Describe What You Did
The biggest shortcoming of a one page resume though, is the lack of detail. The person who is evaluating your resume wants to know if you’re the right person for the job. Besides stuffing your resume with the right keywords in the right order, you need to explain yourself and why your experience is relevant to the job you’re being considered for. Explain the nature of your role, the results you achieved, the changes you implemented, the revenue you created all the things that would make you more desirable than the next person.
BUT MY ONE PAGER LOOKS REALLY GOOD. IS THIS NECESSARY? Yes. It is. Reading between the lines takes more time than turning to the next page.
WARNING!This is not a licence to write a novel. You don’t want to mention that summer internship during the summer between sophomore and junior years in high school. As Juanda Calloway put it, “Please do not list every job you’ve ever had since the age of 16.”.Just stick to whats relevant to the job you’re applying for.
If you have taken relevant details to save space in order to get your resume down to less than a page, you’ve done yourself a disservice. Get your details back in your resume! If this pushes your resume to 2 pages, its absolutely fine. In fact, its better than a 1 pager without them.
How To Shorten Your Resume
Cut ruthlessly isnt one-time advice. Your resume should be tailored to each new job for which you apply. That means what youre cutting should be different every time.
Write up everything into master resume
If rewriting your resume each time requires more time and energy than you have, consider maintaining a comprehensive master resume as a starting point for each tailored job application. List each and every duty, responsibility, hard skill, soft skill, and measurable result throughout your professional history.
Instead of rewriting a new resume for each job, this allows you to skip straight to the ruthless cutting for each new job.
Answer the question of the job description
Your resume is more than proof that youve been collecting a paycheck for however many years. An effective resume highlights exactly how youve been working toward the job for which youre applying. See the difference?
Study the job description and identify the most important qualifications and resume keywords. Review each line of your resume and think, Does this help prove that Im a great fit for this job? If not, its extraneous at best or distracting at worse. Cut it.
Jobscan helps you home in on whats important to the employer by instantly analyzing your resume against their job description. Try it out right here in the article:
Emphasize your most relevant experience
Absolutely Not Only Can A Resume Be More Than One Page Long But In Most Instances It Should Be
While resumes in the private sector can be 12 pages long, most resumes are more than one page. The only time a resume should not be more than one page is when you’ve recently joined the workforce and don’t have enough information to justify a second page.
That said, if you were active in college and gained relevant experience in the form of internships, co-ops, freelance gigs, volunteer work, leadership programs, etc., then you may have enough information to warrant a resume that is more than one page. Click on the following link for more tips on how to write a resume that’s more than one page.
Think you have enough information for a resume with more than one page, but unsure how to write it? Let our experts help.
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Focus On Your Most Relevant Experience
If youâve jumped around on your career path, try to downplay positions that arenât relevant to this particular job description. Your resume does not have to include every place youâve worked or every job youâve heldâthatâs a common myth but isnât doing you any favors.
If you do want to list all your positions to establish a career trajectory or avoid gaps in your resume, limit the information you include with the less-relevant jobs. Expand the impact and results of your most recent and relevant jobs, and include three or fewer bullet points for the other information.
In Most Instances A Resume Should Not Be Only One Page
Contrary to what you may have heard, a resume should rarely be only one page. Most professionals should use a two-page resume this applies whether you have seven or 17 years of work experience.
Only entry-level professionals those who recently graduated from college and are just entering the workforce typically use a resume that’s only one page.
In fact, thanks to a recent study that involved nearly 500 recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals, even entry-level job seekers no longer have to use a resume that’s only one page. According to the research, recruiters were 2.3 times as likely to prefer resumes that were two pages over resumes that are only one page, regardless of a candidate’s job level. That means if you recently graduated from college and have a number of relevant internships, co-ops, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities to boast about, then you may have enough information to warrant a second page. If you don’t have those resume boosters, then you’re better off using a resume that’s only one page.
Click on the following link to learn more about how to determine the optimal resume page length.
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How Long Should A College Resume Be
A resume for college should be one page. Do you have so many mind-altering achievements you cant fit them in a 1-page resume? Then write a two-page resume.
Expert Hint: If youre in a field where lots of experience makes you more attractive, write a 2 or 3-page resume. Just keep it relevant and focus on accomplishments.
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.
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Focus On The Last 10 Years
Unless there is a position you held more than 10 years ago that you think would help you get this particular job, concentrate your work history on the last 10 years of your career. Within each description, highlight your most noteworthy accomplishments, specifically the ones where you can quantify your results. For example, “Increased sales revenue by 25% over six months.”
When Does A Resume Have To Be One Page
You should try to condense down your experience, skills, and achievements to fit on a one-page resume, especially if you have little relevant work experience. The types of people who can benefit from a one-page resume are:
- Recent high-school or college graduates
- Job seekers with less than 10 years of work experience
- Applicants switching to a new industry
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Keep It Clear And Easy To Read
Your priority should be to keep your resume clear and easy to read. Be sure to leave enough white space on each page, use a 10- or 12-point font, and use a font that is easy to read .
That being said, dont leave too much white space. The key is to fill all, or at least three-quarters, of each page with relevant and helpful information so that the recruiter’s attention is not drawn to the blank space on the second page.
How Long Should A Resume Be One Page Resume Vs Two Page
How many pages should a resume be? One page resume vs two page resume. Get the answer to how long should a resume be with expert tips to shorten yours.
One page resume? Two page resume?
How long should a resume be?
“If it’s too short, the hiring manager might think I’m inexperienced. If it’s too long, will they ever read it?”
Dont panic.
Theres an easy answer to the resume length dilemma.
It depends on your experience.
This guide will show you:
- Definite answer to the nagging How long should my resume be? question.
- One page resume templates you can use.
- When to use a 2-page resume.
- How to make a resume one page.
Save hours of work and get a resume like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from
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So Whats The Best Length For My Resume
The answer is: there is no definite answer.
When thinking of how long should a resume be, remember that your resume has to be as long as necessary to delve into your professional achievements. But, it must also be brief, dynamic, clear, and readable.
If your file gathers all these criteria, youll have an application well-loaded with relevant information rather than a whiny paper or an overwhelming wall of text.
If you support these factors with a personalized paper, suitable to the position and company you apply for, your application will overshadow most applicants out there. As a result, putting you in an enviable position in your job hunt.
When Quantity Equals Quality
As you evolve in your career, you’ll find that things that were once relevant on your resume aren’t anymore. For example, if you’ve been in your career a few years or are changing careers, there’s no need to list every duty for every position. Learn to recognize when compromising the quantity of your experiences will impact the quality of your employment story. If you have enough relevant experience, training, and credentials pertaining to the position to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for it.
Note: I said relevant. This doesnt mean you detail all your accomplishments since your high school babysitting job. It also doesnt mean listing every college course you’ve taken and certification you’ve earned.
As a recruiter, I can tell you, if Im going to read a resume thats more than one page, it better tell a good story about what you bring to the table. Listing every task you did as a manager doesn’t make you a good manager. But if you tell me that you increased productivity by 25% or highlight process changes for multiple teams at several companiesyou’re justifying that space.
If you can succinctly quantify your accomplishments to tell how you made a role, job, project, or assignment better and you need more than one page to demonstrate it effectively, thats time well spent.
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When To Use A 2
Weve all asked ourselves at some point, How long should my resume be?
The most common answer youd get on the internet is straightforward: one page.
But what if your 2nd page is jam-packed with relevant work experience?
Or, what if youre applying for a position in academia?
In this article, we discuss the appropriate length of a resume.
Read on to learn:
- Should you use a 2-page resume?
- Whats the right length for your resume?
- How to fit a resume on 1 page?
- 7 two-page resume samples
Lets get started!
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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How Long Should A Cv Be
Does size matter? When it comes to your CV, the answer is yes
CV length can be a crucial factor in determining whether or not you get the job. Think about it: if a recruiter has 100 CVs to go through in a day, theres a chance that at some point theyll lose concentration. So, the trick is to grab their attention and, crucially, to make your CV stand out from every other applicant.
To help you keep it short and sweet, here are how many pages recruiters really want, and some of our top tips for reducing the length of your CV.
91% of recruiters we surveyed called two pages the perfect CV length.
Obviously, this might vary depending on your experience. If youre just graduating, for example, chances are you wont have as much to say as someone whos been working in an industry for 30 years.
Even so, you should always try stripping back to include only the main facts. If you can fit it on one page, then do it. If you cant, two should generally be the maximum.
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.
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How Long Should A Resume Be If I Dont Have Experience
As we mentioned, the one-page resume is, generally, the best choice for applicants without experience and college students. However, there are cases where a two-page resume fits better. For instance, when:
- The application requires your academic history. When your academic background and recognitions are paramount in the application, you should use as much space as necessary to describe it, even if you break the one-page rule.
- Youve got to comprise additional documents. Technically, your portfolio, cover letter, and motivational letter arent part of your resume but are attached to it. However, you might come across a recruiter asking you to include them all in the same files. Pay attention to the instructions.
Contributions To Resume Length
There arent many hard and fast answers when it comes to how long a resume should be. Its dependent on the specifics of your personal experiences. Some factors that determine your resume length include:
- How long youve been working
- How long youve been working in your target field
- How much youve moved up within your field
- How many times youve changed jobs
- Whether or not youve completed higher education
- Whether your higher education aligns with your target field
- The depth of your skill set relevant to the job
- Whether your field is highly technical and/or project-based
These and other aspects of your experience might compound into a resume draft that is four or five or ten pages long. Theres no harm in a long first draft, but just as the Changing Times article suggests, the next step is to cut ruthlessly.
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When Space Is No Longer An Option
Your content is impeccable. Youve edited, downsized fonts, tweaked margins, and finagled text boxes to abide by the one page golden rule. But unfortunately, space is no longer on your side.
Once you get to this stage, its fine to go ahead and supersize your resume to more than one page. Trust me, you will not be cast away to the Island of Misfit Resumes.
Honestly, the hiring manager will grant you extra brownie points for not assaulting his or her eyesight with eight-point fonts or instigating what I call the eyeball cha-chawhere your eyes have to dance all over the page to find information you need.
A resume that has text scattered everywhere or is so condensed it looks possessed by hoarders can send the wrong message about you as a candidate. If employers have the impression you cant organize your thoughts effectively on paper, they may second guess how youll perform in the role. Better to be safe than sorry and spread your wealth of experience to a second page.
Play With Size And Font
When you are trying to make a one-page resume, but your information overflows onto a second page, there are many ways to shorten your resume. First, change the font of your resume . If your headings are a very large size, try making them slightly smaller. However, you probably still want them to be slightly larger than the rest of the text.
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