How to Write a Resume That Gets Shortlisted

1A recruiter skims, not reads

Your resume gets a quick skim first. In those seconds the recruiter looks for three things: the role you're after, where you worked or studied, and proof you did something useful. If they can't find these fast, they move on.

So every choice below has one goal: make the important parts easy to find.

2One page, in this order

• Freshers and under 8 years: one page. More pages don't mean more chances.
• Experienced: Name and contact → Summary → Skills → Experience → Projects → Education → Certifications.
• Freshers: Name and contact → Summary → Education → Skills → Projects → Internships → Achievements.

Use these exact headings. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) look for them by name.

3Pass the ATS first

Big companies like Google and Microsoft run every resume through an applicant tracking system before a person sees it. It reads your text and matches it to the job. Make that easy:

• One column, real text. No photos, tables, icons or text inside images.
• Standard fonts like Arial, Calibri or Georgia, 10–12 pt.
• Send PDF unless the form asks for Word.
• Copy the job post's exact skill words: "Spring Boot", not "Spring framework stuff".

4The bullet formula Google recommends

Laszlo Bock, Google's former head of people, suggests one pattern: Accomplished [X], as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]. What you did, a number, and how.

5Start every bullet with a verb

Strong verbs make you sound like the one who did the work. Pick by what happened:

• Built something: Built, Developed, Designed, Created, Implemented, Launched
• Made it better: Improved, Optimised, Reduced, Cut, Accelerated, Simplified
• Led people: Led, Mentored, Coordinated, Trained, Organised, Drove
• Fixed problems: Resolved, Debugged, Fixed, Migrated, Refactored, Automated

Avoid "Responsible for", "Worked on" and "Helped with". They hide what you actually did.

6Numbers make it believable

Anything you can count works: users, requests per second, % faster, ₹ saved, bugs fixed, tests written, rank in a contest, size of the team. If you don't know the exact number, a fair estimate ("about 300 users") is better than none.

7Freshers: projects are your experience

• Pick 2–3 projects that match the role. For a Java backend role, show a Spring Boot or DSA-heavy project.
• For each: what you built, the tech, one number, and a GitHub or live link.
• Add DSA proof: "Solved 350+ problems on LeetCode" is a real signal for coding interviews.

8Mistakes that get resumes rejected

• Spelling mistakes and wrong dates.
• An objective like "seeking a challenging role in a reputed company". Write a 2-line summary instead.
• Words like "hardworking" or "team player" with no proof.
• Personal details: photo, date of birth, father's name, religion. Not needed.
• A generic resume sent to every job. Tweak the summary and skills each time.

9Tailor it in 10 minutes

1. Read the job post and underline the skills it repeats.
2. Move those skills to the front of your Skills line.
3. Rewrite the summary's first line to name that role.
4. Make sure your top 2 bullets show those skills.
5. Run it through the checker in our builder.