Formatting & length
Clean, predictable formatting helps both a human skimming in seconds and the software that parses your resume first.
Keep it tight and consistent
Aim for a single page unless deep experience genuinely warrants two. Use reverse-chronological order and keep tense, dates, and punctuation consistent throughout.
Do
- Lead each role with your most recent and most relevant work.
- Keep formatting uniform: same date format, same bullet style, same tense rules.
- Use a clean, readable font and generous whitespace.
Avoid
- Don't pad to fill space or shrink margins to cram everything in.
- Don't mix date formats or bullet styles across sections.
Jan 2021-Present ... 2019 to 2021 ... Summer ’18
Consistent throughout: "Jan 2021 – Present", "Mar 2019 – Dec 2020".
One date format reads as polished and machine-parseable.
How our AI applies this
- Grammar reviewercatches tense slips, passive voice, and unclear phrasing
- Strategy coachgives prioritized, whole-resume recommendations
Stay ATS-safe
Applicant tracking systems read your file before a person does. Standard section headings and a simple layout make sure nothing gets lost in parsing.
Do
- Use conventional headings: Experience, Skills, Projects, Education.
- Keep the layout to a single column of straightforward text.
Avoid
- Don't hide content in tables, text boxes, headers/footers, or images.
- Don't rely on a photo, icons, or color to carry meaning.
Skills laid out in a three-column table with icons.
A "Skills" heading followed by a simple comma-separated list.
Parsers reliably read the second; the first often garbles.
How our AI applies this
- Strategy coachgives prioritized, whole-resume recommendations