Resume Tips

I've reviewed 2,000+ resumes this year. Avoid these mistakes that 90% make. 1. Generic Summaries ❌ "Motivated professional seeking opportunities to leverage my skills..." ✅ "Marketing Director who increased e-commerce revenue 47% through data-driven campaigns and strategic partnerships." 2. Missing Numbers ❌ "Led large team and improved sales." ✅ "Led 15-person sales team to deliver $3.2M in new business, exceeding targets by 28%." 3. Cluttered Formatting ❌ Tiny margins, dense paragraphs, and multiple fonts. ✅ Clean headers, consistent bullet points, and enough white space for easy scanning. 4. Outdated Information ❌ Listing your high school achievements and every job since college. ✅ Your most relevant accomplishments from the past 10-15 years that showcase your career progression. 5. RESPONSIBILITY LISTS ❌ "Responsible for managing client relationships and handling complaints." ✅ "Retained 98% of key accounts and turned 3 dissatisfied clients into top referral sources." 6. ATS-UNFRIENDLY DESIGN ❌ Creative formats with graphics, text boxes, and unique fonts. ✅ Clean, standard formatting with relevant keywords that match the job description. Your resume has 7 seconds to make an impression.  Use these tips to make them count. Share this to help others level up their resume! 📈 And follow me for more advice like this.

🔍 The resume tip no one tells you Most resumes are built like job descriptions. They tell you what someone was assigned to do… but not what actually changed because they did it. Here’s the mindset shift: ❌ “Responsible for building a dashboard in React” ✅ “Built a React dashboard used by 300+ engineers, reducing bug triage time by 35%” Adding impact + scope + numbers doesn’t just sound better. It shows you think like an owner. 🧠 Here’s why this matters: According to a 2023 ResumeGo study, recruiters spend an average of 6.25 seconds scanning a resume. And resumes with quantified results had over 40% higher callback rates. Your resume is your pitch deck. Lead with outcomes, use verbs that punch. And if you can’t measure it, describe the before/after. Think: “What happened because I was there?” “What would not have happened if I hadn’t done it?” ✨ Bonus tip: Write your resume as you go. Keep a running doc of wins, metrics, experiments, and quotes from teammates or managers. You’ll thank yourself later.

Instead of purchasing a luxury car worth 2.1 Crores, I invested the same amount in property. When I told my parents, that proud smile with teary eyes said it all. Years of effort, and small consistent steps had finally paid off. I started my career journey by working in my dream product-based company. This was only possible because of the sharp domain knowledge + a good resume + a solid portfolio. Since 2017 I have been exploring a lot of domains, doing small internships, teaching-assistant roles, freelancing, hackathons and what not. The truth in our industry is : your resume decides whether a human ever gets to know your story. I’ve seen hundreds of resumes so far, from freshers, career switchers, and even people with 10+ years of experience. And surprisingly, most of them fail before they even reach a recruiter because they can’t pass the ATS system. Harsh truth 💔 👉 You can actually check your ATS score (free) here: https://bit.ly/4hk3dGQ Now if you want a successful career in tech or any competitive field, keep these underrated yet powerful resume tips in mind 👇 📍 Tip 1: Resume ≠ Biodata. It’s a marketing document. Your resume’s goal isn’t to list everything you’ve done, it’s to convince someone to call you. Write like a storyteller, not a record keeper. 📍 Tip 2: Keywords = Visibility. Every job description hides keywords (skills, tools, frameworks). Use those exact terms naturally in your resume. That’s how you pass the ATS filter and reach a real person. 📍 Tip 3: Numbers build trust. Don’t say “Worked on improving performance.” Say “Reduced API response time by 40%.” Recruiters love data-backed impact. 📍 Tip 4: Tailor for every role. If a company wants a Frontend Developer - your backend projects shouldn’t dominate the first half of your resume. Reorder and reframe your experience based on the role. 📍 Tip 5: Show evolution. Add a “Career Highlights” or “Projects” section that shows how you’ve grown over time - it gives your journey context. 📍 Tip 6: Focus on readability. Stick to one clean font (like Poppins or Open Sans), use consistent spacing, and save as a PDF. Looks professional and works across all systems. 📍 Tip 7: Link your portfolio or GitHub. A single link showcasing your work says more than ten bullet points. Make sure it’s updated and well-organized. 📍 Tip 8: Include a 2-line personal brand summary. Something like : “Software Engineer passionate about building scalable backend systems and mentoring early-career developers.” 📍 Tip 9: Add action words. Use words like Built, Improved, Designed, Led, Optimized. It shows initiative instead of obligation. 📍 Tip 10: Review like a recruiter. Print it out or read it aloud- does it tell a clear, confident story in under 30 seconds? If not, simplify. Your resume is your first impression - Make sure it speaks before you ever do. Hopefully you get your dream internship, job, project super soon ♥️

“I applied to 200 jobs on Naukri, LinkedIn, Indeed… but no one even saw my resume.” This is what one of my students told me, eyes filled with doubt. And I wasn’t surprised. Because after reviewing 60,000+ resumes, I’ve seen the same painful truth: 90% get rejected by ATS before a human ever reads them. Not because the candidate isn’t talented. But because the resume is invisible. Here’s the reality: Recruiters spend 7 seconds skimming your resume. Job portals use ATS filters to auto-reject anything that doesn’t match keywords. And these small mistakes are costing thousands of people their dream jobs. Here are 10 game-changing details most candidates miss (don’t let yours be one of them 👇): 1️⃣ Missing Contact Info Sounds obvious, but 1 in 5 resumes don’t have a phone number or clickable email. ✅ Put your phone and professional email right at the top, ATS-readable. 2️⃣ No Clear Role Title “Intern” isn’t enough. ✅ Use: “Marketing Intern – Social Media Campaigns” instead. It tells the recruiter what you actually did. 3️⃣ Achievements Without Numbers “Handled client accounts” = vague. ✅ Try: “Managed 12 client accounts worth ₹3 Cr, improved retention by 25%.” 4️⃣ Ignoring ATS Keywords Job portals like Naukri & LinkedIn match resumes by keywords. ✅ Mirror exact job description terms in your skills/experience section. 5️⃣ Not Linking LinkedIn/Portfolio In 2025, recruiters expect proof. ✅ Always include your clickable LinkedIn URL + portfolio/GitHub/Behance links. 6️⃣ Using Fancy Templates That Break ATS Many Canva-style resumes look pretty but fail ATS scans. ✅ Stick to clean, text-based formats in Word/PDF. 7️⃣ Burying Skills at the Bottom Recruiters skim. ✅ Put a “Core Skills” section on the first half of page one. 8️⃣ Generic Summaries ❌ “I’m a hardworking professional seeking growth opportunities.” ✅ Instead: “Data Analyst with 3 years’ experience in SQL & Python, improved reporting speed by 40% at TCS.” 9️⃣ Overcrowded With Irrelevant Details Nobody needs your 12th board marks if you’re 5 years into your career. ✅ Cut the noise, keep it sharp, 1–2 pages max. 🔟 Forgetting to Proofread One typo can ruin first impressions. ✅ Run it through Grammarly + ask a peer to review. I’ve helped 50,000+ candidates land offers at companies like Google, Accenture, KPMG, Barclays, and Wipro by fixing exactly these mistakes. And trust me, your dream job isn’t far. It’s just one strong resume away. If you want my step-by-step guide on “How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume” that got my candidates hired at top companies, comment YES and I’ll share it in my next post. #resumetips #atsresume #careercoach #jobsearchindia #interviewpreparation

I wrote my first resume with AI... It landed me 0 interviews. Then I rewrote it using this template and I landed 5 interviews every month! The problem with AI written resumes is that everyone is doing them. So while the resume sounds great, it actually blends in with everyone else's. Here are the 5 best ways I've found to stand out: 1️⃣ TARGET TITLE Write the title of the job you're applying to (use their exact verbiage) at the top of your resume. 💡This let's the recruiter know, "hey, I made this resume just for you." 2️⃣ RESUME SUMMARY Everyone writes a boring paragraph here. Instead, I went with a short, punchy sentence and constantly got compliments from recruiters on it. 💡Here's the formula I recommend: Target title + skill #1 + skill #2 + impressive accomplishment + fun fact 3️⃣ HIGHLIGHTED SKILLS This was a game changer. Use a "combinational" resume format where you create a highlighted skills section at the top. 💡Use the skills that are most relevant to the job here (this also makes tailoring your resume super fast) 4️⃣ COMPANY DESCRIPTIONS I learned this one directly from a recruiter. Recruiters hate having to look up what each company does to see if its relevant. 💡Make it easy on them. Add a RELEVANT description below each company. 5️⃣ BALANCED BULLET POINTS Keep your resume concise! There are a few ways to do this. Here are two options: 💡4-3-1 rule (best for entry level) ↳ 4 bullet points per job ↳ 3 jobs per resume ↳ 1 line per bullet point 💡4-4-2 rule (for 15+ years experience) ↳ 4 bullet points per job ↳ 4 jobs per resume ↳ 2 lines per bullet point Doing these changes landed me 3x more interviews than any AI "hack" I've come across. Remember, in this market it's not about being the "best" it's about standing out from the rest. You're already qualified, you just need someone to see it! __________ P.S. If you like this "combinational resume" template I'm happy to share it just give my profile a follow and I'll share the template as soon as it's ready. _ #resume #hiring

How many times have you heard you have to "add the right keywords to your resume?" A lot of people tell you that you *need* to do it. Not many actually show you how to do it. Let's fix that. Here's a simple 4-step process for adding keywords to your resume for any new role you want to apply for. It'll help you boost your chances of landing the interview without spending hours on resume updates: Step #1: Finding The Right Keywords For Your Job Description To start, we're going to find the keywords that we want to focus on with our updates. I'm going to use this Senior Account Executive role that I found on LinkedIn, then do the following: 1. Pull up a copy of my resume and the job description 2. Head to ResyMatch.io, paste my resume on the left and the job description on the right, then hit scan. 3. Note my score, then scroll to the Hard Skills and Soft Skills Match sections 4. Identify the top 5-10 keywords that appear more than one time on the resume Step #2: Preparing Your Resume For Updates Next, we want to prepare our resume for updates. Here's how I'd do that: 1. Keep your ResyMatch scan results handy in one tab 2. Open a new tab and head to ResyBuild.io 3. If you have a resume saved, load it up. If not, choose the "Import" option to import your existing resume 4. Review your resume to make sure all of the content is up to date and ready to go besides your new keywords Step #3: Weave Your Target Keywords Into Your Resume Now that your resume is ready for edits, it's time to incorporate your keywords! Here's how to do it: 1. For the first keyword in your ResyMatch scan, identify the Skill Gap (this is how many times you'll want to add it to your resume) 2. Next, review each bullet on your resume from top to bottom. Look for places where you can naturally insert the keyword, then add it into that bullet 3. Repeat until you've closed the skill gap for the first keyword, then repeat again with the next keyword on the list Note: When adding keywords, we want to infuse as many as we can without losing the "natural" feel of our resume. We never want to feel like we're "forcing" keywords into our resume. Step #4: Run A Final Scan To Verify Updates Once you've woven in as many keywords as you can without losing the natural feel of the content, it's time to run one last scan. The goal of this scan is to verify the updates we made and ensure our match score is a in a good place before applying: 1. Export your updated resume from ResyBuild 2. Head back to ResyMatch and re-run the scan using your new resume and the target job description 3. Verify that your score has increased in proportion to the keywords you added Now you're all set to apply for that role! I hope this helped provide some clarity around how to actually do what everyone is telling you to do with your resume. Good luck out there :)

If you see someone who has been "open to work" for a 6+ months and they still show up with a positive attitude, you're missing out on great talent. Those longer work gaps are historically seen as "red flags" but in 2024, they have become the norm for many in corporate/tech with the average job search taking 6+ months (if you weren't aware of this, please internalize this fact!) People's livelihood is on the line. They could lose their homes and retirement as a result of extended unemployment, but they still manage to give grace to those around them, provide encouragement to others, share job opportunities with others, build new skills, etc. When you get into an interview with them, you're probably going to ask them about obstacles they've overcome or challenges they've encountered, and they'll give some example of the time a shipment didn't come in time, or there was some change in SEO and their website tanked. And that's all well and good. But also take a look at the fact that they showed up to that interview ready to go, have done everything right in the application process, and they've been doing this day in and day out for months on end and still have a smile on their face and are putting their best foot forward for you. Your company is probably going through a lot of change, you're probably expecting your people to navigate those changes and build new skills quickly, and stay positive amidst re-orgs. You're looking for people who will come up with new ideas and new plans to overcome those challenges. For too long, those resume gaps have been viewed as red flags around someone's candidacy, and respectfully, that's pretty darn ignorant. Those gaps are signals that someone is adaptable and ready to tackle whatever you through at them. Anyone who has navigated this job market for 6 or 12 or 18 months, and keeps showing up every day ready to try something new is going to bring that same energy to your work place. How silly to miss out on someone great who has every qualification you're looking for simply because you saw a big gap in their resume and thought "there must be something wrong with them" instead of "wow, they could be fantastic, let me learn more about them".

As a sales leader, one thing stood out: Companies wanted my team—no questions, no vetting, no checks. Companies assumed: “If they’re from Company X, they must be exceptional.” Here’s what often happened next: ✨ They walked into new roles with high expectations. 💼 And many struggled to deliver. Why? Because being part of a great organization doesn’t automatically mean you were a standout. A great company name on a resume doesn’t always equal great results. Here’s what I learned leading in that environment: 1️⃣ A company’s reputation can overshadow an individual’s true capabilities. 2️⃣ Relying solely on “where someone came from” is risky for companies—and unfair to the candidate. 3️⃣ Talent shines not because of where they’ve been, but because of how they’ve executed. As leaders, we have a responsibility: - To develop the talent in our teams. - To hire based on potential, not just pedigree. - And to create environments where performance is earned, not assumed. For those considering their next hire—or their next career move: 👉 Dig deeper than the resume. 👉 Evaluate skills over assumptions. 👉 And don’t let a brand name be the only credential that matters. Have you ever seen someone overhired or undervalued based on where they worked?

My Resume Looks EMPTY!! When I applied for my CA articleship, my resume looked EMPTY. No big college degree. No fancy internships. No big-name certificates. Just CA Foundation and Intermediate. And I know so many CA students feel the same right now. Mere paas kya likhne ko hai? Bas CA Foundation, Intermediate aur schooling hi toh hai. But here’s what I learned - Your resume isn’t about what you DON’T have. It’s about showcasing what you DO. Here’s how to make a solid CA Articleship resume - even with no big experience ✅ Structure matters Keep it clean and professional. No fancy colors, no weird fonts. Just simple and readable. Format: Name → Contact → Education → Skills → Projects → Work Experience (if any) → Certifications (if any). One page only. Recruiters spend less than 10 seconds on a resume—make every word count. ✅ Highlight your strengths Even if you don’t have a degree or work experience, you still have skills! If you cleared CA Foundation & Intermediate, mention it clearly on top. Mention if scored exemption! No college name? No problem. Show that you’re skilled in financial concepts, taxation, auditing—subjects you’ve already studied. If you’ve completed any online courses (like GST, Excel, or Income Tax), mention them under ‘Technical Skills.’ Explore the websites which provide free certificate courses! ✅ Projects & self-learning count Think outside the box. You have more experience than you realize! - Helped in your family business? That’s finance & accounting experience. - Made detailed CA notes or taught someone concepts? That’s analytical & communication skills. - Explored Excel, GST, or Tally on your own? Add it under ‘Technical Skills.’ - Participated in a case study competition? That’s problem-solving & teamwork. - Managed any event, college fest, or NGO work? That’s leadership & project management. ✅ Soft skills matter more than you think Articleship is about learning—firms want eager learners, not experts. If you’re good at communication, problem-solving, or teamwork, mention it with examples. Eg. Led a group project where I handled budgeting & accounts. Eg. Managed an Instagram page for XYZ, handling data & engagement reports. ✅ Certifications & additional skills If you’ve taken ANY online courses, add them! Basic Excel, GST, Income Tax, Financial Modeling—even free YouTube courses count. If you’ve done any internship or freelancing work (even unpaid), add that too! ✅ Make your resume action-oriented Instead of - Good at Excel. Write: Created financial models and reports using Excel formulas. ✅ One-page, no fluff Remove unnecessary details like full address, hobbies, references. Stick to what adds value to your application. If you’re applying for CA Articleship, what’s your biggest struggle with resumes? Drop it below—I’ll try to help! It's time to recall your whole past!! 😅

Want to land that interview? Start with your CV. Then develop your cover letter. Back in January, I wrote here about a resume and application that stood out among a field of 150+ applicants and why it was so effective. I've been asked many times about that post and my advice. So here’s what made it shine: -- Two pages. Even with over 25 years of experience, the candidate maintained a sharp and focused approach. -- Clean structure. Role titles, organisations, and dates were easy to follow. -- Clear achievements. Responsibilities and accomplishments were listed succinctly. -- Strategic detail. The most recent three roles were covered in depth; earlier roles were summarised. -- Well-documented education. Professional development was listed in chronological order and clearly. -- References upfront. They included current referees and offered flexibility if needed. -- Contemporary touch. A clickable LinkedIn profile was embedded in the header. -- No AI fluff. It sounded like them, not a bot. (Yes, we can tell.) There were no gimmicks: No headshots. No logos. No weird text boxes or infographics. Just a clean, professional, and confident CV (similar to the one below)👇 But what really got them the interview? A high-impact, well written cover letter. Again, little to no AI. Yes, absolutely, you need to take care and attention when writing a cover letter. One that addresses the "ask". It wasn’t generic. It addressed the role, outlined their value, and spoke directly to the criteria. It answered three simple questions: (1) Why this role? (2) What do I bring? (3) How does my experience align? Simple, yet highly effective. It was addressed to me, but could’ve easily been written to the client. And it added real value to the application. It made me stop, read and think about their suitability for the position and their fit to the organisation. Their application went to the top of the pile, despite being unknown. So, if you want to land a new job, this is the playbook. Less noise. More substance. +++++ Bonus tips: For c-suite, or non-executives out there. A CEO asked me recently: "Should I make my LinkedIn profile look less like my resume? I’m seeing more ‘out there’ profiles with big claims…” My take? Keep your resume and LinkedIn aligned. Titles, dates, gaps, they need to match. We notice when they don’t. Use LinkedIn to add depth and dimension, showcase thought leadership, share outcomes, and bring your experience to life. Just remember: -- Your CV gets you in the door. -- Your LinkedIn amplifies your brand. Both should evolve as your career does. Refined, authentic, and consistent. Another often asked question “Do I really need to write a cover letter?” For any senior role the answer is yes, even if we are headhunting you. I promise you, clients read them.