Writing Professional Resumes

I've reviewed 2,000+ resumes this year. Avoid these mistakes that 90% make. 1. Generic Summaries ❌ "Motivated professional seeking opportunities to leverage my skills..." ✅ "Marketing Director who increased e-commerce revenue 47% through data-driven campaigns and strategic partnerships." 2. Missing Numbers ❌ "Led large team and improved sales." ✅ "Led 15-person sales team to deliver $3.2M in new business, exceeding targets by 28%." 3. Cluttered Formatting ❌ Tiny margins, dense paragraphs, and multiple fonts. ✅ Clean headers, consistent bullet points, and enough white space for easy scanning. 4. Outdated Information ❌ Listing your high school achievements and every job since college. ✅ Your most relevant accomplishments from the past 10-15 years that showcase your career progression. 5. RESPONSIBILITY LISTS ❌ "Responsible for managing client relationships and handling complaints." ✅ "Retained 98% of key accounts and turned 3 dissatisfied clients into top referral sources." 6. ATS-UNFRIENDLY DESIGN ❌ Creative formats with graphics, text boxes, and unique fonts. ✅ Clean, standard formatting with relevant keywords that match the job description. Your resume has 7 seconds to make an impression.  Use these tips to make them count. Share this to help others level up their resume! 📈 And follow me for more advice like this.

College students and recent grads: here’s your inside scoop from a CEO who just reviewed 500+ resumes. At REACH, we’re hiring for Q1 2025, and as the CEO, I personally skim through hundreds of resumes to spot top talent. Let me be honest: in a competitive recruitment season, you have seconds to stand out. If you want to rise to the top of the pile, here’s my advice: 4 𝐂𝐄𝐎-𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: 📌 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬. Familiarity catches attention. Highlight the companies, schools, or programs that carry weight at the very top of your resume. As a CEO, I skip the header and dive right into the body paragraphs. Don’t make me dig to find what sets you apart. 📌 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬. Big metrics grab my eye and slow me down. Whether it’s "$6𝘔+ 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥" or "𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 150%", numbers scream 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔. Use them to frame your accomplishments and ensure your skills shine. 📌 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞. If you’re applying for a role in influencer marketing (like at REACH), don’t include irrelevant experience in UI/UX design. Show me you understand the position and can bring value to the specific role. Relevance is everything. 📌 𝐁𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫. Traditional resumes are safe, but a unique design—done right—can make you unforgettable. Think creatively, but prioritize clarity. If your resume is thoughtful, well-structured, and reflects your personality, it’ll stand out and stick with me. 💡 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: The resumes I remember are clear, focused, and demonstrate impact. Take the time to refine yours—you’re competing against hundreds of others, so make every detail count.

6 Resume Changes That Will Immediately Land You More Interviews: Context: What Most Candidates Do vs. What Wins Offers Here’s what most people get wrong: they think resumes are about listing what you did. Wrong. Resumes are sales documents. Your job is to prove you can solve their problems. Here’s how: 1. Start With Quick Wins Use action words like “led” and “developed” for compelling resume bullets. Include the hard and soft skills from the job description. Add measurable results to your bullet points (even if they are estimates). Remove buzzwords like "results-driven" and "team player." These small changes will make an immediate impact. 2. Stop Writing Job Descriptions Anyone can be “Responsible for” something. But that’s not what companies want to see. Instead, use measurable results to showcase your work. For example: “Grew Instagram followers 312% in 6 months”. Results beat responsibilities every time. 3. Kill The Objective Statement Generic objectives won’t grab anyone’s attention. Instead of: “Seeking a challenging position in Marketing”. Replace your objective summary with a Highlight Reel: 3-4 bullet points that showcase your biggest wins – your “Case Studies”. For example: “Marketing leader helping 3 startups scale from $0 to $1M + ARR”. 4. Follow The X-Y-Z Formula To Write Resume Bullets Ever heard of the XYZ formula for writing effective resume bullets? It works like this: Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]. For example: "Increased email open rates by 47% through A/B testing subject lines" Use this formula, then run it through ResyBullet.io to analyze, score & improve. 5. Cut Everything Over 10 Years Old Your internship from 2009 won’t help you land a role in 2025. Remove outdated experience and use that space for recent achievements. You can replace it with one line that says, “X+ years of [Industry] experience available upon request.” Your resume isn’t a biography. It’s a highlight reel. 6. Add Keywords From The Job Description The right keywords are critical if you want to land interviews. Use ResyMatch.io to compare your resume with the job description of the role you are applying for. ResyMatch will identify keyword gaps from your resume according to the job description. Scan, score, and optimize your resume for a better match. —— ➕ Follow Austin Belcak for more 🔵 Ready to land your dream job? Click here to learn more about how we help people land amazing jobs in ~15.5 weeks with a $44k raise: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

This resume got interviews at Amazon, Elevance Health, Cognizant, Autodesk & here are the reasons why: Strategic Information Hierarchy: - Education First: Master's student (graduated May 2025), placing education at the top is a strategic move. It immediately highlights their advanced qualifications and high GPA (4.00). - Clear Sections: Bolded headers like EDUCATION, SKILLS, and WORK EXPERIENCE create a clean, organized layout that is easy for recruiters to navigate quickly. - Consistent Formatting: The consistent placement of dates and locations on the right-hand side makes the timeline of their experience simple to follow. Quantifiable Achievements Everywhere: Metrics are used effectively throughout the resume to demonstrate tangible impact. This moves beyond simply listing duties and shows concrete results. "Boosted performance by 62% and cut test failures by 78%" "Developed a C++ module handling 1.5M+ events/sec" "Structured SQL databases to efficiently process 1TB+ of input voice data monthly" "Applied Elastic Autoscaling EC2 instances... supporting 10,000+ concurrent users" "Fortified hybrid cloud infrastructure by 30%" "Upgraded Natural Language Processing models... boosting overall accuracy by 20%" Action-Oriented & Tech-Specific Descriptions: - Each bullet point begins with a strong action verb, such as "Engineered," "Deployed," "Containerized," "Fortified," "Integrated," and "Revamped." - Key technologies and frameworks (Python, AWS, Azure, Docker, Pytorch, React, Rust, CUDA) are embedded directly within the descriptions of the accomplishments, showing practical application of their skills. Clear Progression Across Experiences: - The resume illustrates a clear and rapid growth trajectory, starting with an infrastructure-focused internship (AWS Cloud Intern) and progressing through machine learning, open-source development, and coaching. - The most recent roles at Elevance Health and Cognizant show a move into more complex AI and backend engineering responsibilities, demonstrating an ability to quickly learn and take on advanced tasks. I've been lucky enough to have mentors who have shared their resumes with me and I want to do the same for others. Find what VERIFIED resumes landed people interviews at Google, Meta, Microsoft: https://bit.ly/3HKbsOO Not every resume should look like this. I’m sharing it because this is what’s actually working in today’s job market. For me, I never had anyone share their resumes that got interviews at companies. It was always a black box. And if this post helps even one person get a foot in the door, then I’ll keep sharing.

👉 “How do I show my impact on my resume when the company I worked for failed or the project wasn’t completed?" It's a common question when I'm reviewing peoples' resumes. Maybe the company ran out of money, the product never launched, or external factors derailed the business. It happens. (Or maybe you left the company, for whatever reason, before the fruits of your efforts were realized.) But here’s the key: your impact - and what the hiring manager wants/needs to see - isn’t just the results. It’s about how you tackled a meaningful business problem. As a product manager, your accomplishments are rooted in solving problems that matter. Did you: • Identify a business problem worth solving? • Persuade leadership that they should fund a solution (allow you to work on it)? • Design and execute a solution to address it? • Work towards an outcome that would have made a significant impact if circumstances had allowed? Here’s how to frame it: • Focus on the problem you solved and the solution you developed. • Use phrases like “expected results” or “projected outcomes” to show the potential impact. • Be transparent about the external factors, but don’t let them define your story. For example:"Customer churn was going up, customer sat was going down and revenue was flat. I created and drove a go-to-market strategy projected to reduce churn by 20% and increase revenue by $2M annually." In interviews, you can expand: "Yeah, the company unfortunately ran out of runway due to another product's failure before we were able to see the full impact, but early indicators - customer sat and profit margins - showed we were on the right track." The bottom line? Your career isn’t defined by a company’s outcome. It’s defined by your ability to focus on meaningful problems, create actionable solutions, and drive towards big business impact—even if circumstances didn’t align perfectly. What’s the toughest challenge you’ve had to frame on your resume?

Last week, my client sent me a screenshot: Their offer letter: $120K base + equity. 3 months ago, they were getting rejected from $70K roles. The difference wasn't their technical skills. It was this systematic approach that 90% of data professionals ignore: Here's what we fixed (and what you're probably doing wrong): 𝟭/ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀. My client was listing their job duties like everyone else. I made them rewrite every bullet using my impact formula: Action → Outcome → Business Value "Built customer churn model → increased retention 15% → saved company $1.2M annually" Numbers talk. Buzzwords don't. 𝟮/ 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. They were sending 50 applications a week and getting nothing. I told them: "Stop. You're wasting time." Instead, we mapped their network: • 12 former colleagues • 8 university connections • 15 LinkedIn contacts at target companies    One coffee chat = three interview invites. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿. They used to list every project they'd ever touched. Wrong move. We picked 3 experiences that matched what each job posting actually wanted. The hiring manager's notes matched our strategy perfectly. 𝟰/ 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. No more "study everything and pray." They practiced medium-level problems for 20 minutes daily. The key: explaining their thought process out loud. When interview day came, they weren't just solving problems. They were teaching the interviewer how they think. 𝟱/ 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. "Tell me about a time you handled competing priorities." They used to stumble through this. We built 5 STAR stories that showed leadership, problem-solving, and results. Confidence = preparation. 𝟲/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. They tried pulling all-nighters to "catch up" on skills. I stopped them. 8 hours of sleep > 16 hours of stressed studying. Energy wins interviews. Exhaustion loses them. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭: We rewrote their resume using my impact formula 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟰: First referral conversation turned into an interview 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟴: They were choosing between 3 offers This system works because I've placed 50+ data professionals using it. I've done 300+ mock interviews. I know what gets offers and what gets ghosted. PS: You can ask me anything in the next 30 minutes. 𝗣𝗣𝗦: When you treat job searching like a system instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall, you get results like this. Ready to build your custom system? Start here: https://lnkd.in/eP5KJrbh

We all know that the first step of looking for a job is having a resume that passes the #ATS! Did you think I was going to say one that expertly and succinctly illustrates the value and impact you created throughout your career? Yes, that is important too, but first you need to think about how you will get your impactful resume past that dreaded ATS! To help you check if your resume is ATS-worthy, here are a few tips: 1. Tailor Your Resume to the Job Description 💎 Tip: Customize your resume for each job application. (I know it’s annoying!) Carefully review the job description and include relevant keywords and phrases that match the role. This increases the chances of passing the ATS filters. 🔥 Action: Highlight specific skills, experiences, and accomplishments that align with the job requirements. Use exact keywords from the job posting. 2. Use a Clean & Professional Layout 💎 Tip: A well-organized resume with a clear, professional design can make a strong impression. Avoid overly complex formatting, graphics, or unusual fonts, as they can confuse the ATS. 🔥 Action: Stick to standard resume formats (chronological, functional, or combination). Use bullet points, consistent headings, and a readable font (e.g., Arial, Calibri). 3. Focus on Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities 💎 Tip: Highlight your accomplishments rather than just listing job duties. Quantifiable achievements demonstrate your impact and value to potential employers. 🔥 Action: Use action verbs and metrics to showcase your achievements. For example, "Increased sales by 20% through strategic marketing initiatives." 4. Include Relevant Keywords 💎 Tip: Incorporate keywords related to the job and industry throughout your resume. This helps the ATS identify your resume as a good match for the position. 🔥 Action: Use keywords naturally in your skills, experience, and summary sections. Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can make your resume difficult to read. 5. Proofread and Edit Thoroughly 💎 Tip: Spelling and grammatical errors can make a negative impression and potentially disqualify your resume. Proofread carefully to ensure it's error-free. 🔥 Action: Use tools like Grammarly for initial checks, but also manually review your resume. Consider having a friend or mentor review it as well for a fresh perspective. Bonus Tips: 💎 Use a naming convention that is memorable for others: Malik_resume_LD_CompanyX.pdf 💎 Use PDF formats when sharing your resume via email or ATS – this preserves your fonts and formatting. If you have any other resume tips, please feel free to share in the comments – let’s support each other in landing those dream jobs! But first…let’s get past that ATS! You got this! #ResumeTips #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #ATS #JobHunting #InterviewTips #CareerGrowth #ATStips #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #GrowthMindedConsulting GrowthMinded Consulting LLC

It’s not a recruiter's job to figure out your value It's not a hiring manager's job either. It's... ...*your* job to make it obvious. If you're a medical sales professional aiming for your next big role, here's the hard truth: ✨ Clarity is your responsibility ✨ Recruiters move fast. They have to. I remember when we'd get orders from no-BS hiring managers to build a panel of 10+ candidates and get them to fly and interview in Denver the following WEEK. THAT kind of fast. Then, the hiring managers make decisions in minutes. MINUTES If they don’t immediately understand what you do, who you help, and the problem you solve—you’ve already lost. At Traction Resume, we coach candidates through this with two simple but powerful questions: 1. WHO DO YOU HELP? (or WANT to help) 2. WHAT DO YOU HELP THEM ACHIEVE? If these are tough to answer, try out and SHARE these frameworks to help others become the Obvious Choice for the roles they desire. ____________________ 1. WHO DO YOU HELP Be *specific*. Not "doctors." Not "healthcare." Drill down. 📌 Framework: I help [WHO] — define them by role, setting, and challenge. ✅ Examples: - “I help orthopedic surgeons in private practice…” - “I help dermatology companies scaling their aesthetic offerings…” - “I help rural PCPs struggling with telehealth workflows…” 2. WHAT DO YOU HELP THEM ACHIEVE? Forget your past titles. Focus on the outcome you create *now*. 📌 Framework: …achieve [GOAL] by [METHOD] in [ARENA] Resulting in [MEASURABLE IMPACT] ✅ Examples: - “…achieve higher patient throughput by streamlining pre-op prep in surgical centers—resulting in 20% fewer cancellations.” - “…achieve better product adoption by coaching clinical staff—resulting in faster onboarding and more renewal business.” - “…achieve revenue growth by introducing diagnostics into workflow—resulting in a 30% increase in billables.” This is what makes hiring managers say: “We need someone like YOU on our team.” So before you update your resume or walk into your next interview, ask yourself these two questions and answer them like your career depends on it. Because it does. xo, Claire

The 'Remote-Ready Resume' strategy that's helped my clients land remote jobs in weeks, not months…👇🏼 Most job seekers are still using resumes designed for office roles while wondering why their resumes disappear into the void. After helping 100’s of people escape their cubicles, I've discovered that a few strategic resume shifts can dramatically increase your remote interview rate. Here's the exact Remote-Ready Resume framework that's working in 2025: ✅ 1 // Lead with location-independent signals Remote hiring managers look for specific indicators that you can thrive outside an office. Transform your resume summary into a "remote readiness statement" that explicitly addresses: • Your self-management capabilities • Your digital communication strengths • Your experience with asynchronous collaboration • Your results-focused work style This immediately differentiates you from candidates who simply say they "want to work remotely." ✅ 2 // Showcase digital collaboration Don't just list random tech skills. Create a dedicated "Remote Collaboration Stack" section that details: • Async communication tools (Slack, Loom, email management) • Project management systems (Asana, ClickUp, Trello) • Documentation platforms (Notion, Confluence, Google Workspace) • Virtual meeting facilitation (Zoom, Teams, presenting remotely) This signals that you're already equipped for distributed teamwork. ✅ 3 // Reframe achievements through a remote lens For each role, highlight achievements that specifically translate to remote value: BEFORE: "Managed a team of 5 and increased productivity by 20%" AFTER: "Led a cross-functional team to 20% productivity increase while coordinating across 3 time zones using asynchronous communication" This simple reframing shows you understand what matters in remote environments. ✅ 4 // Address hidden remote concerns Most remote applications fail because they don't proactively address the hiring manager's unspoken worries: • How do I know you'll actually work without supervision? • Can you solve problems independently? • Will you communicate proactively? Include a brief "Remote Work Approach" section that directly addresses these concerns with specific examples. My client James implemented these changes and went from 0 responses in 30+ applications to 5 interview requests in his next 8 submissions. The remote job market isn't actually oversaturated - there's just an oversaturation of candidates who haven't adapted their approach to what remote companies actually need. 📌 What's been your biggest challenge in landing remote interviews? 🎥 (alrasyidlettering)

This resume landed the candidate a PM interview at Amazon. It’s a masterclass in how you should write resumes to get interviews in 2025. I’ve seen 1000s of resumes during my time as a recruiter at the top companies. This one stopped me as it screams, “I’ve made an impact. I know how to drive results. And here’s proof.” Let’s break it down. → The headline isn’t just a job title. Right under her role, she's written: “Owned messaging platform to create, target, and deliver personalized messages across emails, push notifications, app inbox, and site banners.” This tells me three things immediately: 1. She owned something. 2. She worked across multiple channels. 3. She understands personalization at scale. Most people miss this; they just list tools and teams. She leads with ownership and scope. → Every bullet shows outcomes, not activities. This is where 90% of resumes fall flat. They say what they did, not what it led to. This one says: “AB tested and rolled out event-triggered personalized push notifications... accounted for $35M incremental revenue annually.” That one line tells me she’s data-driven, understands experimentation, and delivered real business value. Same thing here: “Improved targeting capabilities... leading to better engagement and conversion.” “Boosted customer retention by 200bps...” “Launched an inbox feature... added $20 million in revenue.” → The story builds across roles. Each role connects. Groupon → Home Depot → Sears → Amazon → Infosys. Different industries, but the thread is clear: customer experience, personalization, product ownership. There’s a through-line. It doesn’t feel random. That matters. → Formatting that respects time. Bold job titles. Clear sections. Easy to scan. Hiring managers spend less than 60 seconds on most resumes. This one makes that time count. So no, it’s not just the big names that got her the interview. It’s the way she showed her work, told a story, and made the impact impossible to ignore. If you're applying to FAANG, study resumes like this. Not to copy, but to understand how to: → Lead with ownership → Quantify your impact → Align your story to the role → Make every line earn its place And remember, your resume isn’t a summary of everything you’ve done. It’s a highlight of impact you can bring to your next role. Repost this if you found value. P.S. Follow me if you are a job seeker in the U.S. I share real stories and proven frameworks to help you crack your dream offer.