The recruiter barely glanced at it. After weeks of fine-tuning every bullet point and obsessing over fonts, your resume lived in the spotlight for a few seconds before it was tossed into the “maybe” pile with hundreds of others.
So, you try again. You trim the fluff, punch up the verbs, maybe even sneak in a splash of colour. You trade “responsible for managing social media” for “doubled engagement in three months across four platforms.” You agonize over whether you should lead with skills or experience before finally pressing submit.
You ask, “Why? What can I do to make my resume stick?” The answer isn’t so easy. In a digital age where algorithms scan first and hiring managers briefly skim later, standing out on paper in such little time has become an art form as much as a science.
“A resume is kind of like a marketing tool. You have to sell yourself,” said manager of career education at Toronto Metropolitan University Chau-Anne Nguyen, who said recruiters spend an average of eight seconds reading the document.
“It’s important to set that great first impression. It’s just like giving eye contact, a smile and a solid handshake.”
As summer approaches and students search for jobs, here’s what experts say it takes to craft a resume that doesn’t just get seen, but remembered.
How can I make my resume stand out?
Travis O’Rourke has reviewed hundreds of thousands of resumés in his career. Within 30 seconds, he said, he can tell whether a candidate is worth contacting.
As the president of Hays Canada, an employment agency, O’Rourke has assessed applications for some of the country’s largest employers. However, when it comes to student jobs, he said one quality matters most: reliability.
“What the person is really trying to hire in a summer job is, ‘Is this person going to show up on time? Is this person somebody that I can trust? Is this person somebody that I’m comfortable representing my brand to the public?’” he said.
It might sound tricky to prove reliability on paper, but O’Rourke said it’s easier than most people think. Start with a clean, well-formatted resume, he said, ideally just one page — though sometimes two is acceptable — and a touch of colour to catch the eye. Then, focus on your objective. Too often ignored or misused, it’s a chance to make a quick, compelling case for the role.
Nguyen said a resume should look clean and crisp — but beyond appearances, clear structure is key. Hiring managers should find the most important information at a quick glance. These days, many employers use generative artificial intelligence to screen applications, so slipping in the right keywords can make all the difference, she adds.
Instead of listing vague skills like “communication” or “leadership,” Nguyen recommends showing how you’ve used them. It’s more specific, more persuasive and more likely to get past both robots and humans.
“It’s the depth of explaining that in the summary, that’s really going to help you to stand out,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said one of the biggest mistakes she sees is listing job duties instead of accomplishments. Most recruiters can infer day-to-day tasks from a job title — what they really want, she said, is proof of impact.
To do that, Nguyen recommends starting each bullet point with a strong action verb, stating the task and ending with the result. Verbs like analyzed, executed, developed and led tend to stand out. She also advises using numbers whenever possible to help hiring managers understand the scope of your work and the success of your approach.
“This is how you communicate your actual accomplishments to employers and recruiters. That’s what brings their attention. And that’s how you get called for an interview,” Nguyen said.
What should I avoid in my resume?
Formatting is where a lot of resumes go off the rails, said O’Rourke. Typos, mismatched fonts or awkward indents might seem minor — but to employers, they’re red flags.
“It’s all about showing attention to detail, diligence and work ethic,” O’Rourke said. “And if you’re not going to show it on your resume, then you’re definitely not going to show it if I hire you.”
Another one of the biggest missteps? Including a photo, he said. “That can lead to bias in the hiring process or discrimination. So, companies don’t want that.”
For early-career professionals especially, Nguyen warns against overusing generative AI tools, which can make applications sound bland or overly generic.
“It kind of it makes you stand out for the wrong reason. Every resume might look the same,” she said. “If you use it, make sure that you’re not letting it think for you, but instead helping it to think with you.”
How about my cover letter?
The days of the cover letter are over, said O’Rourke. With too many applications and too little time, most hiring managers don’t even skim them. That’s why, he said, a tailored resume with a strong, compelling objective is more important than ever.
“The cover letter itself has gone the way of the dinosaur,” he said.
That doesn’t mean you should ditch the cover letter entirely. O’Rourke said it can still matter — depending on the role.
In tech, it might get skipped, while in the public sector, it could be essential, Nguyen said. While the resume is still the star document, the cover letter offers another chance to tell your story.
The key, Nguyen said, is to keep it personal. “It’s a voice to highlight more of your accomplishments,” she said.
“A resume focuses on your past accomplishments to date. Cover letters are a way for you to tell how you would react in the future,” Nguyen said. “It’s just an extra way for you to stand out.”
