In over 20 years of helping job seekers find meaningful employment, we've reviewed thousands of resumes. Some land interviews within days. Others get overlooked, even when the candidate behind them is fully capable and eager to work.
The difference is rarely about experience alone. It's about how that experience is presented. Whether you're entering the workforce for the first time, making a career change, or returning after a gap, these five strategies will help your resume make a stronger impression.
1. Tailor Your Resume to Every Job You Apply For
One of the most common mistakes we see is sending the same generic resume to every employer. Hiring managers can tell when a resume wasn't written with their role in mind, and it often leads to a quick pass.
Tailoring doesn't mean rewriting from scratch each time. It means making targeted adjustments:
- Read the job posting carefully and note the key skills and responsibilities it emphasizes
- Mirror the language used in the posting when describing your own experience
- Reorder your bullet points so the most relevant accomplishments appear first
- Adjust your resume summary to reflect the specific role you're pursuing
Keep a "master resume" that includes all of your experience, skills, and accomplishments. When you apply for a new role, pull the most relevant items from this master document to build a tailored version. This saves time and ensures you never forget an important detail.
2. Lead with Accomplishments, Not Just Duties
There's a meaningful difference between telling an employer what you were responsible for and showing them what you achieved. Responsibilities describe the role; accomplishments demonstrate your impact.
What This Looks Like
Instead of writing "Responsible for customer service," try something more specific: "Resolved an average of 40 customer inquiries per day, maintaining a 95% satisfaction rating." The second version tells a story. It gives the hiring manager evidence that you can perform the work and perform it well.
If you don't have exact numbers, that's okay. Think about outcomes: Did you train a new team member? Improve a process? Receive positive feedback from a supervisor? These are all accomplishments worth including.
3. Highlight Transferable Skills
Not every employer expects you to walk in with direct experience in their industry. Many of the most valuable workplace skills transfer across roles and sectors. Things like reliability, communication, attention to detail, teamwork, and time management matter in virtually every position.
If you're coming from a different field or entering the workforce after a period away, transferable skills become especially important. Consider experiences beyond traditional employment:
- Volunteer work demonstrates commitment and initiative
- Educational projects show problem-solving and collaboration
- Personal responsibilities like managing a household budget reflect organizational skills
- Extracurricular activities often involve leadership and communication
"Once a person is successfully employed in a role suited to them, their confidence and capabilities can fully flourish." — Andrea Todaro, Founder of Innovative Placements
4. Keep the Format Clean and Readable
A cluttered or hard-to-read resume works against you, regardless of how strong your experience is. Hiring managers often spend less than 30 seconds on an initial resume scan, so clarity is essential.
Some formatting guidelines that consistently produce strong results:
- Use a clean, professional font like Arial, Calibri, or Garamond at 10-12 point size
- Keep your resume to one page if you have fewer than 10 years of experience; two pages maximum otherwise
- Use consistent formatting for headings, dates, and bullet points throughout
- Include white space between sections so each part is easy to locate
- Save and submit as a PDF unless the employer requests a different format
After you finish your resume, try reading it on your phone. If it's hard to follow on a small screen, it probably needs more spacing or cleaner formatting. Many recruiters review applications on mobile devices during their commute or between meetings.
5. Write a Summary That Connects, Not Just Describes
Your resume summary is the first thing most employers read. It sits at the top of the page and sets the tone for everything that follows. A strong summary doesn't just describe who you are; it connects your background to the opportunity.
A good approach is to answer three questions in two to three sentences:
- Who are you? Your professional identity in a few words (e.g., "Detail-oriented administrative professional")
- What do you bring? Your strongest relevant skills or experience (e.g., "with 3 years of experience managing schedules and coordinating office operations")
- What are you looking for? How this role fits your trajectory (e.g., "seeking an opportunity to contribute to a team-oriented office environment")
Avoid vague phrases like "hard worker" or "team player" without context. Instead, let your specific experiences demonstrate those qualities naturally.
Your resume is a living document. Update it regularly as you gain new skills, complete training, or achieve milestones. The best time to refine your resume is before you need it, so you're always prepared when the right opportunity appears.
You Don't Have to Do This Alone
At Innovative Placements, resume writing and refinement is one of our core services. We work one-on-one with job seekers to identify their strengths, reframe their experience for maximum impact, and craft resumes that get results. We've helped over 3,000 individuals find employment, and we've seen firsthand how a well-prepared resume can open doors.
If you're looking for support with your resume, interview preparation, or job search strategy, reach out to our team. All of our services are provided at no cost to the job seeker.