Recruiters spend an average of six to eight seconds on their first pass through a resume. In that window they are looking for three things: the level you operate at, the domain you operate in, and evidence that you delivered something measurable.
The most common mistake is describing duties instead of results. 'Responsible for managing the social media accounts' tells a reader nothing. 'Grew organic reach 148% in twelve months across four channels' tells them everything.
The second most common mistake is layout that fights the reader. Two-column tables, text boxes, and header-embedded contact details all break applicant tracking systems and force a human to hunt for information.
Fix the top of the page first. A short, specific professional summary followed by three to five quantified highlights does more work than any other section on the document.
Finally, tailor. A single generic resume sent to forty employers performs worse than five tailored versions sent to five employers whose job descriptions you actually mirrored.
The TiamiyuCareer editorial team
Recruiters, hiring managers, and professional writers who spend every day inside the hiring process — and write everything we publish from that experience.