For most, a resume should be a one-pager. The exception to the rule is for those who have more than 10 years of experience or are at an executive level.
If you are applying for an entry level job, don’t try to stretch your resume to two pages by thinking that it may make an impression on the recruiter or hiring manager, because it won’t. In fact, many interviewers have revealed that they rarely go to the second page.
If you desire to scale back to one page, here are a few steps you can follow.
1) Don't Waste Space:
Most documents have one inch margins on both sides by default, which is a total waste of space. Instead of one inch, use a half-inch margin. It gives more space to write, and the content doesn’t touch the edges.
2) Fewer Sections:
Keep it simple. An ideal resume has a maximum of 4 to 5 sections in it, and most of the headings cover multiple topics, for example, "Skills & Interests" or "Experience and Work History".
3) Combine similar topics:
People often forget that they are writing a short resume, not their autobiography. In order to trim your resume to one page, you have to combine similar topics and avoid providing data that is irrelevant to the job you are applying for.
4) Remove additional spacing:
Whether you are using MSWord or PDF, set the line spacing to 1 or 1.25, and use double lines after headings or a new section. You can also adjust your font size to allow for more or less space as necessary, but make sure the font size is consistent throughout the document.
5) Use Bullets:
Bullet points are one of the essential parts of your resume. They make it easier to read, as long as you don’t overdo it. Keep it to no more than 5 or 6 points per section. To make them most effective, try to keep each bullet to one sentence. Longer bullet points are harder to skim through and lose their meaning.
6) Trim the Content, if needed:
It’s hard when it’s your own resume. Everything is important and worth mentioning, right? Not exactly. In the end, it is meant to be a summary of your experience, so make sure you are adding only the most pertinent information. While trimming your content, look for details that may not be valid anymore; for example, highlighting your management experience may be irrelevant if you are applying for an individual contributor role.
Trimming your resume from two or even three pages down to one can be a challenging job. But it’s very doable. At the end of the day, make sure it’s neat, concise and easy to read. Recruiters and Hiring Managers will thank you!