Resume guides
Practical guides to writing a resume that is true, specific and easy to read. Every example is made up, so nothing here asks you to copy someone else’s life.
First resume and students
Starting out with little or no work history.
6 min read
How to write a resume, start to finish
The whole job in one place. What to gather before you start, which sections to write, the order of work that saves time and how to check the file before you send it.
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7 min read
Your first resume when you have no work experience
What to put on a resume when your history is a degree, a few projects and maybe one internship, and in what order to put it.
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8 min read
Resume or CV: which one to send, and what is actually different
The two words mean different things in some countries and the same thing in others. Here is how to tell which one an employer wants, and what to change when it is a CV.
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7 min read
One page or two: how long your resume should be
A plain way to decide your resume length from your experience, plus what to cut when a page is full and how to handle the second page well.
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7 min read
Internships, projects and volunteering: how to count them as experience
Work that was unpaid, short or self-directed still counts when you describe it properly. How to write it up, where to put it and what to be careful about.
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Each section of a resume
What belongs in every part, and how to write it well.
6 min read
How to write the summary at the top of your resume
Three or four lines that tell a recruiter who you are and what you are good at, with before and after rewrites for different roles.
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7 min read
Turning your duties into bullet points that show results
How to rewrite "responsible for" lines into specific, honest bullets, with and without numbers.
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7 min read
Photo, date of birth, salary and notice period: what to put on your resume
Which personal details belong on a resume, which can stay off, and how to handle salary and notice period without hurting yourself.
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8 min read
The education section: what to include, in what order, and when to shrink it
How to list degrees, grades, courses and unfinished studies so the section helps you, and how it should change as your career grows.
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7 min read
The skills section: what to list, how to group it and what to leave out
How many skills to list, how to group them so they are easy to scan, and how to prove them elsewhere on the page so the list is not just a claim.
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8 min read
The projects section: how to describe your work so it stands up to questions
Which projects to include, how many, how to write each one in a few lines, and how to link to the work without exposing anything you should not.
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7 min read
Certifications, courses and awards: which ones deserve a place on your resume
How to decide which certificates, short courses and awards to list, how to write each entry, and when a long list does more harm than good.
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6 min read
Links on your resume: LinkedIn, portfolio, GitHub and what to check before you add them
Which links help a reader, how to write them so they work in print and on screen, and what a stranger will see when they click.
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6 min read
Contact details on a resume: name, email, phone and location done right
What belongs in the header of your resume, how to write each detail so it is easy to use, and the small mistakes that cost people callbacks.
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6 min read
Languages, hobbies and interests: when a short line helps and when to cut it
How to list the languages you speak with honest levels, and how to decide whether a hobby or interest adds anything to your resume.
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7 min read
References and extra sections: what to say, what to skip and what to keep ready
Whether to write "references available on request", how to prepare people who will speak for you, and how to handle optional sections such as publications and memberships.
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Format and software
Layout, files and how screening software reads them.
5 min read
How software reads your resume, and what that means for how you build it
What applicant tracking systems and portals do with your file, which layout choices cause trouble, and how to check your own resume.
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6 min read
Resume formatting basics: fonts, margins, spacing and a layout that reads well
Practical settings for font, size, margins, spacing and headings that keep a resume easy to read on screen, in print and through software.
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5 min read
PDF or Word: which file to send, and how to name and check it
The real trade-offs between a PDF and a Word file, when each is the better choice, and a short checklist so the file opens the way you meant.
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7 min read
Tailoring your resume to a job posting without stretching the truth
A practical routine for reading a posting, matching it to your real experience, changing the right parts of your resume and leaving the rest alone.
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5 min read
Two-column and designed resumes: what is safe and what to avoid
When a designed layout helps, when it hurts, and how to keep a good looking resume readable by both people and software.
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5 min read
Photos, icons, charts and color: the visual extras and when they help
A practical look at photos, icons, skill charts, infographics and color on a resume, with a rule for deciding what to keep and what to drop.
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5 min read
Seven things people say about applicant tracking systems that are not quite true
A sorting of common claims about screening software into what is true, what is half true and what is simply folklore, so you can stop worrying about the wrong things.
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4 min read
Chronological, functional or combination? Choosing a resume format
What the three classic resume layouts really are, who each one serves, and why most people should start chronological even when their history is not tidy.
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5 min read
Common resume mistakes and how to fix each one
The mistakes that actually cost interviews, from duty lists and one-size resumes to files software cannot read, with the fix for each one.
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Career situations
Changes, breaks, long careers and unusual paths.
7 min read
Changing fields, or coming back after a break: how to frame your resume
How to show transferable skills when your old job title does not match the new role, and how to handle a career break briefly and truthfully.
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7 min read
A long career on one resume: what to keep, what to cut and how to show growth
How to edit twenty years of work into two pages that show your level, your best results and your direction, without sounding dated.
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7 min read
After a layoff or a run of short jobs: how to present your history calmly
How to write about a layoff, a role that ended early or several short jobs in a row, what to say and what to leave out, and how to prepare for the question.
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6 min read
Several roles at one company: how to show promotions without repeating yourself
How to lay out a promotion path, a move between teams or a change of title under one employer so the growth is easy to see and the page stays short.
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7 min read
Freelance, contract and self-employed work: how to put it on a resume
How to turn years of independent work into a clear section, with clients and projects grouped sensibly, results named and the dates kept honest.
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6 min read
A resume without a degree: how to lead with what you can do
How to arrange a resume when your strongest points are skills, projects and experience instead of a qualification, and how to write the education line accurately.
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7 min read
Applying for jobs in another country: what to adapt on your resume
Which parts of a resume change from country to country, how to check local habits before you apply, and how to explain qualifications and work authorisation clearly.
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Cover letters
Short letters that sound like you and fit the role.
7 min read
How to write a cover letter in four short paragraphs
A simple structure for a one-page cover letter that explains why you, why this role and why this company, without repeating your resume line by line.
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6 min read
The first lines of a cover letter: how to start without sounding like everyone else
Why most cover letters begin the same way, what a good opening has to do in two sentences, and several ways to start that fit different situations.
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6 min read
A cover letter when you have little or no experience
How to write a convincing letter when your history is short, by choosing the right evidence, showing real interest and being honest about where you are starting.
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6 min read
Cover letter length and tone: what to cut and how to sound like yourself
How long a cover letter should be, which sentences to cut first, and how to keep a professional, warm voice that does not sound stiff or copied.
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7 min read
Sending an application by email: subject line, message, attachments and follow-up
How to put your cover letter and resume into an email that gets opened, what the subject line and message should say, and how to follow up without being a nuisance.
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Interviews and job search
Getting ready, answering well and following up.
8 min read
Tell me about yourself: how to answer the question that opens most interviews
A simple three part shape for the most common interview opener, with an example, ways to adapt it if you are new to work or changing fields, and how to practice without sounding rehearsed.
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7 min read
Strengths and weaknesses: how to answer both interview questions with confidence
How to choose strengths that fit the job and prove them with an example, how to name a real weakness without hurting your chances, and which stock answers to avoid.
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7 min read
After the interview: thank-you notes and how to follow up
When to send a thank-you note, what to put in it, and how to follow up if you do not hear back, with short examples and a simple timeline.
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6 min read
Replying to a recruiter: what to say, what to ask and what to watch for
How to answer a recruiter's message whether you are interested, busy or not interested, what to ask before you agree to a call, and the warning signs of a message that is not genuine.
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6 min read
Resigning well: the letter, the conversation and your notice period
What to check before you resign, how to tell your manager, a short resignation letter you can adapt, and how to work your notice so you leave on good terms.
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7 min read
Your LinkedIn headline and summary: how to write them so people stop and read
A simple formula for a headline that says what you do and why it matters, a way to write the About section so the first lines earn the click, and a short checklist for the rest of your profile.
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6 min read
The STAR method: how to tell a work story that lands
Situation, task, action, result. How the four-part shape works, how to build a bank of stories from your own resume, and the traps that make STAR answers sound rehearsed.
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5 min read
How to answer "Why should we hire you?"
The question is really asking whether you understand the job. A three-part answer that connects their need to your proof, with examples and the versions of the question to watch for.
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5 min read
Questions worth asking the interviewer, and the ones to hold back
The questions that make you look like a colleague, the ones that quietly cost you, and how to use the last five minutes of an interview well.
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6 min read
Negotiating salary once you have an offer
Why the offer stage is the one moment you have real bargaining power, how to prepare a number you can defend, and a calm script for asking without souring anything.
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6 min read
Video interviews: setup, presence and the mistakes that distract
A video interview is a normal interview plus a technical layer you control. The setup that takes an evening, the habits that read well on camera, and what to do when the connection fails.
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