Resume Structure and Content Tips

I've reviewed 2,000+ resumes this year. Avoid these mistakes that 90% make. 1. Generic Summaries ❌ "Motivated professional seeking opportunities to leverage my skills..." ✅ "Marketing Director who increased e-commerce revenue 47% through data-driven campaigns and strategic partnerships." 2. Missing Numbers ❌ "Led large team and improved sales." ✅ "Led 15-person sales team to deliver $3.2M in new business, exceeding targets by 28%." 3. Cluttered Formatting ❌ Tiny margins, dense paragraphs, and multiple fonts. ✅ Clean headers, consistent bullet points, and enough white space for easy scanning. 4. Outdated Information ❌ Listing your high school achievements and every job since college. ✅ Your most relevant accomplishments from the past 10-15 years that showcase your career progression. 5. RESPONSIBILITY LISTS ❌ "Responsible for managing client relationships and handling complaints." ✅ "Retained 98% of key accounts and turned 3 dissatisfied clients into top referral sources." 6. ATS-UNFRIENDLY DESIGN ❌ Creative formats with graphics, text boxes, and unique fonts. ✅ Clean, standard formatting with relevant keywords that match the job description. Your resume has 7 seconds to make an impression.  Use these tips to make them count. Share this to help others level up their resume! 📈 And follow me for more advice like this.

An insider look at what hiring managers (and ATS systems) are REALLY looking for in your resume 👀: After years in Talent Acquisition, I can tell you — it’s not about having the fanciest format or the most buzzwords. Here’s what actually matters: 🔹 Clear Relevance Hiring managers spend seconds skimming resumes. If they can’t quickly connect your experience to the role they’re hiring for, they’ll move on. Tailoring your resume isn’t optional — it’s critical. 🔹 Impact Over Activity We’re not just looking for what you did — we want to know how well you did it. "Led a team of 5 to deliver a project 3 weeks early" > "Responsible for project management." 🔹 Keywords Matter (Especially for ATS) Many companies use applicant tracking systems to pre-screen resumes. If your resume doesn’t echo the language of the job posting, it might never even reach human eyes. 🔹 Simple, Clean Formatting Forget the graphics-heavy templates. ATS systems can’t read fancy designs well. Stick to clean fonts, logical sections, and traditional formats. 🔹 Growth and Progression Hiring managers love to see a story of development: promotions, expanded responsibilities, bigger projects over time. Your resume should quietly tell that story without you having to say it outright. ✨ Bottom line: Your resume isn’t just a document — it’s a marketing tool. It should make someone WANT to learn more about you. If you want to get past the robots and impress the humans, keep it relevant, impactful, and easy to read. Curious: What’s one question you wish you could ask a recruiter about resumes? Drop it below — happy to answer a few! 👇 #TalentAcquisition #HiringTips #ResumeAdvice #CareerGrowth #ATS #JobSearchStrategy

I've reviewed >100k resumes in my career. So many people make easy to fix mistakes. Here's what I wish everyone knew before submitting an application: Contact info - Include email, linkedin, github/portfolio - Show the actual linkedin url, don't hyperlink with different link text - Include city / state (or relevant to country), full address isn't necessary - designers: password protect at your peril, resume reviewers are lazy Use standard resume template - Order should be Name / contact details --> work xp --> education - Work xp should be listed most recent --> least recent - Use specific dates (month + year) - No sensitive info (DOB, Citizenship, Marital Status, Religion, etc) - No pictures - No skills / jobs chronology "side-bar" 🙄 - No skills / accreditations alphabet soup at top of resume No "fun" stuff - No weird colors (just black) - No "fun" font selection - *Designers, this section doesn't apply to you* Be concise - Max 2 pages - No more than 6 bullets per job - Bullets should be no longer than 1 line (no wrapping text) - Distill, distill, distill - resumes ARE NOT exhaustive - Do not use evasive language (unclear dates, titles, etc) - Use commonly understood (but select) metrics to exhibit impact Errors - No spelling errors!!! - HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PROOFREAD!!!!!!! ------------------------------------------ Resumes are not a place for innovation. More is not better. Be selective and thoughtful. Accept that you will get very little attention from resume reviewers - your job is to decide what to communicate in that very short span. Your resume is a MARKETING TOOL - it's intended to help you get an interview. It is NOT intended to document all of your experience. That's what the interview is for! What else belongs on this list? Any ya'll disagree with? ------------------------------------------ 👋 Follow me (Jordan Mazer), Caitlin Cooke & Jordan Carver for more tips just like this. 🏃♀️ Join the a16z speedrun talent network here: https://lnkd.in/geyt5f9b