A one-page resume is ideal for candidates with less than 8–10 years of work experience, but this isn’t a hard rule. Go for two pages when you need the extra space to include essential details that support your application. To make your resume one page, make sure your writing is succinct and that your resume format is optimized by adjusting font size, line spacing, and margins.
If you have less than 8–10 years of experience, you likely can condense your resume to one page. The only time to extend your resume to two pages is if you genuinely need the extra space to include relevant details that can’t be left out.
This guide will share the best one-page resume templates, alongside successful examples and breakdowns of why they work. I’ll also cover ways to make your resume one page based on your experience level.
The Best Free One-Page Resume Templates
Simply looking for a one-page resume template to immediately get started with? Pick one of our proven resume templates below.
The standard one-page resume template
The compact one-page resume template
The modern one-page resume template
How to Make a One-Page Resume for Different Career Stages
Here’s a summary of how to approach a one-page resume based on where you are in your career:
- Little to no experience: focus on education, relevant skills and experience, volunteer work, internships, or any projects that showcase your abilities.
- 3–8 years of experience: highlight the roles that closely align with the job you’re applying for, using quantifiable achievements to show your growth. Prioritize skills and accomplishments that match the job description.
- 8–10+ years of experience: at this stage, it’s still possible to fit all key points onto one page. Focus on recent roles and significant achievements, leaving out earlier roles unless they’re highly relevant. Summarize older positions succinctly to save space.
- Applying for senior, manager, or leadership positions: emphasize leadership and management skills that align with the role you want. Prioritize showcasing examples of team success, revenue growth, and strategic contributions.
- Career change: pinpoint transferable skills, qualifications, and experiences from past roles that are applicable to your new career path. Only include previous roles and achievements that showcase relevant skills.
As Jon Gordon, managing partner at Sheer Velocity, puts it:
“No matter how long your resume is, make sure every section is focused and adds value. Resist the urge to squeeze in extraneous details just to fill space. A concise, well-crafted resume will always impress over a scattered multipage document.”
He continues:
“One page, tailored specifically to the position requirements, is best to make the right impact. At the end of the day, quality trumps quantity.”
Regardless of where you’re at in your career, keep your resume as succinct as possible.
However, don’t force yourself to stick to one page if you have further achievements or qualifications to showcase. A second page on your resume is totally acceptable as long it’s filled with relevant details that add value to your application.
Scenario 1: you have little to no experience
If you’re just starting out, a two-page resume would be overkill. Focus on formal qualifications, academic achievements, as well as relevant skills and experience.
- Expand on your education section by including related coursework and awards.
- Keep the experience section minimal. Include internships, part-time jobs, and any professional projects.
- Use additional sections such as extracurricular activities to reinforce your credentials.
- Skip sections that don’t relate to the core job skills required. For instance, skip listing your hobbies and interests. Instead, show them through relevant activities or achievements.
Scenario 2: you have between 3–8 years of experience
With a few years under your belt, prioritize significant contributions in previous roles. Make it clear how you made an impact in previous roles, especially in ways that align with the job you’re applying for.
- Focus on your 2–5 most relevant roles, highlighting relevant tasks and achievements.
- Use more bullet points for recent positions, and less bullet points for older positions.
- Unless it’s more relevant to the job description than your work history, keep additional sections minimal.
Scenario 3: you have 8–10+ years of experience
A one-page resume is doable by putting your most impactful achievements and roles first. Show your career progression without including redundant information.
- Focus on your 3–5 most relevant positions. You can include older jobs if they’re relevant, but feel free to omit the bullet points or only include a single concise bullet point to summarize your impact.
- When describing previous roles, focus on significant tasks and positive outcomes that prove you can make a tangible difference.
- Only include an additional section if it’s directly related to the job requirements.
- Keep the education section minimal. Add your highest level of academic qualifications in a single line.
- Use the skills section to simply list your top and most relevant competencies. Categorizing skills is optional, but not necessary.
Scenario 4: you’re applying for a senior, management, or leadership position
Prioritize showcasing leadership skills, roles, and accomplishments. Focus more on strategic contributions than on the tactics. Emphasize your ability in helping teams grow and making a direct impact on company goals.
- Prioritize strategic achievements and previous roles that demonstrate strong leadership.
- Only add bullet points that are directly related to job requirements and prove you’re capable of making a significant impact.
- If needed, skip bullet points for previous positions and simply list them to showcase your professional career growth.
- You have a range of abilities at this point, but you don’t need to list them all. Only list high-impact skills in the skills section.
Scenario 5: you’re changing careers
Double down on transferable skills and experiences. Skip details that don’t apply to the new career field.
- List only the roles that best match your new field, summarizing other positions briefly or omitting them if not relevant.
- Pinpoint transferable skills, relevant experience, and notable achievements that are applicable to the new role
- Add bullet points that show you’ve made a clear impact in a previous company.
- Only include additional sections such as certifications when it aligns with the job description.
One-Page Resume Examples and Why They Work
See below for one-page resume examples and a breakdown of why each of them works. For more samples, check out our resume examples library.
Software developer one-page resume example (interviewed at HubSpot)
Why this one-page resume example works
- Succinct summary. The summary immediately provides an overview of the candidate’s professional background by highlighting core skills and a specific passion.
- Emphasis on technical skills. Each experience showcases expertise in specific technologies and relevant programming languages and tools that align with software engineering roles.
- Impact-oriented achievements. Each job entry includes quantified accomplishments, clearly demonstrating the candidate's ability to drive results.
- Leadership qualities. Mentions of team management, mentoring, and committee leadership indicate valuable soft skills for collaborative environments.
- Impressive side project. Additional sections like the “Projects” section in this sample makes the resume feel more unique. The "R.Exposed" project in particular displays initiative, technical depth, and a focus on security, all valuable to a tech-driven company.
- Compact and relevant experience. This resume concisely summarizes key achievements without sacrificing context.
Product consultant one-page resume example
Why this one-page resume example works
- Focused summary. When you have years of experience, provide a snapshot of your extensive work history and areas of expertise.
- Significant tasks and achievements. Every role includes a summary of key tasks and achievements. It’s also worth noting that only the most relevant points were mentioned.
- Career progression. You can see the candidate’s career timeline, with each job position contributing unique experiences and achievements.
- Relevant skills. The list of well-rounded skills indicates the candidate’s versatility and competency in handling diverse responsibilities required for their target role.
Resume Advice to Condense Your Resume to One-Page Long
Condensing your resume length boils down to two key areas: writing and formatting.
To summarize, keep your writing concise. Convey all key information without fluff. Next, optimize the formatting of your resume to maximize space without losing readability. Together, these will make sure your resume stays clean, relevant, and impactful—all on a single page.
Formatting tips for a one-page resume
- Use a narrow professional font to maximize space, such as Calibri and Merriweather.
- Limit the font size to 10pt for the main body and 14pt for section titles.
- Set margins to no less than 0.5 inches and keep line spacing between 1.0–1.15.
- Combine sections where possible to reduce headings and maximize spacing, e.g., create a “Certifications” category in the skills section rather than creating a separate section.
- Remove unnecessary graphics.
Writing tips for a one-page resume
- Start with action verbs and skip unnecessary words. For instance, just write “Led a project” instead of “Successfully led a project.”
- Merge bullet points that highlight similar skills or achievements.
- Prioritize quantifiable results and contributions directly related to the job description.
- Only include bullet points and previous roles that are relevant to the company’s needs.
- Avoid redundancy by making sure each bullet point adds unique value.
Summary
Let’s recap the steps to create a compelling one-page resume:
- Select a one-page resume template that maximizes space and readability.
- Condense your qualifications by focusing on key achievements that directly match the job requirements.
- Prioritize the most relevant skills, accomplishments, and roles.
- Organize your resume by emphasizing recent and impactful work experiences, and summarize or omit less relevant older roles.
- Start each bullet point with a strong action verb and highlight quantifiable results whenever possible.
- Combine sections where appropriate to save space, such as adding certifications into the skills section.
- Optimize formatting—use a professional font at a readable size, set margins to no less than 0.5 inches, and keep line spacing tight but readable.
- Include additional sections, like education and skills, only if they add direct value to your application.
A one-page resume focused solely on essential information is far more effective than a two-page resume cluttered with both relevant and semi-related details. So, always keep it concise and targeted to a specific job description!
FAQs
Is it true that my resume always has to be a single page long?
No, your resume doesn’t always have to be a single page. A one-page resume only works well when it provides enough space for you to present all key skills and achievements concisely. If you need another page to make sure you include all the essential information, then two pages is perfectly acceptable.
Is one page for a resume too short?
One page is usually enough for professionals with less than 8–10 years of experience. However, one page might be too short for those with more relevant skills, achievements, and qualifications to write about.
How far back should a one-page resume go?
Your resume can go as far back as 10–15 years. But, only list job positions that are directly related to the job requirements. Your 3–5 most recent roles are usually enough. Older roles can be summarized in one bullet point, highlighting a significant achievement that indicates what you did to make an impact. Or, you can leave out the bullet point and simply list the position to make your career growth and extensive work experience clear.
Do employers prefer a one-page resume over two pages?
Every employer is different—some may prefer a one-page resume, while others favor two pages. However, most hiring managers agree that a resume should clearly and concisely present all relevant information, whether it’s one page or two. If one page is enough to showcase your experience, achievements, and qualifications, they’d generally prefer that over two pages filled with fluff. Ultimately, hiring managers value a well-organized, relevant resume, with content quality being more important than length.
