How long should a resume be?

One page if you have fewer than about ten years of relevant experience, or are a student, a recent graduate or changing careers. Two pages if you have more experience than one page can hold without cramming. Three or more pages only for an academic or medical CV, or the occasional senior executive. And for US federal jobs, two pages is now a hard limit.

Resume length by career stage

Where you are	Length	Notes
Student, graduate, entry level	1 page	Education, projects, internships, part-time work
1–10 years	1 page, sometimes 2	Go to two only if the extra page is as strong as the first
10+ years, or highly technical	2 pages	Detail the last 10–15 years; summarize older roles
Senior executive	2, occasionally 3	Lead with results; boards and recruiters still skim
Academia, research, medicine	3+ pages (a CV)	Publications, grants and teaching make it long, and that is expected
US federal jobs (USAJOBS)	2 pages maximum	Since September 27, 2025, a longer resume is ineligible unless the announcement says otherwise

The two-page rule for federal jobs

The US Office of Personnel Management capped resumes submitted through USAJOBS at two pages, starting September 27, 2025. If the only resume you submit is longer, you can be ruled ineligible. This turns old federal resume advice upside down: the four- and five-page federal resume is gone. Write it like a private-sector resume, and still include what the announcement asks for, such as hours per week and dates.

Why shorter usually wins

• Recruiters skim. The first read is often a few seconds. A page of strong bullet points beats two pages of duties.
• Every line competes with every other line. A weak bullet does not just take up space; it dilutes the strong ones.
• Length signals judgment. Choosing what to leave out is evidence that you can prioritize.

The exception is a resume so cramped it is hard to read. If the only way to fit one page is 9-point type, quarter-inch margins and no white space, use two pages.

How to cut a resume to one page

1. Delete duty bullets. “Responsible for…” lines describe the job, not what you did in it. Keep the ones with a result, ideally a number.
2. Three to five bullets per recent role, and one or two for older ones.
3. Collapse old jobs into one line each: title, company, years.
4. Cut the objective statement. A two-line summary at most, or nothing at all.
5. Drop “References available on request” and full street addresses. City and state are enough.
6. Merge skill lists into one or two lines, grouped by type.
7. Tighten the layout. Use a compact template rather than a smaller font.

Watch the page count as you write

The Resume Builder lays out your resume as you type and shows the page count. When content spills onto another page, it tells you which section pushed it over, so you know exactly what to trim. The preview is the same layout as the PDF, so the download will not surprise you with an extra page.

Resume EditorWrite your resume and watch the page build itself, then download a PDF with real, selectable text. No account, no watermark, no page limit.Build a one-page resume →

If you are a few lines over, switch to the Compact template or the tighter spacing setting before you cut anything you would rather keep. The templates page shows every layout filled with the same sample, so you can compare how much each one fits.

Page two, done right

If you do go to two pages:

• Fill most of page two. A half-empty second page looks like an accident.
• Keep the strongest material on page one: current role, biggest results, key skills.
• Do not split a job’s bullets across the page break if you can avoid it.