Resume, Cover Letter and CV Frequently Asked Questions

Resume Now’s team of career development experts, certified professional resume and cover letter writers, and recruitment specialists are here to help job seekers get hired. We do this by offering thousands of recruiter-approved, job-specific resume and cover letter examples, a variety of resume templates and cover letter designs, expert reviews, professional resume and cover letter writing services, advice, resources, job search tools, and an award-winning Resume Builder.

With Full Access to Resume Now, you can:

• Download and print unlimited resumes and cover letters in any format (PDF, MS Word, .TXT, Rich Text, web page).
• Access your resumes and cover letters anytime from anywhere.
• View dozens of resumes and cover letter templates for a range of industries.
• Search our extensive jobs network by industry, location, or company, and apply with just one click.
• Check your resume for grammar, spelling and other common mistakes instantly.
• Prepare for interviews.
• Get real-time salary information for jobs in your field and location.

Our professional resume writers can help! Sign up in three simple steps:

• Log in to your dashboard.
• Click “Documents.”
• Press “Find out more” under “Resume and Cover Letter Writing.”

Yes! Resume Now has certified professional resume writers who create all the information about resumes and cover letters on the site.

A resume template is a useful tool that:

• Provides the overall structure and design of a resume.
• Organizes your professional information within a professionally designed framework.
• Gives your resume a polished look.
• Is a reliable blueprint for a successful resume.

After choosing the best resume template for your needs, then it’s time to write your resume. Resume Now’s Resume Builder helps you do this section by section quickly and easily. Just click “Create a new resume,” and we will walk you through the steps to fill out each section. We’ll even provide relevant keywords and give you tips throughout the process. You’ll have the chance to save your progress along the way and edit your work before you save and download your final resume.

Yes! Resume Now’s professional resume and cover letter templates are created by certified professionals and are recruiter-approved.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software program that recruiters and hiring managers use to scan resumes and cover letters for relevance to job openings. They look for keywords and phrases that match the job description and rank candidates based on how much their resumes and cover letters meet the employer’s requirements for the position.

Yes! Resume Now’s resume templates are optimized for (applicant tracking system) ATS software. Our professionally designed, recruiter-approved templates ensure proper placement of your information, correct use of headers and footers, appropriate fonts, and clear margins. Having all those pieces in place makes it easy for ATS programs to accept resumes.

A resume example is a guide for job applicants who want inspiration for writing their resumes. Resume samples show job seekers how to format their resumes, help them choose the best design for their experience level, industry and job title, and can provide insight into resume writing best practices.

To get the best use of a resume example:

• Think about the type of job you want.
• Consider your work experience.
• Select the appropriate format to showcase your accomplishments.
• Review the design, the template used to build your resume.
• Study the resume example and apply what you learn to your resume.

There are three standard resume formats: chronological, functional and combination. The chronological format is the most widely used, and it works perfectly for job seekers with a long work history. Functional resumes, also known as a “skills-based” resumes, put job seekers’ skills front and center. The combination format is just as it sounds: a mix of the functional and chronological formats.

The resume format you choose depends on your career level, work history, skills and professional goals.

Resumes should be no more than two pages long. Most job seekers will only use one page, but some applicants with more than 10 years of experience will find that two pages suit them better. A well-written resume will always be short and to the point while conveying a candidate’s qualifications accurately and clearly.

Resume Now’s Resume Builder makes it easy to build an interview-winning resume in just minutes. Here’s how:

• Choose a resume template using our resume examples to guide you.
• Answer a few questions (i.e., “How much work experience do you have?”).
• Fill out each section of the template — we’ll help you!
• Customize your resume to suit the job for which you’re applying.
• Proofread and edit your resume.
• Save and download it.
• Send it to the employer along with your cover letter.

Yes! You need to create a new resume for every job you apply to. You must customize your information for each position, company and industry. No job is identical: Even if you apply for roles with the same job title in the same industry, there will be differences. Besides, every company has different perspectives and goals and your resume should speak to those things first and foremost. So read each job description carefully and tailor your resume to match it.

Resume Now’s Resume Builder makes it easy to customize your resume for each job. You can start from scratch by picking a new template for each job, or you can edit and rewrite a previous resume after you’ve saved it and downloaded it. Just make sure you save it with a new file name for the next job.

You can write a resume in just 15 minutes using our Resume Builder.

Unless you are an actor or a model, you should not add your photo to your resume.

Here are the top five reasons why:

1. It’s not necessary. Your resume has to be succinct and fit all your relevant qualifications, so you need all the space you can get. A photo won’t help you get an interview, but it will eat up precious space.
2. It’s distracting. You want hiring managers to focus on your relevant attributes and work experience, not your photo.
3. It can be used to discriminate. Whether intentional or not, a hiring manager might discriminate against you based on race, gender and age. Most companies have policies to reject resumes with photos instantly to avoid accusations of discrimination down the line.
4. It is not applicant tracking system (ATS)-friendly. ATS’s which most companies use to parse and scan resumes for relevance, can not read images. If an ATS can’t scan your otherwise perfect resume because it has a photo, then it will reject it immediately, eliminating your chance to get the job.
5. It is considered unprofessional. It’s true. Many hiring managers think resumes with headshots are unprofessional, primarily due to the factors listed above. Those hiring managers won’t take you seriously as a candidate and will reject you without even bothering to read your credentials.

There are several reasons to avoid using graphics and fancy fonts on your resume, including:

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) can’t scan resumes filled with graphics and inappropriate fonts, so it’s likely your resume won’t make it to a hiring manager, and all your effort will be wasted.
• It will look like you are trying too hard, making hiring managers view you as desperate. Hiring managers don’t want desperate candidates.
• Some hiring managers view fancy resumes as showy and narcissistic — traits that are often frowned upon.
• They detract from your qualifications. Hiring managers are busy, so they need to be able to read through your resume quickly. Don’t make them look for your relevant information, or they may just move on to the next candidate.
• Some hiring managers see graphical resumes as unprofessional. Sure, a highly stylized resume might get you noticed, but not in a positive way.

Accomplishments are vital to your resume because they tell employers precisely what you can achieve for them. Add them to your work history instead of listing your responsibilities and quantify them with numbers for the most significant impact.

For example:

Instead of: “Takes vital signs, records health data, and performs procedures including venipuncture, measuring blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, weight and height.

Try: “Measures and records health data and performs routine procedures such as venipuncture for an average of 65 patients per day with a consistent patient approval rating of 100%.”

The best way to determine which skills to use on your resume is to read the job description carefully and take note of which requirements match your skillset. List those skills on your resume, taking care to use a mix of soft and hard skills to convey that you are well-rounded.

The general rule of thumb for how much experience to show on a resume is no more than 10 years to stay current and keep your resume at the recommended two pages maximum. It is possible to show 15 to 20 years of experience if you think it’s necessary, but if you do, then keep it concise. It helps if you’ve only worked for a handful of jobs in that time and if you use a combination resume format.

In the United States, a CV is a document that lists a person’s entire academic and professional history. They include publications, research projects, fellowships, speaking engagements, and lectures. Graduate students, academics, scientists, and doctors tend to use them.

In the United States, a CV is a lengthy and comprehensive document that contains an applicant’s professional and academic achievements. CVs are used more often by those whose jobs rely on research, publications, and public speaking. In other countries, CVs are the equivalent of an American resume. They are short documents that applicants use from a broad spectrum of industries.

In the United States, resumes are concise documents of no more than two pages that applicants from the public sector, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations use to show their work history, education, relevant skills and top achievements.

A CV can be any length necessary to provide the required information about a candidate.

You should use a CV if you are a Ph.D. candidate, professor, or other academic, scientist, researcher, or medical doctor. You are applying for a fellowship, grant, teaching position, or a job in your field.

CV templates are useful tools that provide the layout and design required to give a CV a professional look and feel. Resume Now’s professionally designed CV templates come in various styles and are fully customizable, so you can add sections to suit your background and goals.

After choosing the best CV template for your needs, then it’s time to build your CV. Resume Now’s Resume Builder helps you do this section by section quickly and easily. Just click “Create a new resume,” and we will walk you through the steps to fill out each section. We’ll even provide relevant keywords and give you tips throughout the process. You’ll have the chance to save your progress along the way and edit your work before you save and download your final resume.

A CV example is a guide for candidates who want inspiration for writing their own CVs. CV samples show job seekers how to format a CV, help them choose the best design for their experience and can provide insight into CV-writing best practices.

To get the best use of a CV example:

• Think about the type of job you want or grant you seek.
• Consider your professional and academic experience.
• Select the appropriate format to showcase all of your accomplishments.
• Review the design, the template used to build your CV.
• Study the CV example and apply what you learn to your resume.

Creating and customizing a professional CV using our Builder is incredibly easy.

1. Click on the ‘Create your Resume’ button to begin. Then choose a template from one of the four categories (Popular, Unique, Modern, and Classic).
2. Follow the prompted instructions from the builder to enter your contact information and work experience.
3. After completing the guided sections, you’ll be able to edit your document. If you end up back in the dashboard after saving your document, simply click the pencil icon in the center of your document to start editing again. You will find the breakdown of your CV sections on the right side of the edit menu, below the ‘Spell Check’ function. To get to the custom sections menu, click ‘Add a Section.’
4. Once you’ve clicked the ‘Add a section’ plus sign, that will direct you to the menu with available add-ons such as Activities & Honors, Accomplishments, and Certifications. You can also select “Add a Custom Section” to create your sections.
5. When you’ve finished adding a new section, you will be directed back to the editing menu, where you can go over the area with your mouse to move, edit, or delete unnecessary information. To organize the section layout of your document, hover over the area you want to move, and an icon with arrows will pop on the top right of the section box.
6. Once you have returned to the editing menu, if you would like to format your document click the ‘formatting’ arrow at the bottom of the page, in between ‘template’ and ’color. That’s where you can adjust the margins, font size, font style, and spacing.
7. To choose from eight different colors for your document, simply go back to the bottom menu and select the ‘Color’ arrow on the far right.
8. If you want to change your template selection, go to the far left of the bottom menu and select the ‘template’ arrow.
9. Make sure to spell check your document and then click the ‘Save & Next’ button by the ‘color’ arrow before downloading your CV to save your work.

Cover letter templates are professionally designed and formatted tools to help applicants write their cover letters quickly. They:

• Provide the overall structure and design of cover letters.
• Organize cover letters within a recruiter-approved framework.
• Give cover letters a polished look.
• Are reliable blueprints for successful cover letters.

After choosing the best cover template for your needs, then it’s time to write your cover letter. Resume Now’s Cover Letter Builder helps you do this section by section quickly and easily. Just click “Create a new cover letter,” and we will walk you through the steps to fill out each section. We’ll even provide relevant keywords and give you tips throughout the process. You’ll have the chance to save your progress along the way and edit your work before you save and download your final cover letter.

A cover letter example guides job applicants who want inspiration for writing their cover letters. Cover letter samples show job seekers how to format a cover letter, help them choose the best design for their experience level, industry and job title, and can provide insight into cover letter writing best practices.

To get the best use of a cover letter example:

• Think about the type of job you want.
• Consider your work experience.
• Review the design, which is the template you will use to build your cover letter.
• Study the cover letter example and apply what you learn to your cover letter.

A cover letter format is a framework that makes your cover letter clean and readable — from the way it is organized to its line spaces, margins, font types and font sizes.

If you have looked for the hiring manager’s name but still can’t find it, then address them in specific terms, like “Accounting Department Hiring Manager.” That way, your cover letter will likely go to the right person.

Don’t use phrases such as “Dear Sir or Madam,” or “To Whom It May Concern,” not only because they are outdated and convey that you have not tried to find the hiring manager, but also because they are too general and could get your resume in the hands of the wrong person.

Resume Now’s Cover Letter Builder makes it easy to write an attention-grabbing cover letter fast. Here’s how:

• Choose a cover letter template using our cover letter examples to guide you.
• Upload your existing cover letter or personalize one of ours.
• Use the job-specific example text from our builder to help you create compelling and descriptive paragraphs based on your job experience and qualifications.
• Polish it off with our easy-to-use formatting tool and spell-checker.
• Proofread it for grammar and accuracy.
• Save and download it.
• Send it to the employer along with your resume.

Resume Now’s Cover Letter Builder takes just 15 minutes to use from start to finish!

Unless the job application instructions state “Do not send a cover letter,” you should always send a cover letter, even if the instructions do not ask for one or if they imply that one is not necessary. When coupled with a strong resume, a good cover letter can be the critical factor in getting an interview. This is because cover letters help you stand out, provide the opportunity to introduce yourself, and give depth and context to the information on your resume.