Layout
Structure first
Header with name, role, city, email, phone, LinkedIn
Work experience with reverse chronology and 3-5 bullets
Skills grouped by category; keep the list honest and short
Education and certifications go last unless you are junior
Resume notebook
Minimal guide to a human resume
Skip the AI fluff. Use this as a checklist to write a clean, believable resume that recruiters can scan in under 10 seconds.
ATS safe Human readable 1 page first
Today's notesConcise
Lead each bullet with action + metric. If no number, add speed, quality, or adoption.
Pin 5-7 strongest achievements; trim the rest. Recruiters skim, not study.
Check links, dates, and city. Save as PDF and open it to spot spacing issues.
Impact
Write impact bullets
Action + metric + result (XYZ formula)
Lead with strong verbs: built, shipped, optimized, reduced
Quantify: %, time saved, revenue, users, reliability
Cut filler words; keep one clear idea per line
ATS
ATS friendly
Plain text layout; avoid tables, columns, images
Section headers: Summary, Experience, Skills, Education
Mirror keywords from the job description naturally
Save to PDF and check that text is selectable
Style
Keep it readable
One page for <6 years experience; two max for senior
11-12pt clean fonts; consistent spacing and margins
Bold company and title; keep dates aligned to the right
Leave white space; dense text looks like AI output
Review
Proof & tailor
Read aloud to catch awkward phrasing
Check dates, links, and contact info
Remove confidential details and filler buzzwords
Tailor top bullets to the role before sending
Before sending
One last 90-second sweep
Read out loud, verify contacts, and trim anything that sounds like a template.