Posted By Amanda Collins on February 8, 2009

I just saw a Tweet on Twitter saying a person had gotten everything he wanted to say on his resume within one page. On one end, good for him! However, my fear is that he thinks a resume has to be one page. That is how it was a few years ago, but it’s no longer the case.

A resume can actually be up to three pages. Granted, that’s more for an executive-level candidate, but it can happen. Most of the resumes I write are two pages, although I have written one- and three-page documents as well. Some good rules of thumb:

* Keep the margins consistent. I start with 1″ and then decrease as needed to fit, never going smaller than .5″.

* Fill the pages. Sure, you want some white space, but you don’t want one full page and then 1/3 of the second. If that’s the case, see what you can do to put it all on one page.

* Don’t add superfluous information. Even if you’re looking to fill two pages, don’t start adding things you don’t need like “activities and hobbies.” Stay concise.

* Years working aren’t always equivalent to length of resume. I have written some one-page resumes for 25-year careers and nearly a three-page for fewer than 10 years. Remember that you only want to go into depth for about 10-15 years to avoid age discrimination, but some consultants have had stints in various positions, so there may be more depth and space there than with a person who’s been in one company for a long time period.

Remember that The Grammar Doctors provides free resume reviews, if you’re wondering if the length of your resume is appropriate and the content pertinent. E-mail your document to us and let us take a look!

Category: Resumes
Tags: resume, resume length