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- Resume advice got you feeling all confused?
On Today’s Launch
One frustrated job seeker, too many opinions, and the real secret to a winning resume (and job search strategy).
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
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Aren’t you sick of seeing completely opposite advice on resumes?
As a resume writer, I work in a field where there are no hard and fast rules, only fuzzy guidelines. Just the other day, I was on the phone with an interested prospect that was expressing his frustration with the fact there’s so much “mutually exclusive resume writing advice out there” (his exact words).
The fact is, if you ask 100 people about resumes, you’ll get 100 different responses.
In my prospect’s experience, he’d applied to 200 jobs and only got one callback. The funny thing was, before he started looking, he sent his resume to people he knew, recruiters and bosses included, and got conflicting advice.
“The format is too bland, add some color to it” said one person. When he did that, another person told him to “keep it plain Jane”.
You can understand this guy’s frustration. You may have even been there yourself.
I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told him. Resume writing is an art, not a science. There are no rules in this game. That’s why you’ll often see some people telling you to do opposite things.
“Keep it to one page max”
“Use up to three pages”
“Use as many pages as you need”
Sound familiar?
The strange thing is, even recruiters disagree on what’s what, which makes finding common ground even harder.
So you may be thinking f**k it, I’ll just do what feels right but before you do that, I just want to say that there is one strategy that works every time. That’s by thinking of yourself as a product. Why should the "customer" (the employer) choose you? This approach needs to be embedded in everything you do as a job seeker, but especially when writing your resume (which is really just a marketing document BTW).
This is something a lot of people miss - most job seekers are out there asking “What can this job do for ME?” instead of flipping the script around. In today’s tough market, you’ve gotta show the employer what YOU bring to the table and your resume needs to embody that.
I’ve already written extensively on how to get your resume to stand out and show your value in previous posts (here and here) so I won’t go through it again.
Before I wrap up, I do want to point out that while there aren’t any rules, there are definitely guidelines to follow that apply to most situations.
DO THIS ✅ | NOT THAT ❌ | Why ⁉️ |
|---|---|---|
Use a single column resume | Use a designed resume (Canva, Adobe InDesign etc.) | Designed resumes interfere with the ability of some ATS to read your resume. |
Focus on relevance | Focus on a strict page length limit | Relevance trumps page length. If you feel like you’ve got two full pages of really great, relevant content, then please, use two pages. There are even a few situations where three pages is okay (i.e., C-level execs or senior level IT professionals). |
Tailor your resume to the job | Use one resume for multiple unrelated jobs | Your resume is an ad for you, the product. If your ad is promoting apples to someone looking for watermelons, you’re gonna fail, every time. |
Did I miss anything? Let me know by emailing me at [email protected].
PS: I realize I messed up last week’s issue by forgetting to include a link to the job application tracker. Here it is. If you missed last week’s issue on tracking job applications in Notion, read it here.
Takes from Around the Web
Speaking of resume length, here’s a funny comment on one of my Reddit posts (click the image to see the full post).
Read this post on Business Insider for a list of companies slashing jobs this year
Everybody loves a good calculator.
Reader Q&A
I get that you have to sell yourself, but I’m just not comfortable making up numbers. What do I do?
Love this question – honesty and integrity matter. First, let's get clear: selling yourself does NOT mean fabricating data. It means highlighting what you've already achieved in a way that's impactful. Here's how:
Focus on Outcomes: Did you improve a process, even if you can't quantify it? Instead of "Answered customer emails," try "Streamlined customer support…”.
Use Comparatives: Sometimes the impact is clearer with context. "Boosted social media engagement by 20%" might not mean much on its own, but add "...in an industry where 5% is considered strong," and that's impressive.
Tell the Story: Can't put an exact number on increased sales? Describe what happened instead: "Developed targeted sales pitch that led to the acquisition of a key client."
Tell me what kind of topics interest you 👇
Did you like this week's post?Tell me why or why not by emailing me at [email protected]. |
About the Author
I’m James, Cofounder of Final Draft Resumes. I’ve been in the career consulting space for 13 years, and before that, I was a recruiter for AECOM.
I’ve helped thousands of job seekers, from industries like software engineering, IT, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and more generate job opportunities through well-written resumes that translate unique backgrounds into coherent narratives.
If you’re struggling with your resume for whatever reason, reach out - I just might be able to help!
If you’re more of a DIY person, then check out Resumatic, my free-to-try resume builder.