Your resume runs a few lines onto a second page, and you'd rather it didn't. Most of the time the fix is cutting, not squeezing. This guide covers what to cut first, how to shorten what's left, and how to see the page count change as you go with Resume Cat, our resume builder for iPhone.
Does it have to be one page?
Not always. A common rule of thumb is one page early in a career. With many years of work behind you, two pages can be fine, as long as the work that matters most for this job is on page 1. If a job ad asks for a certain length, follow the ad.
Resume Cat's writing check works the same way. At one page it says "One page is what most recruiters expect." At two pages with 8 or more years in your Experience section it calls that fine, and says to keep the most relevant work on page 1. At two pages with fewer years, it suggests trying for one.
Watch the page count
In the Resume Cat editor, the bar at the bottom says Fits on 1 page, or how many pages your resume runs to, like 2 pages. It updates as you type, so you can cut one bullet and see if that was enough. Tap it to open the writing check.
The count is for the template, font and paper you've picked under Preview & PDF, so check it again after you change any of them.
Cut before you squeeze
Start with what the reader needs least:
- Old jobs. Work from many years ago, or that has nothing to do with this job, can go, or shrink to a title, company and dates with no bullets. Resume Cat's check suggests keeping the last 10 years once a resume reaches three pages.
- Bullets that repeat. If two bullets say the same thing in different words, keep the one with a number in it.
- Sections you don't need. A summary, a list of hobbies or an "Additional Information" section takes room. Keep a section only if it helps for this job.
- A full street address. Your city is enough.
In Resume Cat, swipe a bullet left in a job to delete it, or swipe a job away in the list. To drop a whole section, open its ⋯ menu and tap Remove section. A section with nothing in it doesn't print, so there's no need to remove an empty one.
Shorten what's left
Long bullets are the next thing to fix. Keep each bullet to one or two lines:
- Start with a verb. "Served 200 customers a day" is shorter than "I was responsible for serving around 200 customers each day."
- Drop "I" and "my." Resumes skip the first person.
- Keep the result, cut the setup. The number and what changed matter more than how you got there.
- Keep the summary short. Two or three lines, if you have one.
Resume Cat's writing check points out bullets over 220 characters, a summary over 80 words, and bullets that start with "I" or don't start with a verb. On a bullet tip, tap Show me to open the first job in that section.
Then try a tighter template
When the content is right and you're still a few lines over, tap Preview & PDF and pick Compact. It's built for this: smaller margins, less space between sections, jobs and bullets, and slightly smaller text. Like Clear and Classic, it carries the ATS mark: one column, black text and standard headings.
Picking a template also sets that template's font. You can change the font after, from four, and the paper between US Letter and A4. Back in the editor, the bar shows the new page count.
Don't shrink the text further by other means. A resume people can't read easily isn't helped by fitting on one page.
If it still runs to two pages
That's fine for a long career. A few things keep a two-page resume easy to read:
- Put your most recent and most relevant work first. Resume Cat's check flags jobs that aren't newest first.
- Use Move up and Move down in a section's ⋯ menu, or Reorder sections…, so the sections that matter most come first.
- Every page of a resume longer than one page carries "Page 1 of 2"-style numbers at the bottom.
One version per job
If you trim a resume down for one job, you may want the longer version for another. On the home screen, touch and hold a resume and tap Duplicate to tailor, or use Duplicate to tailor for a job in the editor's menu. Cut the copy for the one-page version, and rename it after the job it's for. Only you see that name.
What it costs
The editor, the page count, the writing check, all six templates including Compact, the four fonts, both paper sizes and the PDF are free, with no watermark. Resume Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds two designed templates, Bold and Edge, a cover letter for each job, and "Sent to" notes. More on the Resume Cat page.
Quick answers
Where should I start saving space?
Cut old or repeated bullets first. If you're only a few lines over after that, switch to the Compact template.
Is a two-page resume bad?
Not with a long career. Keep the work that matters most for the job on page 1.
Does Compact still work with applicant tracking systems?
It carries the ATS mark, like Clear and Classic: one column, black text and standard headings. No app can promise how an employer's system reads a resume.
Will Resume Cat cut it for me?
No. It counts the pages and points out long bullets and other things to fix. You decide what stays.
For starting from scratch, see how to make a resume on iPhone.
Try Resume Cat
Try Resume Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/resume-cat