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Resume Writing for Success:
9 Key Tips to Make an Impact on Your Job Search

Victoria A. Witkewitz

Job interview

21 August 2025

Resumes are prime real estate. With a select amount of space and words to highlight your skills, qualifications, achievements, and talent, it's important to write your resume to create impact that showcases your value to a prospective employer. Let's review some key tips. 
 

#1 DO YOUR RESEARCH

Take some time to review the job descriptions from multiple companies for the same role. Learn about the qualifications including experience, certifications, licenses (if applicable), and educational requirements, as well as the daily responsibilities. Review resumes within your field as a starting point to assist you in crafting your resume to ensure you remain competitive with job seekers and adhere to best practices. 
 

#2 Write your resume to read less like a job description

Employers don't want to read another job description. Employers are interested in why they should hire you. What skills and experience can you offer to solve complex problems, add value, and drive the vision of the organization forward? This is your opportunity to highlight the impact you had in your current and/or previous roles and why you made it a success in comparison to the 700 other applicants that could fill the position. Let's take an example. 

Which resume point creates more impact?

  • Streamlined computer systems to increase efficiency

  • Streamlined computer systems that led to a 20% increase in customer revenue while increasing lead generation by 15% in the first year

     



 

The first bullet is generic which may lead the hiring manager reading this resume to ask the question, how? How did you increase efficiency? The second bullet quantifies results and demonstrates the candidate's performance in their role.



 

#3 WRITE YOUR RESUME TO CREATE IMPACT

Think about what you currently do or did in your role that no other candidate could do. Perhaps you led a team through a challenging project, saved the company valuable time and resources, or secured a new, difficult client. Maybe you streamlined a process by eliminating unnecessary steps or checkpoints to complete a task, or led a company through a data migration project that required keen attention to detail. Use your experience to establish your credibility and strengths and emphasize where you went above and beyond in your role to achieve results. Let's take another example.

Which resume point creates more impact?

  • Proficient in Excel

  • Proficient in creating pivot tables, VLookups, and formulas to create report and forecasting models that increased operation efficiency by 15%

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The second bullet not only establishes the candidate's proficiency but illustrates how they have had a direct impact on operational efficiencies.

#4 USe Metrics/Quantitative Results

We live in a number-driven society. From the number of followers, to likes, sales figures, hiring managers are interested in measurable numbers as an additional performance evaluation tool. This is particularly important in sales roles. Even if you are not in a metric-driven role such as sales or accounting, you can still establish metrics to establish your skill set.

Take a minute to analyze your role to categorize in terms of the following:
​

  • Time

  • Financial

  • Productivity

  • Customer retention, relations, and loyalty

​

Think about the time it took you to achieve a task or project. If you worked on a similar project, did the results outperform previous expectations? If so, by how much? Compare to previous quarters and years to establish a benchmark to achieve your goals.  For example, an IT manager would want to know how much time is spent on technical support, training, system upgrading and maintenance, while a Human Resource associate would evaluate metrics such as the cost per hire, time to hire, absentee rate, turnover, and retention rates to determine the effectiveness of the company's recruiting efforts.

 

Not only does capturing metrics assist you in creating an impactful resume, but monitoring your efforts over time will determine your own personal performance objectives to identify areas where you excel and where you need to improve.

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#5 Mirror the job description

When you are applying for a position, tailor your resume to mirror the job description in terms of experience, keywords, essential job requirements by illustrating specific examples within your resume. Plug and play keywords including relevant technical program experience as well as soft skills to account for Applicant Tracking Systems (see below). Login or sign up in our Author Tools portal, to download our free guide Resume & Cover Letter Writing Showcasing Your Talent in Words.

 

#6 COMPLY WITH APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS

Avoid being rejected by Application Tracking Systems (ATS) by ensuring your resume meets the criteria of ATS. Employers use ATS to scan and identify specific keywords for positions they are hiring for which is why it is important to mirror the vital keywords in the job description in your resume. These systems may not be able to read or interpret the information presented which could potentially miss your resume from part of the data collection and screening process.

Avoid the following:
 

  • Fancy fonts. Use Sans Serif type fonts including Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Calibri, or Verdana.

  • Logos

  • Photographs

  • Graphs, tables and/or charts 

  • Bullets that are not square or circular

  • Multiple columns

  • Symbols

​

Spacing, Margins, and Naming Conventions:

​

  • Aim for one inch margins on all sides to provide a clean and concise look; avoid overcrowding.

  • Align text to the left.

  • Ideal font size should be between 11 and 12 points for the resume body with 14-16 points for headings.

  • Do not use headers or footers.

  • Date formatting should be MM/YYYY or Month with the year such as July 2025. Do not use the year only or mixed formatting.

  • Save in a MS Word or Adobe PDF file.

  • Don't label your resume something generic like resume, include your name and if you have room the title of the job you are applying for.

​

#7 BREVITY IS KEY

Multiple studies have been conducted over the years assessing the time hiring managers spend the time to review an applicant's resume which continues to shrink with time spent on strategy, meetings, answering emails, and decision-making. This is why it is crucial to write a resume that is:

​

  • Impactful

  • Highlights why you made your position a success

  • Concise

  • Clean and professional

  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS) friendly

​

Try the 5-step approach to resume writing. Learn more in our Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide. Login or sign up to access our Author Tools portal of free resources to assist authors. 

#8 THINK OF YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE A HIGHLIGHT REEL

With only seconds to pique attention with a hiring manager, think of your career like a highlight reel displaying all the wins in your role. Where did you go above and beyond in your role? Perhaps you assisted a coworker on a project you didn't have to, put in overtime, pursued additional training or certifications, achieved the customer service of the year award. Include these brief wins and successes in your bullet points and how you added value to the organization. Remember, the important details should start at the top of the resume.


 

#9 Don't forget to proofread, edit, and aim for consistency

I've spent many years assisting job applicants with their resumes, and one of the most common issues I come across is errors. This not only includes simple typos, but grammatical errors, and consistency. For example, if you have completed a job, ensure you place your job responsibilities/bullets in past tense.  Other common errors include words that spell-check will not identify, as they are words (led for past tense versus lead, manger versus manager). Many applicants miss an opportunity for these simplistic but costly errors. Pay attention to the details because the details are what hiring managers are looking at.  


 

Final punctuation

While writing your resume, aim for brevity and create impact by showcasing how you made a difference in your position that no other applicant could. Present a balance of actionable words that mirror the job description and back your credibility by focusing on proven results. I wish you much success in your career endeavors. 
 

Download our free resume & Cover Letter Writing guide in our author tools portal:
 

  • ​Essentials of resume writing

  • Resume design including the five-step approach

  • Over 200 power words to write your resume

  • Resume types and templates with examples

  • How to handle work gaps

  • Writing a resume draft

  • Editing and proofreading checklist

  • Resume and job application tips & strategies

  • Where to apply outside the typical job boards

  • Writing a cover letter with examples

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