We (Resume Writers, Career Coaches, HR, Hiring Managers, Recruiters) really need to teach job seekers to stop listening to the one-page rule. While one page can be appropriate for some job seekers it is absurd for highly experienced candidates and damages their search by becoming a chronological obituary instead of a marketing document. Two to three pages are fine if warranted and can make the difference between getting a hiring manager, recruiter and/or HR’s attention, and/or getting past the ATS scanning systems. Yes, as a former HR Director and current resume writer and career coach who still helps organizations hire new employees, we do give it a very short initial look, but if it lacks the information for us to determine you are someone to look at in more detail, then it doesn’t do its job. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see a seven-page resume from the typical job seeker, but the one-page advice for all job seekers needs is absolutely incorrect.
See my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter’s article featured in USA today regarding this very issue: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/04/30/why-you-shouldnt-conform-your-resume