As a recent graduate getting ready to enter the job market, assembling a resume can feel like a daunting task. Organizing and presenting your internships, class projects, and summer jobs is often a confounding undertaking with no clear solution. One consideration in particular perplexes every new job seeker: how long should my resume be?
The answer to this question is surprisingly simple.
In almost every instance, your entry-level resume should never exceed one page.
After four years (or more) of undergraduate activities, it can feel like you’ve done enough work to write a ten-page resume. However, it’s critical that you identify your most important experiences and cut out the fluff. The painful truth is that most employers aren’t interested in your Star Trek Fan Club chairmanship or the dog-walking side-gig that paid for your textbooks.
Hiring managers and HR representatives are busy people. It’s likely that they’ll spend no more than ten seconds scanning your resume, and any superfluous information isn’t doing you any favors. Employers are looking to get a brief snapshot of who you are and what you’ve done – even the most accomplished undergraduates should be able to convey this without making the hiring manager look over a second, third, or fourth page.
Moreover, multi-page resumes say a lot about the people who write them. Outside of senior-level executives and individuals with lengthy and productive careers, most people can fit all of their experience onto one page. As an entry-level applicant, a hiring manager might assume that you’re full of hot air and ego if you submit a four-page missive. Likewise, a lengthy resume suggests that you struggle with separating the significant from the trivial.
If you’re struggling to keep your resume on one page even after you’ve cut out everything you can muster, consider adjusting the font, spacing, and margin size. While it’s essential to maintain legibility and professionalism, you can make small, inconspicuous changes that will make all the difference in keeping your content contained to a single page.
Employment BOOST utilizes many of these strategies when we write entry level resumes. While the one-page adage might seem antiquated, it’s actually one of the most useful rules of thumb to keep in mind as you begin your job search.