Career insights and stories

Word has 50+ built-in resume templates. Most use tables that break ATS parsing. Here are the ones that actually work, plus free alternatives and formatting tips.

75% of executives prefer chronological resumes. Functional format is now listed as obsolete. Here is the format most recruiters expect, and when to use something else.

Only 38% of employers screen by GPA now (down from 75% in 2019). Here is exactly what to include in your education section, what to drop, and where to place it.

Two-page resumes get 2.3x more recruiter preference. But go over 600 words and your chances drop 43%. The real answer depends on 3 things.

88% of recruiters have rejected resumes for font and formatting choices alone. Here are the 10 safest fonts, exact sizes for every section, and what ATS can parse.

Resumes with diverse action verbs get 72% higher recruiter contact rates. Here are 200+ verbs by category, plus 10 weak words you need to replace immediately.

Google Docs has 5 built-in resume templates. They're free and ATS-safe, but limited. Here are the best options plus export tricks that save your formatting.

72% of Canva resume templates fail ATS parsing. 265 million people use Canva, and most have no idea their resume is invisible to recruiters. Here is what to do about it.

Tailored cover letters get 53% more callbacks. Generic ones barely beat sending nothing. Here's how to write one worth sending, with 8 templates and real data.

Only 37% of recruiters look for a resume objective. But in 4 specific situations, an objective works better than a summary. Here's when, why, and 20+ examples.

50 million Americans quit their jobs in 2022. Most of them overthought the letter. Here are 7 copy-paste templates under 100 words each.