Resume Formats for Tech Jobs

The CV habits that make Aussie job seekers look outdated and how to fix them. I’ve reviewed thousands of tech CVs across Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland. Here are the signs that instantly age a candidate, plus the fixes that get interviews moving: ❌ “References available on request.” Recruiters already know this. Use that space for impact. ✅ Replace with: a one-line achievement. Example: “Scaled fintech app from 2k → 50k users in 12 months.” ❌ Career objectives. “Seeking a challenging role…” = filler. ✅ Replace with: a sharp summary naming your industry, stack, and value add. Example: “5+ years in cloud engineering, specialising in AWS cost optimisation.” ❌ Duties copied from a job description. Looks generic. Doesn’t show what you achieved. ✅ Replace with: measurable outcomes. ❌ Copying duties from the job description. Looks generic. Doesn’t show what you achieved. ✅ Replace with: consequences + results. Here’s an example from a recent 1:1 coaching session: Before “Set strategy and led execution for stateless hosting golden paths via the Internal Developer Portal (IDP).” My feedback: This tells the reader what you did, but not what it delivered. So I asked: - How long did this take? - How many teams were involved? - Was this a multi-year strategy? AFTER “Delivered a 3-year stateless hosting strategy via the Internal Developer Portal (IDP), adopted by 14 engineering squads across APAC. Reduced deployment time by 60% and unlocked $2.5M in annual infrastructure savings.” That’s the difference between describing activity and proving impact. ✅ Replace with: clean, single-column, 4 pages max. White space matters. ❌ Listing every job since uni. No one needs your 2009 retail gig. ✅ Replace with: last 5 years of relevant roles. Highlight stack + results. The rest can go to "extended career history". There are two things matter more than design trends: 1. Write facts in plain English so anyone can grasp your value in 10 seconds. 2. Apply to jobs where those facts matter most. Tailoring is what wins interviews. A CV isn’t about telling your whole story. It’s about telling the right story, to the right audience, in the clearest way possible. If you want to see how these CV fixes have worked for real tech professionals in AU/NZ, check out the testimonials on my site: https://lnkd.in/gW7Equtj #LinkedInNewsAustralia

I review 10-15 CVs every day for PM roles. Here are 7 common mistakes that instantly weaken your chances and how to fix them: As someone regularly screening PM resumes, I've observed talented candidates repeatedly missing opportunities due to easily avoidable errors. Your CV isn't just a document; it's your first and most important product pitch. Make it compelling. 1️⃣ Not Customizing Your Resume Generic resumes rarely make the shortlist. Carefully align your resume with each job description. Match keywords, emphasize relevant experiences, and directly speak to what the company needs. 2️⃣ Focusing on Tasks, Not Impact PM roles are about outcomes, not activities. Use data and specifics to showcase results. Instead of "managed backlog," say, "Optimized backlog prioritization, increasing sprint velocity by 15%." 3️⃣ Overlooking Your Skills Section Don’t undersell your versatility as a PM. Clearly separate technical (SQL, Jira) and soft skills (stakeholder management, agile leadership). Ensure your skills match the requirements of the role. 4️⃣ Weak or Generic Professional Summaries Recruiters spend only seconds scanning this crucial introduction. Write a clear, precise statement highlighting your experience, strengths, and career goals, e.g., “Product Manager with 8+ years delivering growth-focused SaaS products, specializing in user-driven design and analytics.” 5️⃣ Poor Formatting and Visual Clutter If recruiters struggle to read it, they won't read it. Keep formatting simple—clean fonts (Calibri, Arial), structured sections, and bullet points. Always save your resume as a PDF. 6️⃣ Including Irrelevant or Outdated Information Your resume should reflect your strongest PM qualifications. Highlight only relevant experiences from the last 10-15 years, remove outdated skills, and skip personal details (photos, marital status). 7️⃣ Grammar Errors and Typos Attention to detail matters greatly in product management. Rigorously proofread, use tools like Grammarly, and have your resume reviewed by peers. P.S. - Recruiters quickly skim resumes in 6 seconds. Ensure critical details like your headline, key skills, and quantifiable achievements are clear and easy to spot. ✅ Audit your resume against these mistakes this weekend. ✅ Tailor your resume for a PM role at your dream company. ✅ Seek constructive feedback from a trusted mentor. ✅ Refresh your LinkedIn to align with your updated resume. Your next great PM opportunity awaits make sure your resume does you justice. PMs and hiring managers, did I miss anything? I'd love to hear your perspectives. PS: If you are looking to start preparing for product roles, I run a program that help you break into the perfect product role. Use the link in the comments to apply! 🚨

“I’ve sent 260+ applications in 3 months on LinkedIn, Indeed, Naukri… but my inbox is still empty.” That is what a candidate told me last week. When I opened his resume, I knew why. The ATS could not read half of it. Here is what candidates don’t understand about ATS: An Applicant Tracking System does not “see” design. It reads structure. It ranks keyword relevance. It parses data into fields. If your resume cannot be parsed correctly, it is filtered out before a recruiter even knows you exist. Here is what actually makes a resume ATS-friendly, backed by how these systems work: 1️⃣ Use Standard Section Headings ATS scans for predictable headers like “Work Experience”, “Education”, “Skills”. If you write “Where I’ve Worked” or “My Journey”, parsing accuracy drops. Stick to conventional headings. 2️⃣ Match Keywords With Context, Not Stuffing Modern ATS tools use semantic matching, not just keyword counting. If the job description says “financial modeling”, writing it once under Skills is not enough. Show it inside bullet points with outcomes. Example: “Built 3-statement financial models to evaluate ₹20 Cr investment proposals.” 3️⃣ Avoid Text Inside Images, Tables or Graphics Many ATS systems cannot read text embedded in text boxes, tables, columns or icons. That stylish Canva layout may look impressive to you. To the ATS, it is a blank page. 4️⃣ Use Reverse Chronological Format Most ATS systems are trained to parse dates in reverse order. Inconsistent date formats like “Summer 2022” instead of “May 2022 – July 2022” reduce match accuracy. 5️⃣ Optimize File Type Unless specified otherwise, use .docx or a simple PDF. Some older systems struggle with heavily designed PDFs. 6️⃣ Prioritize Skills Based on Job Description ATS ranking is relevance-based. If Python appears 5 times in the JD and Excel once, reorder your skills accordingly. Relevance hierarchy matters. 7️⃣ Remove Headers and Footers Many ATS systems do not read content placed in headers and footers. If your contact details are there, they may not be parsed. 8️⃣ Keep It Single Column Multi-column resumes often break parsing logic. One clean column improves readability for both machine and human. 9️⃣ Customize Every Single Time There is no such thing as one universal resume. Each job requires alignment. If you are not tailoring, you are reducing your match score. Now tell me honestly: What is the biggest difficulty you are facing while trying to get your resume shortlisted? Is it no responses? Too many rejections? Confusion about keywords? Not sure if your format is ATS-safe? Drop your challenge in the comments and I will personally share specific feedback or a solution for you. #atsresume #resumetips #careercoach #interviewpreparation #jobsearchindia #ats #interviewcoach

People have always asked me how to build the best CV or resume. No document guarantees anything. But avoidable mistakes can stop a qualified person from getting an interview. For most industry roles, here is what I recommend: • Know the role or job family you are targeting. • Keep one master resume, then tailor it to each opportunity. • Make your level, specialty, and value clear within seconds. • Use a clean, readable, single-column layout with standard headings. Avoid tables, skill bars, text boxes, and complicated formatting that may confuse an ATS. • Opinions on photos differ. Many recommend leaving it off but some true experts like Ethan Evans think it can make you memorable. I leave this to your call. • I also like a statement of purpose of leading paragraph at the top that wraps everything together, especially if you won't use a cover letter. • Keep it concise. One page is often enough early in your career; two pages are reasonable when relevant experience warrants them. No more. • Use short bullets, not dense paragraphs. Readability helps in general and with the ATS • Focus on accomplishments, not only responsibilities. Show what changed because you were there. • Start bullets with strong verbs and quantify impact when truthful and meaningful. • Never invent a metric. Clear qualitative impact is better than a fake number. • Give more space to recent, relevant work and less to older or unrelated experience. • Include important skills, tools, platforms, certifications, and keywords naturally and in context. • Prove qualities such as leadership, collaboration, and initiative through evidence rather than adjectives. • Include relevant projects, freelance work, volunteer work, open-source contributions, and community leadership. • Make your portfolio, website, reel, ArtStation, GitHub, or work samples easy to reach. • For games, name shipped titles when permitted and explain your platforms, engines, discipline, scope, and contribution. • Keep titles, employers, dates, and major facts consistent with LinkedIn. • Never inflate titles, ownership, skills, dates, or results. Be ready to explain every bullet. • Check every link, proofread every word, and follow the requested file format. Then know when to stop. Build it properly. Get credible feedback. Tailor it intelligently. Then focus on relationships, referrals, outreach, targeted applications, portfolio quality, and interview preparation. Set it and forget it - most waste way too much time going in circles over materials once set. A great resume helps someone quickly understand why you deserve the conversation. That is all you are trying to accomplish: going from A pile to B pile.

2017: Try to add as much stuff as possible into the resume. 2024: Try to add as little as possible. Every year, I remove something from my resume. My very first internship no longer has a place in it. My second internship doesn't make it either. 3-5 other random gigs and internships don't make it too. I have recently revamped my education section to summarise what I really learnt at college compared to what everyone expects people to write. I removed most of my early projects too. I want to remove more and more stuff. As the saying goes, "Every year of your work experience should be something such that the rest of your life till that point becomes a footnote". While there are some milestones I'd like to keep on display, the main crux of the resume should keep evolving. As students we often try to add as many CV points as possible and end up doing something just to get those points. And then present them in some polished manner. Resume inflation is higher than economic inflation. Looking back, I feel very tired about such practices. HRs also don't have time to read through fluff. They see 1000s of resumes and they know how things work, and what it really was compared to what you mention. They see through you very easily. My current goal is to keep my resume as short and simple as possible with well defined external links if someone wants to explore in depth. When I come across such resumes in the market, it immediately catches my attention. Well organized, clean metrics, keywords and a clear link to an external resource with proof of work. 3-5 good points are more than enough. Not even one page is needed. 3/4th a page will also do. If you really have a lot of stuff to showcase, just add a link to your complete portfolio in a single line. No need to spam the resume with it. A resume should have the most important talking points that make someone feel like you are a good fit to the role they are hiring, at the shortest glance possible. Not distractions. Not fluff and inflation. Not verbose autobiography.

Most Product Manager resumes say: “Worked on features, collaborated with teams, improved metrics.” This one says something very different… It reads like a business case, not a job description. And that is exactly why it gets shortlisted every time. Why this resume stands out? After reviewing hundreds of PM resumes, a few things in this one immediately stand out: 1. It shows business impact, not activities Instead of writing “Worked on growth initiatives”, the resume says: ➟ Scaled DAU from 50K → 1M (7M MAU) ➟ Reduced CAC by 40% ➟ Improved adoption by 20% using Gen-AI agents Hiring managers do not hire tasks. They hire impact. 2. It shows ownership across the product lifecycle The resume clearly demonstrates: ➟ Product vision & roadmap ➟ GTM strategy ➟ Customer insights ➟ Experimentation ➟ Data platforms ➟ AI capabilities This tells recruiters one thing: This PM does not just ship features. He drive products. 3. It balances strategy + execution Notice the mix: ➟ Strategic work: • Multi-year product vision ➟ Executive alignment • GTM strategy ➟ Execution work: • A/B testing • Experimentation • Sprint planning • Analytics This combination is what companies actually want in a PM. 4. It uses numbers everywhere Examples: • 600M+ rows data platform • <50ms latency • 200+ enterprise clients • Team of 3 PMs Numbers make the resume credible and memorable. 5. It signals modern product skills The resume subtly includes: • Gen-AI capabilities • Semantic search • Model monitoring frameworks • Data platforms This positions the candidate as a modern AI-era Product Manager. If you are a PM rewriting your resume, remember this rule: ✔ Do not write what you did. ✔ Write what changed because you did it. ✔ Activities describe effort. ✔ Metrics prove value. A strong Product Manager resume should answer one question instantly: "If we hire this person, what business impact can we expect?" This resume answers that within 10 seconds. And that’s why it gets shortlisted. - Follow Lokesh Gupta and our portfolio products ProductHood School, interviewhood for daily resources on career growth. - Do not have real product experience? I just opened my next PM Residency Program batch where you will actually build a real product for my business as my product manager. Learn more and book seat here https://lnkd.in/g8eF8Qpf

If you think you need a 5-page resume to impress recruiters, I'm here to change your mind. After reviewing thousands of resumes, I've noticed a concerning trend: professionals trying to fit their entire life story into their CV. Here's the truth I've learned as a resume expert: Recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds scanning your resume. That's why less is more. Let me share a recent success story: One of my clients landed a senior position at Deloitte with a single, powerful page. Here's what made it work: ✅ Clear hierarchy: — Bold job titles — Bullet points that tell a story — White space that guides the eye ✅ Strategic content: — Only relevant experience — Quantified achievements — Keywords that match the role ✅ No fluff: — No objective statement — No references — No irrelevant certifications The result? 3 interviews in the first week 2 offers within 10 days 1 dream position secured Remember: Your resume isn't about documenting everything you've done. It's about showcasing what makes you perfect for this role. Stop diluting your impact across multiple pages. Start focusing on what matters. What's holding you back from condensing your resume to one page? Let me know in the comments. #ResumeWriting #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #PersonalBranding #CareerTips #JobSeekers #LinkedInTips #ResumeSuccess

Most resumes get ignored. Not because the person isn’t qualified. But because their resume doesn’t show the right things. If you're applying for product manager roles, here’s how to fix that: 1. Lead with impact Hiring managers don’t care about job duties. They care about results. 🚫 "Managed a product backlog." ✅ "Prioritized a backlog of 50+ features, increasing user retention by 20%." 2. Highlight cross-functional leadership PMs don’t work alone. Show how you led engineers, designers, and stakeholders. 🚫 "Worked with engineering to develop features." ✅ "Led a cross-functional team of 12 to launch a feature used by 500K+ users." 3. Show data-driven decision-making PMs live in metrics. Prove you use them. 🚫 "Improved the onboarding experience." ✅ "Redesigned onboarding flow, reducing drop-off rate by 15%." 4. Keep it lean No recruiter is reading a 3-page resume. Keep it one page (two max). Focus on achievements, not fluff. 5. Customize for every job Your resume isn’t one-size-fits-all. Match your experience to the job description. Use keywords from the posting. Your resume’s job isn’t to tell your life story. It’s to get you an interview. Make every word count. 💬 Which tip resonated with you most? Drop it in the comments. ♻️ If this was helpful, consider resharing for others! Follow for more: Ankit Kumar #hiring #resume #jobs #opentowork #google #workforwin #productmanager #manager #opentowork #linkedinjobs #urgenthiring

Most resumes don’t get rejected for lack of experience. They get rejected for how that experience is presented. Over the last 3 months, I’ve reviewed over 50 resumes.  Friends, Referrals, and community members. Each time, I notice the same patterns. The mistakes are often small but costly. The wins are subtle but powerful. Here’s what I’ve learned from those reviews and what you can fix today: What actually works? 1 - Tailored Content The best resumes don’t try to be everything to everyone. They’re sharp, role-specific, and rich with keywords that match the job description. 2 - Quantifiable Achievements A line like “handled sales” is forgettable. A line like “Increased sales by 20% in 6 months” gets noticed. 3 - Simple, Clean Formatting Single-column. Consistent fonts. No design drama. ATS systems will thank you. So will recruiters. 4 - Professional Summary > Objective Statement Start with a crisp summary that answers: “What do I bring to the table?” 5 - Action Verbs “Led,” “Built,” “Implemented,” “Optimized.” Not “Responsible for” or “Helped with.” What to absolutely avoid? 1 - Generic Phrases “Hardworking team player” is white noise. Show it. Don’t say it. 2 - Outdated or Irrelevant Info That 2012 internship? Probably time to let it go. 3 - Over-designed Layouts ATS bots don’t care about your Canva skills. Keep it functional. 4 - Typos & Formatting Errors One comma out of place? Might not ruin your chances. But why risk it? 5 - Missing Contact Info Yes, this still happens. Double-check that your phone and email are visible. Bonus enhancements that make a difference: - Use metrics in every role, not just the latest one. - Match your skill section to what the job actually demands. - Move education below experience, unless you're a fresh grad. - Include certifications and recent courses. - Keep font styles and spacing uniform throughout. My suggestion? Take an hour this weekend and do a ruthless edit. - Cut fluff. - Add metrics. - Tweak layout. Ask a friend for feedback. And if you want a second set of eyes, I’m happy to help. I regularly do resume reviews (for a small fee). If you're looking for personalized, actionable feedback, DM me or drop a comment. Let’s make your experience shine the way it deserves to. -- ♻️ Reshare if this might help someone. ▶️ Join 2,485+ in the Tidbits WhatsApp group → link in comments

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot