How Many Copies of My Resume Should I Bring to a Job Interview

How Many Copies of My Resume Should I Bring to a Job Interview It goes without saying that if youre going to a job interview, you should bring a few copies of your resume. This raises the question though, how many? You dont want to seem wasteful and bring too many. You also dont want to have too few if a hiring manager needs a copy. Figuring out the right number of copies isnt quite as important as doing research on the company. However, not having enough copies to hand out in a job interview can lose you some points. Today well outline how you can gauge what the magic number of copies will be. Be Prepared, Even if Theyre Not In an ideal world, every hiring manager would go prepared to the interview and have a copy of your resume in front of them. Making this assumption is dangerous, and you shouldnt rely on the hiring manager bringing a copy. If they dont, and then ask you, you should be prepared to accommodate. Well discuss a few potential situations, and what would be most appropriate for each one. Well start with the easiest scenario. Lets say, youve only been working with one hiring manager/interviewer, and they have informed you that you will be meeting one on one. In this case, you know that you will only be meeting with one person. This makes it easy to prepare. If youve read our blog about what you absolutely need to bring to an interview, you know that having a portfolio is crucial. What is great about a portfolio, is one side acts as a notepad, and the other as a folder. The pocket side is a great place to keep those resume copies. If you are meeting with a   singular hiring manager, you should bring at least 4 5 copies. This may seem like overkill, keeping them in a portfolio makes it easy to bring them along. Preparing for Multiple Round Interviews On the other hand, if you believe you will be going through multiple rounds, you should bring more copies! If you will be interviewing with multiple managers, interviewers, and supervisors in one day, you will be notified ahead of time. No company would spring a multi-round interview on a candidate. This heads up gives you the opportunity to print out multiple copies. Having around 10 15 should be enough. Also, if you are actively searching, it shouldnt hurt to have spare resumes on hand in case you ever run into an opportunity. Much like a business card, having a spare resume on hand is helpful if you happen to network, or run into someone with an opportunity. Oftentimes, having a physical resume to hand over makes a much stronger impression than sending a digital copy after you initially meet. So having a few extra may not be a bad idea. Its never a perfect science, but we hope this breakdown helps you determine how many copies to bring to your next job interview!