Use These 16 Expert-Backed Resume Tips to Transform Your Resume

But job seekers want to know: what makes a resume good? Or, more importantly, what makes a resume great? 

What makes a resume so outstanding the hiring manager wants to print out 100 copies and send them to every future job applicant as the gold standard? Let's get to the bottom of this question by first going over the difference between a "good resume" and a "great resume".

(Oh, and by the way, if you're looking for resume templates and step-by-step guidance on creating a professional resume, we highly recommend checking out our online course, The 24-Hour Resume Makeover.)

What's the Difference Between a Good Resume and a Great Resume?

1. Great Resumes Include Data

Your resume is proof that not only can you do the job you're applying for, but you can excel at it. The best way to have supportive proof of this is to have quantitative data to back up your accomplishments. Numbers, statistics, and percentages are your friends when it comes to making your resume stand out among the others.

Did you go above and beyond your goals? If so, by how much? By how much did you increase revenue or growth for your company? If you're a leader, how many people did you manage? Did you increase employee retention?

For example, a good resume may say "implemented a new set of processes that increased sales revenue". A great resume would include data: "implemented a new set of processes that generated 90% more revenue than the previous quarter." If you can, always quantify.

2. Great Resumes Show Personality 

The resumes that stand out the most paint a clear picture of the applicant's personality. This could come through the design of the resume or your writing. This is especially important if you are applying for a creative position, be it a design or writing job. Are you a graphic designer that has developed a personal branded look? Include that branding on your resume. 

It can sometimes feel a bit difficult to showcase your personality when you're trying to pack in all of your work experience and accomplishments, but incorporating your written tone and voice into your descriptions will go a long way.

Not only will it show whether you're a good cultural fit for a job, but it will make for a more entertaining and engaging read for whoever is viewing your resume.

When paired with a creative cover letter, you'll make a great impression on any hiring manager. 

3. Great Resumes Include Action-Based Accomplishments

Action verbs are a great way to make a resume stand out. By swapping out a few keywords, you'll automatically paint a clearer picture of your accomplishments and successes.

For example, instead of stating that you "have been a team leader for 5 years" try "supervised and managed a team for 5 years". Using action verbs places you in the driver's seat of your career. 

On that note, avoid any passive verbs. Instead of writing "revenue was increased by 10%" try "increased revenue by 10%". Not only does this sound stronger, but it removes superfluous words on your resume. The more concise the better.

By the way, if you need help coming up with some action verbs, we've already created a long list for you. 

4. Great Resumes Are Not Necessarily Long

One of the most popular resume questions we get is: How long should a resume be?

We believe a great resume should be one page. A two-page resume may sometimes be necessary depending on the role and experience. 

According to HR statistics, managers skim resumes, often in less than 7 seconds. For that reason alone, it's best to try and keep your resume as short as possible. You don't want to have your accomplishments listed on page two or three of your resume because chances are they will be overlooked. 

In order to keep your resume on the shorter side, there are a few things you can do. 

5. Great Resumes Always Include Keywords

According to Zippia, using keywords and industry jargon can increase your likelihood of getting an interview by nearly 30%.

Plus, using keywords can increase the chances that an Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) will pick up your resume in an online database. An ATS compares your resume to the job description by scanning for keywords or phrases in your resume that are also used in the job description.

Great resumes incorporate keywords from the job description. For example, if the job post says they are looking for a social media manager who can "create strategic content ideas" make sure to mention those keywords in your previous work experience. You could say something like, "brainstormed and conceptualized strategic content ideas".

Qualities of Standout Resumes According to the Experts

We have our own ideas about what makes resumes stand out, but we were curious about what others thought, so we went to the experts.

We received responses from career coaches, recruiters, and even a VP of People Development. We think we got closer to the “perfect” resume format by asking this question: What is the best resume you’ve ever seen?

Here’s what we learned (and what you should definitely include in your next resume draft!). 

6. The Best Resumes Are Articulate

An interesting way to articulate your career moves is by providing context for your career moves. HR + Recruiting Expert Sara Salam explains that her favorite professional resumes included “the context of this person’s career progression and reasons for moving on to each opportunity.” 

Senior Technical Recruiter Emily Stanek is also a big fan of a resume that articulates well. She explains that the resumes that stuck out to her include “a sharp summary section that summarized who the candidate is.”

7. The Best Resumes Use Clear Language

Career Coach Jess Smith loves resumes that use language from the job description—especially when it comes to helping recruiters sort through resumes. 

She explains that “Recruiters are often the first to look at a resume, and most often recruiters have not actually been in the position they are hiring for. They are looking for things from the resume that will match up with the job description that they have been given.” 

Another language usage tip comes from Career Coach and Consultant Holly Knoll. Her favorite resumes do away with buzzwords and fluff. Knoll’s ideal resumes include “easy-to-understand language without highly technical jargon or company-specific acronyms.”

Our third language tip comes from VP, People Development + Human Experience Angela Howard explains that the best resumes boast “clear and simple language” and that they also “stay away from cliche terms like ‘team leader” or ‘team player.’"

And this may go without saying, but make sure that your resume writing is error-free. Check for typos, grammar mistakes, and make sure you use strong action verbs (here's a list of action verbs you can use).

8. The Best Resumes Are "Just The Right" Length

Ah, the age-old question: How long should my resume be? As we mentioned earlier, our rule of thumb here at Career Contessa is that it shouldn’t be more than one page. Your work history, qualifications, skills, and certificates should be considered relevant information for the specific job to which you are applying.

Career Coach Holly Knoll agrees that resume length matters. She says her favorite resumes are “two pages maximum with the most recent role being the most descriptive.”  

9. The Best Resumes Have Great Formatting

A well-formatted resume will catch a recruiter or hiring manager’s attention—and keep it. You know why? Because they can read it. We recommend having an organized, chronological resume that includes relevant (and updated) contact information.

Senior Recruiter Nicole Anderson’s favorite resumes all include clean formatting with bullets. An ideal resume, for Anderson, will include these elements, in this order:

By placing the skills and expertise section above work experience, Anderson explains that “this formatting works well for helping candidates stand out (and be more easily discovered) in both databases and with hiring managers.”

This is a great tip for someone who is looking to get their resume read by both humans and by those tricky gatekeeper Applicant Tracking Systems. 

In terms of design, we recommend using common resume fonts like Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Calibri with a font size between 10-12pt. Keep your margins between 1 inch and .08 inches.

10. The Best Resumes List Accomplishments

The best resume that ever came across Senior Executive Recruiter Steve Rosen’s desk included an accomplishments section.

Rosen explains, “[It had an] accomplishment section where the person talked about what they accomplished in the position as opposed to what activities they did. They showed how they added value in that job.” 

Vice President, Human Resources Manager Courtney Oliver loves a resume with a solid career overview including “impact and value made to each role.” She explains that these resumes show a person’s career path in a well-laid-out overview.

11. The Best Resumes Have Clarity + Concise Explanations

This point came up—a lot. 

More is not always better, and this is especially true when composing your resume. Marketing Manager Raji Behniwal advises applicants to “be concise and don’t over-fluff your skills. Say what you mean and mean what you say!”

Recruiter Andrea Oliveira is also a huge fan of a clear and concise resume. A characteristic all of Oliveira’s favorite resumes have in common? They’re “to the point.”

HR + Recruiting Expert Sara Salam is a huge fan of two c-words: context and clarity. Rather than simply listing out daily responsibilities, Salam explains that the best resumes include, “concise explanations of how this person added value to their company in their role.”

Career Coach and Consultant Jennifer Smith also loves three c-words in resumes:

Career Advisor Corbin C. put it simply by adding, “The best resume I’ve ever seen included only what we needed to know.”

12. The Best Resumes Include Quantitative Details

You know what never lies? 

Numbers. That’s right—cold, hard data. Recruiter Becca Rhew’s favorite resumes include just this: quantitative details. This includes things like a percent increase or decrease, dollars saved, or customer retention rates. If you have numbers to share in your resume, share them. By including numbers, you are presenting quantitative proof of both the soft skills and hard skills listed on your resume.

Career Coach Tess Povar agrees with adding what she calls “meaningful numbers.”  She says the best resumes she has ever seen have included meaningful numbers in bullet points. “This way, employers can see a quantifiable result of how your efforts impacted the project/company.”

13. The Best Resumes Demonstrate Intrinsic Motivation

This tip, from Executive Recruiter Jesse Migdal, goes into a deeper level of employee motivation. Rather than creating a generic "perfect resume," Migdal argues that the best resumes go beyond listing “x,y,z” accomplishments. The best resumes, Migal says, ask “How have you gone above and beyond what is expected of you? How do you really stand out? How are you making those around you better? What makes you, you?” 

Senior Recruiter Sylvia Torres has a similar favorite type of resume. Her advice is to “make [your resume] conversational, use your voice! Use concise sentences that tell a story.” 

14. The Best Resumes Have The “It-Factor”

Migdal is also a huge fan of extra-curricular activities—specifically those performed on the job that go above and beyond expectations. This includes examples where an employee trained new coworkers, took on extra projects, and exceeded goals.  

Resumes with these extra-curricular activities show a hiring manager two things. One, that you’re so good at your job that you can (and do!) take on additional work and responsibilities.

The second? That you don’t only do well at the job asked of you, but your stellar performance is a reflection of who you are as a person. Migdal explains, “You have self-motivation because performing well and exceeding expectations makes you feel good inside.”

The same goes for volunteer work. By including volunteer experience on your resume, you are able to showcase your passions and interests that may not necessarily be tied to your work experience.

15. The Best Resumes Feature Keywords, Keywords, Keywords

Keywords are important to recruiters, HR professionals, hiring managers, and Applicant Tracking Systems alike. 

University Recruiter for Hulu Christina Fromson says the best resumes she sees are clearly tailored to the role. These resumes include keywords pulled straight from the job description.

16. The Best Resumes Delight with A Fun Fact

One of our favorites came from Development Assistant Susan M. Fiorentino. Her favorite resume “included a fun fact at the bottom which made the candidate seem more like a person than just a resume.” Make sure that your fun fact is relevant to the job you are applying for.

Some ideas could be a funny award you won as a kid, a newfound passion project, the first concert you attended, or even the most random place you've fallen asleep. If you need any help, we created a long list of examples of fun facts on a variety of topics.