Check a federal resume against the two-page limit

About these rules (reviewed November 12, 2026)

The checks on this page follow public OPM and USAJOBS Help Center pages opened on November 12, 2026. Policy can change, and a job announcement can add or change requirements. Where the official pages are silent or leave room for the announcement, this tool says check the announcement.

The two-page limit

• Federal agencies accept resumes of up to two pages to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan (May 29, 2025). USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build a resume longer than two pages, and you need to update resumes already in your profile before you apply. Source: USAJOBS Help Center, “How do I write a resume for a federal job?” (updated October 21, 2026).
• The same two-page cap applies when you upload or use the resume builder; if a builder resume is more than two pages at preview, USAJOBS will not let you save it. Source: USAJOBS Help Center, “How to add a resume to your profile” (updated October 9, 2026).
• OPM’s applicant guidance states that resumes must be no longer than two pages and must address minimum qualifications and other requirements in the job announcement. Starting September 27, 2025, job seekers must choose a resume of two pages or less to apply and to mark a resume searchable. Source: OPM, “Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit”.
• The two-page limit applies to all competitive service and excepted service announcements under Title 5, internal and external, posted on USAJOBS or another platform, as of September 27, 2025. If the only resume received is longer than two pages, the applicant is ineligible, with the status wording “Your application is not being considered due to not meeting the resume page number requirement in the job announcement.” Source: OPM, “Agency Guidance on the Two-Page Limit on Resume Length”.

When a longer resume or CV might still be used

OPM’s agency guidance says non-Title 5 and judicial and legislative branch agencies that want to accept a longer resume must say so in the announcement and tell applicants how to submit it as an “other document.” Positions that require a curriculum vitae, typically in medical and research fields, may ask for a CV as an “other document.” USAJOBS also notes that some jobs may not accept a standard two-page resume and may ask for a long-form resume or CV — read that announcement. Sources: the agency guidance and “What documents do I need to provide when I apply?” (updated July 10, 2026). Check the announcement.

What to include

• Contact at the top: full name, email address, and phone number. “Read the job announcement carefully to make sure you have included all required contact information.” Source: USAJOBS Help Center resume article.
• For each relevant work experience: employer name; job title; start and end dates including the month and year; the number of hours you worked per week; brief descriptions that show you can perform the tasks at the required level in the announcement; and series and grade for federal jobs only. Source: same USAJOBS article, confirmed in OPM applicant guidance. Hours per week was still on that required list as of the October 21, 2026 Help Center update.
• Hours matter for credit: OPM’s General Schedule qualification policies say a normal full-time work week is generally 35–40 hours, and part-time work is prorated (for example, 20 hours a week for 12 months is credited as 6 months). Overtime does not add extra credit. Source: OPM, General Schedule Qualification Policies. Listing only “full-time” without a number is treated here as incomplete.
• Education, licenses, or certifications when the announcement requires them: school or institution, completion date, degree type, and cumulative GPA, plus any required transcripts or license details. Source: USAJOBS Help Center and OPM applicant guidance.
• Citizenship is not on the USAJOBS required resume list. It is usually collected in the application or on a form such as the OF-306. Include it on the resume only if the announcement says to. Check the announcement.
• Duty location for each job is not on the USAJOBS required list (employer, title, month/year dates, hours, descriptions, and federal series and grade). Some announcements still ask for it. This tool notes whether a location was found but does not treat a missing city as a failed required field. Check the announcement.

What to leave out

USAJOBS says not to include classified or government sensitive information; a Social Security Number; photos of yourself; personal information such as age, sex, or religious affiliation; or encrypted and digitally signed documents. Source: USAJOBS Help Center resume article.

File and formatting recommendations

• The resume must be 5 MB or less. USAJOBS recommends saving and uploading a PDF so formatting and page count hold. Accepted types include GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT, or Word (DOC or DOCX). PDF portfolios are not accepted. Use a standard 8.5-by-11-inch page.
• Recommended type: a sans-serif such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noto Sans. Margins 0.5 inches. Consider 14-point titles and 10-point body text.
• Sources: USAJOBS resume article and “How to add a resume to your profile”.

Writing and tailoring

USAJOBS says to use plain language and avoid acronyms and terms that are not easily understood, because the hiring agency will not make assumptions; to make work experience address the announcement’s requirements; to tailor the resume to each job; to use concise, results-focused language (including an “Accomplished X as measured by Y, by doing Z” pattern); to use similar terms and address every required qualification (if the qualifications mention MS Project, the resume needs the words MS Project); and to remove or deprioritize outdated or unrelated experience. Volunteer work can count. Look at whether a hiring agency can see main credentials in 10 to 15 seconds and whether you sell yourself in the top quarter of page one.

What this tool cannot do

• It cannot see a scanned (image-only) PDF.
• The page estimate is not the same as USAJOBS’ own preview. A PDF’s built-in page count is usually closer, but unusual layouts can still differ.
• It cannot decide whether you are qualified, eligible, or referred.
• It does not log into USAJOBS or any agency system.
• Older .doc files are not supported; save as .docx, PDF, or .txt.

Privacy

Reading and checks run in your browser with scripts that loaded with this page. The resume is not sent to Digital Atlas Studios, OPM, USAJOBS, or any other server as part of the check. Clearing the form removes the text from this page. Your browser may still keep a copy in undo history or downloads you choose to save. Do not include a Social Security Number in any resume you store on this device.

Word files are read with mammoth 1.9.1 (BSD 2-Clause). PDFs are read with PDF.js 3.11.174 (Apache License 2.0). License files are in the vendor folder of this site.