10 Tips on a Good Resume: What Recruiters Actually Want to See in 2026

Looking for tips on a good resume? Here is what works: keep it one to two pages, tailor it to each job description, lead with measurable achievements, and make sure it passes ATS screening. This guide covers all ten things recruiters want to see, and what gets resumes rejected before a human even reads them.

The Importance of a Good Resume

Your resume is often the first impression you make on potential employers. It’s your chance to showcase your experience, skills, and potential. However, a well-crafted resume isn’t just proof of your qualifications – it also shows who you are and if you’d be a good fit (culturally and professionally) for a company. This is why it’s so important to get it right.

Why Your Resume Keeps Getting Rejected

Have you ever found yourself tweaking your resume before applying to every job yet still not getting callbacks? This can be exhausting, but it can also be a sign that your resume is missing something.

Here are some reasons your resume keeps getting tossed:

• Not tailored to the job: If your resume doesn’t match the job description, it’s easy for recruiters to pass. For example, applying for a role like a Mechanical Engineer position requires highlighting different skills and experience than other roles.
• Spelling or grammar errors: Small mistakes can make you seem careless, even if you’re not.
• Missing keywords: Many companies use software to screen resumes. If you don’t include the right keywords, yours might not even get seen.
• Hard to read: If your resume is messy or all over the place, it will be tossed.
• Vague objective: Your resume includes cliche lines like “seeking new opportunities,” which raises red flags with recruiters. They might think that you yourself are unsure about what you’re looking for
• Lack of achievements: You list your job duties, but you don’t say what you’ve actually done. Without numbers, it’s difficult for recruiters to see your value.
• Unprofessional contact info: No one wants to hire someone with an email address they’ve had since middle school.

10 Tips on a Good Resume

Check out our tips for building a resume that will set you apart from other candidates and help you secure interviews:

Customize Your Resume for Each Job

A common mistake is sending out the same resume for every job application. Instead, employers want to see how your experience aligns with their specific needs.

Make sure to read the job description carefully and expand your resume to highlight the skills and experiences most suitable for the role. This will show that you’ve carefully read the job description and understand how you could contribute.

Pro Tip: Use specific phrases from the job description to increase your chances of getting through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). However, this is scratching the surface. If you want to bypass these systems and get your resume in the recruiter’s hands, you also have to pay attention to keywords connected to your skills, certifications, and software expertise.

Tailor your resume to job descriptions, and you should see a difference in results.

Keep It Clear and Concise

Hiring managers do not have time to read resumes beyond the first page. The best resumes follow the 3 C's: Clear, Concise, and Customized. Clear means easy to read at a glance; concise means only necessary details; customized means it matches the role you are applying for.

If you are early in your career, keep it to one page. If you have several years of experience, two pages are acceptable. Use bullet points, clear headings, and a straightforward layout to make it easy to skim.

Showcase Your Achievements with Numbers

Listing job duties tells a recruiter what you were responsible for. However, numbers tell them that your work translates to results. Use specific figures wherever you can:

• Instead of "Managed a sales team" → "Led a team of 6 that grew revenue by 20% in 12 months"
• Instead of "Handled customer complaints" → "Resolved 95% of customer complaints within 24 hours, improving satisfaction scores by 18%"
• Instead of "Ran social media" → "Grew Instagram following from 2K to 14K in 8 months"

If you do not have exact numbers, feel free to use ranges or honest approximations.

Make Your Resume Professional

A recruiter will not take a colorful or overly designed resume as seriously as a clean, simple one. A professional resume follows the 5 P's: Presentation, Professionalism, Precision, Personalization, and Proof. In practice that means:

• Use clean fonts like Arial or Calibri
• Use consistent spacing throughout
• Avoid unnecessary graphics unless you are applying for a design role
• Avoid CV builders that prioritize looks over function — fancy templates often cause ATS formatting errors
• Every claim on the page should be backed by a result or a number

A clean, well-structured layout will always be easier to read and will always make a better impression.

Avoid Careless Mistakes

When it comes to job hunting, the simplest errors can make you look unprofessional. Grammar mistakes, typos, and inconsistent formatting will have a bad first impression on a good recruiter. Proofread your resume multiple times; even better if you can get someone who works in HR and recruiting to give it a second look for you.

Write a Winning Summary or Objective

Your resume summary is the first thing employers see, so make it count. Don’t be afraid to keep it short – this shows that you’re confident in what you want. Limit it to two to three sentences, and focus on your top skills and what you bring to the table. This is also a great place to include relevant keywords naturally.

Here’s an example of a good resume summary:

“Senior marketer with 7+ years of experience boosting brand awareness and lead generation through SEO and multi-channel campaigns. Skilled in using analytics to optimize performance and maximize ROI.”

Emphasize Relevant Skills and Experience

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to list every job you’ve ever had. Focus on positions and skills that are directly related to the job you’re applying for. If you’re changing careers, highlight transferable skills that show how your past experiences apply to the new role.

Pro Tip: Use the job posting as a guide to select which experiences and skills to emphasize.

Include Certifications and Training

If you have any relevant certifications or additional training, don’t forget to add them to your resume. This will make you stand out from other candidates and show that you have the expertise needed for the job. Even short online courses or workshops can be valuable additions, which is why you should attend as many as you can.

Keep Your Resume Up to Date

Update your resume regularly even if you’re not actively job hunting. Add new skills, experiences, and certifications as you gain them. You never know when an opportunity will arise, and you’ll want to be prepared for it when it happens.

Add Links to Your Portfolio or LinkedIn Profile

Here’s our last addition to the resume tips and tricks: Employers don’t care about your employment history and achievements as much as they care to see your work. For roles like design, writing, or marketing, a portfolio link can provide proof of your skills. Including your LinkedIn shows that you’re consistently active in your community and keep up with the latest trends.

How Long Should Your Resume Be?

Job applicants sometimes have dilemmas over how long their resume should be. The most common misconception is that you need to cram as much information on your resume to make it longer. The truth is, recruiters want to skim through your resume for the information they need

Here’s a good rule of thumb:

• One page if you have less than 7-10 years of experience.
• Two pages if you have extensive experience or need to showcase more achievements.

How Far Back Should Your Resume Go?

You should include the last 10-15 years of your work history. This timeframe showcases your most recent and applicable experience without overwhelming recruiters with outdated information.

However, there are exceptions:

• If you’re a recent graduate or early in your career: Focus on internships, part-time jobs, and relevant coursework.
• If you have extensive experience: Highlight only the roles that directly relate to the position you’re applying for.
• If older experience is highly relevant: It’s okay to mention it, but avoid lengthy descriptions.

Pro tip: Write your resume in reverse chronological order. This format lists your most recent job first and then works backward through your employment history. It’s the most common and preferred resume format because it shows recruiters your latest experience, which is often the most relevant one.

Final Words

A good resume makes it easy for employers to see why you’re the best candidate. By applying these ten tips on a good resume, you’ll improve your chances of getting interviews and landing your dream job.

So, don’t overthink your CV – just follow our practical writing resume tips. Focus on what matters – clarity, relevance, and showcasing your accomplishments with real data. Once you nail your resume, you’ll make yourself more memorable to recruiters.

Want a resume that gets noticed? Contact TailoredCV for a customized resume that beats the ATS system.