This is a tough subject and I think it depends on the field and company. I've worked a few jobs and both of my parents worked in the highest levels of their jobs and it all depends. For an internship yes one page is a good rule but when I would look at them for my boss it was more about looking at the major then experience rather than length. But I've seen even for entry level for recent grads resumes get thrown out BECAUSE they were one page, especially in my field of chemistry/biology. If your a recent grad and your resume is only one page it means you didn't do research or internships. My father worked for the federal government and said its about key words that a computer looks for in order for your resume to get to a real person and if you cut a lot out of your resume those key words will probably get cut too. Similar story with my mother who was an administrator for a school district. If a resume came across her desk that was only one page she didn't even read it because a teacher should have more pages to cover education, training, and certifications.
Sandyof FL1:34PM October 24, 2012
I interned at the corporate office of a major national retail company and while I was there, I had the opportunity to observe the selection process for interviews for potential employees. Any resume that even exceeded one line onto the next page was IMMEDIATELY thrown out. I believe it is absolutely still a rule that your resume should be one page and one page only. Hiring managers do not have time to read through two or three pages and I think most HR managers will tell you this. It is terrible advise to tell people they can go on to a second, or even third, page!
Kellyof OH10:42AM January 20, 2012
First the article says that the rule about the one-page resume is antiquated and having a 2 - or even 3- page resume is acceptable. The article continues on to quote hiring managers who believe that the one-page resume is the best. Then the article ends (on the 2nd page no less) with two people who basically say "it's content, not length." What this tells me is: keep the one-page resume since no one has quite decided on whether it's safe to have more pages. I can't read the mind of my hiring manager, while this article was well written, I haven't learned anything by reading it.
Mattyof CA3:46PM May 31, 2011
I found out recently that it's better to be as detailed as possible, too, on the U.S. government jobsite USAJobs.gov.
Originally I had copied & pasted the text from my regular two-page resume into the USAJobs Resume Builder, but learned later that that didn't provide enough detail for HR and hiring managers. I learned this only after actually calling HR people at different federal agencies. More and more job ads are starting to say that, too (to be as detailed as possible). It goes against the grain, I know, to write MORE rather than less in a resume, but for fed jobs it's critical.
I'm fairly certain that HR reps don't even see all the applications, either, since the system software weeds out applications that don't contain keywords from the job ad.
There are still kinks in the federal job application process (still several different systems used, not just USAJobs.gov), but it is improving. USAJobs allows five resumes (I wish they allowed more, actually), so you can store different versions (e.g., for different jobs) or upload a "real" resume (e.g., Word doc). I guess this is a way to hedge your bets. I'm not sure if this is intended mainly for senior officials (because a Word doc looks more professional than the Resume Builder), but for the masses I think it's still advisable to use the Resume Builder because it allows you to include pages of detail.
Early in the resume-building process USAJobs asks you to choose whether or not you want your resume to be "confidential" or "public." Only later do you find out that this means public to "recruiters". Who exactly these "recruiters" are, however, isn't clear. Federal agency recruiters only? Or non-government ones, too? I assume the former, but USAJobs needs to clarify this pronto for those of us who have previous federal experience that was classified.
MSof MN3:19PM April 17, 2011
This might be good advice for big corporate America but a one page resume is the prefect way to not get a job in academia - always has been and always will. In fact, advice in academia is completely opposite, you are advised to list absolutely everything you have done. Even so, I never followed that advice. I have only ever included related experience. The older the information is the briefer I make it. I also pay lots of attention to formatting and conciseness. I have seen a lot of academic resumes that are not concise and as someone who has been on the hiring team, those things are murder to slog through. Just as the article mentioned, the more words used to describe something, the less meaning there tends to be. Academic resumes still usually go through a digital reader, but they have to pass through several human ones to. So make it as painless as possible for us to figure out why we should get to know you better.
referencegirlof MO3:18PM April 04, 2011
Most of the comments below have come from professional resume advisors and their focus seems to be big-corporate America who can afford digital resume reader programs. If you want a job in a small business, it is likely your boss will be from the era of one-page resumes. Concise facts will go a long way to showing you are coming to work to make a difference in the company and not to just reap the benefits of salary and position.
business ownerof TX2:57PM March 30, 2011
I tend to agree with most of the professionals who responded already. I find that a functional (hybrid with some job history in the Experience section) resume allows me to focus most of the key points on the first page with less carry over to the second. I beleive it is a quicker read for the recruiter.
Bill Pike, Founder My Writing Resources
Bill Pikeof CA11:40AM March 29, 2011
I agree with the consensus about 1 vs 2 pages. There are primarily two occasions for a 1-page resume: (1) the person's work history is relatively short and comfortably fits onto 1 page. (2) the document is really an executive bio.
Your credentials need to be concisely laid out and should highlight the experience and achievements you have that are relevant to the specific job. One of the most difficult aspects for my clients is that I often advise them to delete information from their resumes that isn't relevant. These details often obscure the content that the reader needs to see.
Having advised a 2-page resume, I also recommend that you find away to put essential relevant information on page 1. Most of the time this can be accomplished with a summary of qualifications at the top. Hiring managers tell me they glance at the first 30-40% of page 1 and then decide whether or not to continue. This would include the summary and your current (most recent) position.
~Mauri Schwartz, President - Career Insiders, San Francisco
Mauri Schwartzof CA5:14PM March 25, 2011
Currently, I work exclusively with college students and recent grads and I believe that their resumes should not exceed one page. I spent 25 years working in Executive Search, placing mid management and C suite level executives. At the level of experience, it becomes more difficult to adhere to that one page rule. However, I agree with the comments that resumes of more experienced professionals can often be loaded with too much detail, be redundant and basically, dull and uninteresting. One strategy that I utilized was to use page one for an introduction (biographical statement detailing relevant skills and strengths) followed by a list of accomplishments. On page two, there would be a chronological listing of employers/positions/dates of employment, along with some relevant information about the company. Page two would also include education, skills, interests, etc. In this way, the most important information was on page 1 and it was presented in a clear and concise format.
Lesley Mitlerof NY1:39PM March 11, 2011
We advise clients to use two pages to give adequate white space and make the resumes readable. We also encourage focus on the top third of the resume by adding a value proposition statement as well as highlighting key strengths.
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Sandy of FL 1:34PM October 24, 2012
Kelly of OH 10:42AM January 20, 2012
Matty of CA 3:46PM May 31, 2011
MS of MN 3:19PM April 17, 2011
referencegirl of MO 3:18PM April 04, 2011
business owner of TX 2:57PM March 30, 2011
Bill Pike of CA 11:40AM March 29, 2011
Mauri Schwartz of CA 5:14PM March 25, 2011
Lesley Mitler of NY 1:39PM March 11, 2011
Michelle O'Donohoe 7:11PM March 09, 2011