how to write a good resume​, Resume writing tips, how to make your resume stand out, What Employers Look For In A Resume,Importance Of Resume Keywords, How To Write Your Resume Summary

Learn how to write a resume that grabs attention in 2025. Discover proven tips, formats, and strategies to stand out and land your dream job faster.

Did you know that over 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before they even reach a recruiter’s desk? Many job seekers apply for multiple jobs and spend hours customizing their applications for each position. However, the reality is that only about 2% of all candidates applying for a position actually get hired. If you have been struggling to secure interviews, the problem may not be your skills or experience, but your resume.

Today, it’s not just important to list your skills and achievements but also to frame them in terms of business value and format your resume for both ATS and humans.

Wondering how to write a good resume to increase your chances of success? We’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ll break down the secrets of:

  • How to make your resume stand out

  • What employers look for in a resume

  • Importance of resume keywords

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Understanding Resume Basics: What Employers Look for in a Resume

Research shows that many candidates include irrelevant information in their resumes, fail to mention skills relevant to the job, or place them in the wrong order. Recruiters barely spend a few seconds scanning your resume, so be sure to:

Start with a short summary

Open your resume with a short overview of your skills and experience. This gives the recruiter a sense of whether you’re a good fit.

Include relevant data

Use a clean, simple layout outlining skills, work experience, education, and certifications. Use headings and subheadings to clearly distinguish each section.

Use keywords strategically

Place keywords across the skills, certifications, and work experience sections—these give you a higher chance of being shortlisted for an interview.

Be specific about achievements

Using numbers to describe your achievements helps clarify your impact as a professional. For example, reduced marketing costs by 70%, year on year.

Focus on skills

Highlight side projects, LinkedIn skill endorsements, badges, internships, or online certifications to show you have hands-on experience. Include job-specific qualifications relevant to the position applied for, leave out the rest.

Avoid errors

Run your resume through an ATS resume checker to weed out any inconsistencies in grammar, formatting, or layout. These will improve the quality of your resume, increasing your chances of landing interviews.

How to Write a Resume for a Job?

Here are some tried and tested strategies for how to write a good resume:

  • Start with a short but powerful summary

    Your summary should provide a quick snapshot of your overall profile. It should ideally include your job role and years of experience, followed by your skills. Include keywords from the job description to make your resume ATS-compliant. Don’t forget to add a value proposition or value statement that sums up your potential impact.

    Example

    Result-driven data analyst with 2 years of experience in building dashboards. Skilled in Python, R, Excel, and Tableau. Increased reporting frequency from twice a month to real-time reports.

    A short summary sets the tone for the rest of your resume—just as a strong introduction creates a positive first impression.

  • Create a custom resume for each job

    While it may sound tedious, customizing your resume can help you highlight skills and experience specifically relevant to the job. Some employers even mention specific soft skills like problem-solving or coaching skills in their job descriptions. A customized resume allows you to address such requirements better—by providing examples or listing certifications—without increasing the overall length.

  • Start each sentence with an action verb

    Maximize the impact of each point by using an action verb. For example, ‘Implemented a business report format that reduced quarterly losses.

  • Importance of keywords

    Often, job seekers will include entire sections of the job description in their resumes because they cannot decide which keywords matter most. The key is to break down broader job requirements into specific skill-based keywords.

    For example, instead of ‘MS Excel’, list specific functions like Macros, Pivot Table, Conditional Formatting, etc. Depending on the job description, this will improve your AI score and increase the odds of being shortlisted.

  • Quantify your results

    Include numbers or percentages to highlight your impact in previous roles. Specific figures can make you look more credible to recruiters. For example, increased customer satisfaction score by 15% year on year.

  • Highlight certifications

    Research shows that Indian companies are increasingly prioritizing job-specific certifications —micro-credentials, courses, LinkedIn badges, or live projects over degrees. Make sure you list them prominently based on the job role.

  • Mention the job title

    Place the job title as mentioned in the job description at the top of the resume—either in the summary or a headline. ATS tools check for job titles when screening resumes.

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

To make it into the hands of a recruiter, a resume must be ATS-compliant and easy to read. Here are the key factors to remember when creating a stand-out resume:

  • Order your education and certifications correctly

    Based on the job description, put the most relevant degrees or certifications first. followed by other qualifications, not directly related to the job.

  • Add links to samples or portfolio

    If sending your resume via email, make sure you add links to your portfolio, website, or social media channels. This adds extra credibility and helps you relate your skills to specific projects or work samples.

    Update LinkedIn’s Featured section with case studies for more context on your skills and experience. This can increase your odds of being shortlisted for interviews and eventually being selected for the job.

  • Proofread your resume

    Once you have drafted your resume, make sure you edit and proofread it for typos, grammar, punctuation, and flow—at least two or three times. Remove any information that may not be relevant to your job role.

    Tools like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly can help you fix grammar or flow within a few minutes. Lastly, also use ATS resume checker tools to make your resume more ATS-compliant.

  • Use a streamlined AI-friendly format

    Cluttered resumes may affect how ATS systems scan your resume and parse your information. The key is to use a simple layout with clearly labelled sections like Skills, Experience, or Education. While it is OK to use bullet points to improve readability, avoid the use of graphics and colors—it can impact AI scanning.

    For example, avoid rating skills using stars or other graphics. Check for extra spaces between words, misplaced line indents, etc.

    Pro-Tip: Use an ATS-compliant resume template to avoid common formatting errors. These templates are available for free on many job portals. You can even use an online resume builder to create ATS-compliant resumes from scratch

  • Keep the length right

    If you are a fresher, a one-page resume will do just fine. If you have work experience, you should have a minimum of 2 pages. The ideal length depends on your work history or industry.

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Resume Writing Tips for Experienced Professionals

If you have 15 to 20 years of experience, here’s how to write a good resume that catches the attention of the reader:

  • Condense the level of detail for past positions:

    Most recruiters will only focus on your job history of the past 5 years or so. So you can use one to two two-liner descriptions for older jobs. This makes your resume shorter and more relevant. When customizing your resume, the key areas to focus on are the summary, skills, and certifications.

  • Frame your experience from a leadership point of view

    As you gain more experience, recruiters naturally look for leadership skills and competencies. This may open doors to a promotion soon after. For example, you may be considered for a Team Leader position based on your interview. The key is to frame your experience as a strategic thinker and not just an individual contributor.

Quantify your impact in business terms and share strategy and insights based on your experience.

Streamline your Job Search with GroYouth

Optimizing your resume can increase the odds of securing an interview. However, not every opportunity may be the right one for you. It’s time to be proactive about your career. GroYouth is a new-age recruitment marketplace that integrates cutting-edge AI that maps your skills and preferences and recommends the best job opportunities from top employers. Thanks to our skills and personality assessments, we help you find jobs that are the right fit—consistently.

Thanks to rigorous vetting, you’ll only receive legitimate job openings, eliminating any scope for fraud. Whether you’re looking for a full-time role or a contract-based, part-time role—we’ve got you covered. GroYouth also provides comprehensive career guidance and professional training to help you upskill for in-demand roles proactively.

Whether you’re a first-time job seeker or an experienced candidate, we help you steer your career like a pro. Sign up for free or contact us today for more information!

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