Top 10 Resume Tips

We come across a great deal of resumes at JobArc. After sifting through them, these are our top recommendations:

1. PDF is the best format to use for a resume.
2. Your resume filename should be something like “First Last – Resume.pdf”. That’s it. Not “CV – Updated 2020.pdf”, “ResumeForLinkedIn.pdf” or “Resume, v3.doc”. Keep in mind that interviewers may be saving all of the resumes into a folder. Save them some time and they may appreciate it.
3. You should have a link to your LinkedIn profile at the top of the resume. (You should have a current, well-written LinkedIn profile. We have found LinkedIn to be the best place to get noticed for quality jobs).
4. Your resume should be ideally one page and, at most, two pages. It should be just enough to entice someone to interview you.
5. Fix all spelling and grammatical mistakes in the resume. You don’t want to appear careless.
6. Design your resume so that a busy person can quickly see what you want them to see.
7. Use reverse chronological order – the latest should be at the top.
8. No need to date yourself. List your education but without dates.
9. Change your resume to suit the position. It’s worth your time.
10. Leave off jobs that didn’t last long. Use years not months on your other jobs to cover the gaps.