How long should a résumé be? One page, until it isn't
The page-count rule is a proxy for the real one: every line has to earn its place. For most students and early-career applicants, that lands on a single page.
"One page or two" is the wrong question asked confidently. Length is a symptom, not a rule. The real test is whether every line earns its place against the job you are applying for. Apply that test honestly and the page count mostly sorts itself out.
The actual rule
A recruiter spends seconds on the first pass. Anything not helping you in those seconds is hurting you, because it buries the things that are. Length is bad only when it pads; it is fine when every line is load-bearing.
- Student or early career, zero to a few years: one page, almost always.
- Several years with depth a job actually wants: a tight second page can be justified.
- Never stretch to fill a page, and never shrink the font to cram one. Both read as what they are.
What to cut first
When you are over, cut from the bottom and the obvious.
- The objective statement. The job already knows why you are applying.
- Skills you would not want to be interviewed on.
- Roles older or smaller than the story you are telling now.
- Three bullets that say one thing. Keep the one with a number in it.
How lapel helps you fit
lapel shows the live document as you edit, with a density and readiness read that flags when a page is overcrowded or thin, so length is something you see rather than guess. Tailoring to a specific job also makes cutting easier: when you know the role, the lines that do not serve it are obvious, and trimming them is what gets you to one honest page.