Resume paper?

[bcla]

I disagree with the idea of limiting a resume to one page. It depends on the job and your experience level. If you have skills and experience that warrant it, its better to have 2 pages than look less qualified. My resume is 2 pages, and I almost always get a response right away. I work contracts, so I interview 2 to 3 times a year. I think the 1 page rule is kind of outdated, but maybe different fields have different standards.

At the very least, there should be something on the first page that stands out enough to give the reviewer a reason to go through the rest of the resume. I've seen managers go through a stack if resumes gathered from a job fair. The second page wouldn't be read unless the first page had something that said the applicant had what it took to do the job.

I've had a variety of different suggestions, but never one page given enough experience. One recruiter suggested I place my education last since I had lots of experience, and that person felt that the experience should stand out. Another suggested I place it on the first page since it was a well known and respected school in my field.

But in the last 15 years I have never, ever heard anyone in a position to see or review my resume say that I needed anything other than plain white printer paper.

 

[bcla]

I got my first real job in January of 1999, and I have no idea what "resume paper" is.

The OP thinks of it as heavy printer paper, and perhaps extra bright. I've actually used something like Xerox 24 lb superbright paper. It certainly feels different, but I never used any for my resumes. The traditional type is something that's at least 24 lb "bond" paper with a watermark of the brand and (usually) cotton content. It's a bit hard to see without a light behind the sheet, but this shows it pretty well.

My first resumes were on Crane 32 lb "Kid Finish" ecruwhite laid. It was maybe $17 for a box of 50 sheets, and it had a tendency to jam printers. This stuff looked had lines basically watermarked through the entire sheet. I also had the benefit of a part time employer that was OK with me using the company equipment to look for a full time job on my off time.

I also mailed random companies with my resume, and managed to get a job offer that way. I mean - I didn't even apply to a specific job and they found something for me. It wasn't even close to how job applications work these days. Once a few years back a hiring manager called me after seeing my resume from a keyword search, but told me that he couldn't go forward until I applied for specific jobs. It's obviously different now.

 

[Poohforyou]

Oh and make sure the resume is ONE PAGE ONLY and clearly readable with as much white space as possible.

For the op's daughter, yes of course her resume should be 1 page. However, for someone like me, who's work over 30 years and has a lot of skills, certification, etc., it's crazy to think that can be reduced to one page. Ask someone who does recruitment for a living. It's recommended that the important things like skills and certification be on the 1st page and work history and education be on the 2nd page.

 

[Disney Doll]

I probably wouldn't go so far as to buy super fancy paper but I'd probably buy a little better quality printer paper than what I would normally have in my printer.

I think it's smart to have a couple of extra copies of your resume when you interview. You never know who's going to be called into an interview last minute who may not have seen your resume prior to meeting you.

 

[DawnM]

Just a follow up. I attended the job fair yesterday. I handed out about 20-25 resumes on resume paper. I got several compliments on my resume from prospective employers. Mostly the compliments were on the layout/format style, but most people there had their resumes on resume paper.