numbers are wonderful on your resume because they provide the reader with exact information without using a lot of space. Rather than explaining an old professional accomplishment, attempt to demonstrate the figures behind it, as it will have a greater effect while being more efficient.

Use keywords.

Most big corporations get extremely high volumes of job applications and must employ special software to eliminate the irrelevant ones. When determining what to include in your resume, scrutinize the job advertisement for any keywords that provide clues about what the resume screening software will search for in a potential candidate. Then, rather than putting long bits of information, construct shorter sentences with those keywords.

Make use of a resume builder online.

A typical resume builder will assist you in removing unnecessary details. Begin composing your resume using the resume-building software and, once completed, compare it to one that you currently have. If the resume builder leaves out certain details from your original version, consider whether they are essential. Eliminating such extras can help keep your resume short and focused. 

Before sending your resume, have someone else look it over.

In deciding what to do and don't put on your resume, it is often helpful to have someone else provide some advice. You may have a co-worker or a career counselor look it over and provide you with feedback if only they can be honest especially if you're concerned with, "is my resume too long?" Their suggestions can assist you in trimming it down effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• For most professionals, a One-page resume would suffice, especially for those with fewer than 10 years of experience, rather than a resume long format which may lose attention.
• Recruiters scan through resumes hastily—brief formatting makes them instantly recognize major qualifications.
• Prioritize the applicable experience by trimming outdated positions, duplicate skills, and extraneous information.
• Use bullet points with measurable outcomes to be brief and effective in job descriptions.
• Streamline formatting (margins, font size, spacing) to pack more content without losing readability.

Recommended Reading:

6 Important Resume Sections for Winning Application

10 of the Most Common Resume Mistakes (To Avoid in 2025)

100+ Resume Action Words that Get Result