QUT Home

Contact us Search

Careers Home Getting a job For employers Career Mentor Scheme Course/career planning For academic staff About us

Resumes

Course/career planning Career Development Modules Plan your career Self assessment Career information Course information Graduate outcomes Help with decisions For future students For postgraduate students   Self assessment   World of work   Search strategies     Applications       Cover letters       Resumes         Content of a resume       What are the headings?       Selection criteria     Networking for job success     Interviews   What's on   Vacancies   Resources   Graduate outcomes   Discussion forum International

[Print-friendly version] A Resume or a CV? While historically there was/is a difference between the two document types, often nowadays the terms are interchangeable. How Long Does the employer spend looking at your Resume? Typically an employer will only spend about 20 to 40 seconds on the first examination looking at your resume. This is a bit of a generalisation, however, it is often true and is the time it takes that employer to take a first impression. What does this mean? It means that your document has to stand out and tell them what they need to know about you very clearly and succinctly. How you layout your document and how you emphasise key words and/or experiences is going to be important.   How Many pages should a typical Australian resume have? Generally the rule of thumb is 2 to 4 pages. Often here in Postgraduate Careers we see resumes that are either too short or far too long. As was indicated by the amount of time an employer will look at your resume, the key information needs to stand out and be relevant, but their also needs to be enough details for the employer to go back to and find out more about you that meets their needs. You shouldn't however, fill your resume up with irrelevant information to make it longer but should develop the relevant information to best sell yourself to the employer.