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One of my clients, who was two years out of
college, gave me an eight page resume.
You read that right. Eight pages.
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I called him. He said that
since he'd been freelancing his design and animation services, he was
comfortable sending the tome to employers.
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I pointed out that his experience related to the full-time position he
was interested in was hidden on the sixth page.
"Oh," he said, "they'll find it."
He didn't get the job. Was it because the employer didn't find it? Maybe.
Other clients of mine have gone to great (read as: "creative")
lengths to keep their resumes to one page. Some set the margins at
1/4", some use eight - or even six - point type. One of my clients
even put his resume on an 11" X 14" sheet of paper.
The fact is, you don't really need to keep your resume to just one page,
but you better have a darn good reason to have a third page. Keep in mind
that even if you stack
your resume appropriately, you may need a second page.
But how do you know if you should keep to one page or two?
If you are less than two years from
you last degree, you should have a one-pager. Anything more
than that and employers will know that you're either fluffing the truth or
pompous.
If you want to obtain a
professorship at a college or university, you should have
more than a one-pager. You will have at least a masters
degree, and more likely, a doctorate. Your resume will be a
"vitae," which will be, by its nature, longer. A
vitae is a different animal, which we'll discuss at a later date.
If you are angling for a CFO or CEO
position, you will have more than a one-pager.
If you have been a waiter, customer
service representative or other front-line worker and are
posting for a first-level manager position, you will likely only need a
one-pager.
If you are using a typeface smaller
than 10 point in order to keep to one page, you need a
second page.
If your margins are the edge of the
paper, you need a second page.
If you are listing every single
duty you had for every job (no matter if they're related to
the position you're applying for or not), and you're almost to the end of
your second page, you can probably get by with a one-pager.
As you can see, the line between one and two page resumes is drawn by
reason. Make sure you need a second page, but at the same time, don't be
afraid of it, either.
IN THE CARAVAN:
Review your resume to see if you're cramming everything or stretching it
out needlessly, then re-evaluate. And, if needed,
re-do your resume.
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bSafari.c
The Lion’s Pride: Resumes
