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Q: What makes a good resume?
A:
On the subject of resumes, there seems to be an unending discussion of whether you should or shouldn't have a one-page resume. The followings are some of the comments I have personally heard:
"Well, Joe Blow (car salesman) said I should have a one-page resume."
"Well, I read a book and it said you should have a one page resume."
"I can't really go into what I really did because if I did, it'd take more than one page on my resume."
"Gosh, I wish I could put my job at IBM on my resume but if I did it'd make my resume more than one page, and I was told to never make the resume more than one page long." "I'm confused, should my resume be more than one page? I feel like it should, but I don't want to break the rules." Or, here's another comment,
"People just don't read resumes that are longer than one page."
I have heard some more, but we can start with these.
So what's the answer? There's no scientific answer about whether a one-page resume is right or wrong. It all depends on who you are, and how much experience you have.
The first thing to look at here is the purpose of the resume. The purpose of the resume is to get you interviews. If your resume is getting you interviews, then it is considered to be a good resume. If your resume isn't getting you interviews, then you should change it.
Generally speaking, your resume should tell your story. If you're a college graduate looking for your first job, a one-page resume is just fine. But if you have a longer story, your resume needs to be longer. You want put your experience on your resume, so resume readers can tell when, and for whom, you did what.
For people long on experience, short resumes are not appropriate. The real audience for these short resumes is people with short attention spans and low IQs. I assure you that, when your resume gets into the right hands, it will be read thoroughly.
The biggest mistake you can make on your resume is to make it hard to read. Why?
Because, for one, resume readers don't like eye strain. If your resume is mechanically challenging, they just throw it aside for one that is easier on the eyes. Small fonts can make your resume harder to read. Some candidates use a 7-point font, so they can get the resume onto one page. Big mistake!
Two, there are lots of resumes out there these days, and that is also part of the problem.
Three, in light of the current emailing scenario, more than one page is not a deterrent, because many will copy and paste your resume into their database. Once your resume is in there, and searchable, you have accomplished one of the goals of resume distribution.
Four, write your resume clearly, because resume readers don't like to guess, and most won't call you to clarify what is on your resume.
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