prorsum wrote:
hunterashmore wrote:
Let me backtrack and ask this: if I do not put my first employer or research experience (which is not completely needed, but shows I worked through school, partially explaining GPA), I can get it down to one page - but will removing that first job then be seen as a 2-year gap in employment?
This is strictly my opinion, but I would go for the two pages then, since HBS explicitly allows you that option.
Not to insult others who stuck with the 1 page resume, but since the essays and forms for extracurricular are already pretty slim, I would capitalize on the two page resumes. I doubt
a ding would result solely because someone decided to go with a two pager. It's all about the content. If you have achievements that are relevant or perhaps extenuating circumstances that may confuse or cause concern for adcom, then you have the opportunity to clear it up via the resume.
I know multiple people who got into HBS last year using a 2-page resume even though they only had 4-5 years exp (obviously those with 10+ years exp, or PhDs with significant research, would be easily justified using a 2-pager). So clearly it isn't an automatic ding. BUT, Dee specifically recommended using a 1-pager, so that is obviously their preference. Also, for most of us, going onto 2 pages will force us to use less and less impressive content as we fill up that second page. I believe it is more about quality than quantity. I want the adcom to read my 1-pager, which is jam-packed with "great" content, and come away impressed. I'm worried that if I used a second page, my "great" content would be diluted by simply "good" content, which is the filler I'm using to populate two full pages. So the adcom's overall impression would be lower, even though I have more content. Also, I don't want to be seen as a resume-stuffer ... any of us who have recruited for our current employers know what that looks like.
Finally, while this is probably personal preference, I strongly believe that if you're going to use 2 pages, you have to use the full 2 pages. I don't think it is considered professionally appropriate/standard to use only 1.25 or 1.5 pages. What are others' thoughts on this?