How to write a one-page resume that works

Recruiters often spend well under a minute on a first look at a resume. A focused single page that shows your most relevant experience clearly does better than three pages of everything you have ever done.

One page or two?

One page suits most people, especially those early in their careers or changing direction. Two pages are reasonable with more than about ten years of relevant experience. Academic CVs and some countries' conventions differ, so follow what the employer or field expects.

What to include

• Contact details: name, phone, email, city, and a professional profile link if you have one. A full home address is rarely needed.
• A short summary: two or three lines on who you are and what you are looking for.
• Experience: job title, employer, dates and three to five bullet points for each recent role.
• Education and relevant qualifications.
• Skills that match the job advert.

What to cut

• Duties that are obvious from the job title.
• Roles from long ago that do not relate to the job — summarise them in one line.
• “References available on request” — it is assumed.
• Hobbies, unless they are relevant or genuinely distinctive.

Writing bullet points that count

Start with a verb and show a result, with a number where you can:

• Weak: “Responsible for customer emails.”
• Strong: “Answered 60+ customer emails a day and cut average response time from two days to four hours.”

Numbers — time saved, money made, people helped, errors reduced — are what make a line stand out on a quick read.

Build it step by step

1. Open the Resume Generator and enter your contact details and summary.
2. Add your experience, education and skills.
3. Reorder or remove any section you do not need.
4. Check the preview — it shows page breaks, so you can see whether you fit on one page.
5. Download the PDF.

The layout is deliberately plain: one column, standard headings and real text, which is what applicant tracking systems read most reliably. Your details stay in your browser and are not uploaded.

Should you add a photo?

In the UK and North America, photos are generally discouraged: they raise bias concerns and can confuse automated parsing. In parts of Europe and Asia they are expected. The template leaves one out; follow local custom for where you are applying.

Tailor it for each job

Keep a complete master version, then make a tailored copy for each application: adjust the summary, reorder the bullet points so the most relevant come first, and use the advert's wording for skills you genuinely have. Check the result against the advert with the Resume ATS Checker — see how to make your resume ATS-friendly.

Before you send it

• Proofread twice, then ask someone else to read it.
• Check that dates are consistent and that no role is missing an end date.
• Name the file with your name: firstname-lastname-resume.pdf.