Write a resume and cover letter that fit the job you want.
A resume's job is to show an employer, quickly, that you can do the work in the posting. Lead with the experience that matches the role, and say what you did and what changed because of it. How long should a resume be? As long as your relevant experience needs, and no longer.
Many employers collect applications in an applicant tracking system (ATS), software that stores resumes and lets recruiters search them. Use standard section headings and plain formatting, and use the posting's own words for skills you really have. Both the software and the person who reads your resume next will follow it more easily.
A cover letter adds what a resume cannot: why you want this role, and the strongest evidence that you fit it. In the US, a resume is the standard document for most jobs. A curriculum vitae (CV) is longer, lists your full academic and professional record, and is used mainly for academic, medical, and research roles.
Use 1 column, standard headings, a basic font, and plain bullets: no tables or text boxes, and nothing important in headers or footers. Steps from US guides.
Send a resume unless you apply for faculty or research-intensive work, a fellowship, a grant, or an award. How a CV differs, and federal and England usage.
A resume should be 1 or 2 pages, 2 only if your experience needs them. Most federal civil service jobs take 2 at most. How to decide and how to cut.
A good resume names the job in its headline and pairs each task with a result. Five fictional examples, from first job to career change, annotated line by line.
Care, trades, hospitality, healthcare, and more. Tell Bob what you want and meet employers who are hiring now.
