How to build a resume that gets read
I have read thousands of resumes from the other side of the table. This is the method I use for my own: one source file, a formula for every bullet, and a truth check before anything goes out.
Watch, copy the template, then follow the steps
- Watch the 3 minute video.
- Make your own copy of the template: in Google Docs choose File, then Make a copy. You do not need edit access.
- Fill it in using the steps below, then run the truth check.
Template created by Sam Struan (6-Figure Résumé Template, 2024). Video and guide by me.
What a recruiter checks first
Three questions, answered in under a minute. Everything below makes them easy to answer.
| Question | Where they look | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Is this who we need? | The line under your name, the summary | Your target role in plain words |
| Done it at this size? | Titles, companies, dates | One line on what each company is and how big |
| Did it work? | The first two bullets per role | A number or a concrete outcome |
Gather your raw material in one folder
Collect what already proves your work before you write a word.
- Every old resume and your LinkedIn export. They hold dates and titles you have forgotten.
- Proof of results: dashboards, reports, reviews, a message thanking you for a fix.
- Job descriptions you were hired against. They show the scope you were trusted with.
- Your own notes. This is where the "why it mattered" lives.
Keep this folder private. Resumes hold your address, phone and sometimes salary or ID data. Keep PDFs out of anything you sync or share; rebuild them from the source file.
Build one source file
One editable master. Tailored versions are reordered copies, never rewrites.
- Pick a format that exports clean text to PDF. Mine is a simple HTML file styled for A4; a Google Doc or Word file works too.
- Name it by date and purpose:
2026-10-12_2026_Q4_resume_firstname_lastname_source. - Update it once a quarter, even when you are not looking, while the numbers are fresh.
Use a layout people and parsers can read
Plain structure survives the applicant tracking system. Clever design often does not.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Header | Name, one line of target roles, then phone, email, city, LinkedIn |
| Summary | Years, roles and kinds of companies in one sentence, then one to four results |
| Experience | Newest first. Title, company, dates; one italic line on what the company is; four to seven bullets |
| Education | Degree, school, years |
| Skills | Four or five labelled rows, for example Operations, Analytics, Enablement, Tools |
| Languages | With level if it matters for the role |
Keep it plain. One column, real text, standard headings. No text in images, no skill bars, no icons standing in for words. Two pages is fine past five years of experience.
Write every bullet with one formula
What you did, what changed, and why it mattered. Bold the part a skimmer should catch.
[Verb] + [what you built or changed] + [measurable result] + [why it mattered]
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Responsible for recruiting tools | Implemented a new AI-powered ATS, removing 20+ hours of manual work a week and cutting time to hire from four months to three weeks |
| Helped improve processes | Mapped the end-to-end lifecycle into one knowledge base and SOP coverage map where none existed |
| Managed a team | Led a team of two direct reports, raising hiring success above 90% with a 9.1 candidate NPS |
Across each role, cover these five angles
| Team | Team size and who you reported to |
| Business goal | A result tied to what the company cares about |
| Scope | How far it reached: locations, countries, users |
| Money | Budget made, saved or managed |
| Timeframe | How fast you got there |
- Put the strongest two bullets first in every role. Many readers stop there.
- Show promotions explicitly: "Promoted from Executive Assistant to Operations Manager within two months".
- No numbers? Use scope instead: team size, locations, how many people use what you built.
Credit: the company line and the five angles follow Sam Struan's free 6-Figure Résumé Template.
Run the truth check
The step most people skip, and the one that protects you in the interview.
- Every number has a source. If you cannot point to it, soften it or cut it.
- Dates match LinkedIn and each other.
- Nothing is confidential. Remove any figure you would not want your current manager to read.
- Every tool is one you have used. "Designed requirements for" and "administered daily" are different claims.
Honest beats screened in. When an application asked for two years of hands-on use of a tool I had only designed for, I answered no, then explained what I had built and how fast I close gaps. A true no with context keeps a door open.
Tailor to the job post
Reorder and reword what is true. Never add what is not.
- Copy the post into a note and highlight the five things it repeats most.
- Move the bullets that prove those five things to the top of each role.
- Use their words where true: if they say "recruiting operations", do not write "talent ops".
- Make the first sentence of your summary name their role.
- For written questions: answer in the first sentence, give one example, say why it mattered.
Export, name and send
A clean PDF, named for them, logged for you.
- Export to PDF and open it once to check page breaks.
- Name it
Firstname_Lastname_Resume.pdffor the employer. - Check the email and LinkedIn links are clickable.
- Log where it went and when, so you know which version they are holding.
Draft with AI, verify yourself
AI is good at a first draft and bad at knowing what is true about you.
- Give it your raw material from step 1, not a request to invent.
- Use the prompt below so it marks gaps instead of filling them.
- Check every line against step 5, then read it aloud. Rewrite anything that does not sound like you.
Prompt · resume draft
You are helping me rebuild my resume. Use only the material I paste below. 1. Draft a one-column resume: header, 3-5 sentence summary, experience (newest first, one line on what each company is, 4-7 bullets per role), education, skills in 4-5 labelled rows, languages. 2. Write each bullet as: verb + what I built or changed + measurable result + why it mattered. Bold the key phrase. 3. Never invent a number, date, tool or title. If something is missing, write [VERIFY: what is missing] instead. 4. After the draft, list every number you used and where it came from. 5. List the five things this job post repeats most, and which of my bullets prove each one. Job post: [paste] My material: [paste old resumes, notes, results]
Final checklist
Seven ticks before you press send.
- The line under my name says the role I want, in their words.
- Each company has one line on what it is and how big.
- The first two bullets of every role carry a number or a concrete outcome.
- Every number has a source, and none is confidential.
- Dates match LinkedIn.
- One column, real text, standard headings.
- The PDF is named, opened once and logged.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you are building recruiting or talent operations and want to compare notes, I am happy to talk.