Resume Writing
Craft resumes that pass ATS filters and impress human reviewers.
ATS Optimization
Must-Do
- Use standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
- No tables, columns, or graphics in the main content
- Save as .docx (preferred) or plain PDF (not scanned)
- Use standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica
- Include keywords from the job description verbatim
Avoid
- Headers/footers (ATS may miss content there)
- Icons, logos, or images
- Text boxes or floating elements
- Fancy formatting (templates with sidebars often fail ATS)
Achievement Frameworks
STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Situation: Legacy system had 15s page load times Task: Reduce to <2s for ecommerce conversion Action: Implemented CDN caching, lazy loading, DB indexing Result: Page load reduced to 1.2s, conversion up 23%
CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) — shorter variant
Challenge: 40% customer churn in first 90 days Action: Built onboarding sequence with 5 touchpoints and milestone tracking Result: Churn reduced to 12%, NPS improved from 32 to 64
Formatting Rules
- One page for <10 years experience, two pages max for senior
- Bullet points: 4-6 per role, 1-2 lines each
- Quantify everything: %, $, time saved, scale
- Present tense for current role, past tense for previous


