Resume Advice Is Confusing—Here’s What Actually Matters

If you’ve been job hunting for any length of time, you’ve probably heard every kind of resume advice—and a lot of it directly contradicts itself:

• Keep it to one page!”
• “No, go as long as you need!”
• “Make it visually appealing with bold colors!”
• “No, keep it plain so the ATS can read it!”

So, what’s the truth?

After working in talent acquisition and navigating job hunts myself, here are the resume tips I actually stand by:

 1. Keep It to One Page: Think of your resume as a highlight reel, not a full biography. Recruiters spend only a a few seconds  visually scanning it—so give them the best of the best. Save the deeper dive for the interview.

2. Keep It Clean and Simple: Skip Canva and fancy designs. Use black font, clean formatting, and easy-to-read fonts like Arial or Times New Roman. Bold only job titles and institution names. 

3. Use Strong, Tense-Appropriate Action Verbs: Every bullet point in your experience section should start with a strong verb:

• Present roles = present tense ("Streamline", "Manage")
• Past roles = past tense ("Streamlined", "Managed")

Aim for 3–4 bullet points per job.

4. Be Specific and Use Numbers: Make your impact measurable. For example:

- Manage projects and ensure timely completion of deliverables
- Manage 10 SaaS implementation projects simultaneously, proactively communicating with stakeholders to drive a 98% on-time go live rate and 100% adoption of all software products

Even estimates are better than vague generalities!

The Bottom Line

Crafting a great resume doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Stick to the basics, keep it focused, and let your experience shine. And remember, the resume gets your foot in the door, but it’s your network and story that land the job.