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Help! How do I handle this situation? (I know Mark won't read this one -- too darn long!)
BLUF: After struggling with this for over a year, I'm not convinced a one-page resume for experienced (>30 years) consultants with "re-careering" will cut it WHEN we are staying in our own (federal government consulting) industry. I say this because the recruiters and hiring managers DO care who our clients were and what we did for them, even if we spent a significant number of years with a single consulting company and possibly at the same level or without a major change in responsibilities.
I'm in the Washington, DC, area, where consulting to the federal government is a major industry and the companies that do it very much care who our previous clients were because the clients want to see that we have experience either with their agency or something very closely related to it.
On top of that, like so many in this area, I am "re-careered". That is, we completed a career with the military or as a federal civilian and have chosen to continue our service as a contractor. That means we have an "earlier" career history that is likely to be relevant to a potential employer since they want to know which federal agencies we are most likely to fit -- or more aptly put, they can most quickly meet a client need with.
For over a year I have tried to reduce my resume, putting the emphasis on the time since leaving government employment (to the point my 23 years government experience is now down to two lines and no responsibilities or accomplishments), and I'm still at two pages, including education (one BS, two MS, and one graduate certification) and two certifications (both relevant in the current federal government consulting world.)
So my question is does the "one-page rule" still apply, or should I consider this like higher education where a full CV is expected and one-page resume won't do? BTW, I think my two-page resume is pretty "tight" using all the MT/CT advice. I am willing to submit it for review if you're open to doing so. (And yes, I have the Resume and Interviewing series, as well as the annual license. I became a believer long ago, which is why I'm still struggling with the "one-page" issue.)