Tech Resume Guide for 2022 (2023)

FAQs

What is the best resume format for 2022? ›

What is the best resume format for 2022? For most people, the reverse-chronological resume format is the best option. This means listing your work experience and education in reverse-chronological order, i.e. starting with the most recent position and working backwards through previous jobs or degrees.

Don't include lots of information that's irrelevant to the job you're applying for. “Sure, you've got hobbies, interests, languages, favorite bands, and ambitions,” Cenedella says. “But keep the information that doesn't address your ability to be responsible, accountable, and a hard worker to a reasonable level.”

How long should your resume be in 2022? There is no perfect answer. Depending on the job description and your work experience, your resume should be one or two pages long. If you have over 10 years of relevant experience, a multi-page resume works better than a one-page.

There are mainly four things that recruiters and hiring managers look for in the resume scanning stage: work experience, education, skill set, and personality.

The chronological format is the most recognizable and traditional format for resumes. It is preferred by most recruiters and hiring managers because it requires less guesswork than other resume formats. In a chronological resume, your experience is laid out in a familiar and easy-to-understand manner.

Chronological resume

This is the most common type of resume format and is generally preferred by most hiring managers. A chronological resume leads with your work history, which should list your current and previous positions in reverse chronological order.

How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume? You should list as many jobs on your resume as you can assuming they are all relevant and you're not going beyond the 10-15 year limit. The number of jobs typically varies between 7 and 3. As long as each job or position is relevant, you shouldn't worry about the exact number.

How do you sound smart on a resume? ›

You should use a resume summary section when you want to highlight your skills, experience, and overall showcase your professional background to recruiters. Use this opportunity to intrigue and draw them further into your resume by helping them get a quick overview of your know-how and how you can be a valuable asset.

Personal details. There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs. In fact, it is illegal for employers to ask for these personal details.

A 2018 study found that employers preferred two-page resumes over one-page resumes, regardless of a candidate's job level. Recruiters were also willing to spend more time reading a resume that was two pages long, according to the study.

In most cases, using a 3-page resume is a bad idea. Recruiters want job applicants to present qualifications in a one-page resume format. A three-page resume for a job most likely includes irrelevant information, and a hiring manager won't have time to read all of it.

Keep it current. Career coaches and professional resume writers advise you focus on the past 10 to 15 years, for most industries. (Some roles, like those within the federal government or in academia, typically, require more complete career histories.)

What are the 5 key sections of a resume? ›

The key parts of a resume are your contact information, resume profile, work history, skills, and education. You can add extra elements such as languages or certifications.

What are four things a great résumé shows employers? qualifications, meet the employer's needs, likeable, work well with others, appeal to both human and electronic reviews.

An effective resume summary typically follows the following structure: Your experience summary (how many years, doing what, etc.) Your general experience (more specific skills, what's your focus) Your top achievements (career highlights, include quantifiable change and data)

There have been surveys done that show employers and recruiters prefer a Microsoft Word document over PDF. A Microsoft Word document is easily opened by many programs and devices. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) could easily read a resume.

Rather, they are speedily scanning the page, looking for keywords, job titles, and major facts that will show if you are a good fit for the position.

Color theory

High contrast between the background and the letters makes reading easy. Black and white create the highest contrast possible, so it is considered one of the best color schemes to use on a resume. You can choose a pale background and intensive dark lettering.

You may find yourself asking, “Should I include picture on my resume?” The answer to that question is no, you should not. That is because a resume photo can: Distract the hiring manager from what's most important (your skills and experience) Get instantly thrown out of the pile to avoid bias or discrimination.

The short answer is: No, you don't need to add an address to your resume. In today's workforce, most communication is done via email or phone. This makes the need for a full address outdated. Instead, you should list a general location on your resume.

In 99% of the cases, we'd recommend going with a reverse-chronological resume format. In 2022, it's the most common and useful format: Applicant tracking systems can read it without any problems. All recruiters and hiring managers are familiar with this format.

How much job hopping is too much? ›

So, are you job-hopping too much? Around 44% of managers will not hire a candidate that changes jobs too often. The majority of executives polled said that holding six or more jobs within a ten-year span is too much.

Limit to relevant work if you have extensive experience

If you have work experience that is not relevant to the position you are applying for, it is acceptable to leave it off. If you have little experience, you can include all your history to show your skills.

You Don't Need to Include Every Job on Your Resume: Highlight jobs that demonstrate your experience, skills, and fit for the role. Leave Off Jobs That Are Unrelated: You can also omit jobs that are more than 10 to 15 years old, to avoid age discrimination.

Replace buzzwords with keywords

Refer back to the job ad, and pick out any specialist skills, action words and other important terms you can see. Then, include these words throughout your resumé where they're relevant to you.

A good CV should begin with a brief summary covering the essence of your career. It should reflect the depth and variety in your experience. This should reflect your career focus. "Mention your strengths (competencies) that have relevance to changing times.

Your resume headline should be a brief phrase that highlights your key skills, qualification, and attributes. It's important to customize your headline for each job you apply for.

Most resumes should be two pages long. Two pages are the standard length in 2021 to fit all your keywords, work history, experience, and skills on your resume.

Should a resume have bullet points? Yes, using bullet points on a resume clearly and concisely highlights your strengths. You can showcase your most relevant accomplishments and you most important skills and qualifications without burying them in chunks of text.

Listing your hobbies plays a role in demonstrating how you'll relate to the company's culture. Any extracurricular work that supports what you know about the culture is extremely relevant and should be present on your resume.

Do big companies look better on resume? ›

From a job-seeker's perspective, having a well-known company on your resume definitely works in your favor when it comes to catching the eyes of recruiters or setting yourself up to move forward in the future.

You should not include your age on a resume because it can prevent you from being hired. Although many employers have adjusted their hiring process to reduce bias based on age, hiring discrimination still exists in the workplace. For many, this bias is implicit, meaning it's unintentional but inherent in people.

Academic coursework: Listing courses taken while earning a degree or certification tells employers nothing about your abilities; it only speaks to your attendance. Neither does a GPA, which only demonstrates that you were a good student.

How long should your resume be in 2022? There is no perfect answer. Depending on the job description and your work experience, your resume should be one or two pages long. If you have over 10 years of relevant experience, a multi-page resume works better than a one-page.

Arial is the font most commonly recommended by our experts. Times New Roman was the go-to font for so long that some of our experts now say it appears dated, but it's still a safe choice in terms of readability.

If you have 10-15+ years of experience, it's okay to write a 2-page resume as long as all the information presented is relevant to the job. You can play around with the spacing, margins, and format of the resume to make all your information fit on one page. If you want the easy way out, use a resume builder.

Listing 20 or 30 years of experience can clutter your resume and make it much too long. Unless you are a senior executive, the ideal resume length is one to two pages. The key to a winning resume is providing relevant details on your work history—not every detail.

Which of the following should not be on your resume? ›

There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs.

How many references on a resume? Three to five is the ideal number of references for a resume. If the job description or the company have specifically requested that you include a list of references (and this should really be the only reason that you do), three to five strategically-chosen people are just right.

Should you include your current job on your resume? If you've only been at your current job for a few months, you generally shouldn't include it on your resume. Leaving a job after a few weeks or even months is likely to raise red flags about why you're leaving so soon.

Key takeaways: Always include your name and contact information, education, relevant professional experience and skills. Tailor your resume for each job application by reviewing the job description for keywords and requirements.

You should use a resume summary section when you want to highlight your skills, experience, and overall showcase your professional background to recruiters. Use this opportunity to intrigue and draw them further into your resume by helping them get a quick overview of your know-how and how you can be a valuable asset.

You do not need an “Objective” section on your resume in today's job market. A resume objective is seen as outdated by many employers and takes up valuable space near the top of your resume that could be better used for other sections like a career summary statement.

What should you not put in a resume summary? ›

Personal details. There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs. In fact, it is illegal for employers to ask for these personal details.

There are also some things that don't need to be listed. The hiring manager should be able to skim through your resume and see your qualifications without knowing everything about you. It often makes sense not to include information on your resume that could hinder your chances of getting an interview.

Don't include obvious examples

Examples include your experience with a commonly used email platform or that your first language is English. Since the resume objective section is already limited, it's best to use this space with key differentiators and aspects that showcase the value you bring.

A resume can be two pages, but most should be one page. That's true for entry-level candidates and those with less than 5 years' experience. If the job requires Elon-Musk-level accomplishments, or you can't cram your achievements on one page, write a two page resume.

You should not include your age on a resume because it can prevent you from being hired. Although many employers have adjusted their hiring process to reduce bias based on age, hiring discrimination still exists in the workplace. For many, this bias is implicit, meaning it's unintentional but inherent in people.

Most job postings are now online, so it is advisable to include your email address as part of your contact information. You should use an email that appears professional and clean. If you are unsure whether your current email is professional, it may be a good idea to create a new one to include on resumes.