While limiting the length of the resume to one page is no longer required or recommended by recruiting experts, in some situations it may be necessary. This is especially important if you're writing a resume and have little or no work experience, or if your employer specifically requires a one-page resume. If you find yourself in one of these situations, or if you are convinced that a one-page resume is ideal, you can limit it to one page by making adjustments to the layout and formatting of the content.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Adapt the Formatting
Step 1. Use a font size between 10 and 12 pt to save space
The size of the font can make a substantial difference to the space occupied by the text containing the information. Obviously, the smaller the font, the more information you can put in a given space. However, it must not be too small, otherwise reading the content can become difficult.
- On the other hand, it is not a good idea to use a font that is too large, as it takes up too much space and gives the text an unprofessional look.
- Use a traditional font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Step 2. Keep the bullet points short and essential to save space
The items on the list should be short and contain only essential information. If you notice that a point in the list takes up two or three lines, it is better to divide it into several points. Splitting information into several points makes it easier to read. Below you can see an example that highlights the difference:
- Creation of a 2-day course entitled “Negotiation Tactics” and training of a group of 10 commercial employees to improve their negotiation skills in the relationship with the client.
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The point above can be divided into:
- Creation of a 2-day course entitled "Negotiation Tactics".
- Teaching of the "Negotiation Tactics" course to improve the skills of 10 commercial employees.
Keep Your Resume to One Page Step 3 Step 3. Reduce all margins to maximize space
Adjust your margins to get the most out of your page. Don't leave too much white space around the edges of the document; it is not necessary and would force you to use more than one page.
- If you use a program like Microsoft Word, the margins should automatically be set at 2.5cm on each side.
- You can change the margins by clicking on "Margins" in the "Page Layout" section. Here you have the possibility to customize the format and experiment with margins of different sizes.
- Be careful not to use too narrow margins, risking losing information when you go to print the page.
- To make sure your printer can handle the margins you have set, print your document before focusing on the size of the margins.
- It is not recommended to set margins smaller than 0.6cm, and the program you use may ask you to change them if you set the margin below this value.
Keep Your Resume to One Page Step 4 Step 4. Eliminate unnecessary space and minimize necessary space
You will be pleasantly surprised to find out how much space you can save by adapting the format of your resume. This means reducing the line spacing of text, bullets and headings. The idea is to keep the sections easily searchable while using as little spacing as possible to stay within the page. A resume looks different when the spacing is changed, it's up to you to decide which one is best for your CV.
- You can adapt it to your needs by selecting a section of your resume and adapting the "Before" and "After" spacing with the specific function you find in "Page Layout" or "Paragraph" if you use Microsoft Word.
- You can set the spacing to 0 pt within a paragraph or between points in a list.
- As for the spacing between sections or titles, the recommended value is between 4 and 8 pt.
Method 2 of 2: Edit the Content
Keep Your Resume to One Page Step 5 Step 1. Use short sentences
A resume should be created so that it can be read easily and quickly by a recruiter or head of the personal department. These people usually have little time to read a lot of resumes, and yours needs to be written in a way that catches their attention by highlighting your strengths. In any case, writing short sentences is very important in a resume, particularly if you have to put your qualifications and skills on a single page.
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An example of how a sentence should and shouldn't be written:
- "Development and enhancement of a new email campaign that increased the company's sales by 10% in one month" AGAINST:
- “Development of an email campaign that increased sales by 10% in 1 month”.
- As you can see, the second sentence can be read faster and easier than the first.
Keep Your Resume to One Page Step 6 Step 2. Don't write too long paragraphs
While it is inadvisable to present your resume as a bulleted list, it is important to avoid paragraphs that are too long. Long paragraphs, as far as a resume is concerned, are considered to be those exceeding 5 lines. When trying to limit your resume to one page, it's best not to go into too much detail.
- Those who read your resume will probably not have the time and desire to analyze a detailed account of the last project you have carried out and there will probably not be enough space.
- In any case, it is important to briefly describe what you have done and the results you have achieved, leaving out the unnecessary.
- For example, "I helped increase sales by 10%" instead of "I was hired to help increase sales and I did the job successfully by helping to increase sales by 10%."
Keep Your Resume to One Page Step 7 Step 3. Eliminate insignificant information to streamline the body of the resume
It is important to keep information relevant to the job you are applying for. This means you can't use the same resume for all jobs you're applying for.
- To determine which information is most relevant, read job postings carefully to determine what qualifications the employer is looking for. Then, add these qualifications to your resume.
- Delete any information that the employer is not interested in if you want to keep the length within one page.
- For example, you recently graduated from college and completed an apprenticeship as a financial analyst. Before your apprenticeship you worked as a caretaker in a parking lot. When applying for a job as a full-time financial analyst, it is important to include your apprenticeship experience on the resume, and eliminate that of a parking attendant.
