You might be the most qualified applicant in the world and perfect for the position you are applying for, but unless your resume and cover letter tell that story to the employer, you’ll never get the chance to interview. Here are seven practical tips to improve your resume:
- Short and Sweet — Your resume should be one page long (one page for every 10 years of experience). If you’ve been working for more than 10 years, you may extend to a second page (production resumes are an exception). If your resume runs longer than 2 pages, know that most employers will never read past page one — and may not finish it at all.
- Pretend You Are the Employer — Read your resume as if you were the hiring manager for this specific role. Does it match the job? “Jack of all trades” resumes don’t play well. Keep it focused on the area you’re applying to — for many of you, that means maintaining two or more versions of your resume. Employers are mentally checking off requirements as they read; reverse-engineer your resume to match their checklist.
- Have Your Resume Reviewed — Get three working professionals in your target field to review your resume. This is a great use of your network. Choose friends-of-friends if possible — they’ll give you more honest feedback than close friends or family.
- Don’t Use a Photo — Unless you are applying for an on-camera position, don’t include your photo. Regardless of what you look like, it’s considered unprofessional in most hiring contexts.
- Use Standard, Cross-Platform Fonts — Stick to fonts that render consistently across all operating systems and email clients: Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, or Georgia. Avoid decorative or specialty fonts that may not display as intended on the employer’s computer.
- Use Microsoft Word and Avoid Columns — Word remains the industry standard. Alternative formats (Mac Pages, Google Docs, or PDF) can cause formatting issues or parsing problems if an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is reading your resume. If you use Pages, you can export to .docx, but verify it renders correctly. Avoid columns — ATS software often scrambles multi-column layouts.
- If It Isn’t Working, Change It — If you are applying to jobs you are genuinely qualified for and not getting responses, the problem is likely your resume or cover letter, not the market. If you’re 0-for-20 with your current resume, it’s time to rewrite it.