I’ve been taken to task over this 1-page resume idea. While the slavery analogy seems a bit extreme, I get your point and it’s well taken: you don’t want to work for a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy (or gal).

Neither do I.

What’s important to me is an attitude of giving—by both employer and employee. The employee can demonstrate that attitude by anticipating the needs of the hiring manager and keeping things tight.

In turn, the manager can demonstrate that attitude by giving the employee the space s/he needs to excel.

Hope to see you soon on another post!

The best arrangement all around is for both employer and employee to have the best fit. That means that it’s just important for the employee to be satisfied as it is for the employer, and prospective employees have EVERY RIGHT to be considering their own needs when job-hunting. I’m sure there ARE a lot of employers out there who have the “it’s all about what you can do for me” attitude. A lot of them – but they aren’t the really good employers, the ones destined for long-term success. Sorry, but what the employer wants doesn’t trump what the employee needs. That went out with slavery.

I’m sure you’re a good guy in your way, but frankly, I don’t want to work for an employee who thinks the way you do. You give the distinct impression that you are prone to dismissing very important things with a wave of your hand, and so much is missed when you do that. As I said in my comment at youtube, honeslly I think I would purposely have a resume at least two pages long in order to weed out those employers who think this way..

1. Wow. Forget the resume… just point people to your comment here. Very impressive.

2. I am a fan of less-is-more. Actually, not “less is more,” but “more focused is more.” In your case, for 2 specific reasons: first, there’s so much too you that stripping things down, or organizing experience in a nested way rather than chronologically, could help provide focus. Second, providing everything all at once is a bit overwhelming… whereas by focusing people on the most relevant information, you not only hook their interest, but you also save some goodness for that all-important follow up conversation.

3. You need a tight story, with a unifying theme that brings all your experience together. A unifying theme could be a single passion or skill you used across all positions; the story about how you were carried by someone/dumb luck/the universe from opportunity to opportunity; or even your super solid work ethic that drives you to fill every waking moment with making the world a better place. All of these options could work, and by putting the theme atop your experience, you not only give yourself focus, but you also provide a framework for others to use when they interpret your story.

Good luck!

Having seen one-page resumes, they always look as though the candidate either has no experience whatsoever or the candidate has failed to expand on anything more than a job title. In this time of numerous internships under a graduate’s belt, it’s time to look to that second page of a resume to better understand a candidate’s experience.

For the job seeker, where this whole discussion led to was, be thorough and be brief—don’t waste words—and as long as you tell you entire story succinctly and clearly, don’t worry about page length.

(Also, since the word go, I’ve always exempted technical experts and executives from the 1-page limit… interestingly, generally when someone cites me an example of a resume that won’t fit onto a page, it’s for—surprise!—a technical expert or an executive.)

Just my opinion, Jason, and I appreciate your’s even though it is different! Thanks!