If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I was told I need a one-page resume,” my retirement fund would look a lot better.
For some reason, many people have this one-page resume edict in their heads, though few know why. To put it bluntly, THERE IS NO REASON TO FORCE YOUR RESUME TO FIT ON ONE PAGE! There. I said it. Now here’s why.
I have worked on both sides of the employment wall. I have held executive and senior management positions with large firms where I was responsible for interviewing and hiring technical writers, marketers, software developers, customer service representatives, graphic artists, accountants, salespeople, and more. In these roles, I worked closely with human resources personnel who were responsible for screening applicants. I have also written hundreds of resumes for job seekers of all levels.
I have never (yes, I said never) excluded an applicant, nor have any of my colleagues excluded an applicant, because his or her resume was more than one page. In fact, I, and most of my colleagues, believe it is difficult to get an adequate understanding of an applicant’s qualifications from a brief, non-detailed resume.
Granted, some job seekers have career experiences and accomplishments that warrant a one-page resume, but the one-page resume is applicable because of circumstance — not because of some crazy ‘one-page resume rule.’ Rather than attempting to force your resume to adhere to any pre-determined length, I believe resumes should use as many pages as needed to present an adequate and appealing view of your career experiences and accomplishments. As your personal marketing tool, your resume’s purpose is to get you a job interview. When compared with other resumes that potential employers receive, yours needs to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, use as much space as needed to do so — but make sure your words provide value. Including unnecessary words that merely take up space without adding value is a sure way for potential employers to send your resume to the trash.
Keep in mind that resume writing is an art (which is why The Writer’s Block exists). It is difficult to paint an adequate picture without being verbose, so many folks rely on professional resume writers. The majority of resumes we write at The Writer’s Block are 2 or 3 pages. However, my personal resume is 4 pages, and we have written some resumes (usually for doctors, C-level executives, and scientists) that are more than 4 pages.
So, forget about the 1-page resume rule. It is nonsense.