Resume Page Limits (1 right?...) Forum

[Anonymous User]

My issue is that my resume is at the point where I can't fit anything else (including summer employment this summer) without going to a 2nd page. The margins are already .25", the font is already 10pt, I've already minimized the wasted space on the entire document, and I've already deleted anything that isn't solid or helpful. To make matters better/worse, i'm only 23 and went straight through UG to LS, I just did a lot of stuff during UG. I need at least 6 lines for this summer as I see it (2 jobs, 3 lines per job).

I know a resume should never be more than 1 page at this point so i'm really lost as to how to approach this? I managed to squeeze it all onto 1 page for 1L summer applications by deleting anything even slightly unnecessary and anything that didn't fit in to the "story" I am trying to convey, but am now seemingly out of room.

EDIT: NOTE: I'll be using this application for 2L Summer Applications and Fall OCI with BigLaw and have a good shot from all indications this summer. (Not sure if this is relevant but figured it can't hurt to include it).

Suggestions?
Option A: Delete substantive stuff - Sucks but deal with it
Option B: 2 Pages - Risk of looking like major douche/tard
Option C???

[Veyron]

College activities are really not that important.

[dowu]

[Br3v]

You can't not list a job can you?

[Nom Sawyer]

My issue is that my resume is at the point where I can't fit anything else (including summer employment this summer) without going to a 2nd page. The margins are already .25", the font is already 10pt, I've already minimized the wasted space on the entire document, and I've already deleted anything that isn't solid or helpful. To make matters better/worse, i'm only 23 and went straight through UG to LS, I just did a lot of stuff during UG. I need at least 6 lines for this summer as I see it (2 jobs, 3 lines per job).

I know a resume should never be more than 1 page at this point so i'm really lost as to how to approach this? I managed to squeeze it all onto 1 page for 1L summer applications by deleting anything even slightly unnecessary and anything that didn't fit in to the "story" I am trying to convey, but am now seemingly out of room.

EDIT: NOTE: I'll be using this application for 2L Summer Applications and Fall OCI with BigLaw and have a good shot from all indications this summer.

Suggestions?
Option A: Delete substantive stuff - Sucks but deal with it
Option B: 2 Pages - Risk of looking like major douche/tard
Option C???

Option A... There's always something on your resume that can go. If you are applying to a Firm as a 2L you DO NOT want to have the only 2 page resume when everyone else has 1 unless you have had an established, 10 year career in another field.

In fact not having everything on your resume can be good in terms of having extra material for stuff like when the interviewer asks, "Tell me a strength that is not listed on your resume." You then have a nice story you can weave about a specific talent and how it relates to this experience you had that is not listed on your resume.

[Anonymous User]

Delete a job this summer or something prior? I could, its just that a lot of those items have been significant conversation pieces during interviews for this summer.

[Anonymous User]

My issue is that my resume is at the point where I can't fit anything else (including summer employment this summer) without going to a 2nd page. The margins are already .25", the font is already 10pt, I've already minimized the wasted space on the entire document, and I've already deleted anything that isn't solid or helpful. To make matters better/worse, i'm only 23 and went straight through UG to LS, I just did a lot of stuff during UG. I need at least 6 lines for this summer as I see it (2 jobs, 3 lines per job).

I know a resume should never be more than 1 page at this point so i'm really lost as to how to approach this? I managed to squeeze it all onto 1 page for 1L summer applications by deleting anything even slightly unnecessary and anything that didn't fit in to the "story" I am trying to convey, but am now seemingly out of room.

EDIT: NOTE: I'll be using this application for 2L Summer Applications and Fall OCI with BigLaw and have a good shot from all indications this summer. (Not sure if this is relevant but figured it can't hurt to include it).

Suggestions?
Option A: Delete substantive stuff - Sucks but deal with it
Option B: 2 Pages - Risk of looking like major douche/tard
Option C???

Sorry dude. You are not a special snowflake. Everyone I know with 5+ years of work experience managed to fit their OCI resumes onto one page. You can too. No one cares about all your college activities - and, it only makes you look worse as compared to your peers who have work experience (and who probably did amazing things in undergrad too) and have single page resumes. Save the "story telling" for the interview.

[Renzo]

I worked for more than 10 years in a super-interesting field, and I can get my resume down to a page. You need to seriously re-evaluate what is important to tell employers with your resume.

[a male human]

I heard the exception is if you have a science background, in which case your science experience/pubs are important just as much as legal exp, and you should try to aim for 1.5 pages if you happen to go over 1 page.

[Renzo]

I heard the exception is if you have a science background, in which case your science experience/pubs are important just as much as legal exp, and you should try to aim for 1.5 pages if you happen to go over 1 page.

If you really, really have more than a page of important info to get in a resume, you want two full pages. One and a half looks stupid.

[a male human]

I heard the exception is if you have a science background, in which case your science experience/pubs are important just as much as legal exp, and you should try to aim for 1.5 pages if you happen to go over 1 page.

If you really, really have more than a page of important info to get in a resume, you want two full pages. One and a half looks stupid.

That would just be fluff then. 1.25 probably doesn't look good, but 1.5 is good enough to justify a second page IMO.

[Anonymous User]

I have had several jobs where reviewing applicants' resumes was part of my responsibilities, and I can guarantee you I (and everyone else in the office) had a good hearty laugh at resumes over a page from college grads who had never held real jobs. Take it with a grain of salt as I never did legal hiring, but common etiquette is that if you can't fit it on to one page, you better be well beyond the midpoint of your career or that shit is going straight to the round file.

If you really think everything you've done since undergrad is relevant, and yet none of those things are significant gainful work experiences, you need to take your resume to someone with...more discerning tastes. CDO should be happy to take a gander, no?

[BarbellDreams]

1. You dont need 3 lines per job, 2 is enough.
2. 95% of what you did in college is COMPLETELY irrelevant.
3. Look at your resume. There are currently at least 3 things that have no business being there. If you're honest with yourself, deep down you know most of that stuff you threw on there is useless and needs to go.

[dudders]

You can't not list a job can you?

Sure can on a resume. Limit it to what's important or relevant. The only time you have to list "every job" is when specifically instructed on a govt application, bar application, or similar docs that lay out penalties for failing to do so.

[Renzo]

I heard the exception is if you have a science background, in which case your science experience/pubs are important just as much as legal exp, and you should try to aim for 1.5 pages if you happen to go over 1 page.

If you really, really have more than a page of important info to get in a resume, you want two full pages. One and a half looks stupid.

That would just be fluff then. 1.25 probably doesn't look good, but 1.5 is good enough to justify a second page IMO.

Yes, it would be fluff. But since no one ever reads an entire resume no matter what the circumstances, the visuals are equally as-or more-important than how verbose you are in describing things. Always use full pages, whether you have enough stuff to fill three, or not enough to even fill one; just adjust your formatting and your syntax to get there.

[Anonymous User]

1. You dont need 3 lines per job, 2 is enough.
2. 95% of what you did in college is COMPLETELY irrelevant.
3. Look at your resume. There are currently at least 3 things that have no business being there. If you're honest with yourself, deep down you know most of that stuff you threw on there is useless and needs to go.

RE: 3 lines v. 2 - The way I have it now is:
1st line - company/organization, city/state, dates
2nd line - Job title(s) and specific dates for each title
3rd line - bullet point on responsibilities/what I did for that job

I only did this for genuine jobs or things that gave me extensive experience and involved more than 20 hours/week, no college activities or anything like that (the best parts of those each got a single line). Is there any way to reduce the above format while still maintaing a semblance of organization? I assume I shouldn't be losing the bullet point line?

and one more general question:

Someone above mentioned an exception for science fields/experience and people going into IP, could the same exception apply for another legal field such as private equity/VC/startup experience where the goal is a group doing that type of legal work? (just wondering, I get the resounding sense of no, if that exception really even exists)

[bceagles182]

Don't go over one page. End of story. The above advice is on point. If you really don't know what to delete, speak with an advisor in your CDO. Even a shitty CDO knows how to format a resume.

[Anonymous User]

1. You dont need 3 lines per job, 2 is enough.
2. 95% of what you did in college is COMPLETELY irrelevant.
3. Look at your resume. There are currently at least 3 things that have no business being there. If you're honest with yourself, deep down you know most of that stuff you threw on there is useless and needs to go.

RE: 3 lines v. 2 - The way I have it now is:
1st line - company/organization, city/state, dates
2nd line - Job title(s) and specific dates for each title
3rd line - bullet point on responsibilities/what I did for that job

I only did this for genuine jobs or things that gave me extensive experience and involved more than 20 hours/week, no college activities or anything like that (the best parts of those each got a single line). Is there any way to reduce the above format while still maintaing a semblance of organization? I assume I shouldn't be losing the bullet point line?

and one more general question:

Someone above mentioned an exception for science fields/experience and people going into IP, could the same exception apply for another legal field such as private equity/VC/startup experience where the goal is a group doing that type of legal work? (just wondering, I get the resounding sense of no, if that exception really even exists)

I'm assuming this is still the K-JD OP.

(1) If a job is self-explanatory, you do not need a bullet point.
(2) If you are still running over, then drop some of the jobs.
(3) THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS OUTSIDE OF PHD's GOING INTO IP. Sorry, but outside of the one field where attorneys care about prior publishing, etc., no one cares. And honestly, unless you were a MD at GS before law school, there is no way that you would need 2 pages for a resume targeted PE/VC/M&A/whatever.

As others have said, work with your CDO. But, honestly, you should be able to do the cuts yourself. As everyone else in here is saying, people with 5-10 years of work experience pre-LS are able to get their resumes to one page, therefore you should be able to do that as well.

[a male human]

I just want to say I have talked to career counselors and interviewers who had no problems with my 1.5-page, 12-point patent-oriented resume. The last counselor I talked to opened our discussion with something like "you're going into IP, so 2 pages is fine" (I assume by IP she meant patents. I dont think copyrights/trademarks will qualify).