When Are Two-Page Resumes Acceptable?

Resume Etiquette: When Are Two-Page Resumes Acceptable?

 

When preparing a resume, the question of length is a common one. Those with limited work experience may feel that a single page resume doesn’t look impressive enough. Job seekers having broad work backgrounds and skill sets will often bore potential employers with too much reading.

How many pages should a resume be? With few exceptions, your resume shouldn’t exceed two pages. The purpose of the resume is not to provide elaborate details of your life, or an all-embracing work history. The resume is to get you the crucial face-to-face interview – that chance to show the prospective employer why you’re the one they should hire over everybody else. Your resume is a teaser to make the company management want to find out more which means the first page has to create an immediate impact – so, make it short and make it sweet!

The first page will contain the content of your resume – what you’re able to offer your prospective new employer. This is where you must grab the reader’s attention, so it’s critical that you work on the resume until the front page captures the highlights of your career.

Here is what the front page of your resume should include:

A short five or six line paragraph outlining your profile or objective.
Three or four notable accomplishments from your working or scholastic career.
Your experience as it relates to the job offering, done in simple point form.
The second page will provide a work history: your title / position; name of the company; city; and dates employed (years will be adequate).

Individuals with limited work experience may fit everything on one page, which is totally acceptable in those cases. In some rare occasions where highly technical aspects are involved and need to be elaborated on, a third page can be included.

It’s suggested that you do a little research and look at some resume examples to help you put your work experience into a neat one page capsule that’ll impress your potential new boss. When given some thought and done properly, a two page resume is ideal for getting you that job interview.