New grad - ? re: resumes. Is one cramped page better than 2 pages?

[HealerWoman]

I just tried to tweak my resume before I sent it out to prospective employers. My question is: is it better to have one page that looks a little cramped (to me, anyway), or a 1-1/3 to 1-1/2 page resume that is spaced a littel better? I could cut out my work history that has nothing to do with nursing, but one of my instructors thinks I should include it b/c I have a degree in Psychology, and she thinks I should include some employment history after I got my 1st degree. (FYI, I have no work history for the last 10 years due to being a stay-at-home-mom, and I have NO work history in nursing). The work history I DO have is managing workers' compensation claims, if that matters.

What do you think? Is one page always better? What I have looks ok, but I liked it better when the font was bigger, and it was longer...

[vlomankill]

it's not true that a one page resume is key any longer.

from donna cardillo's website:

[color=#7b1622]q: i've been told my resume should be only one page. is that true?

[color=#7b1622]a: no, not for nurses. by the time you list your experience, your education, your licenses and certifications, you are already on two pages, even with limited experience. two pages is perfectly acceptable. don't go any longer than that, though, unless you have extensive high-level and unusual experience and credentials.

who is donna cardillo???? i'm talking from experience, and talking to hr personal who either move your resume along or place it in the never to be seen pile. my school even had a local hospital hr personal come to our class to talk about this, he stated what i stated. again, good luck to the new rn and check the sources of those giving you advice.

[Jolie, BSN]

This is what you signed up to do...this is your job. So, don't give excuses for doing a bad job!

Wow! That's a bit presumptious!

Contrary to popular belief, nurse managers and business owners don't spend all their time eating pastries and drinking coffee. During my 16-hour days as a NM, I was lucky to have an hour or two to attend to paperwork, which included quality assurance, reports, continuing education, evaluations, disciplinary issues, budgeting, patient follow-up and a few other items in addition to preparing for interviews.

I was hardly shirking my responsibilities, merely expecting candidates to follow some common-sense guidelines and keep their resumes brief and relevant. As I said before, the impression left by the rambling, over-blown ones were that those candidates lacked common sense, had poor communication skills, had excessively high opinions of themselves and couldn't or wouldn't follow guidelines.

I offered a suggestion that I sincerely believe will improve the OP's odds of landing an interview in a very tight, selective job market. If you disagree, that's fine. But I'd greatly appreciate you with-holding negative comments directed at someone you've never met.

What has been your experience in reviewing resumes and selecting candidates for nursing positions?

[diligent-trooper]

Jolie- You forgot one important criteria...Networking. If a friend knows a friend, who knows a friend. You have the job! Saves time...and it saves you from having to sift through your 75 resumes. Good Job!

[SAHMStudent]

Thanks for posting this question! I often wondered this myself.