Do You Staple Your Resume?

Even though most people are used to sending their resumes by email, it is a good idea to also know the etiquette regarding paper resumes.

Why? Because sometimes you will have to go in person to an interview and for this will need to bring a paper resume. Even though many interviews are now held via Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet, there are still many companies that are all in-person and in-office and want those interviews to be held on site.

When that happens you can expect to bring a paper resume to the interview. In fact, it’s considered bad etiquette to show up without a resume.

So, therefore it makes sense that you will need to understand exactly how to bring your resume to the interview and if you are supposed to staple it.

Do You Staple Your Resume and Cover Letter?

Some people don’t have a cover letter, but if you do, how should you handle it? Do you staple the cover letter to the front or the back? Or do you use a paperclip?

So, what I would tell everyone is that for most jobs, a cover letter is not necessary. There are very specific situations where a cover letter is a plus, but you will know it. In most cases where a cover letter is going to be appropriate, the hiring manager or whoever is in charge of reviewing the resumes will indicate this.

I don’t advocate that all people have a cover letter. It’s just not necessary and in many cases is simply a put off.

However, if you are applying to a role that requires a cover letter, then I would advise you do not staple it to your resume.

You do not want to staple a resume (I will cover this elsewhere in more detail) and you certainly do not want to staple other items to your resume.

What you need to do is keep your cover letter separate from your resume. If you need to keep them together, then you can use a paperclip (more on this below). But never staple your cover letter directly to your resume because it will make the entire document difficult to read.                  

Should You Staple Your Resume and References Together?

References are very important and some people even put them on a resume. While I don’t think that’s a good idea, it’s an even worse idea to staple your references and resume together.

Here’s the thing, when you staple a resume together, you’re creating something that’s cumbersome to file away, scan, or otherwise deal with. This is why a single page resume is so popular in most job fields.

As a rule, it’s just better to not list your references on your resume and simply say that they are available upon request.

And there is no reason to send over letters of reference if you’re not past the initial interview stage of the job.

Do You Staple a Two Page Resume?

What do you do with a two page resume? Do you staple the two pages of the resume together?

The first answer is that you should not have a two page resume. End of story. There’s no real reason for most people in the workplace to have a two page resume.

However, if for some reason you really find yourself in a spot where you just can’t condense your resume any further, then you should not staple it together.

Well, how do you handle that? There are two ways to deal with this: paperclip or double-sided paper.

Paperclips work well if you’re dealing with an in person interview. If you know that the resume will not be separated and lost.

And of course, there are also places that request that you send in your resume paperclipped if it’s more than one page. If there are special instructions that call for the resume to be paperclipped, then by all means follow that advice.

However, for most people who are applying to the open market, a double sided resume is simply a better way to handle a two page resume.

This solution is going to avoid the dreaded staple.

Is It Ok to Staple Your Resume?

I want to start this off by calming down anyone who has sent in a resume that was stappled. Relax, it’s not a big deal. It won’t kill your chances of getting the job.

It’s not a big mistake if you have already sent in a resume that was stapled. However, moving forward I would suggest that you not staple a two page resume.

As a matter of fact, I would suggest that you not only do not staple resumes but just make the resume into single page.

The stappled resume is always going to be a slight distraction. There’s no reason to not make a resume double sided. It just makes it easier for the interviewer to navigate the resume while speaking with you.

It’s easy enough to print double sided (I have a quick tutorial here for those who are novices).

So, avoid all of the issues with stappled resumes, paperclipped resumes , and all other combos you might think of and simply stick with a double sided version of your resume instead.

Here are the key takeaways from this article:

• Don’t Staple References to your resume—Don’t even have them. List them as available
• Don’t Staple a Cover Letter to your Resume- Cover Letters are separate and for the most part irrelevant
• Don’t Staple Your Resume –Do it double sided