Struggling to get interviews?
Your resume should be as short as possible while still including all of your skills, achievements, and work experience that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
How many pages should a resume be?
For students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals, a one-page resume is usually enough to show your qualifications. A concise resume is easier for employers to scan and helps keep the focus on your most relevant skills, achievements, and experience.
However, your resume should include the experience needed to make a strong case for your candidacy, even if that means extending onto a second page. If cutting important accomplishments, projects, leadership experience, or job-relevant skills would weaken your application, it’s perfectly acceptable to submit a two-page resume.
The main thing to avoid is a resume that spills onto a second page with only a few lines of content. If page two contains just a handful of bullet points or a small section, your resume will look poorly formatted. In those cases, it’s often worth adjusting your margins, font size, spacing, or layout to fit everything neatly onto one page.
@resumegenius How long should your resume be? If you’re wondering what the right length for a resume is, here are some pro tips on how you can keep your resume concise and to the point. #resume #resumehelp #resumetips101 #jobsearching ♬ original sound – Resume Genius | Career Tips
How to reduce your resume’s length
Follow the tips below to condense your resume as much as possible while still maintaining a professional appearance:
1. Adjust your formatting
Tweaking your formatting is often the quickest fix for a resume that is spilling onto the next page.
You can reduce your resume’s margins down to ½” to fit more words per page without making your document cluttered.
Alternatively, reduce your text size. Most fonts are still easy to read at 10 pts. Save your resume as a PDF to double-check that you can read it without squinting.
2. Cut extra sections
Headers and section breaks take up valuable space. If you’ve listed your projects separately or created a standalone certifications section, your resume might look longer than necessary.
Look for opportunities to incorporate your additional qualifications into the core parts of your resume. You could incorporate projects into your work experience bullet points or list certifications in your education section:
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Advertising, June 20XX
The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.8/4.0)Google Analytics Certification, June 20XX
3. Change your layout
You should also think about how you’ve arranged your resume sections on the page. Resumes with two-column layouts tend to be more space-efficient than resumes arranged in one vertical column.
Experiment with different resume templates to find the best format for you.
4. Use 3–5 bullet points for each role
Your work experience entries should be concise but informative. Recruiters don’t need to know every detail of your work history.
Limit your accomplishments to three to five bullet points, highlighting only the most impressive and relevant details. Provide fewer bullet points for jobs earlier in your career. One or two points highlighting your most relevant achievements or skills is an appropriate amount for jobs you left several years ago.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions to help you get the right overall resume length.
How long should a resume for a college student be?
Your college student resume should be one page long.
One page is enough to cover your key qualifications, education, and relevant skills.
Highlight your academic accomplishments along with relevant part-time work, projects, or internships that prepare you for the role. A concise resume emphasizes your top qualifications, making a stronger impression on employers.
How long should resume bullet points be?
Keep your resume bullet points under two lines so they’re easy to scan for key details.
Each bullet should cover one achievement or responsibility and be detailed enough to tell the employer:
- What action you took
- The methods or tools you used
- The impact of your actions
The goal is to strike a balance between providing enough detail to showcase your skills and keeping the information digestible for recruiters.
How long should a resume summary be?
For entry-level and mid-level applicants, a resume summary should be 3 to 5 short sentences — enough to briefly outline your strengths and qualifications.
The goal is to give the recruiter a taster of your industry experience and encourage them to read further, so keep it focused and tailored to the job at hand. If you need help introducing your resume in a concise, attention-grabbing way, you can use a free resume summary generator.
About the Author
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Lauren Mastroni is a Digital Content Writer at Resume Genius, where she creates data-driven career content and actionable job search advice. With a background in academic research, she brings a research-focused approach to topics like resume writing, interviewing, and career development. Lauren is dedicated to helping job seekers at all stages navigate the hiring process and present themselves more effectively to employers.
