How to Write a Resume That Actually Gets You Interviews

Your resume gets six seconds. That's how long recruiters spend on the first pass. Six seconds to decide if you're worth a deeper look or if you're going straight to the rejection pile.

But here's the thing: most resumes fail in the first two seconds because they're formatted wrong, use the wrong keywords, or bury the important stuff where no one will see it. The other four seconds? That's your chance to prove you can actually do the job.

This guide shows you how to write a resume that survives both the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) robots and the human reviewers. You'll learn what actually matters, what's a waste of space, and how to make your experience stand out when you're competing against hundreds of other candidates.

Why Most Resumes Get Rejected

About 75% of resumes never reach a human. They're filtered out by ATS software that scans for keywords, formatting, and relevant experience. Of the ones that do make it through, most get rejected in that six-second scan.

The common problems:

• Generic content that could apply to anyone. "Responsible for managing projects and working with teams" tells me nothing about what you actually accomplished.
• No metrics or results. Did you increase sales? By how much? Reduce costs? Save time? If there's no number, I don't know if you made an impact.
• Poor formatting that breaks ATS systems. Tables, text boxes, headers, footers, and fancy graphics might look nice but they confuse the software trying to parse your resume.
• Missing keywords from the job description. If the job asks for "project management" and your resume says "oversaw initiatives," the ATS might not connect them.
• Too long or too short. A 3-page resume for someone with 5 years of experience looks unfocused. A half-page resume for someone with 15 years looks like you're hiding something.

The fix isn't complicated, but it does require actually tailoring your resume to each job instead of sending the same generic version everywhere.

The Resume Format That Works

Forget about creative formats, infographics, or columns. ATS systems can't read them reliably, and even if they could, recruiters don't want to hunt for basic information.

Use this structure:

Header

Your name (larger and bold), then contact info on one line: phone | email | LinkedIn | portfolio/website (if relevant). Include city and state, but you don't need a full address anymore.

Don't: Add a headshot, your full mailing address, or a link to your Facebook. Keep it professional and simple.

Professional Summary (3-4 sentences)

This replaced the old objective statement. Instead of "Seeking a challenging position where I can grow," you're proving why you're qualified right at the top.

Format: [Your title] with [X years] of experience in [industry/domain]. Expert in [2-3 key skills]. Notable for [biggest achievement or unique value]. [Optional: Currently seeking role in X].

Example: "Senior Product Manager with 8 years of experience in B2B SaaS. Expert in product strategy, roadmap planning, and cross-functional team leadership. Led product that grew from $5M to $45M ARR in 3 years. Seeking senior PM role at growth-stage tech company."

Work Experience (Reverse Chronological)

This is the meat of your resume. List jobs starting with the most recent. For each:

Company Name | Your Title | Location | Dates (Month Year - Month Year)

Then 4-6 bullet points describing what you did and what you achieved. More bullets for recent roles, fewer for older ones. Drop anything older than 10-15 years unless it's directly relevant.

Each bullet point should start with a strong action verb (Led, Built, Increased, Launched, Reduced) and include a measurable result when possible.

Skills

List your technical skills, tools, and relevant expertise. Use keywords from the job description. If you're in tech, separate by category: Languages, Frameworks, Tools, etc. If you're not, just list them cleanly.

Don't list soft skills here ("great communicator", "team player"). Show those through your work experience instead.

Education

Degree | University | Graduation Year. That's it. You don't need your GPA unless you're a recent grad and it's above 3.5. You don't need coursework unless you're entry-level and it's relevant to the role.

Optional Sections

Add these if they strengthen your application: Certifications (especially for technical roles), Publications (for academic or research roles), Projects (for developers or designers), Awards (if notable).

Skip: hobbies, references, "references available upon request" (they know), and anything before college unless it's directly relevant.

Writing Bullet Points That Actually Matter

This is where most resumes fall apart. People write about their responsibilities instead of their achievements. They use weak language and forget to quantify results.

Here's the difference:

Bad: "Responsible for managing social media accounts and creating content."

Good: "Grew Instagram following from 2K to 47K in 8 months through consistent content strategy and influencer partnerships, resulting in 320% increase in website traffic."

The second one tells me what you did, how you did it, and what the result was. It has specific numbers. It shows impact.

The Formula

Use this structure for each bullet: [Action Verb] + [What you did] + [How you did it] + [Result with metric]

Not every bullet needs all four parts, but the best ones do.

More examples:

• "Led cross-functional team of 8 to launch new product feature, resulting in 23% increase in user engagement and $1.2M additional ARR"
• "Reduced customer support ticket volume by 35% by implementing automated FAQ system and improving documentation"
• "Built Python script to automate data processing, reducing manual work from 6 hours to 15 minutes per week"

Notice: every one has a number. If you can measure it, measure it. If you can't, explain the impact differently ("enabled team to focus on higher-value work", "improved customer satisfaction scores").

Action Verbs to Use

Start bullets with strong verbs. Not "Was responsible for" or "Helped with". Use: Led, Built, Launched, Increased, Reduced, Improved, Created, Developed, Managed, Implemented, Designed, Analyzed, Optimized, Grew, Scaled.

Different verbs for different types of work: Leadership (Led, Directed, Managed), Creation (Built, Developed, Designed), Improvement (Optimized, Increased, Enhanced), Analysis (Analyzed, Evaluated, Assessed).

ATS Optimization (Without Gaming the System)

ATS systems scan your resume for keywords and relevance. If you're missing the right terms, you won't make it past the software to a human reviewer.

But here's what doesn't work: keyword stuffing, white text, or trying to trick the system. Modern ATS software is smarter than that, and even if you get through, you'll get rejected by the human who reads it.

Instead, do this:

Match the Job Description Language

If the job asks for "project management experience," use that exact phrase. Don't say "oversaw initiatives" or "managed projects" (even though they're similar). ATS systems look for exact or very close matches.

Read the job description carefully. Pull out the key skills, tools, and qualifications they're asking for. Make sure those appear in your resume where they're genuinely relevant to your experience.

Use Standard Section Headers

ATS systems expect certain headers: Work Experience, Skills, Education. Don't get creative with "My Journey" or "What I've Learned". Stick to conventional names.

Avoid Complex Formatting

No tables, no text boxes, no headers/footers, no columns. Use simple bullets, standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Georgia), and save as .docx or PDF (check what the application asks for).

The fancier it looks, the more likely the ATS will mangle it. Save the design for your portfolio.

Spell Out Acronyms (Once)

First time you use an acronym, spell it out: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)". Then you can use SEO throughout. This helps the ATS match both the full term and the acronym.

Tailoring Your Resume to Each Job

The single biggest mistake people make is sending the same resume to every job. A generic resume gets generic results (none).

Tailoring doesn't mean rewriting everything. It means emphasizing different parts of your experience based on what each role requires.

The Process

For each job you apply to:

1. Read the job description twice. First pass: understand the role. Second pass: highlight key requirements and desired skills.
2. Update your professional summary. Emphasize the experience and skills most relevant to this specific role.
3. Reorder your bullet points. Move the most relevant accomplishments to the top of each role. You might even add or remove bullets based on relevance.
4. Adjust your skills section. Make sure the skills they're asking for are prominent (if you have them).
5. Check keyword match. Are you using the same terminology they use in the job description?

This takes 15-30 minutes per application. It's worth it. A tailored resume has a dramatically higher response rate than a generic one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Listing responsibilities instead of achievements. Your job description tells people what you were supposed to do. Your resume should tell them what you actually accomplished.

Including everything you've ever done. Your resume isn't your life story. It's a highlight reel of your most relevant, impressive work. Leave out the irrelevant stuff.

Using buzzwords without proof. "Results-driven professional" and "team player" are meaningless without specific examples. Show, don't tell.

Typos and grammatical errors. One typo might be forgivable. Multiple errors suggest you don't pay attention to details.

Lies or exaggerations. Don't claim skills you don't have or inflate your role. It will come up in the interview, and you'll lose the offer (or get fired later).

Making it too long. If you have less than 10 years of experience, one page. If you have more, two pages maximum. No one has time for more than that.

Resume Length and Format Rules

The one-page rule isn't universal, but it's often right. If you have less than 10 years of experience, aim for one page. You probably don't have enough truly relevant experience to justify more.

If you have 10+ years and a lot of relevant experience, two pages is fine. Go to three pages only if you're a senior executive or academic with extensive publications.

That said, length matters less than content. A tight, relevant two-page resume beats a padded one-page resume with filler.

Margins and Spacing

Use 0.5 to 1 inch margins. Anything less looks cramped. Anything more wastes space. Add white space between sections so it's easy to scan.

Font and Size

Use a professional font: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman. Size 10-12 for body text, 14-16 for your name, 12-14 for section headers. Consistent throughout.

What to Do After You Finish

You wrote a great resume. Now what?

Proofread obsessively. Read it forwards. Read it backwards. Use Grammarly or another tool. Have someone else read it. Typos kill applications.

Test it through an ATS checker. There are free tools online that simulate ATS systems and show you what they see. Make sure your formatting works.

Get feedback from people in your industry. Not your mom (unless she's in your field). Ask someone who hires people or has recently gone through the process.

Save it correctly. Name the file properly: FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf (or .docx). Not "Resume_Final_v3.pdf".

Keep it updated. Every time you accomplish something notable, add it immediately. Don't wait until you're job searching to remember what you did three years ago.

Key Takeaways

A great resume does three things: gets past the ATS, survives the six-second scan, and proves you can do the job. Everything else is noise.

Focus on achievements with metrics, not responsibilities with fluff. Use the language from the job description. Keep the format clean and simple. Tailor it to each role.

Your resume isn't a comprehensive history of everything you've done. It's a targeted marketing document designed to get you an interview. Once you're in the interview, that's when you tell the full story.

Start with your most recent, relevant experience. Lead with your biggest achievements. Cut anything that doesn't strengthen your case for this specific job. And remember: six seconds. Make them count.