One Page Resume Myth

I hear this all the time: "I was told I should only have a one-page resume" or "Since my resume is only supposed to be 1 page, I cut out...."  Whenever I hear this, I always want to ask "who is telling you this?" Not every resume is supposed to be only a page long!

Now, I will preface this by saying that every field is different, every company wants different things, and everyone has different things to offer.  For instance, when I worked with accounting students who were applying for entry-level positions in Big 4 accounting firms, a one-pager cut it.  But for many people not in these more business-related fields, and even for people who are applying to positions within business, a one-pager doesn't always best highlight your accomplishments.

My rule of thumb:  If you are cutting some great and/or related experiences off your resume in order to fit it on a page, then you probably have enough experience to be on 2 pages.  However, if you go to a 2nd page, be sure to include your name and page 2 somewhere on there, as well as be sure to fill up at least 1/3 of that second page.

I've seen some resumes that should be on 2 pages squished onto one with tiny margins and font and no spacing.  No one is going to want to read your resume if there are no white spaces!  (Insider tip: Flip your resume upside down when printed and look at the overall layout.  Is there a good balance of white space and text?  Flipping it upside down forces you to focus on the formatting and less on the actual content.  Don't believe me, try it out!)

I've also seen some resumes that are very boring one-pagers and then when I talk to the person, they have a lot of great stuff that is either being downplayed on their resume or isn't even there!  This undersells your experiences and will not interest the employer enough to call you for an interview.

If you aren't sure, contact a career services professional.  I will post another post about using us, but we are everywhere.  More than likely we are at your university/college, in your community, or at the unemployment office.  USE US.

Moral of the story: Use the best format and page length that fits with your experience, the industry to which you are applying and that fits with the position and company.  One page can work, but doesn't have to be this way.

However, please please please do not write an 8-pager as no one wants to read all of that...