Resume Guides
15 guides based on the same rules the tools on this site check. Each one tells you what to change on your resume and what the tools can and cannot check for you.
Where to start
Start with What Makes a Resume ATS-Friendly, which explains how applicant tracking systems read a resume and links to the other guides. If you are applying for a specific job, read the tailoring guide and then compare your resume with the posting in the Job Matcher.
Before you send it, work through the pre-submission checklist. Three questions come up on almost every resume: how long it should be (resume length), which file to send (PDF or Word) and what order the sections go in (section order). With little work history, start with the projects section guide. The common mistakes guide lists what to check last, and the evidence page reports the parsing tests behind the formatting advice.
Writing your resume
For writing your summary, bullets, skills and projects.
How to Write Resume Bullet Points
How to structure a resume bullet, choose a verb that matches your part in the work, fix passive phrasing, and decide how many bullets each job needs.
How to Quantify Achievements on Your Resume
How to find accurate numbers for your resume when nobody tracked your work, which kinds of number fit different jobs, and what to write when none do.
How to Write a Resume Summary (With Examples)
A four-part structure for your resume summary, examples from different jobs, how to write the headline above it, and how to adjust both for each job.
How to Write the Skills Section on a Resume
How to structure your resume skills section: grouping, how many skills to list, where soft skills belong, and which entries to remove.
How to Write the Projects Section
When a projects section helps, how to structure each entry, and how to describe a project so a reader can see what you are able to do.
Resume Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Resume mistakes grouped by what they affect: files software cannot read, vague bullets and overused phrases, with where to fix each one.
ATS & keywords
For how applicant tracking systems read and search your resume.
What Makes a Resume ATS-Friendly
What an applicant tracking system does with your resume, which common beliefs about it are wrong, and which changes make a real difference.
Resume Keywords and How to Use Them
How keyword search in an applicant tracking system works, where to put keywords on your resume, how often to use them, and how to read a match score.
Structure and formatting
For section order, layout, fonts, length and file format.
How to Structure a Resume: Sections and Their Order
Which sections your resume needs, what order suits your career stage, which headings parsers recognise, and how to list contact details and certifications.
ATS Resume Format Guide
Which layouts, columns, fonts and spacing choices can break resume text extraction, which choices are safe, and how to test your own file.
Resume Length: One Page or Two?
How long your resume should be for your career stage, what to cut first when you need to lose space, and what to keep.
PDF vs Word: Which Resume File Format to Use
When to send a PDF, when a Word file is the better choice, how to check that your PDF contains real text, and how to name the file.
Applying
For your first resume, tailoring to a specific job, and the final check before you apply.
How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description
A step-by-step way to tailor your resume or CV to a job description: find the real requirements, match them to your experience, and check the result.
How to Write a Resume With No Work Experience
How to write your first resume as a student, fresher or internship applicant: which sections to include, what counts as experience, and how to use projects.
The Pre-Submission Resume Checklist
A full printable resume checklist grouped by section, then which items the free tools on this site check for you and which only you can check.