Essential Resume Tips: Quick-Fire Advice for Resume Improvement

Your resume has about six seconds to make an impression. In that brief window, hiring managers decide whether you’re worth a closer look or destined for the rejection pile. With stakes this high, every detail matters—from the font you choose to the words you use to describe your accomplishments.

Whether you’re creating your first resume or updating one you’ve had for years, these essential tips will help you craft a document that opens doors. Each piece of advice targets a specific aspect of resume effectiveness, giving you concrete actions to improve your chances of landing interviews.

Formatting Tips That Get Noticed

Visual presentation affects readability and first impressions. Get the basics right before worrying about content.

Choose the Right Length

One page for: Entry-level candidates, recent graduates, career changers, professionals with less than 10 years of relevant experience.

Two pages for: Senior professionals, technical specialists with extensive project lists, executives, academics with publications and presentations.

Never: Exceed two pages unless you’re in academia or a specific field where longer CVs are standard. Every extra page reduces the likelihood your resume will be read completely.

Select a Professional Font

Recommended fonts: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Cambria, Garamond.

Font size: 10-12 points for body text, 14-16 points for your name, 12-14 points for section headers.

Avoid: Comic Sans, Papyrus, overly decorative fonts, fonts smaller than 10 points, multiple font families on the same document.

Use White Space Strategically

Dense walls of text overwhelm readers. Use white space to:

Separate sections clearly
Make bullet points scannable
Create visual breathing room
Guide the reader’s eye to important information

Margins of 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides provide adequate space without wasting valuable real estate.

Stick to Standard Formats

Creative formatting might work for design positions, but most roles call for traditional layouts. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) struggle with:

Multiple columns
Text boxes
Headers and footers
Images and graphics
Tables and complex formatting
Non-standard section headers

When in doubt, choose clean and standard over creative and complicated.

Save in the Right Format

PDF: Best for preserving formatting and ensuring your document looks the same on any device. Use this as your default unless otherwise specified.

Word (.docx): Required by some ATS systems and employers. Have a Word version ready when requested.

File naming: Use your name and the word “resume” (e.g., “Jennifer_Mitchell_Resume.pdf”). Never use generic names like “resume.pdf” or “document1.docx.”

Content Tips That Win Interviews

What you say matters more than how it looks. Focus your content on what employers actually want to know.

Lead with Your Value Proposition

Your resume’s top third is prime real estate—it’s what readers see first. Make it count:

Professional summary: A 2-4 sentence overview of your qualifications, key skills, and career focus. This replaces outdated “objective” statements.

Strongest qualifications first: Whether in your summary or a key skills section, lead with your most impressive and relevant qualifications.

Tailored messaging: Adjust your summary for each application to emphasize what matters most for that specific role.

Quantify Everything Possible

Numbers make accomplishments concrete and credible. Transform vague statements into powerful evidence:

Weak: “Improved sales performance” Strong: “Increased regional sales 35% ($1.2M) in 18 months”

Weak: “Managed large team” Strong: “Led cross-functional team of 15 across 4 departments”

Weak: “Reduced processing time” Strong: “Cut processing time from 5 days to same-day, serving 200+ clients weekly”

If you don’t have exact numbers, estimate reasonably. “Approximately,” “roughly,” and similar qualifiers are acceptable.

Use Action Verbs

Start every bullet point with a strong action verb. Avoid passive constructions and weak openers.

Power verbs for leadership: Directed, led, supervised, mentored, established, initiated, pioneered Power verbs for achievement: Achieved, delivered, exceeded, surpassed, accomplished, attained Power verbs for improvement: Enhanced, increased, optimized, streamlined, accelerated, strengthened Power verbs for creation: Developed, created, designed, launched, implemented, built Power verbs for analysis: Analyzed, evaluated, assessed, researched, investigated, identified

Focus on Achievements, Not Duties

Job descriptions tell employers what you were supposed to do. Your resume should tell them what you actually accomplished.

Duty-focused (weak): “Responsible for managing customer accounts” Achievement-focused (strong): “Grew customer account portfolio from 45 to 120 clients, generating $2.3M in annual revenue”

For each bullet point, ask yourself: “So what?” The answer often reveals the achievement behind the duty.

Include Keywords from the Job Posting

Most resumes go through ATS screening before human review. To pass this filter:

Read the job posting carefully
Identify key skills, qualifications, and terminology
Incorporate these terms naturally throughout your resume
Match exact phrasing when possible (if they say “project management,” don’t just say “managed projects”)
Include both spelled-out terms and acronyms (e.g., “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)”)

Don’t keyword-stuff—use terms naturally within context.

Customize for Each Application

Generic resumes get generic results. For competitive positions, customize:

Professional summary tailored to the role
Bullet points reordered to lead with most relevant experience
Skills section adjusted to match requirements
Keywords incorporated from the specific posting
Irrelevant experience minimized or removed

The extra effort significantly improves your callback rate.

Section-by-Section Tips

Each resume section serves a specific purpose. Optimize each one for maximum impact.

Contact Information

Include:

Full name (larger font than body text)
Phone number
Professional email address
City and state (full address is optional and increasingly omitted)
LinkedIn URL (customized)
Portfolio or professional website (if relevant)

Exclude:

Full home address (unless required)
Multiple phone numbers
Personal email addresses with unprofessional handles
Photos (in the US)
Personal details like age, marital status, or nationality

Professional Summary

Write your summary last, after completing the rest of your resume. This section distills your key qualifications into a compelling snapshot.

Format: 2-4 sentences or 3-5 bullet points summarizing your professional identity, key skills, and career direction.

Include: Years of experience, areas of expertise, notable achievements, relevant credentials, and career focus.

Avoid: First-person pronouns (“I am”), generic phrases (“hard-working professional”), and vague claims unsupported by evidence.

Work Experience

This section typically carries the most weight. Format it for clarity and impact:

For each position include:

Job title
Company name
Location (city, state)
Dates of employment (month/year format)
3-6 bullet points describing achievements

Bullet point structure: [Action verb] + [What you did] + [Result/impact] + [Scope/scale]

Example: “Redesigned customer onboarding process, reducing time-to-value by 40% for 500+ annual new customers”

Ordering: Reverse chronological (most recent first) is standard. Lead each role’s bullet points with the most impressive or relevant accomplishments.

Skills Section

A well-crafted skills section helps with ATS screening and provides quick reference for hiring managers.

Hard skills: Technical abilities, software proficiency, certifications, languages, tools Soft skills: Include sparingly and only when specifically relevant

Format options:

Simple list: “Skills: Project Management, SQL, Salesforce, Data Analysis, Budget Management”
Categorized: “Technical Skills: SQL, Python, Tableau | Tools: Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana”
Rated: Only if you’re honest about proficiency levels

Education Section

Include:

Degree name and major
Institution name
Graduation year (optional if more than 10-15 years ago)
Relevant honors, GPA (if 3.5+ and recent), relevant coursework (for entry-level)

For experienced professionals: Keep education brief and position it below work experience.

For recent graduates: Education can appear near the top and include more detail about relevant coursework, projects, and activities.

Optional Sections

Include these sections when they add value:

Certifications: List relevant professional certifications with issuing organizations and dates.

Projects: Highlight significant projects, especially for tech roles or when you have limited work experience.

Volunteer Work: Include meaningful volunteer experience that demonstrates skills or values relevant to the role.

Languages: List languages and proficiency levels if relevant to the position.

Publications/Presentations: Include for academic or thought-leadership positions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These errors appear frequently on resumes—and they cost candidates interviews.

Typos and Grammar Errors

Nothing disqualifies candidates faster than careless errors. They signal lack of attention to detail and care about quality.

Prevention strategies:

Use spell-check, but don’t rely on it alone
Read your resume backward (word by word) to catch errors
Have someone else proofread
Read it aloud to catch awkward phrasing
Print it out—errors often become visible on paper that were invisible on screen

Inconsistent Formatting

Inconsistency suggests carelessness. Watch for:

Different date formats (Jan 2020 vs. January 2020 vs. 01/2020)
Inconsistent bullet point styles
Varying font sizes where they should be consistent
Inconsistent spacing between sections
Different capitalization conventions

Using “References Available Upon Request”

This outdated phrase wastes space. Everyone knows you’ll provide references when asked. Remove it and use that line for something valuable.

Including Irrelevant Personal Information

Leave off: Hobbies (unless highly relevant), age, marital status, photos, nationality, social security number, religious or political affiliations.

Exception: International positions may have different norms—research conventions for your target country.

Lying or Exaggerating

Background checks catch lies. Exaggerations come out in interviews. The risks far outweigh any benefits. Be honest about your experience and let your genuine accomplishments speak for themselves.

Using an Unprofessional Email Address

“[email protected]” or “[email protected]” undermines your professional image. Create a simple, professional email address based on your name.

Burying the Good Stuff

Hiring managers scan quickly. If your most impressive qualifications are buried in the middle or bottom of your resume, they might never be seen. Lead with your strongest content.

Making Employers Work Too Hard

Your resume should make it easy to see why you’re qualified. If employers have to search for relevant information or connect dots themselves, you’re putting up unnecessary barriers.

Tips for Specific Situations

Different circumstances require different approaches.

Career Changers

When transitioning to a new field:

Lead with a summary that positions your transition
Emphasize transferable skills and relevant accomplishments
Include any training, certifications, or education in the new field
Consider a functional or combination format if your chronological experience doesn’t tell the story well
Minimize or reframe irrelevant experience

Employment Gaps

Address gaps honestly but strategically:

Gaps of a few months need no explanation
Longer gaps can be addressed in your summary or mentioned directly
Include relevant activities during the gap (freelance, volunteer, education)
Don’t try to hide gaps with misleading dates—it looks deceptive

Recent Graduates

Without much work experience:

Lead with education and relevant coursework
Include internships, projects, and relevant extracurriculars
Highlight academic achievements, leadership roles, and skills
Consider a skills-based resume format
Include relevant part-time or summer work

Senior Professionals

With extensive experience:

Focus on the last 10-15 years of experience
Earlier roles can be summarized briefly or combined
Emphasize leadership, strategic impact, and high-level accomplishments
Two pages is appropriate for substantial careers
Consider removing dates from education if it reveals age

Industry Changers

Moving between industries:

Emphasize industry-agnostic skills and achievements
Research target industry terminology and incorporate it
Highlight any exposure to the target industry
Consider informational interviews to understand what employers value
Platforms like 0portfolio.com can help you create materials that showcase transferable skills effectively

ATS Optimization Tips

Understanding applicant tracking systems helps your resume reach human reviewers.

Use Standard Section Headers

ATS software looks for conventional section names. Stick with:

“Work Experience” or “Professional Experience”
“Education”
“Skills”
“Summary” or “Professional Summary”

Avoid creative alternatives like “Where I’ve Made My Mark” or “My Journey.”

Avoid Complex Formatting

ATS systems parse simple formatting most accurately:

Use standard fonts
Avoid text boxes, tables, and columns
Don’t place important information in headers or footers
Use simple bullet points (• or -)
Avoid images, graphics, or icons

Include Keywords Naturally

ATS scans for keywords from the job description:

Match exact terminology when possible
Include both full phrases and acronyms
Repeat important keywords naturally throughout
Don’t stuff keywords unnaturally

Use Standard File Formats

When submitting electronically:

PDF preserves formatting and is widely accepted
.docx may be required by some ATS systems
Avoid .pages, .odt, or image files

Test Your Resume

Before submitting, test how your resume parses:

Copy and paste into a plain text document—can you still read it?
Use online ATS simulation tools to identify problems
Submit to your own ATS if your company has one

Quick Wins: Immediate Improvements

Short on time? These quick changes make an immediate impact.

Replace Passive Language

Find passive constructions and replace with active alternatives:

“Was responsible for” → “Managed” or “Led”
“Was involved in” → “Contributed to” or specify your role
“Assisted with” → Describe what you actually did

Add Numbers

Review each bullet point and add quantification:

How many people, dollars, percentages?
What was the scope, scale, or frequency?
What were the measurable outcomes?

Remove Filler Words

Cut unnecessary words that add length without meaning:

“Successfully” (implied by positive outcomes)
“Various” or “numerous” (be specific)
“Helped to” (just describe what you did)
“Responsible for” (use an action verb instead)

Update Contact Information

Ensure all contact information is current and professional:

Working phone number you’ll answer
Professional email you check regularly
LinkedIn profile that matches your resume
Current city/state location

Check Date Consistency

Review all dates for consistent formatting:

Choose one format (Month Year or MM/YYYY) and use it throughout
Ensure there are no unexplained gaps
Verify dates are accurate

Final Checklist Before Sending

Before submitting any application, verify:

Content:

Professional summary is tailored to the position
Bullet points focus on achievements with quantification
Keywords from the job posting are incorporated
Most relevant qualifications are prominently positioned
All information is accurate and honest

Formatting:

Consistent formatting throughout
Appropriate length (1-2 pages)
Professional font at readable size
Adequate white space
Proper alignment and spacing

Proofing:

Submission:

Correct file format for submission method
Professional file name
Confirmed attachment before sending email
Read through one final time

Conclusion: Continuous Improvement

Your resume is never truly finished. As you gain experience, complete projects, and develop skills, your resume should evolve to reflect your growing value. Set calendar reminders to review and update your resume quarterly, even when you’re not actively job searching. Having a current, polished resume ready means you can act quickly when opportunities arise.

Remember that your resume is a marketing document, not an autobiography. Its purpose is to get you interviews, where you can tell your story more fully. Focus on presenting your most relevant, impressive qualifications clearly and concisely. Cut anything that doesn’t serve that goal.

The tips in this guide address the most common resume issues hiring managers encounter. Apply them systematically, get feedback from others, and continue refining your approach. With persistence and attention to detail, you’ll create a resume that consistently opens doors to opportunities.

Summarize with AI