Job Optimizers Checklist

Resume Advice

Make the first twenty seconds do the work.

A resume is an argument for a specific role. It is not a full work history. Get the format, the proof, and the file right before you decorate anything.

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Professional reviewing work on a laptop at a desk

Formats

Use reverse-chronological for most searches. Use a combination resume when the target title differs from your last one. A purely functional resume hides the timeline and makes recruiters suspicious. Keep one page under ten years of relevant work. Go to two only when the extra page is proof, not padding.

ATS structure

Use plain headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Put your email in the body, not only a header. Skip text boxes, icons, and multi-column layouts. Save a text-based PDF or a .docx. If you cannot select the words in the file, the scanner cannot either.

Tailoring

Read the posting’s first three requirements. The top third of your resume should answer them with evidence you actually have. Mirror their nouns when they are true. Do not paste the posting into a skills cloud.

Cover letters

Three short paragraphs. Name the role and one proof point. Connect that proof to a problem they have. Close by asking for the conversation. Skip “I would be honored” and the life story.

A bullet, before and after

Before. Responsible for managing a support team and handling customer issues.

After. Cut repeat tickets 18% in two quarters by rewriting the handoff between support and product, then coaching a team of 6 on the new path.

The second line has a verb, a method, a number, and the size of the team. That is the standard for the bullets in your last two roles.

Draft in the order a reader thinks

  1. Name the target. Write the role, the kind of team, and the problem you want to be hired to work on.
  2. Collect five proofs. Moments where the result changed, risk dropped, or work got faster because of you.
  3. Write action, method, outcome. One line each. If the outcome is missing, the line is not done.
  4. Test the scan. Ask someone outside your field what you do after twenty seconds. If they hesitate, the top third is unclear.
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