How a One-Page Resume Can Hurt Your Job Search

by | Nov 2, 2015 | Blog

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There has been great debate about resume length over the years. Some people are firm believers that it should be no more than one page. After all, recruiters spend less than a minute – and sometimes mere seconds – evaluating whether or not they are interested. From this perspective, a single page would make sense.

However, more than one page can be acceptable and even necessary when you consider how much experience some people have accumulated over the years. New graduates just entering the workforce may be able to comfortably fit their accomplishments on one page, but what about someone who has been in the industry for 20+ years? Their experience would validate more than a single page, but the most important information would still be contained within the first half of the first page, just like anyone else’s resume.

Before you start slashing information and minimizing the font to consolidate your resume to one page, consider how this practice could actually end up hurting your job search:

  • Your resume may look too busy: Trying to cram everything in can mean using a very small font and minimal spacing. This can deter recruiters from reading your resume simply because they don’t know where to look and have to squint to make sense of things. When everything is jumbled together, this does not provide a clear flow and focus.
  • You may have gaps: In an effort to consolidate, jobs will be cut. If your accomplishments were more impressive at certain jobs, you would want to highlight those, but that may mean skipping over positions in the middle. Now you’ve left gaps where in reality there are none. And having consistent or diverse experience could actually work in your favor, but now you’ve eliminated that chance.
  • You may unintentionally downplay your abilities: How can you accurately portray your accomplishments in one or two bullet points when you’ve held a position for several years? You are sure to leave off important details that may set you apart from other applicants. These details also show that you have a wide range of skills and accomplishments that make you a stronger candidate. But in a single page, many of these points may be missing and you won’t truly be showing your potential.

There are some people who can make a one-page resume work for them, and that’s great. No need to use filler or fluff just to make it longer when a single page will suffice. But most professionals will find that two pages is a much better option given their history. They can focus on highlighting key achievements and results without sacrificing important details or fretting over what to cut. They can keep things in a comfortable size 11 or 12 font that is easily read and break down their resume into logical sections for better scanning.

When it comes to crafting your resume, the team at Chic Resumes by Grammar Chic, Inc. can help you decide how to best portray your experience so that it makes a stronger impact. Whether that means one page or more than one page is not as important as ensuring that all of the essentials are included. Contact Chic Resumes at (803) 831-7444 or resumewriting@grammarchic.net to schedule a consultation.