You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who truly enjoys writing their resume. It’s one of those necessary evils that get us from where we are to where we want to go. But maybe our distaste is misplaced. What we really need is a little reframing.
Think of your career as a hiking trip. The fun kind! Along the way, you make various stops where you learn and see exciting things. You come to forks in the road and have to choose which path to take. Your resume is the story of that journey. It showcases the twists, turns, and trails that led you to where you are today.
In a perfect world, your resume tells that story brilliantly, a hiring manager likes it, and you get the job. But it doesn’t always work like that. Resumes are subjective. You veered right in your career, but the company wants someone who veered left.
To help make sense of this complex and anxiety-producing process, Megan McCann is joining forces with speaker, author, and global tech leader Christine Sandman Stone. Together, they walk us through the resume-building process and give us insight into what employers are really looking for in a resume.
Why is making a resume so hard?
First of all, boiling down our experiences, skills, and career progression into a set of concise, bulleted sections is difficult. Writing a resume requires accuracy and brevity, but those skills don’t come naturally to everyone.
Secondly, Christine Sandman Stone reminds us that we’re not always our best selves when we’re writing a resume. We need a resume when we’ve been laid off, we’re unhappy with our current job, or when an unexpected opportunity presents itself. As a result, we may be anxious, stressed, sad, fearful, or uncertain.
“You need positivity and confidence to write a great resume,” Christine says. “But stress and anxiety cloud everything. It’s hard to paint the best picture of ourselves when we’re rushed, lacking confidence, or worried about our future.”
Technology also complicates the process. “Many organizations are using ATS systems and AI tools to review resumes,” Megan adds. “While these tools streamline processes, candidates struggle with how to create a resume that gets seen by the tech and not rejected.”
10 most common resume questions
Along with a general reframing of the resume creation process, there are some very practical tips Megan and Christine have that can take your resume from blah to ah ha!
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON RESUME MISTAKES?
Christine
The biggest misstep I see is not showing measurable results for each of your roles. If you want to be considered for a job, you have to show that you can drive results for the company. I also see people being too broad with their resumes in an effort to be something for everyone. When you’re too vague or open-ended, it can drift into the realm of dishonesty. The same goes for exaggerations. When you do that, you lose credibility.
Megan
Spelling errors are not only my biggest pet peeve with resumes, but it is the most common mistake I see. Because there are so many tools available to us today, no matter what program we use to build our resume, there is no excuse for misspelled words. I also often see discrepancies in employment dates candidates have on their resumes and what’s on their LinkedIn profile. Those dates should align, otherwise hiring managers may wonder if you’re hiding something.
DO I NEED MULTIPLE RESUME VERSIONS, AND HOW MANY PAGES SHOULD IT BE?
Megan
Yes, you should have multiple versions. Your resume should be catered to the position you’re applying for. Regarding length, as a recent college/high school graduate, your resume is probably going to be one page. Someone with 10 years of experience may need two pages. Stick to no more than three.
Christine
I agree with Megan. While you may start with one general resume, you should tweak it for every new opportunity. Adjust the bullets underneath your experience to align with the requirements in each job description. And make sure you save each version as a separate file for your records. You may need them down the road.
WHAT FORMAT SHOULD MY RESUME BE? SHOULD IT BE VISUALLY APPEALING?
Megan
In some cases, it depends, but generally speaking, I recommend sending your resume via email as a PDF and using a Word Document when uploading your resume into an online portal. Highly formatted and designed documents—while visually exciting—can be difficult for ATS systems to read. If you are a designer applying for a creative role, it might make sense to have a resume with bold shapes and colors. On the flip side, a software developer’s resume may be rather straightforward. Play to what the job is.
COVER LETTER OR NO COVER LETTER?
Megan
If an employer doesn’t ask for one, then skip it. Too often, cover letters are formulaic and, frankly, boring. It could do you more harm than good. However, if a cover letter is required, here’s what I’d suggest. Use it as an opportunity to communicate how you align with the organization’s culture and values. Do your homework on the company’s mission statement and core principles and explain why you’d be additive to that environment.
Christine
I’m not a huge fan of the cover letter either; instead, I advocate strongly for thank yous. After every interview, send a thank you to the person and replay what you enjoyed about the conversation—bonus points for reminding them of something they said that excited you. This helps to build relationships, whether you get the role or not.
SHOULD I INCLUDE A PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY OR OBJECTIVE STATEMENT?
Christine
I’m not a fan of the traditional summary/objective statement, either. It tends to be too much about you when it should be about what you can do for the employer. That top area of a resume is your first impression and potentially your only shot at catching someone’s attention. If you include it, limit it to a sentence or two, along with a table (3×3) with key skills you have that the employer wants.
HOW DO I ADDRESS A GAP IN EMPLOYMENT?
Megan
In our post-pandemic world, we’ve become more accepting of employment gaps. Many women, especially, were forced to step away from full-time work to care for children stuck at home from school or older parents who couldn’t leave their homes. Women are also the ones who most often sacrifice work to stay home and raise children. While you may be tempted to omit your gap in a resume, it’s perfectly acceptable to note the time as a “career pause”. Because it will likely come up during an interview, it’s important to be transparent about it upfront. A recruiter can help you with this as well. If possible, let them share that story with the employer for you.
HOW FAR BACK SHOULD MY WORK EXPERIENCE GO?
Megan
Your experience should go as far back as is relevant to the role you’re applying for. For some, this means going back to your first job. But the further back you go, the shorter your bullets/explanation can be.
Christine
I would add that, in most cases, you can stick to your professional work experience. And I agree, the further back you go, the briefer your work summary should be. I recommend you only put in your bullets/explanation what you love to do. By doing that, you can curate roles that bring joy and allow you to lean into your strengths.
SHOULD I INCLUDE HOBBIES AND VOLUNTEER WORK?
Megan
Volunteer work is often an important indicator of your values and integrity, and I encourage candidates to consider adding it. Your pickleball hobby, however, probably isn’t relevant.
Christine
Add them only if they show dimensions of yourself in a professional way. If you’re part of a relevant industry association, business development group, or community impact organization, those are beneficial things to include.
HOW DO I INCORPORATE KEYWORDS INTO MY RESUME FOR ATS PLATFORMS?
Megan
This is becoming more and more important as organizations use ATS platforms and other tech tools. But it’s a delicate balancing act for candidates. You absolutely cannot falsely present your skills, but tech tools are scanning resumes for specific keywords. If, for example, a job description asks for experience in delivering dashboards to internal stakeholders, and you’ve done that before, use that keyword in the context of your work experience. Analyze the top skills a role requires and make sure they’re represented in your resume in a truthful way.
IS IT IMPORTANT TO QUANTIFY MY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND HOW DO I DO THAT?
Christine
As I mentioned earlier, the biggest mistake candidates make is NOT quantifying their achievements. Everything you’ve done to this point in your career has had a business impact. You helped your company achieve something. You personally may not have brought in $2 million in sales, but maybe you were on the marketing team whose efforts led to that business impact. Find ways to translate what you do, and the feedback you’ve received from others, into numbers.
Final thoughts
We are all multifaceted and multilayered individuals, it’s no wonder we struggle to synthesize it all into a single document. Use your resume as an opportunity to experiment and be creative. Don’t be afraid to A/B test different versions to see what resonates most. Getting a new job is fun, exciting, and potentially life-changing. It’s unfortunate that sometimes the process of getting there is so anxiety-producing. But just like the right equipment and perseverance can guide you through a challenging hike, the right guidance and support can land you your dream job.
