How to Make A Resume that Stands Out in 2026 (after hiring 1,000s) transcript

Stop being invisible to recruiters. You're competing with thousands of other candidates and your resume needs to stand out. I've hired thousands [music] of people and have reviewed tens of thousands of resumes. In the next few minutes, I'll show you six ways to make your resume [music] stand out, exactly what hiring managers are looking for when they decide who gets the interview, and fatal mistakes to avoid. Chapter 1, know how recruiters read [music] resumes.

Here's what most people don't know. Resumes get read in three stages. Think of them [music] as gates you need to pass. First is the skim. It's under 2 seconds. Then the scan, usually around 10 seconds. [music] And finally, if you pass both of those, they'll study it, which could go like a minute plus. The next thing you're going to want to think about is that people read resumes in an F pattern. They go [music] down the spine and they look at the titles first, then they scan the resume looking for keywords.

If those look good, then they'll read all your skills and bullets. I'll talk about keywords and how to structure your bullets in a bit, but this means that your top bullet in each position has to be amazing. If [music] that first bullet is strong, they will read the rest. If it's weak, then they're going to move on to the next person. And then soft skills, don't just list them. Demonstrate [music] them in your bullets.

Led a team of five shows leadership way better than writing leadership skills in your skill section. There's other things hiring managers are judging you on in this process and they're not so obvious. I've shared those in this [music] video and I've even covered things that they likely won't admit. The link is in the description as well. All right, number two, you need to master the keyword game for your resume to stand out.

Since recruiters and hiring managers are skimming, [music] they have specific skills in mind. And they want to see those keywords immediately before they waste any time reading deep. So you might be thinking, how do I find the right keywords? You need to look at the job description. And I recommend you go to the preferred qualifications or the nice-to-haves. That's their wish list. It's what they really, really want.

Then you got to make sure that you check the boxes on the requirements. And here's the insider tip, even though responsibilities describe [music] what you're going to be doing, companies want someone who's already done these things before. So, even though they're about the future, [music] they're going to want to see that you've done them. Look, the hierarchy is simple. Preferred qualifications first, then requirements, [music] then responsibilities.

And focus on the technical and hard skills. Those need to jump off the page. I'll show you what I mean by that when I cover writing resume bullets later in the video. Another crucial reason the right keywords make your resume stand out is because most companies [music] use an ATS for hiring, and there are thousands of applicants. Hiring managers and recruiters will usually filter the applicants by [music] keyword to get to a smaller pool of qualified candidates.

If it's a graphic designer job, they'll filter by Adobe Illustrator. I've explained [music] everything you need to know about ATS systems in two of my most recent videos, so make sure to check those out if you're curious how that works. Tailoring your resume for each job can take forever, so here's a shortcut that could take minutes [music] instead of hours. Teal has a built-in job matcher that pulls the keywords directly from the job description and highlights them by hard skill, [music] soft skill, and job description section.

And you can use it for free with the link in the description, along with the videos I mentioned earlier. Chapter three, context plus competence test. [music] When hiring managers look at resumes, they're making connections as fast as possible, which leads me to the third way to make your resume stand out. You need to make your resume easily scannable for two things: [music] context and competence. Context means similarities.

Have you worked in similar companies, used similar tools, been in the same industry? If so, you have a better chance of being hired. That domain knowledge really matters. Competence [music] is about specific abilities. If they need someone who's done customer activation or retention or conversion optimization, they're looking for those exact words [music] that they put in the job description. And sometimes they'll use specific tools or technologies as a proxy.

If you know their tech stack, [music] you can probably do the job. Now, this test happens in seconds. Pass it and they'll keep reading, fail and then you're probably out. Number four, you need to format your resume for humans [music] and the ATS. Keep it simple. I know design can be the fun part where you can express yourself, but fancy layouts like Canva resume [music] templates can actually really hurt your chances by making it hard for the ATS to read and then even harder for people to skim.

Use a single column resume. Two columns [music] might seem more efficient, but the ATS sometimes can't figure out the flow of the information and then when you upload that PDF or Word doc, it's going to have a really hard time being parsed to auto-fill the application for you. And here's what matters for humans. Page one has to be incredible. That's what gets them to keep reading. [music] If page one is clear, concise, and immediately shows why you're qualified, then they'll read page two.

But if page one doesn't hook them, game over. [music] Clean design equals easier reading. Easier reading means they'll actually see your qualifications. Don't make them work so hard for it. So if you're using fancy designs or visuals on your resume, you're actually hurting your chances. The ATS won't read them properly, [music] so avoid these highly designed Canva resume. And I cover why they could hurt your job search in this video.

[music] On to my fifth way to make your resume stand out. Here's my golden rule. Show the 10% you that's 100% relevant to them. Look, your career is long and broad. You've done a lot of incredible things, but companies don't care about all that. They only care about what matters to them right [music] now. And when they're skimming through your irrelevant experiences, they may not ever get to the content that actually matters.

Unless [music] you happen to be a perfect fit for a job, if you're not tailoring your submissions, you're going to be filtered out immediately. Period. Full stop. Now, if you use Teal, you can [music] paste the job description in. It shows you exactly which keywords you need to hit on your resume and you can adjust your bullets to match. Speaking of resume bullets, chapter six, achievement architecture. The sixth way to make your resume stand out is to structure your bullets based on >> [music] >> achievements and not responsibilities.

Don't just show what you did, show [music] the results. Here's the formula that changes everything. Results plus metric plus context. Let me tell you why. [music] Because recruiters decide in seven seconds. Your impact needs to hit them immediately. All right, let me break it down. Result, [music] what changed because of you. Metric, the proof with specific numbers. [music] And context, a brief explanation of how or what you did.

Here's an example. So, instead of writing responsible for social media management, [music] you write increased engagement by 150% through strategic content calendar implementation. Do you see the difference? The results come first, [music] increased engagement. Then the metric, 150%. Then the context, what you did to get there. You don't need a metric on every single resume bullet, but you absolutely need one in the first bullet of each position.

[music] That first bullet is your hook. It's what's going to get them to keep reading. So, stop writing about responsibilities and [music] start showing why the business was better because you were there. Lead with the impact, back it up with numbers, then briefly explain how you did it. That's how you convert passive job descriptions into achievement [music] statements that get you hired. Look, the job's are just tough, but you don't have to be invisible anymore.

Use these strategies, [music] get your resume right, and you're going to start getting noticed. Now, let me rapid-fire through some mistakes that get resumes rejected [music] instantly. First, application forms. Fill out every question, apply early, and never lie. Companies actually read every single one of those responses, and [music] I always get super turned off with one-word answers. I mean, does this person even want the job?

Are they putting in any effort at all? Second, graphics overload. Nobody takes those skill bars and charts seriously. [music] It's a weird self-assessment that actually makes your resume harder to read and harder to parse. Third, the kitchen sink problem. Don't throw everything on there. If you can't curate information, >> [music] >> it shows you can't edit and you can't prioritize, and you're making the reader do all the work.

We don't have time for that. Here's my fourth tip, going into the AI personality void. I am all for using AI, but pure AI-written resumes lack personality [music] and consistency. And yes, we can tell. Make sure your voice comes through. There's a right way to use AI to get help, and I'm covering that in one of my next videos, so make sure to subscribe. And one more thing, if you're changing careers, >> [music] >> you need to build the bridge in your professional summary.

You need to help readers understand how you [music] go from what you were doing to what they need. They won't give you the benefit of the doubt, so you have to connect the dots for them. I want you to know that you can control your system. [music] If you follow the right strategies and the right tools, you will start to see progress. You need [music] to stop guessing and start proving your value. Use tools that make your job search actually manageable.

And outside of optimizing your resume, you should find ways to make yourself more hirable, especially in today's job market. This is going to be the topic of my next video, so subscribe to make sure you don't miss it. Remember, Teal is here to help you check your [music] format, quantify your achievements, and guarantee you're hitting the keywords hiring managers are actually searching for. You can try it for free, the link's in the description.

And if you want to upgrade to get our best [music] features, I've got a special discount code for you down there, too. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you on the next one.