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Simple question: Do you think a 2 page resume is a bad thing?


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CautiouslyOptimistic

I feel like the attitude toward a resume that is more than one page has evolved over the years. Meaning, it's now more acceptable to have a resume that is more than one page (especially the older you get).

 

If you're in a hiring position, what do you think?

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thefooloftheyear

As long as the entries are concise and relevant(even if somewhat) to the position applied for, then I see no issue...I do sometimes chuckle when I get a resume from someone that decides to include the job they had filling the vending machines with chow at the petting zoo back in 81....:laugh:

 

Good luck on the new venture...;)

 

TFY

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I feel like the attitude toward a resume that is more than one page has evolved over the years. Meaning, it's now more acceptable to have a resume that is more than one page (especially the older you get).

 

If you're in a hiring position, what do you think?

 

If you can fill out 2 pages with substance then it is fine

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As long as the entries are concise and relevant(even if somewhat) to the position applied for, then I see no issue...I do sometimes chuckle when I get a resume from someone that decides to include the job they had filling the vending machines with chow at the petting zoo back in 81....:laugh:

 

:lmao::lmao:

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FilterCoffee

Over the last couple of years, I’ve taken plenty of interviews and my preference is for one pagers that have information relevant to the job. I’ve seen the three pager which mentions things like hobbies, the one pager that is so packed it’s terribly hard to read and the two pager that really could’ve been put on a single page. With résumés, I’ve always thought less is more. Take a look at Marissa Mayer’s résumé who was the CEO of Yahoo. I’ve taken inspiration from it.

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georgia girl

I am at just over two and mostly because there is stuff I can’t cut out. If I could condense it to two, I would be thrilled.

 

As you get more advanced in your career, it’s impossible to keep it to one. I get a little aggravated at over three because unless you have published a great deal, there shouldn’t be a lot left to say. I’ve seen some 5 and 6 pagers where the person never published and 75% of the CV was “filler”.

 

Stay concise and let the page breaks fall where they may. Two things I wouldn’t do (that used to drive me nuts when I saw them): 1) use cutesy fancy fonts on the name and address. For goodness sake, I need to be able to READ your name; and 2) using colored paper. I likely have to have it scanned in and the colored paper turns everything into a gray, hard-to-read mess.

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Two is fine. I would try and limit it to that.

 

If you have a lot of education and experience you need to get it all down but it needs to be in a summary and easily readable format.

 

Most I look at get a 30 second to a minute review.

 

Keep that in mind

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Romantic_Antics

Now wait a minute...

 

I thought you were self-employed, young lady. Are you giving that up to be a cog in the corporate machine? :p

 

Two pages is honestly fine. That's how many pages mine is. I don't know how anybody above a certain age can condense a resume to one page unless they don't have a very extensive employment history or the font is so small it has to be accompanied by a magnifying glass.

 

Take a look at Marissa Mayer’s résumé who was the CEO of Yahoo. I’ve taken inspiration from it.

 

That "one page" looks to be about the size of a poster...

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CautiouslyOptimistic
Now wait a minute...

 

I thought you were self-employed, young lady. Are you giving that up to be a cog in the corporate machine? :p

 

Two pages is honestly fine. That's how many pages mine is. I don't know how anybody above a certain age can condense a resume to one page unless they don't have a very extensive employment history or the font is so small it has to be accompanied by a magnifying glass.

 

 

 

That "one page" looks to be about the size of a poster...

 

Haha, no, but even self-employed people need a resume to get new/different clients :).

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Romantic_Antics
Haha, no, but even self-employed people need a resume to get new/different clients :).

 

Not all self-employed people. I've never needed mine to get new clients. ;)

 

I have had to blow the dust off it when I'm trying to represent an additional company though. (I do personal and business insurance for other self-employed people and small business owners and will obtain contracts with a new company if it can provide better benefits or a cheaper price).

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losangelena

I tend to keep mine to one page, and included on it is a link to my linkedin profile, which has more in-depth info. I also have two resumes. One for freelance writing, which I did for years, and another for executive assistant work, which I'm doing now. One doesn't have anything to do with the other, so it's easier to have two separate documents altogether.

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I tend to keep mine to one page, and included on it is a link to my linkedin profile, which has more in-depth info. I also have two resumes. One for freelance writing, which I did for years, and another for executive assistant work, which I'm doing now. One doesn't have anything to do with the other, so it's easier to have two separate documents altogether.

 

hi losangelena!...there is nothing wrong with having multiple resumes. at one point in my IT career I had four of them :)

Edited by alphamale
added the word "wrong"
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Depends on what you have on it IMO. I'd go through it again, see if there's any way to condense it further without affecting the crucial information. If there isn't, I'd go with both pages.

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Over the last couple of years, I’ve taken plenty of interviews and my preference is for one pagers that have information relevant to the job. I’ve seen the three pager which mentions things like hobbies, the one pager that is so packed it’s terribly hard to read and the two pager that really could’ve been put on a single page. With résumés, I’ve always thought less is more. Take a look at Marissa Mayer’s résumé who was the CEO of Yahoo. I’ve taken inspiration from it.

 

 

Interesting link! IMO that resume works because she's Marissa Mayer, though, and not vice versa. :laugh: I can't imagine a regular lesser-known employee getting hired with that, especially given that the relevant information is only 25% of the page. Baking cupcakes and spending time with your kids is nice to mention ONLY if you're already a celebrity....

 

 

(Also, it sounds like that isn't actually Marissa's resume, but a resume-creation startup's impression of how they would design her resume?)

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CautiouslyOptimistic
Interesting link! IMO that resume works because she's Marissa Mayer, though, and not vice versa. :laugh: I can't imagine a regular lesser-known employee getting hired with that, especially given that the relevant information is only 25% of the page. Baking cupcakes and spending time with your kids is nice to mention ONLY if you're already a celebrity....

 

 

(Also, it sounds like that isn't actually Marissa's resume, but a resume-creation startup's impression of how they would design her resume?)

 

Agree. There is something appealing to me about making a resume look like an infographic, though.

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Happy Lemming

In my opinion, two pages is perfect. I tried to use bullet points and not be too wordy. Make the resume' easy to read and quick to absorb.

 

I used a "head hunter" when I wanted to make a change. If she thought two pages were too much, she would have advised me to shorten it down to one.

 

Just my two cents...

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Apologies, as I didn't read through every post, if this was already discussed.

 

I'd say it depends on what the resume is for. I was in academia for years and those tend to be long-winded CVs with multiple pages. I wrote some and read many during interviews, and they were necessary for those positions. Then I made a shift out into the non-academia world and shortened my resume to two pages.

 

I do hiring often for my department, as well as resume screening, and dislike long resumes with detailed experience that isn't relevant to the particular job. Then again, in my area you tend to be short and sweet, hit the few key points and save the rest for the interview.

 

However - I read you are also using it for advertising for new clients. Here I would argue you can use a longer version, especially if you are describing portfolios or project achievements. Suggest to always target it to a task, i.e. if you know a client is looking for someone skilled in A and B, spend most of the time highlighting that, and only mention C and D.

 

Hope all goes well!

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Two pages of substance is OK. Do have somebody else read it & make sure you are saying everything you want to emphasize using the fewest number of words possible.

 

Haha, no, but even self-employed people need a resume to get new/different clients :).

 

A resume to get a new job in your industry can be two pages. A marketing document to get new clients has to be 1 page. Clients don't read.

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