As a professional writer, I get asked all the time – should my resume be one page or two?
The simple answer: it depends.
Back when I was a “captive” employee working for a Fortune 500 company, I reviewed scores of resumes to hire my staff. I was not at all put off by a two-page resume if there was a legitimate reason for it, and if the pages were properly labeled in case the two sheets got separated. However, if page 2 consists of nothing more than a list of college classes, fluffed-up skills, or computer programs that you can work… skip it.
Big Guns, Smaller Resumes
Obviously, the longer you work, the more experience you gain and the longer your list of bragging points becomes… or so you would think. The irony, however, is that some of the more senior candidates I had the opportunity to interview had the most succinct resumes. Why? They focused on their achievements, not their day-to-day job functions. After all, the higher you get on the food chain, the less busy-work you do, and the more goal-oriented you become, especially because many companies use bonuses to reward managers for goal attainment. True, most couldn’t contain the achievements of their entire career on one-page, but two pages were almost always sufficient.
Length Corresponds to Your Place in the Job World
Here’s the deal: If you’re new to the game, keep it to one page – even if it means shrinking margins or kerning your text a bit (but, don’t render it unreadable, please! A lot of us in a hiring position already wear reading glasses!). If you’re in between entry level and senior management, you may need to spill onto a second page, but make sure you really need to – it’s at this point where GPA’s and internships can be killed off. Think like the hiring person: are the points on your resume applicable to the position you are going for? For those of you approaching the tops of the ladders, give some thought to what you’ve accomplished and how you can convince your target company of your value.
Eye For Design
One last thought – white space matters. Too much information crammed onto a page is overwhelming for the reader. This will not help your cause. I’ve tossed many candidates’ resumes in the circular file because it was far too “noisy” for me to digest. Be your own best editor. And, if you can’t, ask someone you trust to whip out their red pen and go to town. Make sure you pay attention to details too – keep your current job in the present tense and past jobs in the past tense. Uniformity is important. Remember, this is your first impression. Make it count.
For more tips on resume writing, check out this Resume Writing site. Happy hunting!
