Resume Guide
Everything you need to write a resume that gets past ATS and lands on a recruiter's desk.
Format first
Use a clean single-column layout. No tables, columns, headers, or footers. Stick to standard section names: Work Experience, Education, Skills. Save as PDF or .docx. Never save as an image. Use a standard font at 10 to 12pt.
Length
One page if you have less than 10 years of experience. Two pages if you have more. No exceptions. Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on the first pass. Every line must earn its place.
Keywords are not optional
ATS systems rank resumes by how well they match the job description. Read the JD carefully and mirror its language in your resume. If the JD says "stakeholder management", use that phrase, not "managed relationships". Tailor the skills section and at least two bullet points per role to match each application.
Bullet points that land interviews
Every bullet should follow the format: Action verb + what you did + the result. Quantify wherever possible.
- Bad: "Responsible for managing the team's releases"
- Good: "Led weekly release cycle for a 6-engineer team, reducing deployment failures by 40%"
Common mistakes
- Using an objective statement instead of a summary
- Listing job duties instead of achievements
- Including a photo, date of birth, or home address
- Using the same resume for every application
- Spelling or grammar errors. Proofread twice.
The fastest way to tailor your resume
Manually tailoring a resume for every application takes 20 to 30 minutes. ApplyDeskAI's ATS resume builder does it in under 30 seconds, extracting keywords, scoring your match, and rewriting bullet points for that specific role.