RÉSUMÉS · 7 MIN READ

10 Résumé Tips That Actually Get You Interviews

By the Empload team · Updated October 30, 2026

Recruiters often spend only a few seconds on a first pass through a résumé. Your goal is not to include everything you have ever done. It is to make the match between you and the job obvious, quickly. These ten habits help.

1. Tailor it to each role

Read the posting and pull out the three or four skills it stresses most. Make sure those appear, in the posting's own words, in your summary and recent experience. A small amount of tailoring beats a generic résumé every time.

2. Lead with results, not duties

"Responsible for customer emails" tells a reader nothing. "Cut average response time from 24 hours to 4 by building a template library" shows impact. For each bullet, ask what changed because you were there.

3. Use numbers where you honestly can

Percentages, dollar amounts, team sizes, and timeframes make claims believable. If you do not have exact figures, a reasonable and truthful estimate such as "about 40 customers a week" still helps.

4. Start bullets with strong verbs

Words like built, reduced, launched, negotiated, and trained are direct and specific. Avoid starting every bullet with the same word, and avoid filler such as "helped with" or "worked on".

5. Keep the format simple

Applicant tracking systems read plain structure best. Use standard headings such as Experience, Education, and Skills. Avoid text boxes, images of text, multi-column layouts, and decorative icons that can scramble parsing.

6. Aim for one page, two at most

If you have under ten years of experience, one page is usually enough. Cut older or less relevant roles down to a single line, and spend your space on the work that best supports the job you want next.

7. Put a short summary at the top

Two or three lines that state who you are, your strongest skills, and what you are aiming for help a reader decide to keep going. Skip vague phrases like "hard-working team player".

8. List skills the way the job does

If the posting says "project management" and you write "managing projects", a keyword search may miss you. Mirror the wording where it is accurate, and only list skills you can discuss in an interview.

9. Proofread out loud

Typos are one of the most common reasons a strong candidate gets passed over. Read the document aloud, check every date and contact detail, and ask a friend to read it as well.

10. Save a version for every application

Name each file clearly, for example "Jordan-Lee-Resume-Acme-Analyst.pdf", and record which version you sent in your tracker. When a recruiter calls two weeks later, you will know exactly what they are looking at.