Contact Info: Name, phone, email, LinkedIn/portfolio.

Summary: 2–3 lines highlighting skills + career goals.

Experience: Latest job first. Use action verbs + results (“Increased sales by 20%”).

Education: Degrees, schools, dates.

Skills: Hard + soft skills tailored to the job.

Extras: Certifications, projects, languages, volunteer work.

Tailor to the role: Match keywords from job description.

Be concise: 1 page (early career), 2 max (experienced).

Bullets > paragraphs: Easy to scan.

Quantify wins: Use numbers to show impact.

Format cleanly: Simple fonts, white space, no clutter.

Save as PDF unless asked otherwise.

Typos or sloppy grammar.

One-size-fits-all resumes.

Overused buzzwords (“team player,” “hard worker”).

Listing irrelevant jobs.

Adding personal info (age, photo, etc., unless industry-specific).

Use strong verbs: achieved, designed, led, launched, improved.

Align with LinkedIn (recruiters check).

Ask a friend to skim-test in 30 seconds.

Let white space breathe – recruiters skim in seconds.