7 common questions about resumes

When Resume Mansion talks to job seekers about resume writing, we get asked a ton of questions. So, we selected a bunch of the most common questions we hear every day for the benefit of all job seekers out there. If you have a question that is not on this list, feel free to drop by our website and talk to a resume expert to clear your doubts!

1. How long should a resume be?

While we can’t tell you exactly how long your resume should be without knowing your unique experiences, we can give you some guidelines. Generally, it is best to keep your resume between one to three pages. If you are a young professional with less experience, one or two pages would do for your resume. Older job seekers can add more experience to their resumes, going up to three pages. If you are working in academia and have research information to display on your resume, it can even go beyond five pages!

2. Should I include my digital portfolio with my resume?

Digital portfolios and personal websites are great ways of showing off your talent to potential employers. If you have a digital portfolio or website, you can include a clean, direct link to it in the contact information section on your resume. If you also maintain social media accounts that share content related to the job, you must include links to your social media as well. It is also recommended that you add a link to your LinkedIn profile too in your contact information section.

3. Do paragraphs belong on my resume?

Yes and no. Short paragraphs that do not exceed 2 or 3 lines can stay on your resume. But paragraphs longer than that must be removed. Paragraphs greatly reduce the readability of your resume. They don’t allow an employer to quickly scan your resume for the qualifications they are looking for. Instead, write STAR bullet points for your resume.

4. Should I add my temp jobs and freelance experience to my resume?

When you are creating the work experience section of your resume, every job you have had is important. However, you should not include irrelevant work experience that adds no qualifications for the job for which you are applying. Years ago, jumping between temp jobs and part-time work used to be seen as a resume red flag. But with the Covid pandemic’s effect on the job market, hiring managers have gotten accustomed to job seekers taking up contract jobs, freelance work, and gigs to stay afloat.

5. What should my resume look like if I am relocating?

We have written a great article on this topic alone. You will find all the answers to creating a resume and cover letter for relocation in this article!

6. Why hasn’t my infographic resume gotten me any jobs?

Infographic resumes, video resumes, and storytelling resumes used to be all the rage in the creative industry a few years back. However, with the rising use of Applicant Tracking Systems, these resumes are performing less than they used to. ATSs have trouble parsing infographic resumes, causing candidates to be dropped out of the race before they even get a footing. However, you can create a TikTok resume and send it to potential employers as a video file, alongside your normal resume to make a better impression.

7. How should I use keywords in my resume?

Keywords are very important for your resume. They are the words that get you seen by the right employer. You should incorporate a good amount of keywords, industry-specific terms, and business language into your resume. When you select the keywords to use, be sure to analyze the employer’s job description as well as the company website. The language and terms they use in those will be the terms they use to search the ATS.