Check CV length against page targets.
CV length expectations are set by sector first and experience second, and the ranges are genuinely different rather than a matter of taste. Commercial CVs run to two pages regardless of seniority. Academic CVs are expected to be comprehensive and grow steadily with publication record, reaching four pages early and well beyond that later. Creative CVs are short because the portfolio does the work. Converting words to pages needs your actual formatting, since a densely set CV can hold 550 words a page while a spacious modern layout holds 350 — meaning the same content can be two pages or three.
Page estimate
Pages = total words / words per page at your formatting
Expected length
Target = sector base + experience allowance
Only in sectors that expect it. The one-page rule comes from US early-career commercial hiring. Forcing fifteen years of relevant experience onto one page means cutting the evidence a hiring manager needs, and in academia or the public sector a very short CV reads as incomplete.
Because words per page varies by 50 percent or more between layouts. Ten-point type with narrow margins holds 550 words; a spacious layout with generous white space holds 350. If you are just over a page break, adjusting leading and margins is often better than cutting content.