Is there really an appropriate length to a C.V.?

I'm not a civilian recruiter, but I've worked on hundreds of resumes and been on both sides of the table. Unless you are in academia listing all your publications, your resume should be at ONE PAGE MAX. Nobody is going to read more than one page (you'll be lucky if they read half).

Even if you're General Eisenhower, you should be able to summarize your achievements on one page. Remember, a resume is not about listing everything you've done, it's about summarizing your most significant accomplishments. No matter who one is, that can be done in one page. The more you put on there that isn't the top achievement, the less likely I'm going to see what you want me to see. Writing multiple pages to me feels more like a self-congratulatory exercise.

CVs are a different animal vs. resumes. Used more in the scientific, legal, and academic settings, CVs are very detailed and contain a lot of synopsis of authored publications, thesis, cases, etc. Resumes are a snapshot of academic and professional qualifications along with experience.

You should have two resumes; a one pager and a three pager. A number of firms, organizations, Government, etc. specify limits along with what to provide. Recruiters are typically willing to respond to a resume length question.

USAJOBS is a different beast. People tend to pad and bulk up the resume because they're trying to get maximum hits. Unfortunately, a focus on padding usually means the particular descriptors aren't in there so the RESUMIX system won't pass the resume on to the HR person creating a Cert for the Hiring Manager. So in USAJOBS, you can have several resumes ready to go and then edit/attach the tailored one to the specific announcement.

I think it's worth thinking about the context in which a recruiter might be reading your resume. If the role requires a phd, there are probably fewer applicants compared to the majority of jobs and the recruiter is likely spending more time screening the applicants. If, however, the recruiter is staring at a pile of 200 resumes, it is better to get to the point. Readability will also be key so that someone can quickly scan your experiences and accomplishments.

Mine is 12 pages including a cover letter.

Jason, a C.V. or Resume is a "snapshot," NOT a life story. It addresses your qualifications for a position, demonstrating why you believe you have the required skills. An interviewer then goes into more detail to explore and match your experiences to the available opening. I've read literally thousands of such introductory paperwork during my career, and over-long (more that 2 pages) items were never at the top of my list...I simply did not have time to go into such extended personal explanation. A good C.V./Resume says a lot about your ability to focus and hit the job opening's bull's-eye, not wander all over the place hoping the job recruiter can, in some mysterious way, cull out the tidbits needed to show you in the best light.

2 pages max. No one has time or wants to read that much. It's just a tool to spark someone's attention enough to contact you.

I applied to a university with a CV. I looked at the existing faculty CVs posted for that department and modeled mine on theirs.

My mom works in HR at a Major Boston area university, she says not uncommon to see 25 page CV. Question is, 25 pages of content or fluff.

I ran out of room - but some C.V.s are fairly extensive and I've seen a few well over 30+ pages. Most seem to be between six and 10 pages in length on average. It could be potentially since this is a research institution and the vast majority of people here have graduate degrees and Ph.Ds - they tend to include their professional writing bibliographies, as well as pertinent work related experience.

So as a civilian recruiter - does this vary from employer to employer or is the length thing a bit of a urban legend that was once valid but no more?