CV TIPS - Is a Two-Page Resume Ever OK?
Posted 17th February 2023 • Written by forbes.com • • • • •
That said, there are a few good rules of thumb to consider when deciding if a +1 should accompany your resume.
When Quantity Equals Quality
As you evolve in your career, you'll find that things that were once relevant on your resume aren't anymore. For example, if you've been in your career a few years or are changing careers, there's no need to list every duty for every position. Learn to recognize when compromising the quantity of your experiences will impact the quality of your employment story. If you have enough relevant experience, training, and credentials pertaining to the position to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for it.
Note: I said relevant. This doesn’t mean you detail all your accomplishments since your high school babysitting job. It also doesn’t mean listing every college course you've taken and certification you've earned.
As a recruiter, I can tell you, if I’m going to read a resume that’s more than one page, it better tell a good story about what you bring to the table. Listing every task you did as a manager doesn't make you a good manager. But if you tell me that you increased productivity by 25% or highlight process changes for multiple teams at several companies—you're justifying that space.
If you can succinctly quantify your accomplishments to tell how you made a role, job, project, or assignment better and you need more than one page to demonstrate it effectively, that’s time (and space) well spent.
When Space Is No Longer an Option
Your content is impeccable. You’ve edited, downsized fonts, tweaked margins, and finagled text boxes to abide by the one page golden rule. But unfortunately, space is no longer on your side.
Once you get to this stage, it’s fine to go ahead and supersize your resume to more than one page.
If employers have the impression you can’t organize your thoughts effectively on paper, they may second guess how you’ll perform in the role. Better to be safe than sorry and spread your wealth of experience to a second page.
What About the Extra Space?
If the text on the second page is only one or two lines, you may want to consider reformatting and sticking to the one page rule. Otherwise, don’t be overly concerned about the extra space on the second page. Recruiters have short attention spans and won’t want to scan more information than they have to.
But if you feel compelled to fill that space, be strategic and make sure the information is relevant. If you haven’t already done so, add information on your leadership, organizations, volunteer work, hobbies, or sports activities. This will show employers you have a life outside of work and give some insight into your personality.
So, what’s the moral of the resume length debate? In the digital application world, size doesn’t really matter. As long as you tell a compelling story about your employment history that’s easy on the eyes, your page breaks will be forgiven.
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