How to Write a Resume That Gets Interviews
Recruiters spend six seconds on an initial scan. Your resume needs to clear ATS filters, signal relevant experience immediately, and give a human reviewer a reason to keep reading. This guide covers every section, every formatting decision, and every common mistake — with examples for each.
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What Makes a Resume Work in 2025
Recruiters spend an average of six seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to read further. That means your layout, headline, and first bullet point carry enormous weight. A resume that works does three things immediately: it's easy to scan, it proves value with numbers, and it passes ATS keyword filters.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) screen out up to 75% of resumes before a human sees them. Your resume must be formatted in plain, parseable text — no tables, no text boxes, no graphics — and must contain the exact keywords from the job description.
How to Write a Resume: Step by Step
Seven steps. Do them in order — each sets up the next.
Choose the right format
Use chronological format for most roles — it's ATS-safe and recruiter-expected. Use functional format only if you're changing careers with no direct experience. Hybrid format works for 5+ year professionals pivoting slightly.
Write a strong summary
3–4 sentences. Lead with your title, years of experience, and one or two standout achievements. Avoid vague phrases like 'results-driven' — use numbers instead.
List work experience in reverse chronological order
For each role: company, title, dates (month/year), then 3–6 bullet points. Start every bullet with a strong action verb. Quantify every achievement you can.
Add education and certifications
List your highest degree first. Include GPA only if above 3.5 and within 3 years of graduation. Add relevant certifications — especially in tech, finance, and healthcare.
Build your skills section strategically
Pull keywords directly from the job description. Organize into Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Only list skills you can actually speak to in an interview.
Tailor for each application
Copy the job title into your summary. Mirror 5–10 keywords from the job posting. Reorder your bullets to lead with the most relevant experience.
Proofread and test for ATS
Read aloud to catch errors. Paste into a plain text editor — if it looks garbled, your ATS score will suffer. Use Resume Genie's free ATS Checker to verify.
Resume Summary: Good vs. Bad
Your summary is the first thing recruiters read. Here's the difference between a summary that gets ignored and one that gets callbacks.
Hardworking and dedicated professional with experience in marketing seeking a challenging position where I can utilize my skills to contribute to company growth.
Digital Marketing Manager with 6 years driving B2B demand generation. Grew inbound pipeline 140% at SaaS startup through SEO, paid social, and lifecycle email. Skilled in HubSpot, Google Ads, and marketing analytics.
Resume Bullet Points: Weak vs. Strong
Every bullet point should answer: what did you do, how did you do it, and what was the result?
- Responsible for managing social media accounts
- Helped increase sales
- Worked on team projects
- Duties included customer service
- Assisted with marketing campaigns
- Grew Instagram following 280% in 6 months through daily Reels strategy
- Closed $420K in new ARR as top-performing SDR in Q3 2023
- Led 4-person agile team delivering CRM integration 2 weeks ahead of schedule
- Maintained 4.9/5 CSAT score across 200+ monthly support tickets
- Executed 12-email nurture sequence generating 34% open rate (2× industry avg)
ATS Formatting Rules (Never Break These)
- Use a single-column layoutTwo-column layouts confuse most ATS parsers
- Use standard section headersWork Experience, Education, Skills — not 'My Journey' or 'Where I've Been'
- Save as .docx or plain PDFNever use image-based PDFs or design files
- Use standard fonts onlyArial, Calibri, Georgia, Times New Roman — not decorative fonts
- No text boxes, tables, or graphicsATS software cannot read content inside these elements
- No headers or footersATS often skips over header/footer content entirely
- Spell out abbreviations onceWrite 'Search Engine Optimization (SEO)' before using 'SEO' alone
Resume Format Comparison
Which resume format is right for you?
| Format | Best For | ATS-Safe | Recruiter Preference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronological | Most job seekers with consistent history | ✅ Yes | ⭐⭐⭐ High |
| Functional | Career changers, long gaps | ⚠️ Partial | ⭐ Low |
| Hybrid/Combination | Senior professionals, career pivots | ✅ Yes | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Targeted | Any — tailored to one job | ✅ Yes | ⭐⭐⭐ Highest |
Copy and paste the job description into a word cloud tool. The largest words are the keywords you must include. Recruiters and ATS systems both scan for these exact phrases.
Resume Formatting Specifications (Exact Numbers)
Exact numbers — copy these directly into your template:
| Element | Recommended Setting | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Body font | Calibri 10.5pt or Arial 10pt | ATS-safe, highly readable at small sizes |
| Name font | Any readable font, 16–20pt bold | Creates visual hierarchy instantly |
| Section headers | 11–12pt bold, same font as body | Scannable without being decorative |
| Margins | 0.5–0.75 inches on all sides | Gains space vs. 1-inch default without looking cramped |
| Line spacing | 1.0–1.15 within sections | Maximizes content density while staying readable |
| Space between sections | 6–8pt paragraph spacing | Separates sections without large gaps |
| File format | .docx or text-based PDF | Image PDFs and .pages files break ATS parsing |
| File name | FirstLast_Resume_CompanyName.pdf | Professional and searchable in recruiter inboxes |
| Page count | 1 page (0–10 yrs) / 2 pages (10+ yrs) | Match experience level to length |
| Color use | Black text; one accent color max | Keep primary text black — ATS reads it more reliably |
What a Strong Resume Looks Like — Complete Example
Strong resume vs. weak resume — same candidate, same six years of experience:
SARAH CHEN | sarah.chen@gmail.com | (415) 555-0192 | San Francisco, CA | linkedin.com/in/sarahchen PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Demand generation marketer with 6 years driving B2B pipeline for SaaS companies (50–500 employees). Grew inbound revenue from $0 to $2.1M at a 60-person startup through HubSpot workflows, LinkedIn Ads, and SEO. Skilled in full-funnel attribution and sales-marketing alignment. WORK EXPERIENCE Senior Marketing Manager | CloudBase Inc, San Francisco, CA | Jan 2021–Present • Built inbound demand engine generating $1.4M in attributed pipeline in year one • Managed $320K annual paid media budget across Google, LinkedIn, and Meta — 3.2× ROAS • Hired and mentored 2 marketing coordinators; reduced contractor spend 40% • Launched 6-touch email nurture sequence achieving 34% open rate (industry avg: 21%) Marketing Manager | DevFlow, Remote | Mar 2019–Dec 2020 • Grew organic traffic 280% in 18 months through technical SEO and content program • Partnered with sales to create 12 battle cards adopted across 15-rep team • Produced quarterly webinars averaging 340 registrants and 28% close rate Marketing Coordinator | Bright Digital, San Francisco, CA | Jun 2018–Feb 2019 • Managed social media calendar across 5 platforms; grew LinkedIn following 140% • Coordinated 8 trade show appearances; managed $45K event budget EDUCATION BS Marketing | San Francisco State University | 2018 SKILLS Marketing Platforms: HubSpot (Certified) · Marketo · Salesforce · Google Ads · LinkedIn Ads Analytics: Google Analytics 4 · Mixpanel · Tableau · A/B Testing · Attribution Modeling Methodologies: Demand Generation · SEO/SEM · Account-Based Marketing · Content Strategy
SARAH CHEN OBJECTIVE: Seeking a challenging marketing position where I can utilize my skills. WORK EXPERIENCE Senior Marketing Manager | CloudBase | 2021–Present • Responsible for managing marketing campaigns • Helped grow the business through various marketing initiatives • Managed team and budget • Worked on social media and email Marketing Manager | DevFlow | 2019–2020 • Did marketing for a software company • Worked on SEO SKILLS: Communication, teamwork, Microsoft Office, social media
Resume Writing Mistakes to Avoid
1 page for under 10 years of experience. 2 pages for senior roles. Never 3+ pages for private sector jobs.
Use firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Recruiters discard resumes from party2003@hotmail.com.
Quantify everything possible. Not 'managed a team' — 'managed a team of 8 engineers across 3 time zones.'
One resume sent to 50 jobs rarely works. Tailoring takes 10 minutes and dramatically increases response rates.
Photos are not standard in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia. They create bias risk and waste valuable space.
This line is outdated and wastes a line. Recruiters know you have references.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should my resume be?
Should I include a photo on my resume?
What's the best resume format?
How do I explain a gap in my resume?
Do I need a cover letter?
What skills should I put on my resume?
What font and size should I use for my resume?
What should a resume look like in 2025?
Put These Tips into Action
Use Resume Genie's AI-powered builder to create a perfectly formatted, ATS-ready resume in minutes. Free to build — download your PDF for $4.99.