Articles
Plain-English answers to the questions people actually ask about resumes.
Senior leadership
How to write an executive resume, with examples.
Lead with scale, prove it with results, and keep it readable in two minutes. For general managers, directors, VPs, and executive directors.
Working for yourself
How to put self-employment on a resume, with examples.
For business owners, freelancers, and gig workers going back to a job: titles, grouping clients and apps, and references when you were your own boss.
Tech jobs
How to write an IT resume: help desk to IT manager.
Build a technical skills section that gets past screening software, place your certifications right, and break into IT without IT experience.
Moving up
How to write a resume for your first management job.
Show leadership before you had the title, write bullets that prove results, and list your promotions the right way.
Non-profit jobs
How to write a nonprofit resume, with examples.
Show your connection to the mission, prove your impact with numbers, and make volunteer work count.
Government jobs
How to write a government resume: federal, state, and local.
The USAJOBS two-page rule, what every federal job entry needs, and how state and local merit systems score your application.
Resume basics
How to write a resume when you've never had a job before.
School doesn't teach you, and most jobs don't either. Here's how to fill the page when you don't have past employers yet.
Behind the scenes
What is an ATS resume, and why does everyone keep saying you need one?
Applicant Tracking Systems read your resume before any human does. Here's what they actually want.
Resume basics
How to list skills on a resume without sounding like a robot.
The skills section is small, but it carries weight. Here's what to put in and what to leave out.
Mistakes
Common resume mistakes that get you skipped.
The little things that get a resume tossed before anyone reads the good parts.
Hard situations
How to explain a gap in your resume.
Caregiving, illness, layoffs, recovery, incarceration, time off. How to address gaps honestly without apologizing.