What Should a Resume Look Like to Get Hired?

TL;DR

After reviewing more than 1,000 job applications, we've found that the resumes most likely to earn interviews have these things in common:

• Typos, grammar mistakes, and generic skill lists can quickly hurt your chances.

• Projects, GitHub repositories, portfolios, and proof of work make resumes more credible.

• Quantified achievements are more persuasive than vague responsibilities.

• For software and startup roles, practical experience often matters more than GPA or certifications.

• Keep your resume simple, ATS-friendly, and focused on relevant experience.

• A strong resume answers one question quickly: can you do the job?

Detailed Blog: If you search for resume advice online, you'll find hundreds of articles telling you to use certain templates, keywords, or formatting tricks.

After reviewing more than 1,000 job applications over the past three years at Young Web Solutions, our software and marketing company, I've learned that most hiring decisions come down to something much simpler:

Can you quickly demonstrate that you have the skills and experience needed for the role?

Those hiring experiences eventually led us to build Resume Makero, a free ATS-friendly resume builder designed to help students, fresh graduates, interns, and professionals create better resumes.

This article is based on what we've observed while hiring in a startup environment. Larger enterprises, consulting firms, and specialized industries may evaluate candidates differently, but these are the patterns we've consistently seen among candidates who earn interviews.

If you're a fresh graduate or a software engineer with a few years of experience, here's what your resume should actually look like.

The Biggest Resume Mistakes We See

Let's start with what hurts candidates the most.

1. Typos and Grammar Mistakes

This sounds obvious, but it's one of the most common issues.

A resume is one of the few documents a candidate has complete control over. When it contains spelling mistakes, grammar errors, or inconsistent formatting, it creates doubt about attention to detail.

Before submitting your resume, review it multiple times and ask someone else to proofread it.

2. Generic Skills Sections

Many resumes contain long lists of tools such as:

• Excel

• VS Code

• Visual Studio

• Microsoft Word

• PowerPoint

These rarely help candidates stand out.

Most employers assume applicants know the basic tools required to perform their work.

Instead of listing every tool you've used, focus on skills that are directly relevant to the role you're applying for.

3. No Projects or Proof of Work

This is especially common among fresh graduates.

Many candidates claim proficiency in technologies but provide no evidence of how they've used them.

If you don't have professional experience yet, projects become your experience.

Without projects, hiring managers have very little information to evaluate.

What Makes a Resume Stand Out

After reviewing more than 1,000 applications, the strongest candidates usually have several things in common.

Strong Projects With Links

Projects immediately make a resume more credible.

A good project demonstrates:

• Problem-solving ability

• Technical knowledge

• Initiative

• Execution

Whenever possible, include links to:

• GitHub repositories

• Live applications

• Portfolio websites

• Case studies

Make it easy for employers to verify your work.

A GitHub Profile

For software engineering roles, GitHub can be one of the strongest indicators of technical ability.

An active GitHub profile helps employers understand:

• What you've built

• How you structure code

• The technologies you use

• Your consistency over time

In our startup hiring process, a strong GitHub profile has often been a more useful signal than GPA alone.

Quantified Achievements

Avoid writing vague statements.

Instead of:

Built a web application.

Write:

Built a web application used by 1,000+ users.

Instead of:

Improved website performance.

Write:

Reduced page load time by 35%.

Numbers provide context and make accomplishments more believable.

Relevant Experience

Experience doesn't always mean a full-time job.

Valuable experience can include:

• Internships

• Freelance work

• Contract projects

• Open-source contributions

• Client work

These experiences demonstrate that you've applied your skills in real-world situations.

Clear Career Progression

For experienced candidates, employers want to quickly understand how responsibilities and skills have evolved over time.

A resume should make that progression easy to follow.

What Matters Most in Startup Hiring

If I had to choose between two similar candidates, these factors would strongly influence my decision.

GitHub Over GPA

Academic performance can be useful information.

However, for software roles, a GitHub profile often provides a much clearer picture of a candidate's capabilities.

A strong repository demonstrates practical skills. GPA demonstrates academic performance.

In many startup environments, practical skills carry more weight.

Real Projects Over Certifications

Certifications are not useless.

They can demonstrate initiative and a willingness to learn.

However, for software development roles, real projects generally provide stronger evidence of ability.

A certification shows you've completed a course.

A project shows you've applied what you've learned.

Internship Experience Over Long Skill Lists

Anyone can list twenty technologies.

What stands out is showing how those technologies were used to solve real problems.

Experience creates credibility.

Does College Matter?

Many students worry that attending an average college automatically puts them at a disadvantage.

In our experience, that isn't necessarily true.

We've interviewed and seriously considered candidates from lesser-known colleges because they had:

• Strong projects

• GitHub portfolios

• Internship experience

• Freelance work

• Demonstrated technical ability

While some larger organizations may place greater emphasis on university reputation, startups are often more interested in what you've built than where you studied.

The Resume Structure I'd Recommend

A simple structure works best.

1. Header

Include:

• Full name

• Phone number

• Email address

• LinkedIn profile

• GitHub profile

• Portfolio website (if applicable)

2. Professional Summary

Keep it short.

In two to four lines, explain:

• Who you are

• Your specialization

• Your experience level

• The type of role you're seeking

3. Experience

Place experience immediately after your summary.

This is one of the first sections many hiring managers want to evaluate.

Include:

• Full-time jobs

• Internships

• Freelance work

• Contract work

Focus on achievements and outcomes rather than responsibilities.

4. Projects

For fresh graduates, this may be the most important section on the resume.

Include:

• Project name

• Technologies used

• Problem solved

• Measurable results

• GitHub link

• Live demo link

5. Skills

Keep this section focused and relevant.

Group technologies logically and avoid listing every tool you've ever used.

6. Education

Include:

• Degree

• Institution

• Graduation year

7. Certifications

Include certifications only if they strengthen your application or are relevant to the position.

Do You Need a Fancy Resume Design?

Usually, no.

One of the biggest resume myths is that a visually impressive design will significantly increase your chances of getting hired.

For software engineering and most professional roles, content matters far more than design.

I generally recommend:

• No photos

• No graphics

• No excessive colors

• No complicated layouts

• Clear section headings

• Easy-to-read formatting

The exception is creative roles where design skills are part of the evaluation process.

For designers, branding professionals, and certain marketing roles, presentation may matter more.

For most candidates, simplicity wins.

Startup Hiring vs Enterprise Hiring

One thing many job seekers overlook is that hiring priorities vary between companies.

In startups, hiring managers often care more about:

• Projects

• GitHub profiles

• Internships

• Freelance work

• Demonstrated skills

Large enterprises may place greater emphasis on:

• GPA

• University reputation

• Certifications

• Standardized hiring criteria

Understanding the type of company you're applying to can help you tailor your resume more effectively.

A Real Hiring Lesson

Some of the most impressive candidates we've encountered didn't have highly designed resumes or degrees from prestigious institutions.

What they did have was proof.

They showed us projects.

They shared GitHub repositories.

They demonstrated internship experience.

They had freelance work that reflected real responsibility.

Their resumes were simple, but their work spoke for itself.

Those candidates consistently stood out more than applicants with polished templates and very little evidence of practical ability.

Want to Apply These Resume Tips?

Knowing what makes a strong resume is one thing. Building one is another.

If you're creating a new resume or updating an existing one, focus on simplicity, relevance, and proof of work. Highlight your projects, experience, achievements, and skills in a format that's easy for recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to read.

That's exactly why we built Resume Makero.

Resume Makero helps students, fresh graduates, interns, and professionals create ATS-friendly resumes, CVs, and cover letters for free. You can customize sections, reorder content, choose recruiter-friendly templates, review your document before downloading, and export it in PDF or DOCX format without creating an account.

The goal is simple: help job seekers spend less time fighting formatting issues and more time showcasing what makes them worth hiring.

Final Thoughts

The purpose of a resume isn't to look impressive.

The purpose of a resume is to establish credibility.

A hiring manager wants answers to a few simple questions:

• Can this person do the job?

• Have they demonstrated the necessary skills?

• Have they built anything meaningful?

• Have they applied those skills in the real world?

The strongest resumes answer those questions quickly.

Keep your resume clean. Eliminate mistakes. Showcase real work. Include project links. Maintain a strong GitHub profile. Focus on outcomes instead of responsibilities.

Because in startup hiring, evidence beats decoration almost every time.

Start creating resume for free: app.resumemakero.com About the Author

Team Resume Makero is part of Young Web Solutions, a software and marketing company that has reviewed more than 1,000 job applications over the past three years while hiring for technical and business roles. The insights shared in this article are based on real hiring experiences and observations from screening candidates across different skill levels and backgrounds.

Resume Makero was created to help students, fresh graduates, interns, and professionals build ATS-friendly resumes, CVs, and cover letters that focus on what employers actually look for.