Q: Does the “keep it to one page” rule still apply now that most resumes are sent electronically? There was a big discussion regarding this at a recent cocktail party. I no longer do hiring, but when I did, I did not bother with resumes of more than one page because I simply did not have the time. In our discussion, there were those who thought that e-mail had changed the rule, but when challenged as to why this would be true, they were unable to offer any reasons. – David

A: Kate: First, don’t have your debate based on an erroneous assumption – that all jobs are found online. Only 6 percent to 8 percent of all jobs are found through Internet job postings. Further, most resumes that are sent electronically go into a database. Some large employers get a million resumes a year, and nobody reads them.

Dale: So you’re saying it doesn’t matter how long they are – they are equally unread. However, if a manager searches the database, it would probably be a computer search by keywords, and there, a longer resume has more words to be keyed on and thus spotted.

Kate: Even so, when a hiring manager wants to read the resume, he or she usually prints it out. And you’re right, David – nobody reads more than one page. So the same rules apply, with this difference: In the new economy, with its instability/flexibility, we have lots more jobs to include in our resumes. What to do? Have a summary, with bulleted highlights, right under your name and address.

Dale: And thus you have it both ways – a one-pager followed by a page or two of details that might be useful in a computer search and will be welcomed when it comes time for the interview.