How Long Should a Student or New Grad Resume Be?
One page for most students and new grads. What to include, what to cut, how to fit it and when a second page is acceptable.
TL;DR: One page. With limited work history, a second page rarely adds value and recruiters scan for seconds. Put education, projects, experience and skills in that order of relevance, cut anything older than high school unless it is exceptional, and use a clean single-column layout so software reads it correctly.
Why one page
Entry-level recruiters may see hundreds of resumes. A tight page signals you can prioritize. A second page full of coursework or minor jobs dilutes your best material. Longer resumes become appropriate with many years of relevant experience, publications or research, and even then, many people stay at one page.
What to include, in order
For most students, a good order is:
- Header: name, email, phone, city, LinkedIn or portfolio link.
- Education: school, degree, major, graduation month and year. Add honors and relevant coursework briefly. GPA is optional (when to include it).
- Projects or experience: whichever is stronger first. Use two to four bullets each, starting with a verb and ending with a result.
- Leadership or activities: only if relevant or showing responsibility.
- Skills: tools, languages, certifications. Keep it honest and specific.
What to cut
- High school details, unless you have an exceptional achievement and little else.
- Objective statements that say nothing.
- Hobbies unless they show something relevant.
- Duties that read like a job description rather than results.
- Photos, graphics, multi-column layouts and skill bars. They often confuse parsers.
How to fit it
- Use 10 to 11 point type and sensible margins, not tiny fonts.
- Shorten bullets; most can be one line, none longer than two.
- Merge small roles into one "Additional experience" line.
- Choose the four best projects, not all of them.
When two pages are fine
If you have substantial research, multiple internships and publications, a second page can be fine. If you are unsure, ask someone in the field to read it and say what they remember.
Format matters
Make sure the file is a text-based PDF or the format requested, with standard section names. See How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume. If you maintain multiple versions, keep each to one page (why).
Key takeaway: one clean page with your most relevant material first beats two pages of everything.
FAQ
### Can a new grad resume be two pages? Rarely. Unless you have significant relevant experience, trim to one page.
### Should I include every internship? Include relevant ones. Short, unrelated jobs can be combined or cut if space is tight.
### Is a PDF or Word file better? Follow the application instructions. A text-based PDF is usually safe, but some portals prefer Word.