How long should a resume be? One page, two, and the exceptions.

Resume length by experience level

Use this as a starting point, then adjust for the job you're applying to:

When one page is the right length

Stick to one page if you're a student, a recent graduate, or have a few years of experience. It's also the better choice when you're changing careers and most of your history doesn't relate to the new role, or when a posting or recruiter asks for one page.

One page forces choices, and that's useful: a reader sees only your strongest, most relevant results. If you're short of content, add internships, projects, volunteering or relevant coursework before you stretch the spacing.

When two pages are better

Go to two pages when you have enough relevant experience that cutting it would hide something the employer needs to see — typically mid-career and senior roles, or technical and regulated jobs where projects, licenses and certifications take space.

• Put your best material on page one. Your summary, current role and strongest results should all appear before the break.
• Fill the second page properly. A few lines spilling onto page two look like an afterthought — either edit down to one page or add relevant detail.
• Add your name and a page number to the second page, so it can't be separated from the first if printed.
• Keep the layout identical on both pages: same fonts, margins and heading style.

What to cut to get to one page (or two)

Cut content before you touch the layout. Shrinking the font below 10 pt or the margins below half an inch makes the page harder to read and doesn't fool anyone. Start here:

Then tighten what's left. Most bullets lose a few words without losing meaning: "Responsible for managing" becomes "Managed", "in order to" becomes "to". The how to write a resume guide shows how to turn a duty into a short achievement bullet.

Check your length with a word counter

Page count depends on your template, font and margins, so the same resume can run to one page in one layout and two in another. Paste your text into the free resume word counter to see its word count, an estimated page count, how long your bullets are and which filler phrases you can cut. Nothing is uploaded.

Before you send it, export the final PDF and check the page count there — that's the version the employer sees.

Federal resumes: the USAJOBS two-page limit

Federal resumes used to run much longer than private-sector ones. That changed in 2025: the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) set a two-page limit for resumes submitted through USAJOBS, and the transition period ended on September 27, 2025.^{Source 1}

• USAJOBS enforces it. The site won't let you upload or build a resume longer than two pages, so resumes saved to your profile before the change may need editing before you apply.^{Source 2}
• A longer resume can cost you the job. Under OPM's guidance to agencies, an applicant whose only resume is longer than two pages is ineligible for further consideration.^{Source 3}
• It covers most announcements. The limit applies to Title 5 competitive and excepted service announcements. Some agencies outside Title 5 may accept a longer resume, but only when the announcement says so and explains how.^{Source 3}
• Save it as a PDF. USAJOBS recommends uploading a PDF so your formatting and page count stay the same.^{Source 2}

Two pages is a ceiling, not a target. Read each announcement's qualifications and "How you will be evaluated" sections, and make sure your resume shows the specific experience they ask for — that matters more than how much you fit in. Rules can change, so check the announcement and the USAJOBS Help Center before you apply.

Academic CVs are different

In the US, a curriculum vitae (CV) is the document for faculty, research and many postdoctoral and graduate school applications. Unlike a resume, it's meant to be complete: education, publications, presentations, grants, teaching, service and awards. It has no conventional page limit and grows as your career does.

Two cautions. First, follow any limit the application sets — some fellowships and grant programs ask for a short CV or a specific format. Second, don't send an academic CV for an industry job. Turn it into a one- or two-page resume that leads with results and skills, and keep publications to the few that matter for the role.

One page, in practice

Here is one of our written resume examples in a LaunchCV template, drawn to scale on a US Letter page. A summary, results-focused bullets, education and a skills line fit on one page with room to spare. Before you move to two pages, ask whether your extra lines are as relevant as these.

Find more by role on the resume examples page, and the layout rules behind them in the resume format guide.