This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.

Most People’s Resumes Are F*cked

The resume gives the hiring team a glimpse of who you are as a candidate. Between the LinkedIn profile and the resume, the hiring team uses them both to catch a judgemental glimpse of who you are as a candidate and what assets you bring to the table.

If your resume is sh*tty, your job responses will also be sh*tty.

Over the past decade, I’ve found the following four elements most critical regarding the resume:

Design

Uniqueness

Formatting

Verbiage

Minimalistic
#1 Design

Most resumes look traditional. There’s nothing wrong with this, but as application numbers continue to climb, a design-friendly resume matters.

2 Uniqueness Recruiters and hiring managers can get bored with resumes very quickly, which ties into #4: Create a unique resume that doesn’t bore the eyes.

One hiring manager told me they admired the resume I put together. A recruiter told me they appreciated the design of my resume.

I’m not designing the resume just for me, but for the recruiting and hiring team to catch them a break from the monotonous piles of resumes, they receive.

Want to stand out? Stick to less traditional resume formats unless the job requires it (e.g., consulting jobs).

3 Formatting A couple of rules I follow regarding resume formatting include:

Maintain the same amount of bullet points for each of the roles on your resume.

Don’t put months on your resume; only years to provide a cleaner look

Put the title, company, and date on the same line.

Don’t put the location of your job unless you want to work a hybrid or in-office role.
#4 Verbiage

Words matter! How you communicate your experience, skills, and everything else on your resume demonstrates your non-verbal communication skills and how well you read the job description.

Interview Hack

Use the job description as a guide to determine what you should and shouldn’t put on your resume.

The job description has keywords, experiences, and tools that are required for you to be successful.

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Be sure that you include these in your resume based on your experience.

Unfamiliar With A Tool Or Experience

At a certain point in your career, you will become familiar with most tools and experiences, but if you’re green, you will likely need to research many aspects of the job description to help you succeed in a job interview.

Research or demo a tool. Read an article, or watch a youtube or informational video that provides you with the necessary knowledge to speak confidently on the tool.

5 Minimalistic Marissa Mayer offers one of my favorite resume examples.

The resume is simplistic, design-friendly, formatted nicely, includes intentional experience, and is unique looking.

Your average resume is black, white, and dull.

Notice she has one bullet point for each of her roles. I recommend you add at least 2–3 primary bullet points to each of your roles.

Also, keep the resume to 1 page (max 2) — depending on how much experience you have.

If you have less than ten years, you should be able to fit everything into one page. Two pages should suffice if you have more than ten years of experience.

One guy had a 15-page resume. That isn’t going to fly. The longer your resume, the more energy and effort are required to review your profile, which means it won’t likely happen.

Be kind and thoughtful of the hiring team’s time. Please.

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This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.

This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.