How To Write Any Resume To Fit On One Page
Whether youve got 25 years of experience, a decade, or none, making a strong impression is essential, and a single page resume helps you do that.
Here are some strategies which sections to include and which to omit when creating your own resume. The next lines will act as a summary from the learnings above.
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In Some Circumstances Your Type Of Work And The Job Opening May Merit A Two
The one-page résumé has long been considered the optimal approach for selling yourself in the modern job market. Its normally enough to provide recruiters with sufficient information to prove your suitability, and its short enough to hold their attention when they are sifting through hundreds of applications. But are there any occasions when a one-page résumé just isnt enough?
If you find yourself in any of the following situations, you may have a strong case for straying on to that second page.
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Why Your Resume Should Be One Page
Your resume can safely stick to one page if that is all you need to market yourself. One page resumes can be scanned over quickly by the human eye, so a one-page resume could appeal to in-person scenarios like job fairs and networking events.
If you have a two-page resume with no work experience, it probably contains filler words and information that isnât relevant to your current job application. Cut your resume down to one page by tailoring your resume to your relevant experience.
If youâre making a career change, your past experience is unlikely to be fully relevant to the new job target. Try to lead with your transferable skills and abilities if youâre in this position, rather than experience. A functional resume format may be better for you.
The same goes for recent grads. Odds are that you donât have two pages of relevant experience. However, some graduates have multiple internships, volunteer work, on-campus activities, or publications that belong on a resume. If you just graduated, read more about how to search for a job as a recent graduate.
Experiment With Different Format Techniques To Meet The Appropriate Resume Length
There are a number of additional resume-length tips and tricks professional resume writers use to help their clients meet these length restrictions. If you’re having trouble making your resume fit within a specific number of pages, try messing with the font size, the spacing between paragraphs, and the margins. When experimenting with different design elements, make sure it’s still easy for a reader to quickly scan the resume and identify the most important selling points.
Did these resume-length tips answer your question about how long your resume should be? If not, hire a TopResume writer to help you write the next chapter of your career.
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How Do I Shorten My Resume To Fit On One Page
As proud as you may be about your career, it still needs to be kept to the recommended length.
Remember, the hiring manager has plenty more resumes to go after yours.
After you have listed out your past work experience and history, you may find yourself needing to shorten it down to your desired length.
Below are a few key tips to help you condense your resume length.
Can My Resume Be 15 Pages
No, your resume cant be 1.5 pages. 1.5 pages will leave too much empty space, and make your application look unprofessional.
If you have under ten years of relevant work experience, you should only write a one page resume. If you have more than ten years, however, a two page resume is acceptable. Just make sure its not 1.5 pages long.
If your resume continues onto the second page, try trimming your information down to one page by cutting things like old experience, irrelevant skills, or unnecessary information about your education.
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When Is It Acceptable
Several instances were discussed above where a resume can be longer than 2 pages.
A federal resume is often 4-6 pages long.
If the role you are interested in requires a CV , it will likely be over 2 pages long because of the additional information you will need to include.
As a freelancer or executive, sometimes 2 pages is not quite enough space, and going to a third page is necessary. Just keep the information applicable to the role you are applying to.
Make The Most Of Your Resume
To make the most of your resume real estate, check the list of your accomplishments to be certain that youve eliminated all but those that are needed for the position. Choose your format: chronological or functional. You may find that one allows you to include more data than the other.
Choose a basic font like Verdana or Times New Roman in 10-12 point. Bullets will make the document more readable and scanable.
For those with a short employment history, internship experiences can highlight skills as effectively as those gained through pay-check. Add projects or research done for college course work if it relates to the job youre going for. For instance, if you were a business major and took the marketing role on team projects, show what you did and the outcome.
Sometimes you have more than enough data to fill one page but not much for the second page. Unless you have about 1/3 of the second page covered, try reworking your entries. You might be able to expand on one or two to fill more space on page 2.
Perhaps you have a longer work history or your experience is with the government or higher education. Instead of a resume you may be expected to produce a Curriculum Vitae, or CV. You will include your publications and presentations, and projects along with work experience.
Length is less important than clarity and the ability of the reader to identify the details that match up with the requirements of the role on offer.
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You Are Able To Secure A Clear Format Of Writing:
The format of a resume is a very crucial aspect to consider. You cant even afford to make a minor mistake in that.
In such case if your resume is too long or more than one page, then there are possibilities that the format may get disturbed. So, in order to avoid any sort of issue within the format, it is wise that you limit your resume to single page only.
When Should Your Resume Be Three Pages
Your resume should rarely be three pages or more. Most of the information for a three-page resume is better suited for a LinkedIn profile or a comprehensive CV.
âThough we generally advise against a resume length beyond two pages, sometimes itâs necessary,â says Jennifer. âSome professions and industries have a different set of standards when it comes to resumes and therefore require more information.â
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Remove A References Section
References are assumed and donât deserve to be mentioned on your resume . Donât list them out, and donât include the line âreferences available upon request.â
Instead, make a separate reference document to provide when asked. A hiring manager doesnât need this early on in the application process. Your resumeâs goal is to get you a phone call, and then to schedule an interview. Keep it focused on you and the value you would bring to this company.
Pro tip: bring a printed copy to your interview, and keep an email draft with names, contact information, current job titles, and your relationship to the person.
Whats The Ideal Resume Length For The Hiring Manager
CV length is the difference between an experienced candidate and an irrelevant candidate. If your resume is too long, its a complete waste of time to go through.
On the other hand, if a resume is too short they wont get an overview of your suitability for the position. Its good practice to scope out the hiring preferences of the company you are applying to. This will allow you to tailor your resume to the known preferences of your hiring manager to give you the best chance of getting noticed and called for an interview.
Lets take a look at this a bit further by breaking down an entry-level resume and an executive-level resume.
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Senior Level And Science Candidates
Executives or senior-level managers often have a long list of accomplishments and experiences that they have to include. The same is true for people in the sciences or academia who want to include their licenses, patents, or publications. These job seekers can write a resume that is three pages long or even longer.
Combine Similar Experience Under One Position
“Similar experience” could be things like several work-study positions in different offices or cashier work at more than one store. The duties you completed are going to be nearly the same, so combining the roles on your resume is the most efficient and effective way to save space. You can showcase achievements for each position separately in bullets below the daily functions.
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It Portrays Your Professional Intelligence:
Only professionals are able to bring out features that are productive. Other individuals may even dont think about the significance of such competencies.
So, if you want to raise a leading professional representative of yours to the recruiters then outlining a one-page resume with rich content is the most convenient and finest way to do it.
Highlight Only Internships And Relevant Work Experience
While it’s great to show you’ve had a job since you were 16 and can commit to a company, unless it’s relevant, it’s not necessary. Keep the focus on relevant work experience and any internships you may have held recently or while in college. You can still show you had previous jobs and how long you were with those companies in an additional experience line under your highlighted positions. This will show you have longevity and loyalty without taking up valuable space.
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List Important Accomplishments Instead Of Tasks
Instead of creating a list of all the job duties youve had at each of your professional experiences, list only your greatest, most relevant accomplishments. Be sure to review the job description so you can include achievements the employer will find interesting. Quantify your success with numbers when possible such as the number of people you lead, an amount or percentage of time you saved or an amount or percentage of money you made or saved.
How Is The Mba Resume Different From Other Resumes
Every MBA program requires its applicants to submit a resume. The good news is: youre a business person. You almost certainly have an up-to-date and compelling resume or you wouldnt have advanced as far as you have in your career to date.
The bad news, however, is that an MBA resume is an entirely different beast from your typical job application resume. The resume that gets you hired at an investment bank wont be the same resume that gets you into a top MBA program, and this makes nailing the MBA resume a critical step toward acing your application.
So, what are the differences between the resume you used to land your current job and the one youll use to apply to MBA programs? In short, the answer is leadership.
Consider the goal for each type of resume.
For the job resume, your goal is to prove to your future boss that you have what it takes to do a particular job function. If youre applying for an engineering job at Uber, your resume must demonstrate your prowess for coding. If youre applying for a portfolio management job at Credit Suisse, your resume shows your experience in markets, investment strategies and your overall business acumen.
Stated simply, an MBA is a degree in business leadership. Therefore, the resume needs to focus not on job skills, but rather on demonstrated business leadership.
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Remove A Hobbies And Interests Section
âSometimes listing your hobbies and interests can help you stand out from the job-seeker crowd,â says Jennifer. âBut tread carefully: Some hobbies/interests can have a negative effect based on the personal biases of your audience.â
If you feel strongly about your hobbies or interests, include them in your summary section as opposed to their own section, and stick to the main one or two that make you stand out as an applicant and a co-worker.
Safe hobbies or interests that can set you apart from other applicants:
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Musical talent: if you play an instrument, sing in a band, or write music
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Physical activities: If you hike, swim, or kayak
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Community-focused work: if youâre involved with charity work, Eagle Scouts, or local theater
Steer clear of anything with a religious or political affiliation.
A better way of including hobbies or interests is to join LinkedIn groups related to the topic, or posting about your passions on LinkedIn or another blogging forum. You can also establish yourself as an expert or thought leader on Reddit and Quora, which will likely come up when an interested hiring manager looks you up online before calling you in for an interview.
Example: Including interests/hobbies in a resume summary:
Case Study: Mias Three Page Research Assistant Resume
Mia has been working in immunology for many years.
From her undergraduate work to her current postdoctoral work Her drive to make a difference in the world has produced publications, presentations, and awards.
In her pursuit of postdoctoral research, demonstrating her expertise in the field is an absolute must. There are also expectations of an academic resume to put simply, having the correct style and streamlining your design.
To produce a resume to satisfy these conditions as well as discussing her previous work, a three-page resume was needed.
So far with all the case studies, have you noticed any similarities?
Firstly, theyre modern resumes which stand out. Above all, its the resume design and the way it highlights key information such as your certifications and different types of skills by using appropriate visual aspects. This is what makes them so compelling for the hiring manager.
Chances are, the recruiters at your company arent used to seeing a modern resume like this. So, making an impression and getting your foot in the door isnt difficult.
If youre unsure what to write and trying to cope with writers block, Enhancv makes the entire resume building process easier for you.
When youre using any of these proven examples, you have a resume in front of you thats gotten someone hired in the most competitive spaces. More importantly, they could just be like you.
These resume templates are free.
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Put Information About Each Position On One Line
You might like the way your resume looks when the company, duration of your position, location, and your title each have their own line. But if its pushing your resume over a page, its time to move things around.
Play around with ways to fit this information on one or two lines. Doing this for each of your positions will save you a ton of space.
Heres a real example of a three page resume trimmed down to one with the help of FindSpark tips and tricks.
Can You Use A Two
To summarize the above â yes, you can.
You just need to make sure that your most critical pieces of information are highlighted on the first page.
If you’re an entry-level job seeker, than you won’t need an additional page.
Continue reading our tips and suggestions below to see how you can condense your resume space to stand out on the first page.
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You Need To Write Only Those Skills That Match With Your Job:
There is a possibility that you are multi-skilled person that possess numerous qualities. But there is no need to jot down about each and every quality of yours.
You have to write only about those skill set that matches perfectly with the job vacancy you are targeting.
This much information can be nicely presented in one page and so there is no need to extend your resume to two or more number of pages.
However Dont Go Overboard
While there are certainly some occasions that warrant the use of a two-page résumé, its probably best not to spill on to the third. Sure, some recruiters might not mind it, but you have to bear in mind the attention spans in the modern job application process. Hiring managers and recruiters are normally inundated with applications for every vacancy, while facing short deadlines to get them filled. Unfortunately, this means that while most people who review your résumé would love to give it the attention it deserves, they simply just do not have the time.
If its vital that you include some extra details that move your résumé into the two-page territory, theres no need to panic if that information is significant and well-formatted, recruiters will likely give it a read. But if your résumé is heading for three or four pages of rambling text, then its unlikely that many recruiters or hiring managers will even read that far in todays job market. If youre struggling to keep your résumé under two pages, then review it, grade each section on relevancy, and cut out or summarize some of the less relevant information.
Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of Job Description Library, and StandOut CV, two leading career advice websites with a mission to help job hunters land the jobs they want. He is regular contributor to CV Library and The Guardian.
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