How to Write a Resume That Gets Noticed

Writing a resume can feel overwhelming, especially when you know it needs to stand out in a sea of applications. If you’re anything like Sarah, a driven professional juggling career ambitions and life’s responsibilities, you don’t just want any job—you want the right job. And that means crafting a resume that truly reflects your skills, strengths, and the impact you bring to the table.

But here’s the thing: a resume isn’t just a list of job titles and bullet points. It’s your personal marketing tool. It tells a story about where you’ve been and where you’re headed.

Let’s walk through the steps to creating a resume that gets noticed—one that lands interviews and helps you take the next step in your career with confidence.

Step 1: Know Your Audience

Before you start writing, take a step back and think about who will be reading your resume. Hiring managers and recruiters scan resumes quickly—often in six to seven seconds (Ladders, 2018). That means you need to make an immediate impact.

Action Step:

• Research the company and role. What keywords appear in the job description? What values and skills do they emphasize?
• Tailor your resume to match the language of the posting. If they want someone “experienced in project management,” and you have that experience, use that exact phrase.
• Cut the fluff. Focus on what’s relevant to the role you’re applying for.

Example: If a job posting emphasizes leadership and you led a volunteer initiative that raised funds, don’t just list “Volunteer Coordinator.” Instead, write:

Led a volunteer team of fifteen, successfully organizing a fundraising campaign that raised $10,000 for local initiatives.

Step 2: Nail Your Formatting

Your resume needs to be clean, easy to read, and visually appealing. Think of it as a document that should make someone’s life easier—not harder.

Best Practices:

• Keep it one to two pages (unless you’re in an academic or research-based field).
• Use a professional font (Calibri, Arial, or Garamond) at 10-12 pt size.
• Bold section headers and keep margins at one inch to improve readability.
• Avoid graphics, excessive colors, or complicated layouts (unless you're in a design field).

Pro Tip: Use a simple, ATS-friendly format. Many resumes are scanned by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and overly stylized formats can get rejected before a human ever sees them.

Step 3: Start With a Strong Summary

Your resume should start with a compelling summary—a snapshot of your experience, skills, and what you bring to the table. Think of this as your elevator pitch.

Example: Before: Hardworking marketing professional looking for a job in digital marketing.

After: Results-driven digital marketing specialist with five years of experience increasing brand engagement by 40% through targeted campaigns and strategic social media growth.

Action Step:

• Keep it three to five sentences.
• Focus on impact and what makes you unique.
• Use quantifiable results where possible.

Step 4: Showcase Achievements, Not Just Duties

Hiring managers aren’t just looking for what you did; they want to know how well you did it.

How to Transform Duties Into Accomplishments:

Instead of saying: Managed social media accounts and created content.

Say: Increased social media engagement by 60% in six months by developing a targeted content strategy.

Action Step:

• Use action verbs: Led, Managed, Designed, Implemented, Achieved.
• Include numbers to show impact: Increased sales by 25%, Managed a team of 10, Reduced costs by 15%.
• Structure with SAR (Situation-Action-Result) to make it meaningful.

Step 5: Optimize for Keywords

Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes before they reach a recruiter’s desk. This means your resume must include relevant keywords from the job description to get past automated scans.

Pro Tip:

• Copy the job description into a word cloud tool (like WordItOut) to see which words are used most often.
• Naturally integrate those keywords throughout your resume.

Step 6: Keep It Concise & Impactful

Recruiters don’t have time to read a novel. Every word should add value.

Avoid These Common Mistakes:

Too wordy: Responsible for the organization of and execution of marketing strategies...
Better: Developed and executed marketing strategies that increased engagement by 35%.

Final Check: Polish & Proofread

Spelling and grammar mistakes can get your resume tossed immediately. Before you hit send: Use Grammarly or have a friend review it.
Read it aloud to catch awkward phrasing.
Ensure consistency (bullet point format, tense, font sizes).

Next Steps

Want more resume tips? Check out more resume-related posts here: Acorn Avenue Blog

Get my FREE ‘Top 10 Resume Mistakes’ Guide: Download Here

Coming Soon! I’ll be launching a membership with all the resume-building resources you need—including monthly calls where I’ll personally help you craft a standout resume. Stay tuned!

FAQs

Q: What if I don’t have work experience? A: Highlight transferable skills from volunteer work, internships, or coursework. Example: Led a team project, managed deadlines, and presented findings to faculty.

Q: Should I include a photo on my resume? A: In North America, no. Photos can introduce bias and are not ATS-friendly.

Q: How often should I update my resume? A: Regularly! Even if you're not job searching, update it every six months to a year to reflect new skills and accomplishments.

Writing a resume that gets noticed is a game-changer, and you deserve to have yours seen by the right people. Follow these steps, be bold about your achievements, and don’t be afraid to apply for that job!

References

Ladders. (2018). Eye-tracking study: How recruiters view resumes in 7 seconds. Retrieved from https://www.theladders.com