Most Important Resume Writing Questions Answered – FAQ

The purpose of a resume is to get you a job interview. Everything you put on your resume must be considered from this perspective. For it to work, a good resume effectively communicates your qualifications, credentials, skills, experience, and achievements to potential employers. Because it’s a marketing tool, it should answer “Why are you the ideal candidate for a particular job?”.

The essential parts are objective or summary, professional experience, specific skills, education, certifications and other credentials – in that order. Optional elements include references, interests and activities, volunteer work, awards and honors.

A good resume is clear, concise, and tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. It highlights your relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments in a professional format that is easy to read. A good resume isn’t concerned about showcasing everything you can do. It’s concerned about getting the employer to see that you can succeed at the job you are applying for.

Using keywords (specific words and phrases) from the job description helps your resume stand out to both for ATS (applicant tracking systems) and hiring managers. Keep it to one or two pages, be professional and straight forward, and most of all, provide evidence for your claims. A bad resume says “I’m a great salesperson”. A good resume says “I’ve sold $7M worth of cars just last year”. Understanding this distinction is the first key to crafting a great resume. For a full breakdown, see Launch Your Career.

A strong resume tells a compelling career story. First think about what you want to tell your employer. Then present your work history, skills and qualifications in a way that is relevant to the job you’re applying for. Utilize a clear and professional format, highlighting achievements over duties. Once ready, it helps to get it proof read. And if you have access to them, make sure you use one of our templates.

Not all weak resumes look alike. But here are some visual traits that make a resume weak: Cluttered, messy, poorly formatted, disorganized, with spelling and grammar errors, too long, with an unprofessional font or images, hard to read, hard to look at, and hard not to throw away.

Beyond the general appearance, weak resumes lack relevance, clarity and impact. Weak resumes often list duties without achievements or measurable results, have large gaps in the timeline or present inconsistencies in the candidate’s background. While sometimes a single word can throw off a resume, more often than not, weak resumes have a confluence of factors working against the candidate.

Hard skills are specific abilities or knowledge necessary to do a particular job. Different industries have different terms for hard skills. Most importantly, you need to learn what those terms are in your industry and use them.

Once you’ve identified the hard skills you need to put on your resume, here’s how you showcase them:
1. Be specific and concise. Use the exact terms they expect.
2. Use bullet points or short phrases.
3. Quantify when possible (i.e. years, sales volume, number of people managed, etc.)
4. Group similar skills together, organized under related headlines or separate columns.

The number depends on the visual presentation on your resume. The Internet thinks, and many recruiters concur, that you should keep it between 10-15 skills. While this is a helpful guideline, it’s not a rule, and it really depends on the job. Our rule of thumb: every one of the skills that is relevant to the job you’re applying for should be displayed on your resume. Anything above that is a bonus. Anything below that is a deficiency.

If this is your first resume, chances are you lack a long work history. Therefore, you’ll need to write your resume using your education, your hard skills, your soft skills, as well as any non-work experience. To start with, it’s important that you create a resume that looks professional, doing the best you can. Once this is in place, you’ll need to improve it using techniques that make you stand apart from your competition and relate your experience to the professional world. We have a lot of resources that can help. Learn about the Language of Value and the “Instant Track Record Formula” to compensate for your lack of specific experience.

Yes, employers care what your resume looks like. They care about how you organized your information, what information you chose to share with visual emphasis, your level of attention to detail, and your ability to prioritize and communicate information about your professional history. The appearance of your resume matters because a well designed resume helps employers find the information they are looking for easily and quickly. Not to mention, a resume that looks good feels good to read, and how employers feel unquestionably influence their decisions – because they are human.

An unprofessional resume often lacks clarity, credibility, or attention to detail. Especially if it contains spelling or grammatical errors, inconsistent formatting, inappropriate fonts, colors, pictures, or sections. Overall, an unprofessional resume fails to effectively showcase the candidate’s qualifications and professionalism, leaving a negative impression on potential employers. An unprofessional resume may include inappropriate subjects such as religious affiliation, marital status, political affiliations, overly casual language or slang, as well as unverified or exaggerated claims about skills or experiences, all of which undermine the credibility of the applicant.

Please keep in mind that including information about race or gender in a resume can potentially lead to discrimination or bias in the hiring process. While specifying personal pronouns is generally considered acceptable, other elements related to race or gender identity, including photos or explicit statements about these characteristics, can be contentious and may lead to legal issues. It’s essential to focus on qualifications and experiences relevant to the job and avoid including personal details

The top element employers look for on a resume is alignment with the job requirements. This includes skills summary, highlighted experiences, relevant job titles, companies of employment, credentials such as a university degree, the institutions attended, as well as specific accomplishments that match the needs of the position. There are some interesting eye tracking studies that demonstrate how employers skim resumes rather than read them, and we’ve developed our resume templates and guidelines to optimize for human recruiter behavior.

Employers generally prefer chronological resumes which makes it easier to quantify your relevant job experience and see your employment history including gaps in employment (which serve as red flags). A chronological resume lists your work and education experience sorted by date, with the most recent position at top. There are also functional , mixed, targeted, infographic, mini and federal resume formats, each of which have their use and are preferred by specific employers in relevant situations.

If you have gaps in your resume, or lack a relevant title in your last position, you should learn some techniques to mitigate this situation.

While it may be tempting to leave a job you were fired from off your resume, this is generally not advisable. Gaps in employment history can raise questions of their own, and omitting a job may cause suspicion or lead the employer to assume that you’re hiding something. Moreover, you will likely have relevant experience and skills development in that job, which can be utilized to get your next job.

There are a number of scripts to effectively deal with being fired in an honest, ethical and discrete way. It’s more common than you think and learning these scripts can help you too. Your past need not define your future.

On average, the most successful resume layout is a chronological resume that is clean, professional, and easy to read. If you are unsure about where to start, you can simply use the resume layouts provided by Google docs. What you write in your resume is significantly more important than the layout you present, as long as you don’t make it too cluttered, inconsistent or unprofessional.

The chronological (or reverse-chronological) resume is currently considered the best resume format. This format lists your work and education experience sorted by date, with the most recent position at top. It is considered the best format because many employers prefer, and some even expect to, read resumes in this format.

Keep in mind, the best resume format for the specific job you’re applying for, as well as your specific situation may vary. In some situations it may be preferable to use a functional, or mixed format. In other situations, such as academic or government applications, you may be instructed to follow a specific format.

What’s most important is that you tailor your resume layout to the specific job and industry you’re targeting, emphasizing the most relevant information using visual cues and making it easy for recruiters to quickly identify your qualifications.

1. Tailor to the job.
2. Quantify your results and achievements.
3. Be clear and concise – as short as possible, as long as necessary.
4. Use keywords relevant to the job.
5. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.

Avoid including personal information such as age, marital status, religious affiliation, political statements, or photos, as these details are generally irrelevant to job qualifications and can potentially lead to bias or discrimination. Exaggerations, unethical or misleading claims have no place on your resume. Too much information, a wall of text, negative comments about your previous employer, irrelevant work experiences or hobbies that don’t directly relate to the job should also be avoided. Keep your resume focused and concise. Finally, avoid using unprofessional email addresses or outdated contact information.

Your name and contact information should come first. This includes your full name, phone number, email address, as well as any other information you wish to share with that particular employer. Your name should also be the largest element on the page. Remember: a resume is a marketing as well as branding document. You are promoting yourself.

1. Header: Your name and contact information.
2. Professional Summary: This used to be called “objective” but now that is considered passé.
3. Skills: Highlight of your relevant skills to the job you’re applying for.
4. Work experience: listed in reverse chronological order, including job titles, company names, dates of employment
5. Education: Degrees earned, institutions attended, and any relevant certifications or honors – with dates of graduation.

Chronological (or reverse chronological), functional, and mixed.

The main difference is the length. A resume is usually specific to the job you are applying for whereas a CV outlines your broad work history. CVs are more complete compared to resumes, but that does not mean they are preferable. In fact, a resume is a more effective method of communicating your relevant skills to the job you’re applying for compared to a CV, because it primarily includes relevant information. CVs are more commonly used in academic, medical, scientific, or research-related fields, as well as in countries outside of North America.

The majority of employers definitely prefer a chronological (or reverse chronological) format, because this is the format that best allows filtering out unqualified candidates. Because this format lists your professional experience sorted by date, with the most recent position at top, it allows employers to quickly see your track record and identify any red flags. There are many important rules for crafting and formatting chronological resumes that work with the expectations of employers, while also increasing your chances.

While traditionally putting your address on your resume was standard practice, this is no longer relevant as the majority of contact with your prospective employer will take place over the phone or the Internet. Moreover, there’s a chance that your resume may end up on the Internet, even if you send it to a specific employer. In some sense, your resume is a public marketing document. Considering all this, and the fact that having an address on your resume no longer serves an important function, we advice against putting it on your resume.

The most common mistake on a resume is having irrelevant, outdated information or too much information on your resume. Less is more. Be concise, clear and specific to the job you are applying for. Remember: if you are writing a resume for “any job you could get”, you’re not writing an effective resume. A resume must be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for, or at the very least, a specific job title.

Hiring managers spend about 10 seconds or less initially scanning your resume to determine if you are a potential fit for the job. During this brief window, they will skim through your resume and look for key information such as job titles, company names, relevant skills, or credentials. We created our resume guidelines to maximize your chances during this window so that you present your qualifications and value in the best possible light. It’s crucial to make your resume visually appealing, well-organized, and easy to read so that the most important details about you stand out at a glance.

The 30-second rule suggests that after passing the initial 10-second glance, recruiters spend the next 30 seconds on a more detailed review of your resume. They assess your qualifications, such as specific skills, experiences, and achievements that demonstrate your suitability for the job. How you phrase your skills, responsibilities, accomplishments and credentials becomes crucial during this 30 second analysis. See Language of Value for details.

Keywords in a resume are specific terms or phrases that are relevant to the job or industry you’re applying for. Some recruiters or hiring managers search for these keywords, when screening resumes, either manually or through applicant tracking systems (ATS). Other times, the keywords catch attention when your resume is being read. Keywords can include job titles, technical skills, industry buzzwords, certifications, institutions, brands, technologies, historical or public events, as well as specific achievements.

As a general guideline, you should include your most recent and relevant jobs on your resume, typically covering the past 10-15 years of work experience. If you’re concerned about running out of space, you can include some jobs as one liners. Prioritize quality over quantity, highlight the most relevant experiences that demonstrate your qualifications for the target role.

Do not put references on a resume unless it is specifically requested by the employer. Considering the privacy concerns of your references, and the fact that the resumes you send may end up on the Internet, putting your references on your resume is highly discouraged.

On a related note, we also don’t recommend the unnecessary line “references available upon request” on your resume, as this is implied, and that which is implied and obvious has no place on a resume.

Depending on the position, it may be OK. Especially in some fields like IT, or positions which require substantial work experience, multiple page resumes have become mainstream. As a general rule of thumb, however, resumes are highly tailored to the position you’re applying for, and it may serve you better if it fits a single page: if you are like most professionals, the probability that you have too much on your resume is higher than the likelihood of having too little.

You can convey that you are friendly indirectly by using language that demonstrates your interpersonal skills and a track record of working well with others. You could describe yourself as “approachable,” “collaborative,” or “personable” in your summary or objective statement. You can highlight relevant experiences that showcase your ability to build positive relationships with clients, customers or colleagues. You could also explore writing in a friendly tone.

All that being said, it would be much easier to convey that you’re friendly using a cover letter, your social media profiles, as well as other application materials.

Traditional resume scanners and ATS (applicant tracking systems) look for specific keywords, phrases, and formatting elements to evaluate the relevance of each resume to the job opening, while also double checking basic professional requirements like correct spelling and grammar. Modern variant rely on AI and the specific information they look for depends on their training set data.

We highly discourage optimizing resumes for resume scanners or filtering software, and instead, recommend optimizing your resume for human readers. You can learn the full rationale here.

ATS = applicant tracking system. These are basically large databases of resumes that can keep track of applicants, and help HR managers and recruiters search for candidates for specific positions based on job requirements.

Start by correcting the misspelled word so that you don’t send it out again. A single spelling error is not a major concern, but it may cause your application to get filtered out by applicant tracking systems (ATS), or get noticed by a human and be used as a disqualification criteria. Spelling mistakes reflect poorly on your professionalism.

If it is a job you particularly care about, and the error is particularly noticeable, resubmit. Explaining the situation may not reflect negatively on you, especially if you can spin your explanation in a way that highlights how much you care about this position. Of course, this will make you look very enthusiastic about the job, which is usually beneficial, but can also have negative consequences in some negotiations.

Competent and intelligent people take their capabilities for granted. What some people might list as skills or accomplishments, may be insignificant in your mind. This is why, it’s important to follow a resume writing process where you learn how to summarize your career, showcase your value, and overcome writer’s block.

Alternatively, if you are inexperienced or lacking hard marketable skills, you may find it challenging to present yourself in an attractive light. This should be a signal for skills development and investing in yourself. In a few months, sometimes even a matter of weeks, it’s possible to develop new marketable skills.

Most popular resume fonts are Arial, Cambria, Garamond, and Times New Roman (according to Adobe). Another top 5 are Avenir Next, Calibri, Didot, Georgia and Helvetica (according to Indeed). Another list suggests Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Georgia (according to ChatGPT)

Yes. The ideal response to your resume is for the employer to call or text you immediately after reading your resume. That’s what we design our resumes for.

As long as necessary, as short as possible. While there’s no strict rule about exact length, even with 20 years of experience, it’s still recommended to keep it concise and focused, ideally no more than two pages. You should treat it as a prioritization exercise, and only highlight skills and accomplishments specifically relevant to the job and in priority order. The goal of the resume is not to show the world everything you have done or can do, the goal of the resume is to get you the interview.

You should not have any references on a resume, unless specifically asked. It can become a privacy concern for your references in case your resume gets shared.

The Internet seems to think anything over two pages is too long. In our network we’ve seen resumes longer than two pages still perform sufficiently, but it’s hard to know if such resumes would perform better if they would have been shorter.