The Simple Rule
0-10 years of experience: One page.
10+ years of experience: Two pages are acceptable.
Academic/research CVs: As long as needed.
That's it. That's the rule 90% of recruiters agree on.
Why One Page?
Recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds scanning a resume. A one-page resume forces you to distill your experience to the most impactful points. Everything on the page earns its place. Nothing is filler.
A bloated two-page resume from someone with 5 years of experience signals that you can't prioritize or communicate concisely — skills every employer values.
When Two Pages Are OK
Two pages become acceptable when you genuinely have more than one page of relevant, impactful content:
- 10+ years of relevant experience
- Multiple technical specializations
- Senior/executive roles with broad scope
- Career spanning multiple industries (and all are relevant)
- Extensive publications, patents, or certifications that the job requires
The test: If you removed the second page, would you lose information that could get you the interview? If yes, keep it. If no, cut it.
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- Federal/government jobs — Often expect 3-5 pages with very detailed descriptions
- Academia — CVs, not resumes. No page limit.
- Medical — May need extra space for certifications, rotations, publications
- Senior executives — 2 pages is standard at VP+ level
How to Cut to One Page
If your resume is spilling onto two pages, try these cuts:
- Remove jobs older than 10-15 years — Unless they're directly relevant
- Cut to 3-4 bullets per job — Keep only the most impactful achievements
- Remove "References available upon request" — This is assumed and wastes space
- Trim your education — Just degree, school, year. No coursework unless you're a recent grad
- Combine similar roles — If you had 3 similar positions, highlight the most recent in detail
- Adjust margins and font size — But stay above 10pt font and 0.5" margins
Formatting Tricks (Ethical Ones)
- Use 10.5-11pt font (readable but space-efficient)
- Set margins to 0.5-0.75 inches
- Use single spacing within sections, slight spacing between
- Choose a space-efficient font: Calibri, Arial Narrow, Garamond
- Use two columns for skills only (keep experience in single column for ATS)
The Three-Page Resume
Almost never appropriate unless you're in federal government or academia. If a recruiter sees three pages from a mid-career professional, they'll likely skip to the end — or not read it at all.
Bottom Line
Length is not a goal. Impact per word is the goal. A tight one-page resume with quantified achievements will always outperform a verbose two-pager full of responsibilities nobody reads.