Space Savers for Your Resume

College graduates have only one page to market their education, experience, and qualifications (I say one page, because it’s rare that a recent graduate has enough significant and relevant experience to warrant two pages). When I review resumes with students, there are often many very simple ways to save space.
Check your margins – I’ve seen people on the interstate give other drivers less space than the room taken up by margins on some resumes. A resume with huge margins appears weak, and often wastes space. Some people will say .5” is the smallest, others say don’t go below .7”. Either way, they don’t have to be 1.25”.
“References available upon request” – Come on now, if they ask you for your references, would you say, “Gee, thanks for the request, but I just don’t feel like sharing them with you”? Of course they’re available upon request. Don’t waste space by having this line on your resume.
“Permanent” and “Current” address – I really don’t need to know where you grew up and where your parents live; I’m hiring you, and I just need to know how to contact you. Unless you’re getting ready to move (in which case it’s ok to have two addresses), I don’t need to see a “Permanent” address.
Interests: Helping with the little kittens at the animal shelter – Again, we have one page to fully market your experience; don’t waste space by detailing irrelevant interests. Few employers sit around at hiring committees saying, “Well, we have two identically qualified candidates, but this one likes kittens, so let’s hire him/her” (unless, of course, it’s for a position working with animals, in which case your volunteer experience is much more relevant).
Relevant Coursework – I really don’t need to know that as a Biology major you took Intro to Biology when you apply for a research position. I’m going to assume that your major included something like that. “Relevant Coursework” sections are way too passive: you could go to class, pay attention, study hard, do well on the exams, and learn a lot, OR you could skip class, cram before exams, scrape by with a C-, and forget everything you learned within a week. I can’t tell the difference on your resume; I would rather see applied skills and experience. The exception would be to add breadth or depth to your resume not otherwise apparent.