One Page, Two Pages, Three Pages, more ...

Published January 17, 2010

For years we have heard it: edit a résumé until it fits on one page. But technology and new ideas about best job-hunting techniques are challenging accepted wisdom and sparking a difficult debate.

Pixels and résumé-scanning software have eroded the ironclad one-page rule. "In the paperless age, the consensus is to move away from one page to as long as the résumé needs to be," author and job consultant Jason Seiden says. "For executives and technical experts, that's great." For most people, though, he views extra pages as "an invitation to be lazy." Seiden says opinion seems divided, with human resource professionals who focus on general managers and early careerists still preferring brevity.

According to Seiden, even if résumés shift to be lengthier in this online environment, the one-pager isn't gone for good. "The one-page résumé is hurting," he says. "But it will return in a new form as technologies settle out and people find new ways to compress relevant information into an easily digestible format."

Wendy Enelow, director of the Virginia-based Résumé Writing Academy, doesn't think anyone should sit down with a page count in mind. "That's not how it's done," she says. "Rather, someone needs to write a résumé that sells them into their next job."

Enelow says a good résumé should clearly communicate who you are and your core qualifications, talents and skills. It should showcase notable contributions related to your current career objective while using significant keywords that will pop out to hiring specialists and in computer database searches. "Whether that's one page or two pages doesn't really matter," she says. What do you think? Check the points below to determine what size résumé is best for you.

One is Enough!

- A single page résumé forces economy of words. The limit ensures that each word is carefully selected and is therefore meaningful.

- It puts important information right where someone can see it. "If that's not a meaningful advantage, then explain to me why newspapers and Web sites are so careful to put their most important information above the fold," Seiden says. - Estimates of how long recruiters will spend reading your résumé range from seven to 30 seconds.

- Résumés are just the beginning. Keep it short and simple; it should show why you deserve an interview.

- Long, drawn-out sentences are hard to read.

- Recent graduates tend to have limited relevant experience and training; extra pages invite padding with experience unrelated to career goals.

- Those going back to work after significant time off (for example, at-home parents or ex-offenders) should stick to one page and focus on skills rather than work experience from years ago.

- Lengthy résumés can be an age giveaway.

More is Better!

- More experienced, high-quality candidates need two or more pages to tell all.

- Employers use software to screen applications so multiple pages are not perceived as a burden. Sacrificing critical experience, educational credentials, skills or accomplishments will hurt your chances at an interview.

- Short quantity does not trump high quality. "I've been writing professional and executive résumés for 30 years and no one has ever said to me, I didn't review that résumé because it was two pages long," Enelow says. She views a one-page résumé as "a disservice to my clients. I need two pages, sometimes three, in order to merchandise [my clients'] qualities and create the right perception to attract the right opportunities. Isn't that what résumé writing and job search are all about?"

- Written By Melanie Wanzek