How to Make Your Resume Skimmable

You’ve been getting the wrong advice: YOUR RESUME SHOULD NOT STAND OUT. If you think making your resume "pop" with unique elements will improve it. Just stop! Flashy colors and fancy designs might catch the eye, but they won't necessarily land you the job. Here’s how to ensure your resume makes the impact you need: 1. Focus on clarity and readability: -  Your resume should clearly communicate your skills and experience, so avoid jargon. - Make sure key details like your experience and qualifications are easy to find. - Use bullet points and headers to organize information logically. 2. Stick to a clean, professional layout -  Use a classic font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman in a readable size (10-12 points). - Your resume should be consistent throughout. - Use bold and italics sparingly to emphasize key points. 3. Tell a compelling story - Instead of listing duties, focus on accomplishments. - Quantify your achievements where possible (e.g., "Increased sales by 30%"). - Customize your resume for each job application; don't just send it to every interviewer. 4. Include relevant keywords - Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen resumes. - Include keywords from the job description to increase your chances of clearing the ATS filters. 5. Keep it concise - Limit your resume to one or two pages. - Include only relevant information that showcases your qualifications for the role. Most interviewers take a few seconds to read your resume, so it should be skimmable, and provide all necessary details. ----------------------------------------- Hi, I'm Shreya - a recruiter and a professional career coach. Follow along as I share insights on building an impactful resume and cracking your next interview.

I got interviews from companies like Amazon, SAP, Siemens, etc., and everyone talks about resumes with a STAR format and quantifying impact. But what about the resume details that actually make a difference? Based on what’s worked for me, I’m sharing a few overlooked (but practical) tips that can help you. Let’s dive in 👇 1. Use U.S. Letter Size & Thoughtful Formatting: 🧠 Why it matters: Many ATS systems and recruiters in the U.S. are used to U.S. letter format(8.5x11, not A4). A4 may cause layout issues, especially with margins and alignment on different systems. 🎯 How to do it: ▪️ Use 0.9–1.15 line spacing, and margins of 0.5 to 1 inch for a perfect balance. Helps your content breathe without looking bare. ▪️Design psychology: Cramped resumes feel overwhelming; too much white space feels empty. ▪️Some candidates try to trick ATS by adding keywords in white text, invisible to humans. It’s detectable, unethical, and can actually get you blacklisted. 2. Human-First, Then ATS-Friendly 🧠 Why it matters: You’re not interviewing with an algorithm. Recruiters, often not from your domain, are the first to read your resume. 🎯 How to do it: ▪️Use clean formatting, consistent font sizes (10.5–12 pt), and easy-to-skim sections. Make sure your sentences make sense to anyone and not just someone technical. ▪️AI can help refine your wording, but always proofread for clarity and tone. Include context when numbers alone aren’t clear: ❌ “Increased sales by xy%” sounds great but without context, it’s meaningless.  So, add scope + baseline if you can: ✅"Boosted monthly sales by xy% within xy months by introducing a GTM strategy across 2 digital channels." 3. Pass the 6-Second Scan with Story-Driven Bullets 🧠Why it matters: Recruiters skim resumes fast, often under 6 seconds, so your bullet points need to do more than just list tasks. (PS: Studies show recruiters scan resumes in an F-shaped pattern: left to right, top to bottom. The top third of your resume (the “hot zone”) gets the most attention.) 🎯 How to do it: ▪️Start each bullet with the intent or principle behind the action (e.g., “Customer Obsession,” “ETL Pipelines”). ▪️Avoid robotic phrasing like: ❌“Built a dashboard to track engagement metrics.” Instead, make it strategic: ✅Customer Obsession: Launched in-product surveys in Excel to surface user pain points, leading to a 22% increase in feature engagement. Hope this helps!  Please share what worked for you, or if you need a template. #ResumeTips #ProductManagement #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #InternationalStudents #TechCareers #EarlyCareer #LinkedInTips

🚨 Recruiters give your resume an average of seven seconds before they decide whether to keep reading or move on. If your story doesn’t grab them instantly, you’re invisible. Here’s how to make every second—and every line—count: 1️⃣ Lead with a headline, not a job title. Open with a crisp value statement (“Product Manager who turns AI ideas into $10M revenue streams”) so readers know your edge at a glance. 2️⃣ Quantify everything. Replace adjectives with numbers: “Implemented” → “Implemented an automation that cut onboarding time 42%.” Metrics are memory-makers. 3️⃣ Bleed the fluff. Ditch “responsible for,” “results-oriented,” and other filler; use strong verbs (drove, accelerated, pioneered) and keep sentences under two lines. 4️⃣ Mirror the job description’s keywords. ATS bots screen first—humans second. Weave the exact language of the target role naturally into bullet text and skills sections. 5️⃣ Place the gold above the fold. Put your most relevant wins in the first half of page one; recruiters rarely scroll. 6️⃣ Group skills by theme, not alphabet. Cluster tools under headers like “Data & BI” or “Cloud DevOps” so scanners absorb your stack in one glance. 7️⃣ Show the “so what.” For every duty, add a business result: “Managed a 6-person team → increased client retention 18%.” Impact trumps activity. 8️⃣ Trim to one page (two max for senior roles). Brevity signals clarity and confidence; if it’s older than ten years, summarize it in one line. 9️⃣ Design for skimming. White space, 10–12 pt font, consistent bullet alignment, and zero tables or text boxes (ATS nightmares) keep eyes moving. 🔟 End with a human touch. A one-line passion or volunteer highlight (“Marathon coach—raised $25K for cancer research”) sparks conversations and culture fit. 📌 Polish, proofread, and pass it to a friend for the 7-second test. Nail these ten moves and your resume won’t just pass the skim—it’ll stop it. #CareerGrowth #ResumeTips #JobSearch #PersonalBrand

Your resume gets 3 different reads.  And 90% fail the first one. Here's the uncomfortable truth: Recruiters don't read your resume once. They read it three times. With three completely different mindsets. Most resumes are built for read #3. But they never make it past read #1. Here's exactly how recruiters process your resume (and how to win at each level): 1️⃣ THE SKIM (2-3 seconds) Their brain: 'Do they even belong here?' What they see: 📍 Current job title 📍 Company names 📍 Overall formatting 📍 Any glaring red flags Your fix: Make your relevance obvious. If the job is 'Senior Product Manager,' your most recent title better have those words. Clean formatting. No typos. Period. 2️⃣ THE SCAN (7-10 seconds) Their brain: 'Do they have what we need?' What they hunt for: 🔍 Keywords from the job posting 🔍 Required skills and tools 🔍 Industry experience 🔍 Location/remote status Your fix: Mirror their language exactly. They say 'Salesforce'? Don't write 'CRM.' They want 'team leadership'? Don't say 'managed people.' Be literal. Be obvious. 3️⃣ THE STUDY (30-60 seconds) Their brain: 'Can they actually do this job?' What they evaluate: 📊 Quantified accomplishments 📊 Scope of responsibility 📊 Career progression 📊 Cultural fit signals Your fix: Every bullet needs a number. 'Increased revenue by 32%' beats 'drove sales growth' every time. Show progression. Prove impact. The painful reality? You're spending hours perfecting bullet points for THE STUDY. But your resume is failing THE SKIM. It's like writing a masterpiece that no one opens. Quick test for your resume: ✓ Can a stranger understand your fit in 3 seconds? ✓ Do the job's keywords jump off the page? ✓ Does every achievement have proof? No to any of these? You're invisible to recruiters. Here's your action plan: Start with THE SKIM. Nail your headline. Then optimize for THE SCAN. Match their keywords. Finally perfect THE STUDY. Pack in the proof. In that order. Always. Your resume isn't one document. It's three first impressions. Make them all count. 💪 Optimize your resume for all 3 reads with Teal's Resume Builder → https://lnkd.in/gJSNk4FN #JobSearch #ResumeTips #CareerAdvice #JobHunting #ResumeWriting #JobSearchTips #RecruitingInsights 👍 To let me know you want more content like this. ♻️ Reshare to help someone land their next role. 🔔 Follow me for more job search & resume tips.