Resume Tips That Actually Get You Interviews
A professional, well-targeted resume is your most important career document. These evidence-based tips will help you stand out from hundreds of applicants, pass ATS software, and impress hiring managers in 2026.
Build Your Resume FreeWhy Your Resume Matters More Than Ever in 2026
These statistics reflect current recruiter behaviour and ATS adoption rates across the industry.
Average time a recruiter spends scanning a CV before deciding whether to read further
Of resumes are rejected by ATS software before any human reviews them
Higher response rate for tailored applications versus generic, one-size-fits-all resumes
Pages is the ideal length for most professionals — brevity and relevance are valued
1Choose the Right Resume Format for Your Situation
The format you choose affects how easily a recruiter can assess your background and, critically, how well your resume parses through ATS software. There is no single "best" format — the right choice depends on your career stage, work history consistency, and what you are applying for.
Chronological
Best for: Most job seekers with a consistent, uninterrupted work history
Lists your work experience from most recent to oldest. This is the preferred format for most employers and the easiest for ATS software to parse correctly. Use this format as your default unless you have significant employment gaps or are making a major career change that makes your history less relevant.
Functional (Skills-Based)
Best for: Career changers, those with significant employment gaps, or fresh graduates
Organises content around skills and achievements rather than job titles and dates. This is useful when your employment history does not directly mirror the role you are targeting. However, use it carefully — some ATS systems and recruiters find this format harder to process.
Combination (Hybrid)
Best for: Senior professionals and candidates with diverse, relevant skill sets
Combines a prominent skills section at the top with a chronological work history below. Particularly effective for candidates with 8 or more years of experience, those targeting senior or executive roles, or professionals whose skills portfolio is as important as their specific employers.