How long is your résumé?

[southpawcannon]

I looked up to see if there were any previous threads on this topic and the most relevant was 6 years ago. So, I wanted to bring this up again and get feedback.

I've done a draft of my résumé twice now after being told to shrink it from a more business-like 3 pages to a professional school recommended length of 1 page. I've got it down to about a page and a half now but still told it should really be 1 page. If I were your traditional 21 yr old applying to get into medical school, then I could see why 1 page would be the recommended length. He/she would have limited experience compared to we non-trads, especially with work experience. Also, we likely have more volunteer experiences and volunteer activities, maybe shadowing experiences. So, while AMCAS, to my understanding, gives you so many slots and up to so many characters, at least for a typed out resume for your pre-health advising, a little more flexibility should be given to us because we may have not just more quantity but also quality in all we have done, and therefore, would be selling ourselves short has we omitted certain experiences. And, as a side note, I feel it's one thing to be aided in modifying your format that is geared more towards professional school, but one should not try to alter job titles and description of your jobs or activities if they have no clue as to what you did while there.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[okokok]

What do you need a resume for in the med school application process? If it's only for your pre-health advisors, I would think they'd be understanding of your situation and accept a longer resume to read before writing you a committee letter (I'm assuming that's what they want it for? ). I can't think of any other situations where you need a resume. Your AMCAS/AACOMAS app is your resume.

 

[anguisette]

I gave my letter writers a 2 page resume for reference. It wasn't a problem.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Mine is also two pages.

 

[NTF]

Mine was almost 4 pages when I applied. Nobody complained. Some pre-health advisors may give arbitrary guidelines to get people to prioritize their resumes but I think they're generally thinking of traditional undergrads.

Of course when my resume started exceeding 2 pages I just started calling it a CV...

 

[kami333]

I just sent my cv to my letter writers, 5 pages and no one complained.

 

[southpawcannon]

Decided I'd stick with my page and a half especially after what all of you guys said about your length. Being a non-trad my long-term work history in health care, volunteer history and leadership roles are all a huge advantage I believe in proving my willingness to serve in the community and dedication to a career in medicine.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

+1 to this line of thinking: If you are applying for a job, keep it short and sweet. If you are providing information for your LOR writer or anything similar, provide as much as possible.

 

[JourneyAgent]

Mine is determinedly 1 page. If it doesn't fit on a page then it's not important. Actually I'd rather like to sum it up to fit on a business card. Or be relatable in a limerick. Or a knock knock joke.

 

[Law2Doc]

I looked up to see if there were any previous threads on this topic and the most relevant was 6 years ago. So, I wanted to bring this up again and get feedback.

I've done a draft of my résumé twice now after being told to shrink it from a more business-like 3 pages to a professional school recommended length of 1 page. I've got it down to about a page and a half now but still told it should really be 1 page. If I were your traditional 21 yr old applying to get into medical school, then I could see why 1 page would be the recommended length. He/she would have limited experience compared to we non-trads, especially with work experience. Also, we likely have more volunteer experiences and volunteer activities, maybe shadowing experiences. So, while AMCAS, to my understanding, gives you so many slots and up to so many characters, at least for a typed out resume for your pre-health advising, a little more flexibility should be given to us because we may have not just more quantity but also quality in all we have done, and therefore, would be selling ourselves short has we omitted certain experiences. And, as a side note, I feel it's one thing to be aided in modifying your format that is geared more towards professional school, but one should not try to alter job titles and description of your jobs or activities if they have no clue as to what you did while there.

The one page rule is for business and law, and even there its not a hard and fast rule. In medicine you don't need a resume, you need a CV. CVs for academics can be many pages long, particularly if your name is on a lot of publications.

 

[Rouelle]

My CV is 5 pages and my resume is 1 1/2 pages. My resume is essentially a list of education, work history, and licensing information. The CV contains all that plus a publication/presentation list, relevant awards, research funding that I personally secured, membership in professional organizations, etc.