Most of my clients struggle to get enough interviews to secure job offers. Do you know what’s often holding them—and maybe you—back?
Their resume. It’s often too generic, poorly formatted, and, to be honest, undersells their true potential.
Here’s a short but useful guide to help you turn things around.👇
Good vs. Bad Resumes: Spot the Difference
😭 Bad Resume Example:
- Header: Includes a personal photo, outdated links, and irrelevant personal details like age and birth date.
- Profile Summary: A lengthy paragraph with generic statements like “hardworking and dedicated professional.
- Skills Section: A long list of every tool and technology ever encountered, including outdated ones.
- Work Experience: Descriptions full of buzzwords but lacking specific accomplishments or metrics.
🥳 Good Resume Example:
- Header: Clean and concise with only essential details – name, contact info, LinkedIn profile, and key professional links.
- Profile Summary: A brief, impactful statement highlighting relevant experience, key achievements, and career goals.
- Skills Section: Categorized and focused on current proficiencies and technologies relevant to the job.
- Work Experience: Detailed with specific accomplishments, quantified results, and technologies used.
So, what makes (tech) recruiters happy?
Header:
✅ Do: Include your name, contact info, LinkedIn profile, and any relevant professional links (like GitHub).
❌ Don’t: Add a photo, age, or outdated links.
Profile Summary:
✅ Do: Highlight your top skills and achievements in 2 paragraphs. Be specific about the position. You can use bullet points.
❌ Don’t: Write a generic paragraph full of clichés.
Skills and Certifications:
✅ Do: Focus on your most relevant and current skills. Categorize them for clarity.
❌ Don’t: List outdated or irrelevant technologies.
Work Experience:
✅ Do: Use the CAR (Context, Action, Result) method to describe your roles. Quantify your achievements.
❌ Don’t: Be vague or use buzzwords without backing them up with results.
Making Your Resume Irresistible 💘 to the ATS
Top companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes. Here’s how to ensure yours gets through:
- Use standard formats: Stick to Microsoft Word or Google Docs and save as PDF.
- Keywords: Naturally include keywords from the job description. If the job needs Spark and you’ve used it, make it clear. No keyword = no interview.
- Avoid fancy layouts: Keep it clean and straightforward—no headers, footers, or images.
Final Advice
Remember, your resume is ofte n your first impression. Make it count by being clear, concise, and relevant. Tailor your resume for each job you apply to and keep it updated with your most recent achievements. When I say tailor, I don’t mean rewriting your entire resume—it’s about customizing your CV for each job application.
You don’t need to constantly rewrite your resume. A well-written CV that clearly outlines your key skills, experience, and achievements—and is easy to read—can be reused multiple times.
However, if you’re applying for different types of positions, you do need to customize your CV for each job family. For example, if you’re a data engineer looking to move into a product manager role, make sure your resume highlights relevant skills and experiences.
You got this!