How to write a resume that gets shortlisted
Recruiters spend well under a minute on a first look, and software often reads your resume before a person does. A good resume is clear, honest and easy to scan. This guide walks through it step by step.
Start with the job, not with yourself
Read the job post first and note the skills, tools and results it asks for. Your resume should show those things early. One resume for every job is the most common reason for silence after applying.
Put these sections in this order
Keep one column and plain headings so both people and software can follow it.
- Contact details: name, phone, email, city, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link if useful.
- Summary: two or three lines on who you are and what you do best.
- Experience: newest first, each with title, company, city and dates.
- Projects: especially for freshers and career changers.
- Education: degree, college, year and marks if strong.
- Skills: the tools and abilities that match the job.
Write bullets that show results
Start each bullet with an action verb and finish with what changed. “Responsible for sales” says nothing; “Closed 22 new accounts worth ₹1.1 crore” says a lot. Use numbers where you honestly can: money, percentages, time saved, people served.
What to leave out
A shorter resume that is all relevant beats a long one.
- Photo, date of birth, religion, marital status and father's name, unless the employer asks.
- Salary details and reasons for leaving.
- A long career objective. A short summary does the job.
- Jobs from many years ago that do not help this application.
Check before you send
Read it out loud, check dates and spellings, and save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word. Name the file clearly, such as Meera-Pillai-Business-Analyst.pdf. Run it through a free ATS check to see if the key skills are visible.
Check your resume against a job
Free ATS check: no sign-up, nothing saved.
Keep reading
- How to make your resume ATS-friendlyWhat applicant tracking systems do, how they read your resume and how to avoid common formatting mistakes.
- Resume for freshers: how to write one with no experienceHow to build a strong first resume from projects, internships, college work and skills.
- Action verbs for your resume, by type of workStrong verbs to start your resume bullets with, grouped by what you did, and how to use them well.