Length of Resume for job hunting in industry

I have PhD degree in the field of Biotechnology, and feel like my background is pretty strong. In the passing month, I sent out several applications, no any response.

I was wondeing anybody here can help me answer:

1. For the job hunting for industry, usually how many page would my resume has? Mine is around 10 pages, and I was told it should be within 2 pages.

2. If the recuiter likes your resume, usually how soon they respond to you?

Thanks in advance for your help!

AuburnTiger

I realize that this question was asked several months ago, but thought it was an excellent question that many job seekers might share.

There is no hard and fast rule for resume length. I know that this answer is a bit vague, but there are just too many factors (professional requirements, experience etc.) to have a standard. I advise my clients that a resume should be long enough to include critical information - this can mean one page or three pages (I have never written a ten page resume, which is not to say that its wrong), but not so much information that a reader might be overwhelmed. Having said that, I find that most clients have reached out to me because they are just not objective enough to identify what is "critical information."

If you are crafting your own resume and need some help culling your information, here are a few questions you can ask:
1. Is this a responsibility or an accomplishment? Since you don't want to create a resume that sounds like a job description, you should focus on limiting responsibilities.
2. Does this information differentiate me?
3. Is this information a requirement of the job requisition?

I hope that helps anyone who may have the same question as AuburnTiger. As always, feel free to contact me directly if you have additional questions. You can find my contact information in my profile.

Happy job hunting!
K.C.

Your resume should be about 2 pages, plus a cover letter. If you are sending out a resume that is 10 pages long no wonder you get no responce!
You CV should be 2pages long, concisely worded, listing your work experience and your education. You cover letter should be specific to each application, be one page long and highlight the qualities you feel you have that qualify you for the position. I have a degree in Biochemistry and have worked in the industry for 10 years, if you are sending out 10 page resumes,employers do not have the time to read that and pick out the reason why they should hire you. Go on line and search for examples of scientific resumes, they are out there really.
Alex
Visit CatPrep.com for information and resources related to your [url=www.catprep.com/]gre practice test[/url]and more.