how long is your resume?

As I job search, fine-tuning my resume has become the second most important job-searching activity. Mine is two pages. How long is yours.

There are many resources online detailing whether a one-page or a two-page resume is best for you. The Myth About Resumes, from Blog Forward, discusses the myth “Resumes should never be longer than one page.”

[snip]

This resume myth has been communicated for as long as I can remember from college and university career counselors, professors, and even those in the workforce. While there is some relevance to the one page resume argument, which I will discuss in a moment, I am here to tell you that for most resume purposes, this myth is FALSE!

[snip]

In preparing your resume, pick the information that is most relevant to the position you are applying for and the company and provide the most information in those areas. For example, if you are applying to a public relations position and have previously worked a PR internship, use several bullet points under that job to give the recruiter a very accurate picture of what you did on that job. At the same time, detailed statements of job requirements when you worked at the local coffee shop are not necessary; a brief, general picture will suffice.

The post goes on to give some very good tips on writing your resume, from a formatting perspective:

Tips for Your Resume:

  • Never go below font size 10 or above font size 12
  • Use a simple, professional font (Times New Roman or Arial)
  • Do not make your margins less that ½ inch (Many people drastically decrease margins to have more space. Running your words close to the edge of the page leaves a very unprofessional look to your resume and makes it difficult to read. One inch margins are best, but ½ inch in acceptable as well.)
  • Your name should be bolded and centered at the top
  • Make it easy for the recruiter to get in contact with you…contact information
  • School names should be in bold
  • Company Names should be in bold
  • Put your name and page number as the header on each page AFTER PAGE 1

These are simply basic suggestion for the style of your resume. If you have any specific questions about resume styles or content, you may submit your question here.

Very helpful.

Author: Paloma Cruz

Find out more about Paloma Cruz through the About page. Connect with her on Twitter (www.twitter.com/palomacruz) and (Facebook).

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