Career Materials
Resume Best Practices FAQ
A practical checklist based on what recruiters and hiring managers repeatedly screen for first.
Core Checklist
- Use a professional email address.
- Keep work history focused on the most relevant 10-12 years unless older experience is directly relevant.
- Use consistent date formats, punctuation, heading style, and bullet formatting.
- Remove high school details once you hold a university degree (unless truly strategic).
- Remove GPA after early-career stage unless explicitly requested.
- Replace task-only bullets with outcomes and metrics.
- Avoid filler lines like 'References available upon request.'
- Avoid adding reasons for leaving roles on the resume itself.
- For US/UK hiring, avoid resume photos.
- If you have short contract roles, group them under one consulting/freelance umbrella where appropriate.
What should the ideal bullet point format be?
Use this pattern: Action + Scope + Result + Metric. Example: 'Led lifecycle campaigns across 3 segments, increasing open rates from 18% to 31% in 2 quarters.'
Should I include tools like Microsoft Office as skills?
Only include them when advanced proficiency is relevant to the role (e.g., advanced Excel modeling, VBA, automation workflows). Basic usage is usually assumed.
How long should a resume be?
One page is common for early-career roles; two pages is normal for experienced candidates. Prioritize relevance and clarity over full historical detail.
How should I handle career gaps or short stints?
Be clear and structured. For project-based work, group under a single umbrella title with selected client/project highlights to avoid a fragmented timeline.
Do these rules apply to every industry?
Mostly for corporate hiring (tech, operations, finance, consulting, marketing). Government, academia, healthcare, and trades can have different conventions.