Resumes / Career notes
A resume that passes the scan
What hiring systems actually parse, the formatting that breaks them, and a checklist before you hit apply.
Keep the format boring
Single column, standard headings, no tables, no text boxes, no graphics. Parsing software reads top to bottom, left to right. Anything clever risks getting scrambled.
PDF is the safest export. Name the file Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf so a recruiter can find it later.
Mirror the listing's language
Systems and humans both match keywords. If the listing says incident response and your resume says firefighting production issues, align the vocabulary without inventing experience.
Put the overlap in a short skills line near the top so both scanners and skim-readers catch it in seconds.
Checklist before you apply
Contact info current, most recent role first with dates, quantified outcomes where possible, and no role older than ten years unless it's directly relevant.
Then apply on the employer's own site. That's where your resume actually enters their pipeline.
