One or two page resume, which is better? That’s a question another recruiter posted this week on LinkedIn. Despite there being a lot of responses, there was not a clear consensus.
Here are some of the comments:
- “A resume should NEVER be longer than 1 page….Knowing that, your goal should be to communicate "I am qualified for this role" in a way that can be understood within that time frame. Making someone flip or scroll to a 2nd page does not accomplish this goal.” Will Rippetoe | The Interview Beast
- “I’d re-frame this. The first page of your resume should clearly explain what your value prop is as a potential team mate. This gets you into the interview pipeline.” Evgeny Lazarenko | Unity
- “This (1 page) would not work for some public sector resumes I've submitted on behalf of clients…You could not simply fit all of the mandatory experience requirements on a single page for some positions” – Neil Barker | Canopy Growth Corporation
- “I think 2 pages is reasonable and also allows people who have careers longer than 2-3 jobs space to share their skillset better” – Alexis Scott, HR Manager | Aspireship
- “A resume never hired anyone. People hire people. Relationships will trump resumes any day of the week” – Andrew Beach, Senior Consultant | Lee Hecht Harrison
For myself, I say:
- If you can't write a good 2 page resume, then you can't write a good 1 page resume. Strong list of achievements, easy to scan skills list, and consistent formatting are all more important than 1 or 2 pages.
Before spending time trying to make your resume fit on one or two pages, first make it a priority to:
- Come up with 5 or more concrete achievements that demonstrate your skills. For example, “Great communicator: Delivered clear and concise daily work plans to team of 6”, or “Responsible for on-schedule and on-budget full stack development for 10 clients’ websites, meeting external quality and design requirements”.
- Make it easy for recruiters to know you have the skill set required by including summary of technologies and transferable skills. For example, “C++, Javascript, HTML” or “Quickbooks, General Ledger, Accounts Receivable” or “Supervision experience, trainer, sales”.
- Choose a format or template and use it consistently. Nothing is worse than a resume with inconsistent margins, fonts, and layout.
There are pros and cons to a one or two page resume. I have seen excellent resumes that are either one or two pages long. Focus on content and presentation first.
Need help with your next resume: email Nancy Bepple at nancy@careerfirsts.ca or book an appointment with CareerFirsts today.