Don’t try to cram every skill and work experience onto your resume. Treat your resume as a marketing document highlighting only the most relevant accomplishments and skills for each role. Tailor your resume for every application.
Keep a full resume outline with all your qualifications. Save a master version on your computer with all past positions, projects, and achievements so you can easily swap information depending on the job.
Ditch the objective statement. Only use an objective if you are making a major career change. Otherwise, skip it—it can appear outdated.
Put the best, most relevant information first. Ensure the top third of your resume shows your key qualifications to hook the hiring manager. If your most recent position isn’t the most relevant, lead with a skills section or summary.
Choose the right resume format. Reverse-chronological format is usually best. Only use functional or combination resumes when necessary.
Keep it concise. One page is ideal, two pages only if you have extensive relevant experience. Prioritize content that matters most.
Include relevant links. Add links to portfolios, personal websites, or professional social media profiles, but avoid hyperlinking key words that recruiters need to read.
Be aware of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). Use ATS-friendly formatting and keywords to ensure your resume passes automated screenings.
Keep your format simple. Use clean fonts (like Helvetica or Arial) and white space to make your resume readable for humans and ATS.
Stand out with ATS-friendly design elements. Bold, italics, underlines, bullets, colors, and readable columns are safe; avoid anything ATS can’t parse.
Avoid unreadable design elements. Skip tables, text boxes, logos, images, graphics, headers/footers, uncommon fonts, or vertical-only columns.
Make your contact info prominent. Include phone number, professional email, LinkedIn profile, and optional pronouns. Physical address is optional.
Design for skimmability. Use bullets, headings, and concise phrasing so hiring managers can scan your resume quickly.
Keep work experience recent and relevant. Show the past 10–15 years and prioritize roles most aligned with the job.
Include transferable skills and experiences. Highlight relevant skills gained from side projects, volunteering, or academic work.
Write achievement-focused bullet points. Start with an action verb, highlight skills used, and show measurable results. Example: “Developed an upgrade to the employee database, improving efficiency by 35%.”
Curate bullet points and experiences. Limit bullets to 8 for your most relevant job, 4–6 for earlier roles.
Use numbers whenever possible. Quantify results to show impact and scale
Include non-traditional work. List freelance, part-time, contract, volunteer work, internships, and career breaks if relevant.
Use important keywords from the job description. Incorporate skills and tools mentioned (e.g., CRM, Salesforce) to match ATS searches.
Put experience first, education later. Unless you’re a recent graduate, lead with work experience.
Keep education in reverse chronological order. Most recent or advanced degrees first; highlight coursework if it’s highly relevant.
Remove dates from education after a few years. Employers care more about degrees than graduation year.
Highlight honors and achievements, not GPA. Showcase awards, projects, or relevant accolades rather than numerical GPA.
Include continuing or online education. Especially useful if experience is limited.
Don’t forget your skills section. List relevant technical, software, and specialized skills for the role.
Include skills elsewhere, too. Demonstrate key skills in your bullet points to show real-world application.
Organize skills for readability. Group by category, e.g., “Software Skills” or “Language Skills.”
Show soft skills instead of just listing them. Demonstrate leadership, communication, or teamwork through achievements in bullet points.
Include relevant certifications and licenses. Especially if legally required for the job.
Show personality selectively. Only include interests relevant to the job.
Avoid controversial interests. Be cautious with political, religious, or other sensitive activities.
Add awards and achievements when relevant. Include company-specific or personal accolades if they demonstrate skills or work ethic.
Cut short-term jobs. Exclude jobs lasting only a few months unless directly relevant.
Be strategic with dates for shorter gaps. Use years only or duration of work, and stay consistent.
Explain serial job hopping. Provide short, honest reasons like “company closed” or “relocated.”
Explain long breaks. Use a summary statement and include part-time, freelance, or volunteer work.
Be intentional with career gaps. Frame gaps in a way that shows skills developed or relevant activities.
Ditch “References available upon request.” Employers will ask if interested.
Proofread thoroughly. Check spelling, grammar, and formatting multiple times.
Save as PDF or Word (.docx). PDFs preserve formatting; Word files allow ATS parsing.
Name your file clearly. Use “Jane Smith Resume” or include the position, e.g., “Jane Smith Marketing Analyst Resume.”
Keep your resume outline updated. Regularly add new responsibilities, skills, and achievements to stay ready for opportunities.
