DOS
- Use Jobscan to tailor your resume keywords to the job description.
- Use a resume skills section to include top skills if you’re not sure how to incorporate resume keywords.
- Use the exact job title from the job description on your resume if possible. If you haven’t had the exact title, you can do this by tweaking a previous job title that had the same functions or using an introductory statement.
- Choose common resume fonts like Cambria, Garamond, Palatino, Calibri, and Helvetica.
- Opt for a career summary when including an introductory statement.
- Include months and years in your work history
- List accomplishments on your resume instead of only job duties. Using measurable results in percentages, time, and dollars prove your value.
- Use abbreviations and acronyms to account for all ATS searches [e.g., Certified Public Accountant (CPA)].
- Save your resume with a professional file name. Your first name, last name, and the position works great.
- Check out our full list of resume tips.
DON’TS
- Use the same generic resume for every job.
- Include a “References Upon Request” section.
- Include a headshot on your resume.
- Waste space on a resume objective statement.
- Overuse keywords in an unnatural way just to get noticed by the ATS. This is called “resume keyword stuffing” and hiring managers are trained to notice it.
- Copy and paste the entire job description in white text to your resume to make it “ATS-optimized.” This is easily noticed.
- Add skills you don’t actually have to your resume.
- Rely on variations or different tenses of keywords found in the job description. Use exact matches when possible.
- Get too creative with design (i.e., fancy fonts, tables, formats).
- Submit your resume before spell-checking or having someone else review it.