Writing a Resume That Gets Read

After more than 20 years of recruiting in IT, scientific, and engineering fields, we’ve seen what works — and what gets passed over. Here’s our honest take.

You Have About 10 Seconds

Hiring managers and recruiters move fast. Your name, contact information, and most recent role should be immediately visible. Use clean formatting, consistent fonts, and plenty of white space. A resume that looks like a wall of text won’t get read — no matter how qualified you are.

Lead With Your Strongest Material

Don’t bury your best qualifications at the bottom. Start with a brief summary — two or three sentences that capture who you are professionally and what you bring to the table. Think of it as your elevator pitch on paper. It should be specific, not generic. “Experienced IT professional” tells us nothing. “Senior network engineer with 12 years in financial services infrastructure” tells us something.

Use the Right Keywords

In technical fields, your resume will often pass through an applicant tracking system before a human ever sees it. Include the specific technologies, tools, certifications, and methodologies from the job description. If you’re a software engineer who works in Python and AWS, say so — clearly. Don’t make a recruiter hunt for it.

Show Impact, Not Just Duties

“Responsible for managing the network” tells us what you were asked to do. “Reduced network downtime by 30% through proactive monitoring and infrastructure upgrades” tells us what you actually accomplished. Wherever possible, quantify your results. Numbers stand out on a page and give your claims credibility.

Get Your Contact Details Right

It sounds obvious, but we regularly see resumes missing a phone number, using an unprofessional email address, or listing a LinkedIn profile that hasn’t been updated in years. Include your full name, a phone number you answer during business hours, a professional email address, and a current LinkedIn URL.

Match the Format to Your Situation

• Chronological works best when you’re staying in the same field and have a steady career progression.
• Functional is better for career changers, employment gaps, or when your skills matter more than your timeline.
• Combined gives you the best of both — a skills summary up front, followed by a clear work history. This is the most common format we see in technical fields.

Ask for a Second Opinion

Ask someone you trust to read your resume before you send it. What seems clear to you may not be clear to someone unfamiliar with your background. A fresh perspective often catches things you’ve become blind to.

And if you’re working with us — send us your resume. We’ll give you honest, specific feedback before we present you to any client. That’s part of what we do.