The Perfect Resume

Did you know 75% of resumes never get seen by a human? Yours could be one of them—unless you follow these proven steps.

The good news? Writing a job-winning resume isn't about being the most qualified candidate. It's about presenting your skills the right way. And with AI tools (like ours!), you can create a perfect resume in minutes—not hours.

Why Most Resumes Fail (And How to Fix Yours)

Recruiters spend just 6-7 seconds scanning your resume before deciding to keep reading or move on. If they don't see three things immediately, you're out of luck:

• Who you are (Clear job title + expertise)
• What you've achieved (Quantifiable results > duties)
• Why you fit (Skills that directly match the job)

The Resume Black Hole Problem:

• 98% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes
• 50% of qualified candidates get rejected because their resumes aren't optimized
• Resumes with metrics get 40% more interview requests

The 3 Deadly Resume Mistakes

• Too generic: "Hardworking team player with great communication skills"
• All duties, no results: "Managed social media accounts"
• Keyword-stuffing: Unnatural repetition of skills from the job description

✅ What Works Instead:

"Digital Marketer with 4+ years growing e-commerce brands. Increased sales by 120% through targeted Facebook Ads. Skilled in SEO and email automation—ready to boost revenue for [Company Name]."

General Resume Structure

Customize your resume for each application, highlighting specific skills and experiences that align with the job requirements. Never use a single, generic resume for all your job applications.

Sprinkle the right keywords from the job description throughout your resume where it’s natural. This helps ensure you get past the application tracking system (ATS).

• File name: firstname_lastname_role_company_resume.pdf
• Limit your resume to one page for under 3 years of experience, or two pages for more experience, emphasizing key information to align with the job description.
• Skill and Experience is the most important so put it at the top below summary.
• Never use logos or symbols because HR professionals and ATS systems don’t recognize them.
• Be picky. Only include additional sections (Projects, Certifications, Publications, Extracurriculars, Awards and Recognitions) that help position you as the ideal candidate based on the job description.

Personal Information

• Don’t add your profile photo because you are not a celebrity or public figure.
• Add your first and last name, email address, phone number, and LinkedIn profile URL to the header section of your resume.
• Don’t mention your address unless you are located in a company office location or applying for scholarships.
• Add a personal website but it is optional and you can use LinkedIn, GitHub, Medium, Kaggle, Google Scholar, (Behance and Dribbble for designers) instead.
• Use a simple email dedicated to job searching.
• Mention just one Phone Number that is active 24/7.

Summary

It is highly recommended to write a summary, but it is not necessary, especially if you are a fresher.

• Keep it concise and focused in 2–3 impactful sentences using vivid adjectives or verbs to emphasize your capabilities, highlight your strengths and accomplishments.
• Start by describing your professional background by stating your position and area of expertise.
• Prove your credentials by sharing your top career highlights.
• Emphasize your skills by writing a statement that addresses how you’ll add value to the organization.
• Tailor your summary to the job description by highlighting relevant skills and experiences.
• Include quantifiable achievements to provide clear evidence of your impact in previous roles.

Examples of Summaries

For Freshers:

Recent engineering graduate with a background in mechanical design and project management. Seeking a role at [Company] to apply strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities in developing innovative, efficient engineering solutions. Eager to contribute to impactful projects while growing professionally in a collaborative environment.

For Experienced Professionals:

Advanced Quality Engineer with 8 years of experience in ensuring production quality from start to finish in the automotive industry. Proven understanding of ISO quality management systems, industrial processes, and continuous improvement methodologies. Applying for the position of Quality Engineer to drive corrective actions and improve quality in a consistent manner.

Skills

• Review the job description to pinpoint the skills that the company’s hiring managers are seeking.
• Add all your skills grouped as technical (hard) skills, non-technical (soft) skills, tools, frameworks, platforms, and programming languages.
• Make a list of skills short and sweet without rating because it is subjective.
• Don’t Overload by listing every possible skill you can. Focus on quality and relevance over quantity.
• Never underestimate the importance of soft skills.

Professional Experience

• Start by listing your most recent job—mention your job title at the company.
• Mention the company you worked for, including the dates of your employment by month and year, followed by the location of the company (city, country).
• Concentrate on experiences most relevant to the job you're applying for, avoid the inclusion of every role you've held.
• Exclude non-relevant roles to keep your resume focused and concise.
• Align your work experience section with the job description by emphasizing relevant roles and achievements.
• Use 2-5 bullet points to describe your professional experience in a company.
• Prioritize skills, outcomes, and responsibilities directly related to the job requirements.
• Start each bullet point with an action verb to describe an outcome achieved, followed by how you contributed.
• Show impact and outcomes rather than merely listing skills you’ve developed.

Projects

• Add portfolio projects if you don't have enough work experience and wanna showcase your skills using projects.
• Mention the project title, organization you did the project at, start and end dates, and include any links if applicable.
• Describe what you did using 3-5 bullet points.

Education

• State the title of your highest level of qualification.
• Mention the institution where you earned your degree or qualification.
• Include the location of your institution (city, country).
• Add the year of graduation (unless you graduated more than ten years ago).
• Highlight any honors, relevant coursework, or minors in the description section only if you are a fresh graduate.
• Optionally, include your GPA score (only when you’ve scored over 3.5 out of 4).
• Place your education section near the top of your resume when you’re a new graduate, have little to no professional experience, or when your academic background is particularly relevant to the role.

Certifications

• Add certifications only if it is related to job requirements.
• Include certification title, issuing organization, and date of achievement.

Finalizing Your Resume

• Review your resume at least twice. The first round is to make sure no details are missing and that everything’s written professionally. The second is for spotting writing and formatting mistakes.
• Verify your contact details, as well as all dates, names, and details for accuracy.
• Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
• Remove irrelevant experiences, projects, skills, certifications, publications, extracurriculars, awards, and recognitions.
• Consider downloading a PDF of your resume and checking it for aspects such as the number of pages, cropped elements, alignment, and formatting to ensure it appears as intended.

The AI Advantage: How to Save Hours

Traditional Resume Writing:

• 4-6 hours researching and writing
• 30+ minutes tailoring per application
• Constant second-guessing about ATS

With PikCV AI Resume Builder:

• Import Your Existing Resume (or start fresh)
• Paste the Job Description (AI extracts keywords)
• Generate Tailored Content (bullet points, summaries)
• Get an ATS Score (see exactly how you'll perform)