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Struggling with Behavioural Questions in Interviews?
They are the most common and also the toughest for many candidates.
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They are the most common and also the toughest for many candidates.
This free E-book shows you how to answer them with confidence.
Career Reshaped Episode 46: The Golden Rule For Resume Writing
Ever wondered why your resume isn’t getting traction, even when you know you’re qualified? You might be surprised at what’s actually holding candidates back today.
In this episode of Career Reshaped, Pauline steps away from the usual career stories to break down the modern truth about resumes—and what hiring managers really look for in those crucial first few seconds.
From navigating the ATS to understanding the 6-second recruiter scan, job seekers across Australia are facing challenges they don’t always see. Add to that the importance of keywords, measurable achievements, and clean formatting, and you start to understand why so many strong candidates are overlooked.
For many people, submitting a resume feels like the simplest part of the job search. But here’s the reality: most applications never reach a human because they’re missing the very elements employers rely on to assess value quickly.
Pauline unpacks these modern expectations and shows how professionals at any stage—whether returning to work, shifting industries, or aiming for leadership—can position their experience with clarity and confidence.
If you’ve ever wondered why your resume keeps disappearing into the system or why employers aren’t calling back, this episode is your reminder that you’re not alone—and with the right approach, you can stand out.
🎧 Tune in and learn what today’s hiring process really looks like, and how small changes to your resume can reshape your chances.
Discussion Overview
A resume is not a history report or a list of duties — it’s a marketing document designed to sell your value to a specific role. Pauline explains that almost all large organisations use an ATS to screen applications before a human sees them. If your resume doesn’t include the right keywords from the job description — skills, tools, certifications — the system marks you as “not compatible,” even if you’re qualified. That’s why tailoring is essential.
Start by studying the job description and noting the top 10–15 keywords. Weave those words naturally into your summary, experience, and skills section. Keep your professional profile to 3–5 lines, avoid vague adjectives, and answer one essential question: “Why should the recruiter keep reading?” Place the most relevant information at the top so it’s seen within seconds.
Recruiters are scanning for numbers because numbers give context. Instead of listing duties, Pauline encourages job seekers to highlight measurable results such as time saved, revenue generated, processes improved, or percentages of growth. Quantification helps a recruiter understand the scale of your work and builds immediate credibility.
Use the X–Y–Z formula:
X = What you achieved
Y = Measured by Y (the outcome)
Z = By doing Z (your action)
This formula ensures every bullet point shows impact, not tasks. If you can’t use dollar figures, use other metrics like efficiency, volume, scope, or improvement percentages.
Formatting guides the recruiter’s eye — especially in a 6-second scan. Use clear headings, bold job titles and companies, and plenty of white space. Keep fonts simple (Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman), avoid text smaller than size 11, and use a clean structure. For most professionals, one page is ideal, but two or more pages are acceptable for those with extensive relevant experience.
Separate your skills into categories:
Technical skills (software, systems, programs)
Soft skills (leadership, communication, teamwork)
Hard skills (report writing, data analysis, project management)
Place your technical skills where they can easily be scanned — either at the top or bottom depending on the role. Never bury them in long paragraphs because ATS systems may miss them.
Podcast Transcript:
| Time | Transcript |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of career reshaped. I'm |
| 00:06 | Pauline, one of the career coaches. In the next 10 minutes, we are going to |
| 00:11 | change the way that you think about résumés fundamentally. Forget everything |
| 00:16 | that you've heard about formatting and buzzwords. Today we're focusing on |
| 00:22 | strategy, facts, and measurable impact. First, I would like to |
| 00:29 | start by prefacing that your resume isn't a history report. It's not a job |
| 00:36 | description. It's a marketing document. Really targeted, very specific sales |
| 00:42 | pitch to a particular job role that you want to apply for. Your resume should be |
| 00:49 | designed to sell the solution to a hiring manager's problem. Our goal is to |
| 00:57 | make sure that your application survives the first crucial step, the application |
| 01:03 | tracking system or ATS and the subsequent 6second scan by a |
| 01:10 | human recruiter. Let's start with the resume purpose and the ATS barrier. I |
| 01:15 | would like to begin with two facts that define the modern job search. Fact one, |
| 01:20 | the ATS barrier. Nearly 98% of Fortune 500 companies use an application |
| 01:28 | tracking system. They screen resumes before human ever sees them. The ATS |
| 01:33 | filters candidates based on keywords delivered directly from the job |
| 01:39 | application. If your resume doesn't use the specific technical skills, tools, |
| 01:46 | and certifications mentioned in the posting, it often gets auto rejected. |
| 01:52 | Now, it doesn't mean that your resume is deleted from the system. It just means |
| 01:58 | that it's at the bottom of the list and marked as not compatible. |
| 02:03 | Now, I understand that there are some people out there that will tell you that |
| 02:08 | ATS is just one big fear mongering scam. You shouldn't fear it. It's not as scary |
| 02:16 | as it sounds. And it is really easy to bypass. But ATS is used. It is |
| 02:25 | implemented for hiring managers. And I'll be honest with you, if I was still |
| 02:30 | recruiting today, I would use it. The 6-second scan. Recruiters spend on |
| 02:35 | average 6 to 7 seconds on the initial scan of your resume. They are not |
| 02:41 | reading paragraphs. They're looking for visual cues. Things such as your job |
| 02:46 | title, company names, and most importantly, the quantifiable results. |
| 02:52 | This is why key achievements are so important. So, my advice is that your |
| 02:58 | first draft must be tailored to beat the ATS. Look at the job description. Make a |
| 03:04 | list of 10 to 15 key skills and technologies. Ensure those exact words |
| 03:10 | are woven naturally into your resume, especially the summary, that |
| 03:17 | professional profile at the top section. That part of the resume in my opinion is |
| 03:24 | the golden real estate. Then you need to make sure that the most relevant |
| 03:30 | information is easily seen and accessible to the hiring manager's eye. |
| 03:35 | That is why placement and where you put key information |
| 03:41 | within the document is so crucial. You don't want to put quantified results, |
| 03:48 | for example, at the very last page of the resume because chances are in that |
| 03:53 | 7-second scan, they're not going to make it to the last page. The power of a |
| 03:58 | professional profile and header. Let's talk about that. The top one is your |
| 04:05 | most valuable real estate. That's the section that you need to work on cuz |
| 04:11 | that's the section that's going to grab the hiring manager's attention first and |
| 04:16 | foremost and depending on how you tailor that will depend if they're going to |
| 04:21 | continue reading your resume and read it in a lot more detail. Let's talk about |
| 04:26 | the header. Contact information. So, here's a fun fact. Many people still |
| 04:31 | include their full address. You only need your name, your phone number, your |
| 04:36 | professional email, I want to preface that, professional, and your LinkedIn |
| 04:40 | URL. A clean customized LinkedIn URL is a non-negotiable. The professional |
| 04:46 | profile and summary. I love this part of the resume because this is the elevator |
| 04:54 | pitch. It shouldn't be more than three to five lines and not a list of vague |
| 04:59 | adjectives. The wrong example is something like this. |
| 05:04 | It's too vague. But the right strategy is to use the section to hit the most |
| 05:10 | critical key words from the job description and summarize your value |
| 05:16 | proposition. An example would be this. And here is a little actionable advice. |
| 05:25 | The summary should directly answer the question. |
| 05:29 | Why should I keep reading in under five seconds? Quantify your impact. The what, |
| 05:35 | how, and result. This is the most crucial section. Maybe it's not my most |
| 05:41 | favorite section, but it is the most crucial. The experience section. The |
| 05:48 | biggest mistake job seekers make is confusing duties with achievement. The |
| 05:53 | duties, it's what you were paid to do. So, for example, responsible for |
| 05:58 | managing the company's social media accounts. That's great. It's the same |
| 06:03 | duties as 500 other applicants. I want to know what your achievements were. |
| 06:08 | What makes you different from others? What is your value ad? So, let's talk |
| 06:14 | about the measurable results that you generated. For instance, you increased |
| 06:20 | organic social media engagement by 150% in 6 months, resulting in over 500 |
| 06:28 | qualified leads. See, now I can actually measure and hold on to the value that |
| 06:33 | you bring. It's not just words. It is now proven result. So, here's the golden |
| 06:38 | rule, the Yx Zed formula. Every bullet point should follow this formula. X is |
| 06:46 | for accomplishments. It's measured by Y by doing Z. Not to confuse you, here's |
| 06:52 | an example. And here's another fund driven tip. When |
| 06:57 | you can't use hard dollar amounts, quantify with other metrics. That's |
| 07:03 | absolutely fine. For example, time saved, efficiency improved, percentages |
| 07:09 | increased, decrease, the team size, number of projects that you completed, |
| 07:13 | frequency or scope. It's not all about the dollar value. So, use numbers |
| 07:18 | wherever possible. They are the most powerful visual cues for a busy |
| 07:24 | recruiter. Numbers stand out way more than words do. Formatting and |
| 07:29 | organization. Recruiter friendly design. Remember the |
| 07:33 | 6second scan. So, formatting is key in directing the recruiter's eye. You got |
| 07:38 | to lead the eye like any good marketing campaign does. So, layout and spacing. |
| 07:43 | Look, the ideal resume length for most professionals is one page. However, if |
| 07:49 | you have 10 plus years of relevant experience, you can use two or even |
| 07:55 | three pages. It can even be up to five if you have to. You don't want to cram |
| 08:02 | everything into one page. And now the recruiter is unable to read the |
| 08:07 | information effectively. You want to lay it out so it's easy to see. That's why |
| 08:12 | really good font and its sizing is also important. So fonts like Calibri, Ariel, |
| 08:18 | or even Times New Roman. Nothing smaller than size 11. Try to use plenty of wide |
| 08:24 | space and bolding to guide the eye. Bold the company names, your titles, any key |
| 08:30 | quantified results in your bullet point. And the skill section. Divide your |
| 08:35 | skills into technical skills. So for example everything that's digital |
| 08:41 | related certain software certain CRM certain programs and the soft skills so |
| 08:47 | leadership communication problem solving and then the hard skill s |
| 08:53 | so the skills that you need to do the job for example data recording report |
| 09:00 | writing metric analysis list the technical skills in a clear separate |
| 09:05 | keyword rich section Now, this could be the top or the |
| 09:10 | bottom. It does depend on the role, but this is a great place to put in those |
| 09:15 | vital key words. Don't embed technical skills solely into long paragraphs. They |
| 09:22 | can and will be missed. And the final polish and call to action. Proofread |
| 09:27 | twice. A single typo can be grounds for rejection. It signals a lack of |
| 09:34 | attention to detail. So use grammar checkers and then have a friend read it |
| 09:38 | out loud. Save as a PDF. By saving it as a PDF, it will ensure that the |
| 09:44 | formatting stays in play. And my very last tip is to tailor your resume. Yes, |
| 09:52 | for every single job application. Never use a single generic resume. Spend those |
| 09:59 | 15, 20 minutes tailoring. Your future self will thank you. The tailoring is |
| 10:05 | the key to passing the ATS and catching the recruiter or HR manager's eye. In |
| 10:13 | summary, adjusting three to five bullet points to match the language and |
| 10:18 | requirements of that specific job description will be that game changer. |
| 10:23 | What I want you to take away from this is that your resume is a prediction of |
| 10:28 | future success. It's not a ledger of past responsibilities. |
| 10:32 | So focus on the impact you made, the value you added, and the results you |
| 10:37 | achieved. Because if you can do it with that company, then the hiring manager |
| 10:41 | will certainly believe and trust that you can do it for their company, too. |
| 10:46 | Thank you for spending the last 10 minutes with me. Now go out there and |
| 10:50 | build that powerful fact driven resume. And if you want to know more about my |
| 10:56 | career angels, then I'm leaving the link |
| 11:00 | to our website in the caption. |
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