“The Resume Gets You the Interview and the Interview Gets You the Job.” –Ryan Really
Truth be told, my most recent one-page resume still has WordPerfect keystrokes on it from college in 1991. I am afraid to scrap it as it has always been an effective resume getting me interviews most of the time. Sometimes you will need a longer resume but most of the time I try to customize the resume I am sending out in a one-page format.
Whatever version I use, chronologic, education, or work experience, I always tried to keep it to one page. My rationale has been the following:
- Brevity– what potential employer has time to read all those resume pages? What details in your current resume can you drop and move to a cover letter or save for the interview?
- Good writing skills- An effective one-page resume also highlights your communication skills and stands out from most other resumes. Think differentiation from the competition.
- Provides Unanswered Questions– A well-crafted ONE PAGE resume can “hook” an employer to interview you about details you did not include. For example, on one resume I included an “Interests and Hobbies” line which is probably not the norm. What one or two interesting things have you done that you can appropriately and “artfully weave” into your resume that begs a follow up question, i.e. a reason to bring you in for the interview?
