How to Make a Resume Fits on One Page?

Crafting a one-page resume isn’t just about saving paper – it’s about making an impact. In the blink of an eye, hiring managers get a snapshot of your profile.

In this guide, we’ll explain you how to fit your resume in a single page. We’ll explore the benefits and minuses of having a single page job application, as well as who should prepare one. Let’s dive in!

Browse our ready to use one-page resume templates.

How to Fit Your Resume on One Page

• Trim Your Margins
  Narrowing your margins gives you extra room and makes your resume more compact. The usual margin is 1-inch, but you can even shrink it to 0.5 or 0.65 inches.

• Combine sections and remove unnecessary ones.
  Join “Skills” and “Technical Skills” into “Professional Skills,” or “Skills and Interests” if you include hobbies. You can also merge volunteer work with “Work Experience” to highlight community involvement. Follow that pattern and think you can combine sections on you CV. Remove sections, unless they directly relate to the job you are applying for.

• Play with layout.
  Use multiple columns side by side for different sections of your resume. You can use two-column resume template and place professional experience on one side and remaining sections on the other.

• Use smaller font.
  Decrease the text font size, like changing from 12 to 10, but make sure to keep your name and surname a bit bigger for emphasis. You can also adjust the size of section headers using bold or italic fonts. If it looks crowded, tweak the space between lines.

• Minimize the line spacing.
  Reduce the space between lines in your resume to make it more concise. Always keep in mind that, no matter what adjustments you make, the top priority is your resume appears clean and readable.

• Use bullet points and keep their number to a minimum. 
  Instead of describing your experience in pararaphs, use bullet points. This will make your application concise and easy to scan. Focus on key points and try to limit each bullet point to one or two lines.

• Tailor yuor resume to the job description.
  Read the job ad carefully and remove any irrelevant details from your resume, especially from the experience area. This not only shortens your application but also gives HR what they’re looking for. Apply the same rule to other resume sections, especially skills, resume summary, or career objective.

• Consider listing your skills on one line.
  Especially useful for a one-column layout resume, this approach helps save a significant amount of space.

• Add experience you’ve gained over the last 10 years.In practical terms, concentrating on your experience from the last 10 years is perfectly fine. It provides HR managers with a good overview of your capabilities and qualifications.

• Shorten the content (you can use AI).
  Use AI tools, like ChatGpt or Bard to shorten your resume. Example prompt you can use is: “Shorten my experience section (or this sentence) while preserving key details and impact”.

• Use digits instead of spelled-out numbers.

• Use industry-accepted acronyms.
  For instance, use ‘MBA’ instead of writing out ‘Master of Business Administration,’ and opt for ‘CRM’ rather than ‘Customer Relationship Management.

You might be also interested: How to condense your resume to one page in Word? or How to limit your resume to single page in Google Docs?

Additional Tips to Keep Your Resume Professional

When you shorten your job application, double check whether your it still looks tidy and professional. It won’t be effective if it’s cluttered and difficult to scan by recruiters.

It is always a good idea to save your resume as pdf file before applying. It is especially beneficial when you have played with layout and decreased the margins. Resume in pdf will maintain its original formatting and will look the same on every device.

Ready One-Page Resumes Templates to Download

You don’t have to struggle to shorten your resume. See our downloadable CV templates:

MS Word single page resume templates

This is an example of highly effective one-page Word resume template with a well-organized two-column layout. It includes all essential sections such as education, skills, work experience, and contact details. Additionally, it provides a spacious header for your name, surname, job title, and a concise resume summary or career objective. Ideal for students, fresh graduates, but also seasoned professionals, thanks to its extensive experience section.

Google Docs single page resume template

This is an example of a one-page skills-based resume created in Google Docs. Since this resume emphasizes skills and qualifications over a traditional chronological work history, it is designed to be a single page. Ideal for freelancers and career changers, this CV template allows you to include a career objective, education, a brief professional experience section, and a header with contact details and job title.

Should a Resume be One Page?

It depends on your situation. Most recruiters and career experts agree that a relevant, short resume is the way to go.

Tha’s because recruiters often have many resumes to look through quickly. They only spend a few seconds on each before deciding who to interview.

On the other hand, your resume’s length should match your experience and what the job requires. If you are an seasonal professional with many years of experience, nobody should be surprised with your two-page or even longer CV.

Learn more in our article: How long should your resume be?

Benefits of Having a Single Page Resume

• HR managers can faster scan your applicaytion. They often receive numerous resumes and may not have sufficient time to read carefully all the documents. In that case, shorter CVs may better communicate your top skills and achievements.
• You include only relevant information. While writing a single page resume you have no other choice like to prioritize the key information and select only relevant skills and experience tailored to the job ad.
• You meet the industry standards. In many industries, a one-page resume is a standard format and it is better to stick to this.

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