13 answers
1
Question
13 answers
Updated
Thomas’s Answer
One of the first things we need to do is change how we view resumes and job searching. It's no longer a job search; it's a career marketing campaign. So you need to lead with your value, and the resume is the career marketing tool. So a lot of people forget about themselves, and the resume becomes a list of functions and keywords, and that's not going to sell or market you.
● Now, as a college grad, sometimes you don't have that work experience, but you might have worked at a summer camp, worked in a corner deli, done internships, worked in a family business, or done volunteer work, and all that has value.
So you want to describe what you did in those places with a quick snapshot of what it was about; what did you have control over?
● Then you want to have bullet points that showcase ways you made an impact, ways you improved things, and how you did it.
● Sometimes you can talk about your takeaways; especially if it's an internship, you want to cover what you improved and what you learned.
All of this shows you're ready to hit the ground running with those core people skills. Collaboration, teamwork, organizing, problem-solving, and those types of functions are very important early in your career.
● The resume needs to be laid out in a way that feeds into the applicant tracking and source systems and that naturally makes it easy for the recruiter to flow through your story and really get an understanding of who you are, where you've been, and what you're targeting.
● The career summary is the opportunity to lead with you, your strengths, your target, and what you bring to the table.
● Your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and your cover letter are the top three career marketing tools. They need to paint a picture of you as a total asset to the company. Companies are like people: they hire problem solvers. You need to convince, through your career marketing tools, that you can solve problems.
● Be careful using templates you find online. A lot of them don't read well in ATS systems, and when you use a template that's two columns, you compete for the reader's attention. So, certain templates don't work well for a few reasons.
● Now, as a college grad, sometimes you don't have that work experience, but you might have worked at a summer camp, worked in a corner deli, done internships, worked in a family business, or done volunteer work, and all that has value.
So you want to describe what you did in those places with a quick snapshot of what it was about; what did you have control over?
● Then you want to have bullet points that showcase ways you made an impact, ways you improved things, and how you did it.
● Sometimes you can talk about your takeaways; especially if it's an internship, you want to cover what you improved and what you learned.
All of this shows you're ready to hit the ground running with those core people skills. Collaboration, teamwork, organizing, problem-solving, and those types of functions are very important early in your career.
● The resume needs to be laid out in a way that feeds into the applicant tracking and source systems and that naturally makes it easy for the recruiter to flow through your story and really get an understanding of who you are, where you've been, and what you're targeting.
● The career summary is the opportunity to lead with you, your strengths, your target, and what you bring to the table.
● Your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and your cover letter are the top three career marketing tools. They need to paint a picture of you as a total asset to the company. Companies are like people: they hire problem solvers. You need to convince, through your career marketing tools, that you can solve problems.
● Be careful using templates you find online. A lot of them don't read well in ATS systems, and when you use a template that's two columns, you compete for the reader's attention. So, certain templates don't work well for a few reasons.
Updated
Johnson’s Answer
Hi Caniyah,
To improve your resume, tailor it to the job you're applying for. Highlight your experience that shows responsibility, people skills, and leadership.
If you're still in school and lack work experience, include:
- School clubs or activities
- Volunteering
- Leadership roles, even small ones
- Completed projects
- Awards or achievements
- Skills like being tech-savvy or a good communicator
Ensure your resume looks neat. Check spelling and keep the format simple. It's wise to have a teacher, counselor, or mentor review it before you send it out.
Remember, a great resume isn't about listing many jobs—it's about showing what you've learned and what you offer. You've got this!
Next step: Ask a teacher, counselor, or someone you trust to review your resume and provide feedback before you start applying.
To improve your resume, tailor it to the job you're applying for. Highlight your experience that shows responsibility, people skills, and leadership.
If you're still in school and lack work experience, include:
- School clubs or activities
- Volunteering
- Leadership roles, even small ones
- Completed projects
- Awards or achievements
- Skills like being tech-savvy or a good communicator
Ensure your resume looks neat. Check spelling and keep the format simple. It's wise to have a teacher, counselor, or mentor review it before you send it out.
Remember, a great resume isn't about listing many jobs—it's about showing what you've learned and what you offer. You've got this!
Next step: Ask a teacher, counselor, or someone you trust to review your resume and provide feedback before you start applying.
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Caniyah. The best way to improve your resume is to make sure it clearly shows what you can do and what you have accomplished, rather than simply listing your responsibilities. You should tailor your resume to each position and using keywords from the job description when they genuinely match your experience. Also, use strong action words such as organized, managed, created, assisted, and improved.
Keep the formatting simple and consistent, with clear headings, readable spacing, and easy-to-scan sections. Focus on your most relevant education, work experience, skills, projects, volunteer work, and achievements. If you have limited work experience, include school projects, internships, clubs, leadership roles, or volunteer activities that demonstrate useful skills.
Furthermore, try to include specific results when possible. For example, instead of saying "Helped customers," you could say "Assisted customers with product questions and helped resolve issues during busy shifts." Numbers and measurable results can make your experience more convincing.
Keep the formatting simple and consistent, with clear headings, readable spacing, and easy-to-scan sections. Focus on your most relevant education, work experience, skills, projects, volunteer work, and achievements. If you have limited work experience, include school projects, internships, clubs, leadership roles, or volunteer activities that demonstrate useful skills.
Furthermore, try to include specific results when possible. For example, instead of saying "Helped customers," you could say "Assisted customers with product questions and helped resolve issues during busy shifts." Numbers and measurable results can make your experience more convincing.
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hey Caniyah!
A few tips that always come to mind when I'm reading the resumes of others:
- Order out your experience in chronological order (Start with the most recent thing first, and work downwards)
- Put emphasis on the experience that might be relevant to the job you're applying to. If you're applying to work as a Sales Person, it might be most relevant to keep any experience you had dealing with customers first.
- Remove experience that you feel might not be representative of the truth. Sometimes I find candidates embelish certain skills to look better to a recruiter, but nothing is more of a flag than talking to someone and realizing something they shared isn't true.
Lastly, be concise. Use short sentences that speak directly to your work.
Ryan
A few tips that always come to mind when I'm reading the resumes of others:
- Order out your experience in chronological order (Start with the most recent thing first, and work downwards)
- Put emphasis on the experience that might be relevant to the job you're applying to. If you're applying to work as a Sales Person, it might be most relevant to keep any experience you had dealing with customers first.
- Remove experience that you feel might not be representative of the truth. Sometimes I find candidates embelish certain skills to look better to a recruiter, but nothing is more of a flag than talking to someone and realizing something they shared isn't true.
Lastly, be concise. Use short sentences that speak directly to your work.
Ryan
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
That's a great question! Here's a method I find helpful: Start by making a "master resume" where you list all your experiences and achievements in detail. Don't worry about the length at this stage. Then, for each job application, customize your resume. Look at the job description and highlight the points that match your experiences. You can adjust the wording to align with what the employer is seeking, but be honest about your skills and experiences.
Once you have the relevant information, edit it down to a clear and concise one-page resume, especially if you're just starting your career. If you need help making it shorter, consider using AI tools to improve word choice. But remember, keep your resume in your own voice to make it genuine.
Good luck!
Once you have the relevant information, edit it down to a clear and concise one-page resume, especially if you're just starting your career. If you need help making it shorter, consider using AI tools to improve word choice. But remember, keep your resume in your own voice to make it genuine.
Good luck!
Updated
Robel’s Answer
A few simple ways to improve your resume:
✅ Keep it to one page if you're a student or early in your career.
✅ Highlight internships, volunteer work, projects, clubs, and leadership experiences.
✅ Use action words like led, created, organized, analyzed, and improved.
✅ Include relevant skills such as Excel, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
✅ Tailor your resume to each job by emphasizing the most relevant experience.
My biggest tip: focus on showing what you accomplished, not just what you did. Employers love seeing results and impact, even from school projects or extracurricular activities. 😊
✅ Keep it to one page if you're a student or early in your career.
✅ Highlight internships, volunteer work, projects, clubs, and leadership experiences.
✅ Use action words like led, created, organized, analyzed, and improved.
✅ Include relevant skills such as Excel, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
✅ Tailor your resume to each job by emphasizing the most relevant experience.
My biggest tip: focus on showing what you accomplished, not just what you did. Employers love seeing results and impact, even from school projects or extracurricular activities. 😊
Updated
Azwa’s Answer
Hi , here is my recommendation
Length: 1 page for most levels (up to 2 pages max for senior/principal+ with extensive scope)
Sections, top to bottom:
Name, title/current role, contact info (email, phone, LinkedIn optional)
Professional Summary (2–3 lines) :scope, function, standout strength
Experience (reverse chronological) :company/team, title, dates, then bullets
Skills (tools, technical skills, certifications)
Education
Clean formatting: consistent font, no graphics/photos, no tables/columns (many ATS systems can't parse them), simple bullet points
Keep each experience to a max of 2 lines but make sure to keep the stories in STAR format
1. Situation/Problem (what was broken, risky, or opportunity-sized) : often just implied by context, not spelled out
2. Action (what you specifically did)
3. Result (quantified outcome, ideally tied to business impact)
Length: 1 page for most levels (up to 2 pages max for senior/principal+ with extensive scope)
Sections, top to bottom:
Name, title/current role, contact info (email, phone, LinkedIn optional)
Professional Summary (2–3 lines) :scope, function, standout strength
Experience (reverse chronological) :company/team, title, dates, then bullets
Skills (tools, technical skills, certifications)
Education
Clean formatting: consistent font, no graphics/photos, no tables/columns (many ATS systems can't parse them), simple bullet points
Keep each experience to a max of 2 lines but make sure to keep the stories in STAR format
1. Situation/Problem (what was broken, risky, or opportunity-sized) : often just implied by context, not spelled out
2. Action (what you specifically did)
3. Result (quantified outcome, ideally tied to business impact)
Updated
Dan’s Answer
Hi Caniyah,
The best advice I can give you for building and improving a resume is using field specific information. Try and tailor your resume to mold into the field you're applying for jobs in. For example, if you're applying to jobs in tehcnology, your experience in food service wouldn't make sense to include. You don't want the employers to have to question why something is included on a resume, when they look at it, they should see why you are more than qualified and all of experience/skills make sense to be included. I like to use multiple resumes that target different areas in my field to be able to secure jobs in many different sectors
The best advice I can give you for building and improving a resume is using field specific information. Try and tailor your resume to mold into the field you're applying for jobs in. For example, if you're applying to jobs in tehcnology, your experience in food service wouldn't make sense to include. You don't want the employers to have to question why something is included on a resume, when they look at it, they should see why you are more than qualified and all of experience/skills make sense to be included. I like to use multiple resumes that target different areas in my field to be able to secure jobs in many different sectors
Updated
Anjali’s Answer
To improve your resume, focus on quantifiable achievements, strong action verbs, and tailored keywords for applicant tracking systems.
Key Steps to Improve Your Resume
Use a reverse-chronological format: Put your most recent and relevant work experience at the top so hiring managers see your latest qualifications first.
Move your skills section up: Place your core technical skills and tools directly under your professional summary so they are immediately visible.
Quantify your accomplishments: Use numbers, percentages, and metrics to show the real impact of your work rather than just listing daily tasks.
Start with action verbs: Replace passive phrases like "responsible for" with strong action words like spearheaded, implemented, or optimized.
Tailor for ATS keywords: Review the job description and include exact keywords and skills required for the role to pass automated screening systems.
Keep it concise and clean: Limit errors by proofreading out loud, avoiding dense paragraphs, and sticking to a clean, professional font and layout.
Key Steps to Improve Your Resume
Use a reverse-chronological format: Put your most recent and relevant work experience at the top so hiring managers see your latest qualifications first.
Move your skills section up: Place your core technical skills and tools directly under your professional summary so they are immediately visible.
Quantify your accomplishments: Use numbers, percentages, and metrics to show the real impact of your work rather than just listing daily tasks.
Start with action verbs: Replace passive phrases like "responsible for" with strong action words like spearheaded, implemented, or optimized.
Tailor for ATS keywords: Review the job description and include exact keywords and skills required for the role to pass automated screening systems.
Keep it concise and clean: Limit errors by proofreading out loud, avoiding dense paragraphs, and sticking to a clean, professional font and layout.
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
Definitely tailor your resume to each job you apply to when you can! It can be as simple as having a ‘Key Skills’ section and swapping out a few bullets so they align with the skills and qualifications listed in the job description. Also, formatting matters way more than you might think. You want your resume to be clean, organized, and easy to skim. Platforms like Canva have tons of resume templates you can use as a starting point. And try to focus your bullet points on what you actually accomplished rather than just listing your responsibilities. Numbers and specific results can make a big difference!
Updated
Melanie’s Answer
Start each bullet point by highlighting the outcome, such as reducing time-to-fill by 50%. Use numbers like percentages, dollars, or time saved to show impact. Focus on results instead of just listing tasks. Customize your most important points to match the job you're aiming for, instead of listing everything in order. Also, make sure it fits on one page.
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Find a decent resume template online
2. Put in your information into the template
3. When you identify an opening that suits you, read the job description carefully, identify the areas you can meet the requirements
4. Customize your cv stress onnthe areas uou have strength and meet tge requirements
5. Use AI to fine tune your cv
Hope thus hepis! Good luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions :
1. Find a decent resume template online
2. Put in your information into the template
3. When you identify an opening that suits you, read the job description carefully, identify the areas you can meet the requirements
4. Customize your cv stress onnthe areas uou have strength and meet tge requirements
5. Use AI to fine tune your cv
Hope thus hepis! Good luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Updated
Swasti’s Answer
Hi Caniyah,
Thats a very valid question!
As someone who has interviewed quite often and been an interviewer too, My biggest takeaway here would be to try to keep your Resume as authentic as possible. Over boasting on things or creating a fall impression falls negatively back on you.
Secondly, keep the resume short and crisp. Because no one frankly has time and energy to go through the lengthy ones!
Thirdly, try and show what Impact YOU created in your role. That immediately creates value of your presence.
Best,
Swasti
Thats a very valid question!
As someone who has interviewed quite often and been an interviewer too, My biggest takeaway here would be to try to keep your Resume as authentic as possible. Over boasting on things or creating a fall impression falls negatively back on you.
Secondly, keep the resume short and crisp. Because no one frankly has time and energy to go through the lengthy ones!
Thirdly, try and show what Impact YOU created in your role. That immediately creates value of your presence.
Best,
Swasti