Six Seconds: How to Write a Resume
Table of contents
I used to think resume building was a “brute force” problem — the more information I crammed in, the better. I was wrong. In reality, you don’t get an interview by showing everything you’ve ever done; you get an interview by proving you are the Subject Matter Expert for one specific role.
So I started researching “How to write a good resume”, I’ve read some books, I’ve also seen tutorials and there are even complete courses on how to impress recruiters and their ATS.
This post with notes is for my future self because I think I will continue updating my resume, but it is also for anyone who needs it, and since nothing is perfect in this life, if you have any point that you think should be improved in this post, send me a message!
Six seconds
Six seconds is all you get to make a first impression with your resume.
// Really!?...Yes!
Resume Purpose
The purpose is to get you an INTERVIEW for a specific role you are going for.
It is not a Life story, Brag sheet or Get to know you.
So, recruiters are looking for Subject matter expert or SME.
A recruiter is going to make sure your resume is ATS friendly, has a professional look and feel and highlights the right skills and experience for the role.
Note: As a tip, they tell you not to use just one resume, instead making tailored resumes for each specific role.
ATS - Applicant Tracking System
The Definition? ATS is a tool that helps recruiters and HR stay organized with all resumes they get. When someone applies on the company website the ATS takes that information and puts it into the right categories that helps to recruiters do their job.
The problem is when the ATS cannot read certain information because of how it is formatted.
What Not to Do: Adding in headshots, different graphics, multiple columns, and fancy fonts.
Clean Resume Structure
Your resume should be easy to read, so you can follow this structure:
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Use biggest font, add your country, phone number, email and LinkedIn link |
| Summary | Personal brand as a subject matter expert and share your current or target title, big wins, and metrics. |
| Technical Skills | Add your experience level. E.g. Advanced: Java, Javascript, HTML; Intermediate: C#, PHP, C; Basic: Python. |
| Experience | Star of the resume, use reverse chronological order. Write bullets using the formula: Action verb + Situation + Impact. |
| Education | Degrees, languages, certifications |
Experience Example: Increased web traffic by 110% by establishing…and tracking analytics for over 13 million visitors per month
Action Verbs: Accelerated, Achieved, Automated, Built, Coached, Completed, Coordinated, Delegated, Delivered, Deployed, Developed, Enhance, Execute, Generated, Grew, Implemented, Increased, Launched, Led, Manage, Negotiated, Reduce, Spearheaded, Surpassed, Transformed.
Steps to build a beautiful Resume
Step 1: Target role
- Choose target role
- Save job description
Do you feel confident in your choice of target role? Whatever your answer is, that is ok, it can feel scary choosing just one role, but remember, this exercise helps you stay focused as you work on that winning resume.
Step 2: Job Description (JD)
Dissect it! haha
Look for keywords on JD, there are hints.
Break down three elements:
- Title
- Responsibilities
- Requirements
If you want to go a step further, copy the job description and your draft of your experience into an AI tool using this prompt:
“Act as a technical expert and recruiter. Analyze this job description and identify the 5 most critical technical keywords and the 3 most critical soft skills that an ATS would look for.”
This gives you an immediate competitive advantage by letting you know exactly which words to highlight.
Step 3: Write your best Stories
Keyword + Experiences
Connect your skills to the Job, using keywords found in the previous step, so answer following questions:
- What project did I use this particular skill?
- What was my specific role in this project?
- What was the impact from this project?
Try to do the following table on paper.
| Keyword | Stories |
|---|---|
| Keyword 1 | What project? My role? Impact? |
| Keyword 2 | … |
| … | … |
- Friendly reminder: These skills and stories do not have to come from your main experience. these can also be transferrable skills from your side or complementary projects that you did throughout your career.
- Note: Try to include as much metrics and numbers as possible, when you are describing the impact.
FAQ
Q: How many pages should a resume have? Remember that you just have six seconds to show your resume.
A: One page is ideal if you have less than 10 years of experience, two pages is OK if you have 15 years of experience and maybe three pages if you have more than 20+.
Did I mention that your resume is reviewed in SIX SECONDS?
Resources & Further Reading
This post is a compilation of my notes and best practices gathered from:
- Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell.
- The Google/Tech Recruiter perspective found through various industry deep-dives.