Why You Should Never Use a 2-Column Resume

Many years ago, I learned how to appreciate a good resume while screening them for hiring managers. To date, I’ve helped 185+ people around the world through Resume Rescue and I must declare that I always advise against a 2-column resume because it wastes space!

Space on your resume is precious, especially when everything should fit on 1 page. Choosing a 2-column resume may look cool, but it gives you less room to add in the relevant skills or experiences that could be important to a hiring manager.

I’ve seen so many resumes that were 2-3 pages long with a 2-column template, but after recommending a 1-column template and working some of my magic, everything fit on 1 page and looked a lot more clean and concise.

TLDR: Find a 1-column resume template with simple headings. Prettify it with some colours, but that’s really all you need. Focus more on the content:

• Every bullet point should be tailored and relevant to the job posting
• Every bullet point should start with a strong action verb
• Every bullet point should be 1 line long (be concise and try not to let the words flow over to the next line)

More Resume Resources

• Subscribe to get free access to my Resume Templates
• Sign-up for Resume Rescue
• 3 Ways to Rescue Your Resume
• 5 Things to Remove From Your Resume
• Here’s what I really think about your resume!
• 5 Free Resume Building Tools
• Resume Workshop
• Resume Tips: 10 Things You Must Do Before Submitting Your Resume
• How to Use Resume Assistant in Microsoft Word