How many pages should a resume be?
One page suits most early-career applicants, two pages suits most people with long relevant experience, and the right length is whatever your relevant evidence needs. The fastest way to get there is cutting what does not help this application, not shrinking the font.
Last updated
Reviewed by an AI subject-matter reviewer using a US recruiter and career-center adviser perspective, not a human practitioner,
The short answer
| Situation | Typical length | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Student, new graduate or first job | One page | Your relevant evidence usually fits, and extra space invites filler. |
| Several relevant roles | One or two pages | Use a second page only when it holds relevant evidence, not older duties repeated. |
| US federal jobs on USAJOBS | Two pages or fewer | Under OPM's 2025 Merit Hiring Plan guidance, most federal announcements accept resumes of two pages or fewer, and USAJOBS blocks longer uploads. A few agencies outside Title 5 allow longer resumes if the announcement says so. |
| Academic or research CV | As long as the record | A CV lists publications and teaching in full. It follows different conventions from a resume. |
No rule makes a recruiter reject a clear two-page resume for an experienced role, and no rule makes a one-page resume good. Read the OPM guidance on the two-page limit and the job announcement before you apply.
Two versions of the same facts
Jamie Ortiz, a fictional retail associate, has the same three facts in both versions below. The first is cramped with a tiny font and narrow margins to hold an unrelated bullet. The second removes that bullet and stays readable.
Squeezed to fit
Answered customer questions in the online pickup chat on weekend shifts. Processed returns under store policy and escalated exceptions to the supervisor. Learned new product lines from vendor guides and answered customer setup questions. Organized the staff break room schedule. Set at 8-point type with 0.3-inch margins.
Edited to fit
- Answered customer questions in the online pickup chat on weekend shifts.
- Processed returns under store policy and escalated exceptions to the supervisor.
- Learned new product lines from vendor guides and answered customer setup questions.
Set at a readable 10 to 12 point size with margins of 0.5 to 1 inch. The break room line is gone because a support manager would not ask about it.
Both versions are honest. Only the second is easy to read on a phone or a printed page, and it leaves the strongest evidence visible.
What to cut first
- Bullets that a reader for this job would not ask about.
- Duties repeated across several jobs. Keep the clearest version.
- Roles older than about 10 to 15 years, unless they hold evidence the posting asks for.
- An objective statement, "references available on request" and a full street address.
- Skills your bullets do not support.
Do not cut a relevant fact just to reach one page. For writing each remaining line well, read how to write resume bullet points. For deciding which evidence leads, see how to make your resume stand out. If you are writing your first resume, the no-experience guide shows what fills a single page honestly.
Editing length on iPhone
In Hirova's iPhone resume builder, each bullet comes from your interview answers and shows its source, so you can remove the ones a job does not need without losing the facts. At launch, your first PDF in the Minimal design will be free. At launch, Hirova Pro will cost $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year in the US, with no free trial.
Questions
- Is a two-page resume too long?
- Not when both pages hold relevant evidence for an experienced applicant. It is too long when the second page repeats duties or lists unrelated work.
- Should I make my font smaller to fit one page?
- No. Remove the least relevant bullet instead. A cramped page is harder to read and hides your strongest evidence.
- How long should a federal resume be?
- Two pages or fewer for most federal jobs, under OPM guidance issued in 2025. USAJOBS blocks longer uploads. A few agencies outside Title 5 accept longer resumes or a CV if the announcement says so, so check the current job announcement.