Best Resume Building Tips to Land More Interviews
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Best Resume Building Tips to Land More Interviews

Your resume is your first impression — and most hiring managers spend less than 10 seconds on it. These expert-backed tips will help your resume cut through the noise, beat applicant tracking systems, and get you the interview.

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01
Quantify Every Achievement

Quantify Every Achievement

Transform vague descriptions into compelling results. Increased sales is weak. Increased sales by 34% in Q3 by launching a referral programme targeting lapsed clients is powerful and memorable.

Rising·Score +21
02
Keep It to One or Two Pages Maximum

Keep It to One or Two Pages Maximum

Unless you have over 15 years of highly relevant experience, one page is ideal. Two pages is acceptable for senior roles. Three pages is almost always too long for most hiring contexts.

Steady·Score +19
03
Tailor Every Resume to the Job Description

Tailor Every Resume to the Job Description

Mirror the exact keywords and phrases from the job posting in your resume. ATS systems score resumes against the job description, and a generic resume can be filtered out before any human sees it.

Steady·Score +16
04
Use Strong Action Verbs to Open Every Bullet

Use Strong Action Verbs to Open Every Bullet

Led, Launched, Engineered, Negotiated, Transformed, Delivered — powerful action verbs create momentum and confidence. Avoid passive constructions like was responsible for at all costs.

Steady·Score +14
05
Lead With a Strong Professional Summary

Lead With a Strong Professional Summary

Replace the outdated objective statement with a 3-line professional summary that highlights your most relevant skills, years of experience, and the specific value you bring to the role.

Steady·Score +12
06
Customise Your Skills Section for Each Application

Customise Your Skills Section for Each Application

Research the technical and soft skills mentioned in the job description and reflect the most relevant ones in your skills section. Generic skill lists are ignored by both ATS and humans.

Steady·Score +8
07
Include Certifications, Courses, and Side Projects

Include Certifications, Courses, and Side Projects

Relevant online certifications from Google, AWS, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning signal initiative and upskilling. Side projects and open-source contributions are particularly valuable in tech roles.

Steady·Score +5
08
Add a LinkedIn URL and GitHub or Portfolio Link

Add a LinkedIn URL and GitHub or Portfolio Link

A complete, consistent LinkedIn profile with recommendations, projects, and endorsements dramatically strengthens your application and gives recruiters the depth a one-page resume cannot.

Steady·Score +2
09
Put Your Most Relevant Experience First

Put Your Most Relevant Experience First

Use reverse-chronological order by default, but consider a functional or hybrid format if you are changing careers or have significant gaps to contextualise creatively and honestly.

Steady·Score +2
10
Include Only the Last 10-15 Years of Work

Include Only the Last 10-15 Years of Work

Older experience signals your age and clutters the resume with irrelevant roles. Unless a past position is exceptionally relevant, omit anything beyond 15 years as a general rule.

Steady·Score +1
11
Use a Clean, ATS-Friendly Format

Use a Clean, ATS-Friendly Format

Avoid tables, text boxes, graphics, and headers. Standard single-column formats with clear section headings parse correctly through every ATS system and ensure your content is actually read.

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12
Proofread With Fresh Eyes or Text-to-Speech

Proofread With Fresh Eyes or Text-to-Speech

A single typo can eliminate an otherwise excellent candidate. Read your resume backwards, use text-to-speech tools, and ask a trusted professional to review it before every submission.

Steady·Score -1
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