Resume and CV guides
Writing a CV, wording the awkward parts, and getting past the software that reads it first. No filler, no “boost your career” — just what actually matters.
ATS
- What an ATS actually does with your CVAn ATS is mostly a database: it pulls fields out of your CV so recruiters can search. What it reads, where CVs go wrong, and the checks that matter.3 min read
- What makes a resume format ATS-friendlyAn ATS-friendly resume is real text in one reading order under standard headings. File type, layout, headings, dates and what to avoid, with a checklist.2 min read
- Do two-column resumes work with applicant tracking systems?Two-column resumes often parse fine, but some tracking systems read across the columns. How to test your own PDF, and when to choose one column.2 min read
Writing your resume
- Writing bullet points that actually say somethingMost resume bullets describe a job, not a person. Add the outcome and the scale, use scope when there is no number, and keep each to a line or two.2 min read
- The professional summary, and when to skip itA resume summary earns its space when your roles need explaining. When to write one, how to keep it to two or three specific sentences, and examples.2 min read
- How long should a resume be?One page if you can, two if you have earned it. Length should follow content: what that means early in your career, after a decade, and what to cut first.2 min read
- Tailoring without rewriting the whole thingTailoring a resume is mostly reordering, not rewriting. Find what the advert cares about, move it to the top third, and match its language honestly.2 min read
- Resume vs CV: which one do you need?In the US and Canada it is a resume; in the UK, Ireland and much of Europe the same document is a CV. Where the terms differ, and what actually changes.2 min read
Cover letters
Reading about it is the slow way.
The templates handle the structure these guides keep pointing at, so the only thing left is your own history.