7 tips on how to optimize your resume for a job search

Submitting your resume for an open role doesn’t have to feel like you’re adding your name to an already overflowing list of candidates. With the right formatting, language, and strategy, you can optimize your resume for your job search, helping you land the job you want. Check out our tips below: 

1 - Customize Your Resume 

It can be tempting to write one resume and then use it for all of the jobs you’re applying for in your job search, but this isn’t always the best approach. Instead, to truly optimize your resume for your job search, customize your resume for each open role. This doesn't mean you need to overhaul your resume each time you apply for a new job, but it does mean that you need to review your resume and tweak a few things based on each individual job description. 

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Struggling to find the right way to customize your resume? Look at the qualifications that each job description lists. Use that list to prioritize your work history and top skills so a recruiter or hiring manager can quickly see that you qualify for the job. 

2 - Use Numbers to Measure Results 

While outlining soft skills and describing results are important pieces of a resume, using your space to highlight hard numbers can be a better use of space. Wherever possible, use numbers to describe results. 

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Not sure which numbers to include? Think through projects you’ve completed—did you meet a tight deadline? Did you reach a specific sales goal? Were you responsible for a limited budget? How many people did you manage? What number of partners did you work with? Think through all of the ways you can measure your experience and attach a number to each line item. 

3 - Keep it Simple

You may feel like your resume is the place to showcase your personality. And while the reader should get a feel for who you are, it’s not the place for them to learn about your design skills, favorite color, or weekend activities. Keep your resume simple with the single task of showcasing your qualifications for the job. 

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Confused about what not to do with your resume? Don’t print your resume on anything except white paper. No special graphics, images, or watermarks are necessary. And keep your hobbies as a topic you can bring up if you’re asked during the interview process. 

4 - Add in Relevant Keywords 

Using the right language is critical to get your resume noticed. Not only can the right keywords help the hiring manager quickly move you to the next stage in the hiring process (from resume to intro phone call), they can help you get past any AI or other tech programs that scan incoming resumes to weed out potential candidates that don’t qualify. 

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Need next steps? A simple Google search can help you understand which keywords are necessary for your job type and industry. And if you need more help, review the job descriptions for the roles you’re considering and pull keywords out of the ones that align the best to your experience and skill set. 

5 - Write Your Resume Yourself 

You may consider outsourcing your resume draft to an AI program. And while an AI bot can help you brainstorm ways to highlight specific skills or experience or even pull out a good keyword list out of a job description, using AI to write the entire resume can be a red flag. Many employers use AI scanners to make sure humans are applying for human jobs and AI content is easily identified. 

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Still need help writing your resume? Don’t overthink it. Write out all of your skills, quantifiable results, and accomplishments. Organize your resume in reverse chronological format and pick 3 - 5 line items for each of your career stops. Ask a friend to review it or use an AI tool to highlight areas where you might need to fix grammar. 

6 - Make Your Resume Easy to Scan

Whether your resume is headed to an AI scanner or a recruiter’s eyes, making it easy to scan can help you boost your chances for an interview. Don’t forget to include a section for each of your previous jobs, a highlighted section on your top skills, an education or certification section, and most importantly—your contact information. 

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The best ways to do this? Use clear language, use section headers, and optimize your job titles to versions that either match the job description or are generally accepted in your industry. 

7 - Don’t Leave a Big Gap

Where possible, don’t leave a big timeline gap on your resume. A gap in your resume can lead to two possible paths—questions about your time off or an assumption that you weren’t working (and therefore you’re not qualified or you’re flighty). Do your best to fill in the gaps and note your experience for the entirety of your resume’s timeline. 

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Have a time period that you don’t want to mention? You can still avoid questions about a gap, but you have to do it strategically. If you have a specific amount of time where you don’t want to talk about your time off, consider rearranging your resume by title vs. time period. If that doesn’t work, you can highlight your time off as a sabbatical and write out what you learned while you were away from the workforce. 

Need more resources? Check out these links:

How to make your job application stand out

What to put for desired salary on application

The top 13 best job search engines

The top 5 best job search engines for people in tech

How to go find a job (in 5 steps)