How to Write a Resume That Gets Interviews
8 min read
Your resume has one job: to win you an interview. Recruiters spend an average of just a few seconds on a first pass, so a clear, results-focused resume beats a long one every time. Here is a structure that works across industries, plus a template you can copy.
Use a simple, scannable structure
Recruiters read top to bottom, left to right, and skim for relevance. A single-column layout in a standard font is easier for both humans and applicant tracking systems (ATS) to read than a heavily designed template. Keep it to one page early in your career, two pages at most later on.
- Header: name, city, phone, email, and a link to your LinkedIn or portfolio.
- Summary: two or three lines on who you are and the value you bring.
- Experience: your roles in reverse-chronological order, achievements first.
- Skills: a short, honest list of tools and abilities relevant to the job.
- Education and certifications: brief, unless you are a recent graduate.
Lead with achievements, not duties
Anyone in your role had the same responsibilities. What sets you apart is what you achieved. Start each bullet with a strong verb and, wherever you can, attach a number: a percentage, a dollar figure, a time saved, a team size.
- Weak: "Responsible for managing social media accounts."
- Strong: "Grew Instagram following 240% in 12 months, driving 1,800 store visits."
- Weak: "Worked on the checkout system."
- Strong: "Rebuilt the checkout flow, cutting cart abandonment from 71% to 58%."
Tailor it to each job
Read the job ad and mirror its language. If it asks for "stakeholder management" and you have done that, use those exact words. This helps with ATS keyword matching and shows the recruiter you are a fit at a glance. You do not need to rewrite the whole resume each time — adjust the summary and reorder your bullets so the most relevant ones sit first.
Copy this template
YOUR NAME City · Phone · email@example.com · linkedin.com/in/you SUMMARY [Role] with [X years] experience in [area]. Known for [strength] and [strength]. Looking to [goal]. EXPERIENCE Job Title — Company, Location (Month Year – Present) • [Verb] [what you did], [result with a number]. • [Verb] [what you did], [result with a number]. Job Title — Company, Location (Month Year – Month Year) • [Verb] [what you did], [result with a number]. SKILLS [Skill], [Skill], [Skill], [Tool], [Tool] EDUCATION [Qualification], [Institution], [Year]
Before you send it
- Proofread twice, then read it aloud — typos cost interviews.
- Save as a PDF named Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf.
- Check every claim is true and you can speak to it in an interview.
- Ask one person you trust to read it cold and tell you what stands out.
Ready to put this into practice?
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