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Decoding the Perfect Resume: Ways to Catch a Leader's Eye

When you’re chasing that big career break, your resume is your first handshake with a potential employer—it’s not just a document, but your personal pitch to stand out in a crowded field.

With hiring managers and business leaders wading through stacks of applications, often spending mere seconds on each, what makes your resume the one they pause for?

Is it a sleek, eye-catching design? Content that tells a compelling story? Or perhaps a unique spark that leaves a lasting impression?

To dig past generic tips and uncover what truly grabs attention, we tapped a panel of seasoned HR professionals and business leaders with years of hiring experience across industries.

We posed a direct question: “What are your top three tips for a candidate crafting a resume to land a role in your organization or industry? Whether it’s the design, the content, or that one standout element that hooks you—what are the three things you want to see?”

In this post, their candid, actionable insights reveal the strategies and details that can transform your resume from just another file in the inbox to a powerful invitation for an interview, setting you up to shine in today’s competitive job market.

Read on!

 

Archie Payne
Co-Founder & President, CalTek Staffing

Archie Payne

I see a lot of resumes as a recruitment firm leader, including from recent graduates and career-switchers breaking into the IT or engineering sectors where we specialize. Here are the three tips I’d offer to help candidates stand out:

Learn the language of the industry and use it wisely in your resume: It’s important to understand the terminology that’s commonly used in your target field. This doesn’t mean stuffing your resume with jargon, which can come off as forced. Instead, identify key skills, platforms, and technologies that hiring managers and applicant tracking systems are looking for—like specific programming languages or tools—and incorporate them naturally. This shows you’re familiar with the industry and helps get your resume noticed.

Use quantifiable metrics to show your impact: Even if your previous experience is in another field, numbers help hiring teams understand what you’ve accomplished. Whether it’s improving efficiency, increasing customer satisfaction, or saving time or money, measurable results speak volumes. This kind of data-driven storytelling makes it easier for employers to see the value you can bring, no matter your background.

Highlight growth and adaptability: For entry-level candidates, this might mean emphasizing what you learned during your degree or how you’ve gone beyond the classroom through certifications, personal projects, or internships. For those with work experience, focus on how you’ve taken on new challenges and responsibilities over time. Especially in fast-moving industries like tech, showing that you can learn, adapt, and grow signals that you’re ready not just for the job now, but for what it could become.

Michael Kazula
Director of Marketing, Olavivo

Michael Kazula

As a Director of Marketing in an affiliate network, I seek candidates with relevant skills and a strong understanding of affiliate marketing.

To enhance their resumes, candidates should highlight quantifiable achievements in previous roles, showcasing metrics like increased conversion rates and improved return on advertising spend (ROAS) to demonstrate their impact on team success. This focus on numbers makes a resume stand out.

Amir Husen
Content Writer, SEO Specialist & Associate, ICS Legal

Amir Husen

As HR experts, when reviewing resumes for a break into our organization or industry, here are 3 things that catch our attention:

Tailored Content & Quantifiable Achievements: Generic resumes get overlooked. We like to see content specifically tailored to the role and our company, showcasing how the candidate’s skills and experiences (even from different fields) align with our needs. Crucially, quantify achievements wherever possible (e.g., ‘Increased efficiency by X%,’ ‘Managed projects worth $Y’).

Clear, Concise Design & Structure: A clean, professional, and easy-to-read design is key. Avoid clutter. Use clear headings, bullet points, and consistent formatting. The resume should guide the reader smoothly through the candidate’s story.

A Compelling Summary/Objective: That one element often is a well-crafted summary or objective at the top that immediately highlights the candidate’s key value proposition and career aspirations, clearly stating why they are interested in this specific opportunity and what they bring to the table.

Justin Belmont
Founder & CEO, Prose

Justin Belmont

1. Show me impact, not just tasks—don’t say you “managed campaigns,” tell me the result. Numbers, wins, before-and-after snapshots.

2. Customize the top third—use a killer summary or headline that screams why you fit this role. No generic fluff.

3. Make it scannable—clean layout, clear headings, zero walls of text. If I can’t skim it in 30 seconds, it’s already a no.

Nikita Sherbina
Co-Founder & CEO, AIScreen

Nikita Sherbina

When reviewing resumes with career breaks, three things really catch my attention.

First, honesty and clarity—address the break briefly but confidently, whether for caregiving, education, or personal growth. I appreciate when candidates include a “Career Break” section explaining what they learned or how they stayed engaged with the industry during that time.

Second, relevance—highlight transferable skills and any freelance, volunteer, or part-time work done during the break. This shows initiative and continuous development.

Lastly, formatting matters—clean, easy-to-read design with clear headings and bullet points makes it simple to spot key information quickly.

Resumes that balance transparency, relevant skills, and strong presentation always stand out to me as thoughtful and professional.

Sara Bandurian
Operations Director, Online Optimism

Sara Bandurian

One thing that immediately gives a candidate bonus points for me is if there are live links to their LinkedIn profile and to their portfolio on their resume. That simple touch can go a long way in garnering goodwill from your hiring manager.

On the other hand, one thing I cannot stand to see on resumes are skill bars, particularly when they show you that you aren’t well-versed in certain tools. Using a simple list of tools you are familiar with will convey your skills in a more polished way, and will save you space on your resume as well.

My final tip is to ALWAYS submit your resume as a PDF file, unless otherwise specified, to ensure the formatting is consistent across all platforms and devices.

Sara Green-Hamann
Founder & CEO, Tallwood Human Resources Consulting

Sara Green-Hamann

The first thing I’m looking for when I see a resume is professionalism, both aesthetically in how the content is displayed, including white space and consistent headers, but also in the language used to describe the duties held in each position.

Secondly, I’m looking to see if the candidate can articulate the results they’ve achieved. I want to see specific outcomes and metrics to back up any claims made.  It’s not enough for a candidate to tell me they had a specific result; they need to show me.

Finally, candidates need to be clear with the content of their resume. I need to be able to read it and understand who they are as a worker in under 10 seconds.  If I can’t identify that they are a good fit for the job in less than 10 seconds, then I am moving on to another candidate.

Firdaus Syazwani
Founder, Dollar Bureau

Firdaus Syazwani

Over the years of hiring content strategists, marketers, and freelancers for my businesses, I’ve reviewed hundreds of resumes. The strongest ones always stand out for the same reasons.

First, I love seeing clarity in design. A clean, well-structured layout shows that the candidate respects the reader’s time. If I can skim your resume and immediately grasp your value, you’re already ahead.

Second, highlight impact, not just responsibilities. Don’t just list what you did—show how it made a difference. Numbers help, but even a clear before-and-after scenario is powerful.

Third, tailor it to the role. Generic resumes feel lazy. I pay attention when someone’s resume reflects our business needs, tone, or even specific tools we use.

I once hired someone whose resume had a short case study as an add-on. That real-world context beat fancy buzzwords and showed initiative, and she turned out to be one of our best hires.

Thanks for this opportunity, Stanley. Let me know if you’d like more stories or examples—I’m happy to help.

Robin Levitt
President, 4D Executive Search

Robin Levitt

Be Accomplishment-Oriented: Don’t just list duties—highlight results. Use strong action verbs and quantify achievements when possible (e.g., “Reduced turnover by 25% in 6 months” vs. “Managed HR processes”).

Use Data and Metrics: Recruiters scan for impact. Include numbers, percentages, revenue growth, cost savings, or team size to show scope and success. Tangible outcomes speak louder than buzzwords.

Format for Skimmability: Use bullet points instead of paragraphs. Keep each point concise (1–2 lines max) so recruiters can quickly scan and identify key value. Prioritize the top third of your resume—it’s prime real estate.

Sarah Doughty
VP – Talent Operations, TalentLab

Sarah Doughty

Highlight Required Skills Early: Make sure the required skills for the role are clearly listed on your resume. Ideally, on the first page. Strong design or formatting can’t replace the impact of a resume that directly addresses the role’s core qualifications. The resumes that stand out most are those where candidates clearly demonstrate relevant experience aligned with the job description.

Focus on Specific Contributions and Results: Resumes are more compelling when they emphasize what you specifically contributed to a project, along with measurable outcomes. Avoid vague statements like “Results-oriented professional with a proven track record of success” unless you back them up with concrete examples. If a sentence could apply to anyone in any job, at any level, leave it out. Focus instead on clearly articulating your role, scope of work, and results achieved.

Be Concise and Edit Ruthlessly: Too much detail can dilute your message. While I don’t recommend using AI to write your resume—it’s often obvious to experienced recruiters—I do recommend using AI tools to help you refine and streamline your content. Overly long resumes signal a lack of judgment and may suggest poor communication skills or low emotional intelligence. Keep it sharp, relevant, and to the point.

 

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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