Resume Tips

I have reviewed hundreds of resumes -- as a hiring manager at VC-funded startups, as a mentor at The Product Folks, and in sessions I have run for aspiring product managers. Here are the tips that come up most often.

Format

Keep It to One Page

Unless you have 15+ years of experience, your resume should be one page. Hiring managers spend an average of 6-7 seconds on an initial resume scan. Every line needs to earn its place.

If you are struggling to fit everything on one page, that is a signal that you are including too much, not that you need more pages.

Use a Clean, Simple Layout

Your resume does not need to be a work of art. Use a standard font like Arial, Helvetica, or Inter. Keep formatting consistent -- same font sizes for headings, same bullet style throughout.

Avoid:

• Fancy graphics and icons that confuse applicant tracking systems (ATS)
• Multiple colors
• Complex multi-column layouts
• Photos (in most markets)

Save as PDF

Always submit your resume as a PDF. Word documents can render differently on different machines and operating systems. PDFs preserve your formatting exactly.

Content

Lead with Impact, Not Responsibilities

The most common mistake on resumes is listing job duties instead of achievements. "Responsible for managing the product roadmap" tells me nothing about how well you did it.

Instead, use the formula:

Action Verb + What You Did + Quantified Result

Bad: Responsible for managing the product roadmap.

Good: Defined and executed the product roadmap, shipping 12 features in 6 months that increased user engagement by 35%.

Quantify Everything

Numbers make your resume concrete and credible. Wherever possible, include:

• Revenue impact -- "Facilitated 3,000+ used car loans valued at $12M"
• Efficiency gains -- "Reduced loan application processing time by 60%"
• Growth metrics -- "Increased website conversions by 107%"
• Scale -- "Led a team of 17 remote contributors"
• Rankings -- "Achieved top 3 Google rankings for core product pages"

If you cannot quantify with exact numbers, use ranges or approximations. "Improved load time by approximately 40%" is still better than "Improved load time."

Use Strong Action Verbs

Start every bullet point with a powerful action verb. Avoid weak, passive phrases like "responsible for," "helped with," "assisted in," or "tasked with."

Strong verbs include: Led, Built, Shipped, Launched, Increased, Reduced, Designed, Negotiated, Implemented, Transformed, Spearheaded, Orchestrated, Pioneered, Optimized, Delivered.

Tailor for Each Application

Read the job description carefully. Mirror the language and skills they mention. If they say "cross-functional collaboration," use that phrase in your resume. If they emphasize "data-driven decision making," make sure your bullets reflect that.

This is not about being dishonest -- it is about making it easy for the reviewer (human or ATS) to see the match.

Structure

Recommended Sections

1. Header -- Name, email, phone, LinkedIn, portfolio/website (no full address needed -- city is enough)
2. Summary (optional) -- 1-2 sentences if you are making a career transition. Skip if your experience speaks for itself.
3. Experience -- Reverse chronological order. 3-5 bullet points per role.
4. Education -- Degree, school, year. If you graduated more than 5 years ago, this should be brief.
5. Skills -- Tools, technologies, and methodologies relevant to the role.

Sections to Skip

• References -- "Available upon request" wastes space. They will ask if they need them.
• Hobbies -- Unless directly relevant to the role.
• Objective statements -- These are outdated. A summary is more useful if needed.
• High school -- If you have a college degree, remove high school.

Common Mistakes

• Typos and grammatical errors. Proofread multiple times. Have someone else review it. Mistakes suggest carelessness.
• Listing every job you have ever had. Only include relevant roles. If you have more than 3-4 roles, choose the most impactful ones.
• Using the same resume for every application. Tailoring takes effort but dramatically improves response rates.
• Dense walls of text. Use white space. Short bullet points. If a reviewer's eyes glaze over, they will move on.
• Including personal information like age, marital status, or date of birth (varies by market, but generally unnecessary).

Templates

I have created resume templates that follow these principles. You can find them on my Gumroad store and on the Templates page.

Final Tip

Your resume is a marketing document, not a biography. Its job is to get you the interview, not to tell your entire life story. Be ruthless about what earns space on that single page.

If you found these tips helpful, feel free to share them with someone who is job hunting. And tag me on Twitter/X or LinkedIn if they help you land an interview.