The resume advice industry is stuck in 2005. “Use action verbs!” they proclaim, as if starting bullets with “spearheaded” instead of “led” is the difference between employment and destitution. Meanwhile, actual hiring practices have evolved dramatically.
I recently interviewed 17 hiring managers across tech, finance, healthcare, and retail about what they actually look for in resumes. Their answers paint a very different picture than most career advice suggests.
First, the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) boogeyman is both over- and under-hyped. Yes, these systems exist and can filter candidates, but no, they’re not analyzing the density of your keywords like it’s 2010. Modern ATS systems are surprisingly good at semantic matching. As recruiting director Melissa put it: “If you write naturally about your experience with customer retention strategies, you’ll match for ‘customer churn reduction’ without awkwardly stuffing in exact phrases.”
What does matter? Quantifiable outcomes have become non-negotiable. When engineering manager Rafael reviews resumes, he separates them into two piles: those with measurable results and those with job descriptions. “I don’t care that you ‘developed scalable solutions’—tell me that you ‘reduced API response times by 42% while handling 3x more concurrent users.’” Specific metrics demonstrate both impact and numerical literacy.
Contrary to outdated advice, 55% of the hiring managers I spoke with said they preferred two-page resumes for experienced candidates. “I get suspicious when someone with 12 years of experience crams everything onto one page,” admitted finance director Priya. “Either they’ve done very little or they’re hiding something.” The one-pager is still preferred for those with less than 5-7 years of experience, however.
The “professional summary” at the top of resumes is widely skimmed or skipped entirely. “It’s usually full of subjective claims and buzzwords,” said healthcare administrator James. “I immediately scroll to work experience.” Instead, several managers mentioned preferring a “Key Achievements” section that bullet-points 3-4 career highlights with specific metrics.
Technical skills sections are becoming simultaneously more important and more scrutinized. “Don’t list technologies you’ve merely brushed against,” warned tech lead Sophia. “I increasingly ask targeted questions about anything listed here, and it’s embarrassing for everyone when candidates can’t speak knowledgeably about something on their own resume.”
Perhaps most surprisingly, 72% of managers admitted they value well-designed resumes, even for non-design roles. “If I’m looking at 80 resumes, the ones with clean, modern formatting get more of my attention,” confessed retail operations manager Derek. “It signals attention to detail and awareness of current standards.”
The ultimate resume test in 2024? According to marketing director Elena: “I should be able to read just the first line of each bullet point and get a clear picture of your impact. If I need to read the full bullets to understand what you actually accomplished, you’ve already lost me.”