The standard range: 0.5 inches to 1 inch on all sides.

Recommended:

  • Top/bottom: 0.75" or 1"
  • Left/right: 1"
  • Tight (if needed): 0.5" all around

Why this range

  • Below 0.5": looks cramped. Recruiters notice. Signals you're padding.
  • Above 1": wastes real estate. Less content fits per page.
  • 0.5"-1": professional balance. Readable, makes good use of space.

How to set in Word / Google Docs

Word:

  • Layout → Margins → Custom Margins
  • Set Top/Bottom/Left/Right to your chosen value

Google Docs:

  • File → Page Setup
  • Set margins → OK

LaTeX:

\usepackage[margin=0.75in]{geometry}

Other formatting that goes with margins

  • Body text: 10-11pt minimum (Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Times)
  • Headers: 12-14pt
  • Line spacing: 1.0 to 1.15 (single is standard)
  • Bullet indent: 0.25" from left margin

Common mistakes

  • Cheating margins to fit one page. If you're below 0.5" all around, you have too much content. Cut.
  • Wildly uneven margins. 0.3" left, 1" right, 0.4" top, 1.5" bottom, looks broken.
  • Different margins on page 2. If you have a 2-page resume, keep them consistent.

The bigger pattern

Margins are a small detail. They matter for readability, recruiters read better-formatted resumes longer. They don't matter for the ATS.

Sorce auto-tailors your resume per application with proper formatting baked in. 40 free swipes a day.

For more: how long should a resume be, should a resume be one page, how many pages should a resume be.