Ask the Recruiter

Q. Love the column! I read it even when I'm not looking for a job.

I am seeking advice about moving on from a first job. My question has two parts.

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First, how long do you need to stay at that first job to avoid looking bad? I have heard everything from a year to five. If you have a good opportunity lined up, is there serious harm in leaving after a year?

Secondly, when it is time to move, what's a good length for a resume? In college they always said one page. But with extensive college paper experience, several internships and at least one job, keeping it all on one page is getting tough.

I'd love to hear your take on both of these questions. Any advice you have to offer would be great.

Trying Not to Look Bad

A. The times, they are a-changing.

People are becoming more mobile. That means shorter tenures and longer resumes. But editors keep up at different speeds.

Joe Grimm

You should have no problem leaving a first job after a year -- provided you follow it with a longer stay in your second job. Start stringing up a series of one-year tenures, and you'll scare off editors who don't want job-hoppers.

As for the resume, two-pagers are justified when you have multiple internships, jobs and degrees. However, some editors still follow the one-page rule. A two-pager will get you in trouble with them, but a one-pager will get you in trouble with no one.

The recruiter asks back: What do you think? Are one-page resumes still the rule in journalism? Join the discussion here.

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Coming Monday: We have talked about how errors in clips can hurt a job seeker. Now, a journalist asks about errors on a newspaper's Web site.

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