One-page or two-page CV? A rule that actually works

"Always one page" is the most repeated CV advice on the internet, and it costs people interviews. A great two-page CV beats a cramped one-page CV every time. The right answer depends on your years of experience, the role, and the market.

The rule that actually works

• Under 5 years of experience: 1 page. You do not have enough recent, relevant material to justify two pages, and recruiters expect concision at this level.
• 5 to 10 years: 1 to 2 pages. Use a second page only if every line on it earns its space. Otherwise tighten.
• 10+ years or senior leadership: 2 pages. A one-pager at this level signals you cannot prioritise, not that you are efficient.
• Academic, research, or medical: 2+ pages. A CV in these fields includes publications, grants, and teaching — different conventions apply.

What to cut first when you are over

If you are at 1.3 pages and need 1, cut in this order:

1. Old roles. Anything older than 10 years usually becomes one line, or moves into an "Earlier experience" block.
2. Repeated achievements. If two roles both say "led a re-platforming", keep the more impressive one and trim the other.
3. Generic responsibilities. "Managed budgets and stakeholders" appears in every senior role — cut unless tied to a specific outcome.
4. Personal interests section. Unless directly relevant ("competitive chess" for a quant role), it is the first to go.
5. Course lists without certifications. A list of MOOCs you watched does not move the needle.

What never to cut to save space

• Numbers. If the choice is between a duty and a quantified outcome, keep the outcome.
• Job titles and dates. Recruiters scan these first.
• White space. Cramming margins to fit one page makes the CV unreadable. Better to spill to a clean two pages.

When two pages is the right call

Use two pages when you can answer "yes" to all three:

• The second page is at least 60% full — not three lines of contact info.
• Every bullet on the second page is recent or directly relevant to the role.
• The most important achievements are above the fold on page 1 — a recruiter who only reads page 1 still gets the strongest pitch.

Layout choices that buy you space without hurting readability

• Skills bar on the side — a single-column skills sidebar saves vertical space for experience.
• Two-line entry header — role and company on line 1; dates and location on line 2. Tighter than 4-line headers.
• 1.15 line height, 10 to 11 pt body — readable, dense. Anything below 10 pt starts to feel cramped.
• Cut the address. City and country is enough. Full postal address is outdated.

What does NOT count as length-saving

• Reducing font below 10 pt.
• Removing all spacing between sections.
• Shrinking margins below 1.5 cm.
• Single-line bullets that wrap awkwardly to fit.

Each of those makes the CV harder to scan, which is the only thing length matters for.

The 60-second length audit

• Print or PDF-preview the CV at 100% zoom.
• Count pages — 1 if under 5 years experience, 1 or 2 if 5 to 10, 2 if more.
• If 2 pages, is the second page at least 60% full?
• Are your top 3 achievements on the first half of page 1?
• Is the body font at least 10 pt with breathable spacing?

Try it on Tavie

Tavie shows a live page-count meter and flags when you are filling page 2 with low-value content (old roles, repeated phrases, generic responsibilities). It also suggests which sections to compress first when you are slightly over.

Today's mission: open your CV, check the page count against the rule, and either trim to one clean page or expand to two pages that earn their space.