The Résumé Rule You Need to Break in 2025

For years, we’ve been told the same thing: “Keep your résumé to one page.”

It’s one of the most common résumé tips out there, and in 2025, it’s one of the most outdated.

Let’s be honest: squeezing years of experience, accomplishments, and growth into a single sheet of paper?
That might work if you’re fresh out of school…
But if you’ve been in the workforce for a while, following that rule could be costing you real opportunities.

 

Why the One-Page Résumé Rule Needs to Go

Hiring managers in 2025 don’t want the shortest résumé. They want the clearest one.
They want to see:

  • What problems you’ve solved
  • What results you’ve driven
  • How your experience aligns with their current needs 

And if it takes two pages to tell that story well? That’s not just okay, it’s expected.

When recruiters only spend a few seconds scanning each résumé, what matters is relevance and impact, not arbitrary page limits.

What to Focus on Instead

If you’re serious about career growth in today’s market, your résumé should:

  • Be easy to scan: Use clear headings, bullet points, and logical structure.
  • Highlight results: “Reduced costs by 18%,” “Led a team of 12,” or “Improved client retention by 30%” says a lot more than “Responsible for…”
  • Tailor to the job: Customize your résumé for the specific role you’re applying to. Yes, every time.
  • Include keywords: Especially those found in the job description. This boosts your chances with applicant tracking systems (ATS). 

And no… Your résumé doesn’t have to be fancy or overly designed. But it does need to tell the right story, fast.

What to Stop Doing

Here are three résumé habits to leave behind in 2025:

  1. Cutting great experience to fit on one page
  2. Listing tasks instead of achievements
  3. Sending the same résumé to every job 

Job seekers today need to be strategic. And that starts with how you introduce yourself on paper.

 

In a job market that’s more competitive and more digital than ever, your résumé isn’t just a document, it’s your first impression.

Forget the one-page rule.
Focus on being clear, relevant, and results-driven.
That’s what gets interviews, and offers, in 2025.

Need help crafting a résumé that works for you, not against you?
At Axcess Talent Management Solutions, we help professionals tell their story with impact.

Let’s work together to get you noticed on paper and beyond.

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