One Page Resume: Yes or No? And Other Resume Rules

WSJ says “it’s time to rethink the one-page resume” because AI bots are screening for keywords, and you need to have enough content to pass that screen.

Five points to consider:

1. Junior lawyers, fewer than five years out of school, should still stick to one-page resumes. The WSJ article states, “Don’t be the pretentious rookie who imagines such limited experience requires more room.” I think the only exception is if you have on-point technical or industry experience before law school, e.g., you were an engineer or regulator in the space.
2. A two-page resume focusing on your impact in previous jobs is ideal for everyone else.
3. Avoid long-winded resumes. The article notes, “Recruiters say they’re generally willing to read multiple pages from an experienced candidate who made it through the AI screen, but four or five is pushing it.” Yes, and hiring managers have explicitly told me they are concerned about candidates with long resumes because it shows poor communication skills and poor judgment. If you have a lot of relevant and impressive material, I recommend you cap the resume at two pages and make a separate Representative Matters/Deal Sheet that reviewers can choose to peruse.
4. Figure out if your target employer uses AI, HR, or the actual hiring manager for the initial applicant screening. I recommend that you incorporate the company’s keywords in all scenarios, but especially with AI and with HR, whose reps rarely have law degrees. Clearly articulate your value; don’t make the reader infer it.
5. Tailor your resume to each specific job application. The article suggests this “could mean expanding certain resume lines and leaving others off entirely.” In a successful example given, a candidate found “adding length to the résumé was more about beefing up an important section than tacking on another page.”