Resume tips & tricks for 2024

Get rid of old or irrelevant experiences that don’t relate to the position.

As your career progresses, you should remove old experiences that are no longer impactful. There is no need to include your first job or internship experience if it isn't relevant anymore, especially if it was from over ten years ago. Dedicate and create space for your newer and more impactful experiences on your resume. It can be hard deciding what to keep on your resume if you've been working for a long time, read our tips on writing a great leadership resume here. 

Make sure that your resume is cohesive with your LinkedIn profile. 

Your resume and LinkedIn profiles should match in terms of your experience, messaging and brand. As recruiters go to check your LinkedIn profile, your story on your resume and profile should match. If you're job searching, it is time for a LinkedIn refresh. Read our ultimate LinkedIn checklist here.

Use a resume format that works well with computer screening. 

Your format is more important than you might think, especially if your resume is being scanned through a computer screening service. 

• Your resume should be a word document, not a photo or PDF, in order for the technology to read the text. 
• Use common terminology - labeling sections with clearly identifiable titles ensures that your resume is filtered correctly. 
• Consider your language:
• Make sure that you include language from the job description into your resume, otherwise your experience might be missed during the screening process. 
• Include keywords from the job description, even if that means creating separate resumes depending on the job you’re applying for. 
• Use strong language to help you stand out as a confident applicant. 

Read our top tips on getting past computer screening systems here.

Have a strong story. 

Use your elevator pitch to convey details about why you are the best candidate for the job. Creating a narrative for your work experience can help get the reader interested in wanting to learn more about you. Think about how each experience in your career has prepared you for this job, and how you can tell that story in your resume. We often find women get too caught up in the details and forget to frame their story as a whole. Read the top five resume mistakes we see women making here.

Don’t undersell your accomplishments. 

It’s vital that you use powerful language to describe your career accomplishments, not only to make it past computer screenings, but also to appear confident in your work. If you aren’t stating leadership skills and experiences, then your resume might not ever be seen by a higher-up at the company you’re applying to. 

Looking for more job search advice and resume writing tips? We can help.