The length of your resume requires careful consideration. Too short, and you are unlikely to have relayed enough information and evidence to compel a recruiter to arrange an interview. Too long, and your valuable attributes and skills become lost.
Here we look at how many pages long a resume should be.
Should I use a one-page resume?
A one-page resume is, in most cases, the ideal length. On a single page, you should be able to convey enough information to highlight your skills, prove them, and show you are a suitable candidate. Furthermore, many hiring managers have a matter of seconds to make a determination, so anything that ventures into a second page may not be seen.
However, some graduates and experienced professionals will need to use that second page. A two-page resume may also be called for if you are applying for a scientific job, an academic position, or a senior executive role.
When writing and reviewing a resume, make ‘relevance’ your word of the day. If a statement will help you get the job, keep it. If it does not, consider deleting it.
How can I create a one-page resume?
Here are three resume writing tips that will help you create or reduce your resume to a single page:
- Only mention relevant responsibilities: For each job, add three to seven bullet points that demonstrate you can do what the employer asks for in their job ad.
- Limit your career history: Including roles you held more than fifteen years ago is unlikely to help you secure an interview. You should also only expand upon jobs where you can highlight transferable skills.
- Delete filler words: Some words can be eliminated if they add no value. Useless filler words include ‘like,’ ‘then,’ ‘that,’ ‘a,’ ‘an,’ and ‘the.’
What you should not do
As mentioned before, do not delete valuable content just to get your resume on one page. However, check that the most convincing information is on the first page, ensuring it gets noticed at a glance.
When attempting to create a one-page resume, do not delete all the white space, reduce margins to less than half an inch, or shrink the font size below 10 pts. These actions will make your resume hard to read, and a second page is a better choice.
Resume checklist
Whether your content spreads across one or two pages, review this checklist before finalizing your resume:
- Career history does not exceed 15 years
- Bullet points per job are seven or less
- Bullet points are no longer than two lines
- The font is between 10 and 12 pt
- The page margin is at least 0.5 inches
- You have not removed valuable skills, recognition, or achievements
- Appropriate white space has been retained
- Unnecessary filler words have been removed
Resume templates
If you are looking to create a one-page resume for your profession, take a look at our resume templates:
- Accounting resume template
- Agriculture resume template
- Arts resume template
- Automotive resume template
- Banking resume template
- Charity resume template
- Construction resume template
- Customer Services resume template
- Education resume template
- Engineering resume template
- Environmental resume template
- Facilities Management resume template
- Finance resume template
- Healthcare resume template
- Hospitality and Leisure resume template
- Human Resources (HR) resume template
- Information Technology (IT) resume template
- Leadership resume template
- Legal resume template
- Manufacturing resume template
- Marketing resume template
- Media resume template
- Office Administration resume template
- Personal Care resume template
- Professional Services resume template
- Public Sector resume template
- Retail resume template
- Sales resume template
- Science resume template
- Social Care resume template
- Telecommunications resume template
- Transportation and Logistics resume template