On May 29, 2025, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Acting Director,
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued a joint memorandum communicating the
Merit Hiring Plan in response to the January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14170, Reforming the
Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service.
In short this directive lays out the formatting requirements for applications to ALL federal agencies:
Q1 – Are all agencies, to include small and independent agencies, covered by the Merit
Hiring Plan?
- Response: Yes. All agencies, including independent agencies, are required to comply
with the requirements and implementation of the Merit Hiring Plan.
Two-Page Resumes
Q29 – When does the 2-page limit on resume length go into effect? Will there be a phase out
timeline?
- Response: OPM is granting a transition period for agencies to implement the 2-page
resume. This transition period will end on September 27, 2025, at which time applicants
will be required to adjust their resume to the new 2-page limit before applying to a
Federal job through USAJOBS. This transition period ensures that applicants are not
immediately penalized and have ample opportunity to revise their resumes accordingly.
Agencies will need to consult with their talent acquisition system (TAS) provider on a
technical solution for how to handle resumes that are directly uploaded into the TAS
during the application process.
Q33 – How will the 2-page resume limit impact non-Title 5 positions and judicial and
legislative branch agencies that post jobs on USAJOBS?
- Response: USAJOBS will restrict all resumes to 2-pages. If judicial and legislative
branch agencies want to accept resumes longer than 2-pages, they will need to add
language to the job opportunity announcement with instructions for applicants on how to
submit a longer resume.
Q34 – Can I select a candidate with a resume longer than 2-pages for placement from a
Talent Program or RPL list?
- Response: Agencies may consider applicants with resumes longer than 2 pages in
existing Talent Programs and Reemployment Priority Lists because those resumes are
considered placement resumes, not hiring resumes. Hiring resumes, which are submitted
for job announcements, must comply with the 2-page limit.
In short, this guidance limits the maximum length of federal resumes to two pages. The guidance does not require specific formatting requirements such as a certain font, font size, or other specialized formatting other than what was already required for federal applications.
To read the full guidance, please go here: opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/merit-hiring-plan-frequently-asked-questions/
