The age old discussion of how long your resume should be continues and, unfortunately, there is no “correct” answer. The length of the resume is entirely dependent upon several factors. There is no pat answer to the question.

The best resume is based on an approach that considers your background and the industry you are targeting. The most important issue is keeping the content concise and straight to the point

As an older job seeker, you may have years and years of experience with multiple job postings or you may be an entry level job seeker with no significant achievements or employment history other than the military.

The entry level resume may be an example of the “one pager”.  Highly concise, perhaps with bullet points outlining your skills, training and background may be the ideal answer. Remember in entry level positions, a Hiring Manager may only have 10-20 seconds to devote to each resume, so be brief and to the point.

For federal positions, executive positions or second interview requests, a longer resume may be applicable. Give serious thought to how you want to present yourself in these situations remembering that hiring managers want to see the best of the best in a concise and to the point manner. Too much detail will you kick you out of the box unless the Hiring Manager requests more definitive information. While the entire resume may be scanned, using a summary with key words, and phrases based upon your target industry and career goals can be very advantageous.

Keep in mind that many companies may utilize Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to analyze and sort resumes and organizing them for review or discarding. Keywords applicable to the industry and position are critical to get you by these systems and on the Hiring Manger’s desk.

Additional information available at : US News.com

Go to www.TADPGS.com, click on the “Looking for People” tab, then view “Veterans Solutions” to see more for information on our Veterans Solutions for Employers. Please join our LinkedIn group, Veterans Hiring Solutions for Veterans and Companies at http://linkd.in/Sg346w. If you have specific questions about hiring veterans or the incentives for doing so, contact me at Ben.Marich@Adeccona.com.