Fix this if your resume is hard to read or looks cluttered

What’s wrong

• Multiple columns, tables, or graphics

• Inconsistent spacing or font

• Hard to scan quickly

Fix it fast

• Use a simple, single-column layout

• Keep font consistent (Arial, Calibri, 10–12 pt)

• Add clear section headings and spacing

• Make sure it can be scanned in 10–15 seconds

Example

Weak: Dense paragraphs, uneven spacing
Strong: Clear sections, clean bullets, easy to scan

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Clean up the formatting of this resume to make it ATS-friendly and easy to scan: [paste resume]

Fix this if your contact section is incomplete or unprofessional

What’s wrong

• Missing LinkedIn

• Unprofessional email

• Too much personal info

Fix it fast

• Use professional email (firstname.lastname@email.com)

• Add city + state (no full address needed)

• Include LinkedIn or portfolio if relevant

• Remove photos, nicknames, or extra details

Quick check

Would you feel confident if an employer contacted you using this info?

Fix this if your summary is vague or generic

What’s wrong

• “Seeking opportunities…”

• No clear direction

• Too long or too general

Fix it fast

• State the role or field you’re targeting

• Highlight 1–2 relevant strengths

• Keep it to 1–3 lines

Example

Weak: Hardworking student seeking opportunities
Strong: Business student with customer service and data tracking experience seeking an entry-level operations role

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Rewrite this resume summary to be specific, concise, and tailored to this role: [paste summary + job]

Fix this if your experience reads like a list of duties

What’s wrong

• “Responsible for…”

• Task-based, not action-based

• Doesn’t show your role clearly

Fix it fast

• Start with action verbs (Led, Built, Managed, Created)

• Focus on what YOU did

• Keep each bullet to 1–2 lines

Before / After

Weak: Responsible for helping customers
Strong: Assisted 30+ customers daily with product selection and issue resolution

Quick formula

Action + Task

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Turn this job duty into a strong resume bullet using action verbs: [paste bullet]

Fix this if your resume doesn’t show outcomes

What’s wrong

• No numbers or results

• Doesn’t show impact

• Sounds like a job description

Fix it fast

• Add numbers (how many, how often, how much)

• Show improvements, outcomes, or scale

• Estimate if needed

Before / After

Weak: Helped organize inventory
Strong: Managed inventory for 500+ items and reduced stock errors

Quick formula

Action + Task + Result

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Add measurable results to this resume bullet. If exact numbers aren’t available, estimate realistically: [paste bullet]

Fix this if your resume isn’t aligned with the job

What’s wrong

• Generic skill list

• Missing keywords from job posting

• Skills not shown in experience

Fix it fast

• Pull keywords directly from job descriptions

• Include tools, technologies, and methods

• Make sure skills show up in your experience

Quick check

If you list a skill, where do you prove it?

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Based on this job description, what skills and keywords should I include on my resume? [paste job description]

Fix this if you send the same resume to every job

What’s wrong

• Generic resume

• No alignment to job

• Important experience buried

Fix it fast

• Adjust your skills and bullet points for each job

• Move most relevant experience to the top

• Mirror language from the job posting

Simple process

1. Highlight key words in the job description

2. Match them to your experience

3. Adjust your resume to reflect that language

Optional AI Help

Prompt:

Tailor my resume to this job description. Suggest edits to improve alignment: [paste resume + job]

Fix this if your resume is too long or includes irrelevant content

What’s wrong

• More than 1 page without strong experience

• Old or unrelated content

• Too much detail

Fix it fast

• Keep to 1 page (most students)

• Focus on last 5–10 years

• Remove anything not relevant to the job

Fix this before submitting your resume

What’s wrong

• Generic resume

• Poor file name

• Broken links

Fix it fast

• Save as: FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf

• Double-check formatting after saving

• Make sure links work

• Review one more time before submitting