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Resume guide

How long should a resume be? One page or two

Use one page early in your career and up to two pages with extensive experience. MIT's career office says to stick to one page "unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree," and Colorado State's career center says two pages suit mid-career professionals with 10 or more years of experience.[1], [2]

By Justin M., founder of BespokeJobs. Updated .

Sources last reviewed .

Numbered citations point to the sources listed below. Lines marked "Our advice" are BespokeJobs recommendations.

Resume length by experience level

  • Students and beginning professionals: one page.[1], [2]
  • Mid-career professionals with 10 or more years of work experience: two pages are appropriate.[2]
  • Advanced degree holders: MIT names an advanced degree, alongside extensive experience, as a reason to go past one page.[1]

Colorado State puts the overall range at one to two pages and says to use full pages, with no 1.5 pages.[2]

Where the sources differ

Harvard's career office does not set a page limit. It describes a resume as a concise, informative summary that should be easy to read, balancing white space.[3]

MIT sets one page as the default and the exceptions as experience or a degree. Colorado State ties the second page to a number of years. The sources agree on the direction (more experience earns more room) but not on an exact cutoff.[1], [2], [3]

MIT also recommends fonts no smaller than 10 points and margins of at least half an inch. Shrinking type or margins to fit a page works against that.[1]

Our advice on length

Our advice: stay on one page until a second page would hold roles that matter to the job you want. Cut older or unrelated roles before you cut type size.

Our advice: if you go to two pages, make the first page stand alone, with your name, strongest roles, and best results above the fold, and fill most of the second page.

Our advice: tailor the length to each posting. A shorter resume that matches the role reads better than a longer one that does not.

Common questions

Is a two-page resume bad?

Not when you have the experience for it. MIT allows more than one page for extensive experience or an advanced degree, and Colorado State calls two pages appropriate at 10 or more years of work experience.[1], [2]

Does Harvard say a resume must be one page?

No. Harvard's career office gives no page limit and asks for a concise resume that is easy to read.[3]

Check your resume

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Check your resume

This page answers one question from the resume guide. Read the full guide for the rest.

Sources

  1. 1
    MIT Career Advising and Professional Development: five steps to writing a great resume

    One page unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree, accomplishments over responsibilities, and a strong verb to start each description.

  2. 2
    Colorado State University Career Center: resumes

    One to two pages: one for beginning professionals, two for mid-career professionals with 10 or more years of experience, and no 1.5 pages.

  3. 3
    Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success: guide to creating a strong resume

    Specific, fact-based bullets, no stated resume page limit, and cover letters of no more than a single page.

Sources last reviewed .