Resumes, one or two pages ?

[Yakoo752]

depends

I normally do a short one and a long one. I put my references and everything in excess on a long one. I indicate on the short one that I will furnish a full resume if they are interested in discussions

worked well for me so far

 

[theAmazingKickstand]

Especially if you send it to >70 games companies in the area, all in the same email, and CC them all instead of BCC... true story.

The poor kid got so much flak. :rofl

:laughing A few years ago I was forwarding thru hotmail not realizing that everyones email address was added to the very bottom every time I did. The person who hired me was nice enough to tell me what I was doing.

I don't see what the big deal is and why we have to pretend. Everyone on both ends know that folks send out a billion resumes and the hiring dude throws away a billion of them. "Why do you want to work at this company" is another stupid question where we both lie to one another for 5 minutes.
I need money. You need shit done. End of story.

 

[zphreak]

1 page used to be the norm when you would pass out printed resumes. Now that electronic submission is the norm, 2-3 (2 or less is desired depending on work history and position) pages is pretty much the norm.

 

[TheRobSJ]

Just like google...

If it on the first page, noboby's gonna see it.

 

[Marlowe]

I think "they" say it really depends on the position and previous work experience.

If it's a grunt level job or your experience is with grunt level jobs...one page.
If you're talking a professional career with professional experience, don't limit yourself to some arbitrary page number.

The first part, but not the second:

This. I *cannot* fit my previous work experience onto one page, therefore it has to go to two to fit my overall skills/education too.

At an average of 2 years per position, with 3-4 bullet points, unless you really cram it in... it won't fit.

Better to have 2 pages of well-spaced, clearly laid out, than 1 page of cramped and over-edited.

Put it another way, I've only ever got to interview with a 2-pager.

...and this. After 15 years in my field, it's a challenge to keep it down to a 2 pager. (And I've had to sacrifice some stuff that should probably be on there.)

Most people are just going to skim your resume and then decide to talk to you. Don't give them a 20 pager unless it's a CV and you can really fill it out.

In most professional circles, 2 pagers are enough...should be just enough to get you in the door but not so much that they don't want to read through it.

 

[zignut]

All the treasure-hunting and cold-cocking of Nazis simply wouldn't fit on one page.

 

[jt2]

I think "they" say it really depends on the position and previous work experience.

If it's a grunt level job or your experience is with grunt level jobs...one page.
If you're talking a professional career with professional experience, don't limit yourself to some arbitrary page number.

This.

I think of more importance than 1 or 2 pages, is, make the opening paragraph stellar and tailored to the position.

Most people look at a Resume for 10 seconds before it goes in the 'keep' or 'ditch' pile - that ain't long enough to skim even 1 page.

Grab 'em with the opening lines and with experience headings.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand this!

Always tweak for the position. And realize that the first person that will likely be screening it is a recruiter or HR person, not generally the hiring manager. So make the match to the job description so obvious even they can't miss it.

 

[radvas]

There's no single right answer. The only real answer is that the resume has the right level of detail that the reviewer is looking for. Some folks like brevity, others (much fewer, I think) like encyclopedic detail. 1-3 page range is common, and not likely to bother too many reviewers; more than that and a significant number of people begin to question your ability to stay on message.

Like a few others have suggested though, content and presentation both matter, and it's not a sliding scale where more of one offsets the other. You need the right skills and experience, and you need to be able to effectively communicate that you have it. Having other folks look at your resume is always a good idea.

 

[mike23w]

the ValueLine investment newsletter(http://www.valueline.com) summarizes every single major US corporation (including complex multinationals) in a single page.

shouldn't be too hard to create a one page resume that highlights your experience (as opposed to chronicling it.)

a concise, high impact, well summarized resume is much more impressive than a long winded, droning one.

 

[Spiral]

Two. One for cover letter, and one for resume. But if the resume should have relevant experience added and not one job after another.

 

[greener]

My theory:
The resume gets you the interview, the interview gets you the job.
Provide a brief resume aimed at guiding what questions you will be asked.
Only include stuff that will make you look awesome when asked for details.

Someday when I'm asked for a Curriculum Vitae, I'll consider taking it past one page :laughing

 

[budman]

One page for.important info... Page two for recommendations references!

 

[Xenophonii]

My theory:
The resume gets you the interview, the interview gets you the job.
Provide a brief resume aimed at guiding what questions you will be asked.
Only include stuff that will make you look awesome when asked for details.

Someday when I'm asked for a Curriculum Vitae, I'll consider taking it past one page :laughing

Very true. I've had solid responses with a 2 pager. One just doesn't cover it all. Definitely tailor the resume and cover letter to the job.. JFC we had someone apply for a service administrator job that listed her farm equipment experience... :nchantrm Nothing says "I'm just trying to get any job" like that... Always take the time to research the company that you're applying for and include what you know about them and the reasons why they should hire you in the CL. It's amazing how many folks don't use a CL. After the interview, send a thank you card.

 

[Bonzo]

I do a single page resume. I do a custom resume for each company that I apply.

It is all about getting your foot in the door. My current job I did not apply for the position. They found some of my work online and requested an interview. So you never know how you will get your next job.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Momo-san]

Do not underestimate the importance of the cover letter. I will toss resumes that are accompanied by a shit cover letter. Take some time to compose one and use it as a base; change it as needed for different jobs. Make it thoughtful, make it relevant, show that you can string a few sentences together.

If it is paired up with a fantastic c.l. I won't be too annoyed with a two page resume...unless the person clearly needs to pare down (and most people do).

Not that I'm an expert or anything but if you want an objective pair of eyeballs to look at your resume and c.l., and critique the shit out of it :laughing, I'd be happy to.

 

[*Tina*]

Depends how much experience you have but as someone who reads dozens of resumes a week I would suggest at least two pages and don't underestimate the covering letter. That's an opportunity to show that you at least did a little research on the company and can speak to the points the hiring manager is looking for.

I've only worked for four companies since graduating high school in '96, but I've done wayyyyyyyy more than just one job at each, so I could likely put four jobs on there, but going into a tick more detail is where I find my problem.

I used to be a manager at a Firestone store. I'd get anywhere from 10-20 applications per day. At the end of the week, I'd look over the applications if i had a vacant slot open in my shop. Often times I'd have a stack of 50-100 resume's. The main aspect that I look for in a resume is clarity, format and organization.

If the resume looks cluttered and is not clear and concise.. then I won't even look at their qualifications. But if it looks presentable and professional then I will read it. When reading it, if it's too long and I have to read a novel about you, then I will quickly lose interest and discard. The one's that win an interview are the one's who have important highlights that I would find interesting and something I'd find that would benefit the company.

ALWAYS tailor a resume for the job you're applying for. I can EASILY tell when a resume is generic and you've made 100 copies to just throw around to places. If anyone would like a sample resume of mine, PM me and I'll be glad to show you.

So writing out a generic resume to send to the masses is frowned upon even if you are able to provide additional info if they want more ?

I work a lot and don't feel that I have enough time to rewrite my resume for every position applied for.

Any particular reason why a simple summary of ones qualifications with a good cover letter wouldn't suffice ?

depends

I normally do a short one and a long one. I put my references and everything in excess on a long one. I indicate on the short one that I will furnish a full resume if they are interested in discussions

worked well for me so far

That's what I've been working on. I've got a one page, simple resume made up and am working on the longer one with my references and such included. :thumbup


Thanks for all the tips, ladies and gents. Resume writing is not my favorite thing, followed closely by interviewing. Gah

 

[mercurial]

It depends on what you are aiming for. If you want just a regular job that pays 50 Gs a year, then don't bother with customization, nor does it matter if your resume is one page or two, just make sure everything sounds ok and is spelled correctly.

Personally, I custom tailor my resume for any job application since I'm at that point in my career where if it's a job I'd even consider taking, I'm probably coming in via referral and the employer will probably be closely scrutinizing my experience. But I also keep it to one page, and I focus only on accomplishments, not responsibilities.

 

[CoolBDPhenom03]

If you haven't had a crap load of jobs, keep it down to one page. Think of it as a great advertisement. A really great ad on a billboard or magazine is simple, catchy, and gets to the point. That's what you need, nothing more.

Play with the document settings to put in as much information as you need, but it should look uncluttered (I used a table to separate out sections and just kept them invisible). I totally went outside of the normal boundaries for my resumé and that's fine. As for references, I always say that I will provide them if requested. That saves a lot of space. If the hiring folks weren't serious about you, they wouldn't bother with your references. If they're interested, they'll give you a call anyway and then you can provide references. It's also a better way to give them a heads up and possible "coaching" if need be.

Also, whenever you send it or upload it, definitely convert the file to PDF.

 

[Bowling4Bikes]

1page.

As a colllege job I did recruiting. (Amongst other jobs)

1page my grrl. Give yourself a better chance. & its good to pull non-directly relevant info out when they ask you abstract questions like 'describe a time where you were faced with a problem, didn't.
know the right answer but made a decision.' Then you'll have an answer they didn't expect

Good fortune!

 

[Bowling4Bikes]

Clarification : a cover page on a fax does not count as an extra page on a rezzy