Resume Writing#

Craft resumes that pass ATS filters and impress human reviewers.

ATS Optimization#

Must-Do#

• Use standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
• No tables, columns, or graphics in the main content
• Save as .docx (preferred) or plain PDF (not scanned)
• Use standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica
• Include keywords from the job description verbatim

Avoid#

• Headers/footers (ATS may miss content there)
• Icons, logos, or images
• Text boxes or floating elements
• Fancy formatting (templates with sidebars often fail ATS)

Achievement Frameworks#

STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)#

Situation: Legacy system had 15s page load times
Task: Reduce to <2s for ecommerce conversion
Action: Implemented CDN caching, lazy loading, DB indexing
Result: Page load reduced to 1.2s, conversion up 23%

CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) — shorter variant#

Challenge: 40% customer churn in first 90 days
Action: Built onboarding sequence with 5 touchpoints and milestone tracking
Result: Churn reduced to 12%, NPS improved from 32 to 64

Formatting Rules#

• One page for <10 years experience, two pages max for senior
• Bullet points: 4-6 per role, 1-2 lines each
• Quantify everything: %, $, time saved, scale
• Present tense for current role, past tense for previous