For a US résumé, one page if you are a student, a new graduate or early in your career, and up to two pages if you have years of relevant experience. For a UK CV, no more than two A4 pages for most people. For an academic CV, there is no fixed limit: it grows with your publications, teaching and grants. In every case, the right length is the shortest one that holds your strongest relevant evidence for this job.
US résumés: one page or two
The Career Center at the University of Illinois says résumés for new graduates and early-career professionals should be one page. William & Mary's graduate career guidance describes résumés as limited to one or two pages, and says graduate students are generally allowed two pages but should use one if they can say everything they need to in it.
Two pages is reasonable when you have substantial experience that is relevant to the role. It is not a target. A second page of older or unrelated material makes the first page harder to find, not more impressive.
If you do use two pages, put the most relevant experience on page one, add your name and a page number to page two, and make sure the second page is at least half full. A few lines spilling onto a new page is a sign something should be cut.
UK CVs: up to two A4 pages
In the UK the document is usually called a CV, and the standard is longer than a US résumé. Prospects, the UK graduate careers site, quotes the University of Chester's careers team: CVs should be no longer than two A4 pages, possibly shorter for students applying for part-time jobs, and slightly longer for academic CVs. Prospects adds that a three-page CV may suit very senior roles or people with substantial experience.
Some details differ too. Prospects notes that your date of birth is irrelevant and that you do not need a photo unless you are applying for acting or modelling work.
Elsewhere in Europe
Norms vary by country, so check what employers in your target country expect. The EU's Europass CV, which the European Commission describes as one of the best-known CV formats in Europe, advises against listing your complete work history and recommends focusing on the points that match the job. Unlike UK guidance, Europass suggests you consider adding a professional photo, which shows how much conventions differ from one country to the next.
Academic CVs: no fixed limit
An academic curriculum vitae is a different document. William & Mary describes it as a comprehensive record of a scholar's experience and achievements, with no length limit, and notes that an experienced professor might have a 20-page CV. The Illinois Career Center gives the same example for a mid-career professor, and adds that a CV for someone starting graduate school can be about as long as a résumé.
Use an academic CV only where it is asked for: faculty posts, research positions, fellowships and graduate programmes. For an industry job in the US, convert it into a résumé of one or two pages. William & Mary also warns against padding a CV with irrelevant or unimportant items.
What to cut first
Roles from early in your career that have nothing to do with the job you are applying for: keep the title, employer and dates, and drop the bullets. Bullets that describe duties rather than results, and bullets that say the same thing twice. Generic skills lists ("Microsoft Office", "communication") that the rest of the page already shows. An objective statement, and the line "References available on request".
Personal details the reader does not need. Prospects says date of birth is irrelevant on a UK CV, and in the US a full street address is rarely needed. City and region are usually enough.
What not to do: shrink the font, squeeze the margins or tighten line spacing until the page is hard to read. That hides the length problem without solving it.
Where Weydr fits
Weydr tailors a résumé to each job from your master profile, which makes it easier to drop what is irrelevant to that role instead of carrying everything into every version. If your real material is thin, it keeps the résumé short rather than padding it. Browse layouts, including one-page and two-page options, at /resume-templates.