One-Page Resume-Writing Guide and Free

Does a Resume Have to Be One Page?

In nearly every case, your resume should be one-page long. Keeping your resume compact saves you from overwhelming a recruiter with unnecessary information. It also motivates you to fit in only the most impressive skills and achievements. In turn, this produces a resume that’s full of impact and free of lackluster filler content.

If you want to ensure you should have a one-page resume, see if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• How to Make a Resume on One Page

  Follow this guide to learn how to write a one-page resume without sacrificing any important information.

1. Choose your format.

Resume formats shouldn’t influence the length of your resume since all they do is prioritize the order of your information. However, choosing the appropriate format for your experience level is the most important step in writing a resume. Here’s a brief explanation of the three resume formats.

The chronological format is the most traditional format. Lots of people use it, so it’s familiar to recruiters. This format puts the focus on your work experience, so we only recommend you use it if you’ve had a long and consistent work history.

The functional format highlights your skills instead, placing them front and center. This is a great resume format for first-time job applicants with no previous experience who might want to distract from their lack of work history.

The combination format strikes the perfect balance between your work experience and skills. If you have great professional skills and have had some experience, this format is right for you.

2. Focus on your key accomplishments and skills.

The two core sections of your resume are the skills and the work history, so you should prioritize them in terms of space.

Be strategic with your skills by including a range of six to eight. Let’s break down the different types of skills to include:

3. Create a brief professional summary.

The professional summary is a short but crucial section of your resume. In two to three sentences, list your role, years of experience and your top accomplishments. Rather than using long-form sentences, it’s acceptable to use phrases with strong action verbs. This keeps it brief and to the point.

Check out this example of a professional summary:

4. Tailor your resume for the job you want.

To master writing an effective one-page resume, understand that a resume should be tailored for each job application. Instead of summarizing your entire work history, zero in on the qualities that will impress that particular employer.

Your guide will be the job description. You should get an idea of what professional qualities the employer is looking for through their job ad. If you see one skill or area of expertise that’s constantly mentioned, you should add that keyword to your resume.

Also, go through their website and determine the company’s values. For example, if they love self-starters, mention any side projects you’ve embarked on your own. It’s all about staying in tune with the employer and showing them why you’re the perfect match.

5. Cut out unnecessary information.

Once you’ve created the first draft of your resume, you should always go back in to edit. Trim sections by evaluating if there’s any fluff or unnecessary text that’s extending your resume over one page.

Although it’s great to include special accomplishments, college extracurriculars or even hobbies, they have to make sense for the role to which you’re applying. If, based on your research, you determine that the company wouldn’t value that information, cut it.

• Formatting your One-Page Resume

  If you’ve chosen the most essential information to go on your resume and realize it’s still taking up two pages, no need to fret. There are some formatting tricks you can use to shorten your resume.

Bullet points are also a good way to organize many of your resume sections. In any section that involves a list — such as your work history, skills or college degrees — you can use bullet points to save space. They also make it easy for hiring managers to skim through your accomplishments and quickly measure your qualifications.

Here’s how it looks:

FAQ