The One-Page Resume Rule: Gone By the Wayside?

There's a lot of conflicting career advice out there for job seekers, largely due to the fact many job search issues depend on who you ask or the particular person's preferences.

Here's one of the biggies: Your resume needs to fit on one page. You've probably heard this before, and many job seekers wonder—how the heck am I going to cut down my experience enough to fit on one page?

While I do recommend internship and entry-level job seekers keep their resume to one page (you don't have the extensive experience to need additional pages, typically), this is just a rule of thumb meant to guide job seekers.

The one-page resume rule mostly applied when employers had to look at a paper copy of your resume. One page is much easier to quickly scan than two or three, and most people don't make it beyond the first page anyway. But, today, with much of the job search and hiring process taking place online, this rule doesn't necessarily apply in every situation.

However, let me emphasize it's still important to be concise. You shouldn't include every piece of experience on your resume just for the sake of it. Your resume should only include relevant experience and skills to the position for which you are applying.

But don't undersell yourself. If you have enough relevant experience to spill over to two pages, don't cut out important past experience or skills just because you think your resume needs to stick to one page.

Here's some solid advice from Alexis Grant at U.S. News about the one-page resume rule:

"If you do go for two pages, make sure your second page doesn't include an awkward amount of white space. If you're only using a quarter of the second page, try to condense it into one page instead. And if you're at one-and-a-half pages, play with the layout and fonts to use that leftover space, giving your accomplishments room to breathe. Don't forget to include your name on both pages and number them in case they get separated."

The lesson here? Do what works for you. "You shouldn't listen to some arbitrary, ridiculous rule that just won't die," says Dawn Bugni, a resume writer and former recruiter. "The only [real] rule for a resume is that it's accurate and it lands an interview."

Weigh in: Is your resume one page—or longer? Do you think resume length has affected your chances (negatively or positively) of landing an interview for a job opening?

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and employers. She is also the author of "Lies, Damned Lies & Internships" (2011) and "#ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle" (2010) and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

Thanks to Heather R. Huhman / Caeerealism
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