Resume Building

Create standout resumes and cover letters that showcase your skills and experience effectively

Resume Fundamentals

Understand what a resume is for and how hiring teams actually read it

Purpose & Length

A resume is a marketing document, not a biography. Its single job is to win you an interview by proving you can solve the employer's problems.

Length One page for fewer than 10 years of experience; two pages for senior or highly technical roles. Never pad to fill space.
Focus Relevance over completeness. Include what matters for the target role and cut the rest.
File Format Submit a PDF unless the application explicitly requests a .docx, which preserves layout across devices.

The 6-Second Scan

Recruiters spend roughly six to seven seconds on a first pass. They scan, they do not read. Make the important details jump out.

What they look for first:

  • Your name and current or most recent job title
  • Company names and dates of employment
  • Job titles and how long you held each
  • Top-line achievements and numbers
  • Keywords matching the job description
  • Education and key certifications

Choosing a Format

Three structures dominate. Pick the one that frames your background most favorably.

Reverse-Chronological Lists jobs newest first. The default and ATS-friendly choice for steady career progression.
Functional Groups by skill rather than timeline. Useful to mask gaps, but recruiters often distrust it.
Hybrid (Combination) Leads with a skills summary, then a chronological history. Best for career changers and specialists.

Anatomy of a Strong Resume

Every section earns its place or gets cut

Header & Summary

The top third of page one is prime real estate. Make it count.

Include:

  • Full name and professional title
  • Phone number and a professional email
  • City and state (a full street address is unnecessary)
  • LinkedIn URL and portfolio or GitHub where relevant
  • A 2-3 line summary tailored to the role, not an "objective"

Experience

The core of your resume. Lead each role with results, not responsibilities.

For each role list:

  • Job title, company, location, and dates
  • Three to six accomplishment-driven bullet points
  • Quantified impact wherever you can measure it
  • Most recent and relevant roles in greatest detail
  • Older or unrelated roles condensed to one line

Skills, Education & Optional Sections

Round out the picture with skills and credentials that match the posting.

Skills Group hard skills and tools. Skip soft-skill buzzwords you cannot back up with bullets.
Education Degree, institution, and year. New grads can add GPA (3.5+), honors, and relevant coursework.
Optional Certifications, projects, publications, volunteer work, languages, and awards when relevant.

Writing Accomplishment-Driven Bullets

The formula: strong action verb + the task + a quantified result

The Formula

Replace duty statements with achievements. Start with a verb, describe what you did, and end with the measurable outcome.

Strong action verbs:

  • Led, built, launched, designed, automated
  • Increased, reduced, generated, accelerated
  • Negotiated, streamlined, resolved, scaled
  • Avoid "responsible for," "helped with," "duties included"

Before & After

See how vague responsibilities become quantified achievements.

Before (weak) "Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts."
After (strong) "Grew Instagram following 240% in 9 months by launching a weekly content series, driving 1,800 monthly site visits."
Before (weak) "Helped reduce customer wait times."
After (strong) "Redesigned the support queue workflow, cutting average response time from 14 hours to 3 hours."

Quantify Everything

Numbers create credibility. Even estimates beat vague claims.

Metrics you can use:

  • Money saved, earned, or managed (budgets, revenue)
  • Percentages of growth, savings, or efficiency
  • Volume: users, tickets, transactions, accounts
  • Time saved or deadlines beaten
  • Team size led or number of stakeholders managed
  • Rankings, scores, and satisfaction ratings

Tailoring to the Job Description

A generic resume rarely wins. Customize for each application

Mine the Posting

The job description is a checklist of what the employer wants. Use its own language.

How to tailor:

  • Highlight repeated skills, tools, and qualifications
  • Mirror the exact phrasing for key terms (e.g. "project management" not "managed projects")
  • Reorder bullets so the most relevant ones appear first
  • Update your summary to echo the role title
  • Cut unrelated experience that dilutes your match

Keywords That Matter

Keywords serve both the ATS and the human reader. Place them naturally in context.

Hard Skills Specific tools, software, methodologies, and certifications named in the posting.
Job Titles Use industry-standard titles the system can recognize, even if your internal title differed.
Avoid Keyword stuffing or hidden white text. ATS and recruiters both penalize it.

Beating Applicant Tracking Systems

Most large employers screen resumes with software before a human sees them

Formatting Do's

Safe

Keep the structure simple and machine-readable so the parser captures every detail.

Do:

  • Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills)
  • Submit a text-based PDF or .docx file
  • Use a single-column layout for clean parsing
  • Spell out acronyms at least once, e.g. "SEO (search engine optimization)"
  • Use standard fonts and simple bullet characters

Formatting Don'ts

Avoid

These elements confuse parsers and can drop your content or scramble it entirely.

Don't:

  • Put critical info in headers, footers, or text boxes
  • Use tables or multi-column layouts for content
  • Embed text inside images, logos, or graphics
  • Use unusual fonts, icons, or special symbols
  • Submit a scanned or image-only PDF

Design & Formatting Best Practices

A clean, consistent layout makes you look professional and reads fast

Readability

If a recruiter has to work to read it, they move on.

Guidelines:

  • Body text at 10-12pt; names and headings larger
  • Generous white space and clear margins (0.5-1 inch)
  • Short bullets, ideally one to two lines each
  • Bold sparingly to draw the eye to key results

Consistency & Fonts

Consistency signals attention to detail, a trait every employer values.

Fonts Stick to one or two clean fonts, such as Calibri, Arial, Garamond, or Helvetica.
Alignment Keep date and bullet formatting identical across every entry.
Tense Past tense for prior roles; present tense for your current position.

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Small errors cost interviews. Steer clear of these

  • Typos and grammatical errors, the fastest way to get rejected
  • Listing duties instead of achievements
  • Using one generic resume for every application
  • Vague claims with no numbers to support them
  • An unprofessional email address
  • Including a photo, age, or marital status (in most markets)
  • Outdated or irrelevant experience crowding the page
  • Dense walls of text with no white space
  • Clichés like "team player" and "hard worker" with no proof
  • Unexplained employment gaps left as red flags

Cover Letters

When written well, a cover letter tells the story your resume cannot

When to Write One

Send a cover letter whenever the application allows it, and always when one is requested.

Especially valuable when you:

  • Are changing careers or industries
  • Have an employment gap to explain
  • Were referred by someone at the company
  • Want to show genuine enthusiasm for the mission

Structure

Keep it to three or four short paragraphs on a single page.

Opening Name the role and lead with a hook, not "I am writing to apply."
Body Connect one or two key achievements directly to the employer's needs.
Close Reaffirm your interest and end with a confident call to action.

Personalization

A recycled letter is obvious and ineffective. Make each one specific.

Personalize by:

  • Addressing the hiring manager by name when possible
  • Referencing a recent company project or value
  • Explaining why you want this role at this company
  • Never repeating your resume word for word

Career Changers & New Graduates

Limited direct experience is not a dealbreaker when you frame it well

For Career Changers

Bridge your past and future with transferable skills and a hybrid format.

Strategy:

  • Lead with a summary that states your target direction
  • Translate prior achievements into the new field's language
  • Highlight transferable skills: leadership, analysis, communication
  • Showcase relevant courses, certifications, or side projects
  • Use the cover letter to explain the why behind the switch

For New Graduates

Lean on education, projects, and any hands-on experience you do have.

What to feature:

  • Internships, capstone projects, and research
  • Relevant coursework and academic honors
  • Part-time jobs that show reliability and teamwork
  • Volunteer roles, clubs, and leadership positions
  • Technical skills, tools, and languages learned

Final Proofreading Checklist

Run through this list before you hit submit

  • Zero spelling or grammar errors (read it aloud and run a checker)
  • Your name and contact details are correct and current
  • Every bullet starts with a verb and shows impact
  • Dates, titles, and companies are accurate and consistent
  • Formatting is uniform across all sections
  • Keywords from the job description appear naturally
  • No personal pronouns or filler phrases
  • File saved as a clearly named PDF (e.g. Jane-Doe-Resume.pdf)
  • A trusted friend or mentor has reviewed it
  • Links to LinkedIn and portfolio work correctly

Related Resources

Keep building the skills that turn applications into offers

Interview Tips

Salary Insights

Career Paths

Portfolio Development

Want Expert Eyes on Your Resume?

Our career advisors can review your resume and cover letter and help you target the roles that fit your goals.

Schedule Consultation Take Skills Assessment