How long should a resume be? One page, or two if needed

Resume length by career stage and job type

The table applies CareerOneStop's length rule, from its resume guide sponsored by the US Department of Labor, and OPM's federal limit. That limit covers 2 kinds of federal civil service jobs under Title 5 of the US Code. Competitive service jobs, filled through a process open to all eligible applicants, are by far the majority, OPM says. Excepted service jobs are excepted in one or more ways from the competitive rules.[1][4][8][9]

Is a 3-page resume too long?

For most jobs, yes: a third page is outside the 1 to 2 page range, so cut it with the steps below.[1]

For federal competitive and excepted service jobs under Title 5, a longer resume sent on its own makes you ineligible. If you also send a 2-page resume without being asked for a longer one, OPM tells agencies to review only the 2-page resume.[4]

Some federal medical and research jobs also ask for a curriculum vitae (CV): see how a CV differs from a resume.[4]

How far back a resume's work history should go

With a long work history, CareerOneStop says to include or emphasize only the jobs that add the most value. It sets the window at the past 12 to 15 years. Its tips for employment gaps give a similar range: typically the past 10 to 15 years.[2][3]

With limited work experience, CareerOneStop says it is fine to include all your past jobs. Stress the skills and outcomes that matter most for the target job. For unrelated jobs that fill in your work history, it advises a brief description.[2]

How to cut a resume to 1 or 2 pages

Before you start, have 2 things open: your current resume and the posting you are applying to. Set your font and margins first, because they change the page count. They are covered in how to format a resume for applicant tracking systems, federal resumes included. For a federal job, also check the announcement's page limit, described below.

The result: your recent, relevant jobs in full and your filler jobs in brief, on 1 page or, if needed, 2.

If the page count is still off, try these fixes:

More help with your resume is in the resume and cover letter guides.

The 2-page limit for federal resumes

Federal resumes used to run long. The Merit Hiring Plan, issued by OPM and the Domestic Policy Council on May 29, 2025, prohibits that longform federal resume. From September 27, 2025, USAJOBS limits every resume submitted through it to 2 pages. That includes resumes stored in a profile and made with its resume builder.[7][4][6]

The limit covers competitive service and excepted service announcements under Title 5, posted on USAJOBS or another platform. OPM tells agencies to state it in the announcement's "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" sections.[4]

Agencies outside Title 5, and judicial and legislative branch agencies, can accept a longer resume on USAJOBS. Their announcement must then explain how to send it as an "other document."[4]

OPM's tips for a 2-page federal resume:

The resume must also address the minimum qualifications and other requirements in the announcement.[5]

Does a resume printed front and back count as 1 page?

Count it as 2 pages: each printed side is a page, and a PDF of the same resume shows 2 pages.

CareerOneStop suggests sending a PDF unless the posting asks for another format. USAJOBS's help text, as OPM gives it, recommends one to keep a resume's formatting and number of pages. Count the pages in the file you send; a PDF keeps that count fixed.[1][4]