30 Resume Do's and Don'ts That Get You Hired in 2026

Why These Rules Matter

Recruiters and hiring managers review hundreds of resumes for a single opening. They are looking for reasons to say yes, but they are also looking for reasons to move on. The difference between a resume that lands an interview and one that gets filtered out often comes down to a handful of avoidable mistakes and a few smart choices.

This guide covers 30 proven do's and don'ts organized by category: formatting, content, ATS optimization, and common pitfalls. Whether you are building your first resume or updating one you have used for years, these rules will sharpen your document and improve your results.

Formatting Do's

1. Do use a clean, professional layout. Stick to a single-column design with clear section headings, consistent spacing, and plenty of white space. Cluttered resumes are hard to scan.
2. Do choose a readable font. Use a professional typeface like Calibri, Arial, Garamond, or Helvetica in 10-12pt for body text and 14-16pt for your name.
3. Do keep margins between 0.5 and 1 inch. Margins that are too narrow make the page feel cramped. Margins that are too wide waste space.
4. Do use bullet points for experience. Bullet points are easier to scan than paragraphs. Keep each bullet to one or two lines.
5. Do maintain consistent formatting. If you bold one job title, bold all of them. If you use month-year for one date, use it for all dates. Inconsistency signals carelessness.

Formatting Don'ts

6. Don't use fancy graphics, icons, or infographics. While they may look creative, most ATS software cannot read them, and they distract from your content. Save the creativity for your portfolio.
7. Don't use more than two fonts. One font for headings and one for body text is the maximum. Multiple fonts make your resume look disorganized.
8. Don't include a photo. In the US and UK, photos invite unconscious bias and may cause ATS rejection. Only include a photo if the job posting specifically requests one or if it is a cultural norm in the country where you are applying.
9. Don't use text boxes or columns. Many ATS parsers struggle with multi-column layouts and text boxes, scrambling the content or skipping it entirely.
10. Don't go below 10pt font size. Tiny text is difficult to read on screen and on paper. If you need more space, edit your content rather than shrinking the font.

Content Do's

11. Do quantify your achievements. Numbers make your impact concrete. "Increased revenue by 35%" is far stronger than "helped increase revenue." Use percentages, dollar amounts, and timeframes whenever possible.
12. Do start bullet points with strong action verbs. Words like led, designed, implemented, reduced, launched, and negotiated convey authority and ownership.
13. Do tailor your resume for each job. Read the job description carefully and adjust your summary, skills, and bullet point emphasis to match what the employer is looking for.
14. Do include a professional summary. A two-to-three-sentence summary at the top gives the recruiter an immediate understanding of your value. For examples, visit our resume summary examples guide.
15. Do focus on results, not just responsibilities. Employers want to know what you accomplished, not just what you were assigned to do. Frame your experience in terms of outcomes and impact.

Content Don'ts

16. Don't include irrelevant work experience. A summer job at a pizza shop does not belong on a senior software engineer's resume unless it demonstrates a specific transferable skill for the role.
17. Don't list every skill you have ever learned. Focus on skills that are relevant to the target role. A bloated skills section dilutes the impact of your strongest qualifications. See our guide on how to list skills on a resume.
18. Don't use personal pronouns. Do not write "I managed a team" or "My responsibilities included." Resume language should be implied first person: "Managed a team of 12 engineers."
19. Don't lie or exaggerate. Inflated job titles, fabricated metrics, and embellished skills will eventually surface during reference checks or on the job. The consequences are severe and lasting.
20. Don't include salary information. Your resume is not the place to discuss compensation. Save that conversation for the interview or negotiation stage.

ATS Optimization Do's

21. Do use standard section headings. Stick to conventional headings like "Work Experience," "Education," and "Skills." Creative alternatives like "Where I've Made an Impact" confuse ATS parsers.
22. Do include keywords from the job description. ATS systems rank resumes based on keyword matches. Incorporate relevant terms naturally throughout your resume. For a deep dive, read our resume keywords and ATS guide.
23. Do save in the right file format. Unless the job posting specifies otherwise, submit your resume as a PDF. If the ATS requires .docx, follow those instructions exactly.
24. Do spell out acronyms at least once. Write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" the first time, then use "SEO" after that. This ensures the ATS catches both versions.
25. Do test your resume against ATS. Use tools like EasyResume's resume builder, which generates ATS-optimized formats automatically, to ensure your resume parses correctly.

ATS Optimization Don'ts

26. Don't stuff keywords unnaturally. Repeating "project management" fifteen times will not help. Modern ATS systems and recruiters both penalize keyword stuffing.
27. Don't put critical information in headers or footers. Some ATS systems ignore header and footer content. Keep your name, contact information, and key details in the main body of the document.
28. Don't submit an image-based PDF. If your resume is a scanned image rather than a text-based document, no ATS can read it. Always create your resume digitally.

General Don'ts

29. Don't include "References available upon request." This phrase is outdated and takes up space that could be used for actual content. Employers will ask for references when they need them.
30. Don't skip proofreading. Typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistent formatting are among the fastest ways to get rejected. Read your resume out loud, use spell check, and have someone else review it before you submit.

Putting It All Together

A strong resume follows these rules consistently across every section. The do's help you present a polished, professional, and relevant document that speaks directly to the employer's needs. The don'ts help you avoid the traps that silently eliminate candidates before they ever reach a human reviewer.

If you are unsure whether your resume follows these best practices, run through this list as a checklist before each application. Better yet, start fresh with EasyResume's resume builder, which is designed to guide you through each section with built-in best practices and ATS-friendly formatting. For a comprehensive step-by-step guide, see our article on how to write a resume from scratch.