Resume Writing Tips for Writing a Killer Resume

I just got a resume without an email address on it. The person had some great experience. Good companies, progressive career growth. What are they thinking?! I get this more often than you would think. Sometimes I receive resumes without telephone numbers. Yikes!

People seem to think that if I sent you the resume, you have my email. That’s putting way too much effort and responsibility on the other end to get it right. Don’t leave it to chance. 99.5% of recruiters (corporate and third-party) use ATS’s (Applicant Tracking Systems). We live and die by our ATS. That’s our bread and butter. The ATS will search for specific words or key phrases. It’s important you understand how this works if you want your resume to be seen by a real person.


The first thing you want to do when writing a good resume is to reflect. Don't rush to your computer. Answer these few basic questions:

Why do I want this job?
What are my strengths?
How do my qualifications match what the employer is looking for?
How can I best meet the employer's needs?
How can I distinguish myself from other applicants?
How can I convey to the employer that I am the best candidate for the job?

Below are important tips for making sure your resume can attract the attention it deserves.

1. Use a font size of 12 to 14 points.
2. Use standard typefaces like Helvetica, Geneva or Arial.
3. Avoid fancy typefaces, vertical/horizontal lines, boxes and graphics.
4. Don't use multiple column formats
5. Make sure your name, address, phone numbers and email are at the top within the margins.
6. Use a Word document for your resume. Don’t be tempted to send a PDF file. I don’t know why, but sometimes PDF’s don’t covert well in ATS’s.
7. Avoid the first person pronoun. The pronoun “I” has no place in a resume — and for a logical reason: Who else would you be talking about if not yourself?
8. Resumes call for short, crisp statements. These statements do not necessarily have to be complete sentences; you can frequently leave out the articles a, an, and the.
9. Make sure you list and use your key skills. Remember, searches are conducted using key word searches.
10. Since you also don't know the exact keyword that will used for search criteria, it makes sense to also use synonyms, various forms of your keywords. Use spelled-out and acronym versions of common terms. For example, use both "manager" and "management;" try both CRM and Customer Relationship Management.
11. If you are responding to an ad, adjust your resume to match the description more closely.
12. List your qualifications in order of relevance, from most to least.
13. Quantify your experience wherever possible. Use numerical figures, such as monetary budgets, funds saved, time periods, efficiency improved, lines of code written, debugged, numbers of machines administered, fixed, etc. which demonstrates progress or accomplishments due directly to your work.
14. Proofread, proofread, and proofread. Be sure to catch all spelling errors, grammatical weaknesses, unusual punctuation, and inconsistent capitalizations. Proofread it numerous times over at least two days to allow a fresh eye to catch any hidden mistakes.


GOOD LUCK!