Blog · page 5
Resumes, ATS, and the rest of the job hunt
Practical, no-fluff guides written for people actually applying for jobs.
5 min readRecruiter agencies: when they help, when they hurt, and how to work with them
Recruiter agencies — third-party recruiters working on contingency or retainer — can accelerate a job search or quietly slow it down. Here's the actual math.
job-searchrecruiters
5 min readLinkedIn skills and endorsements: what they do, what they don't, and the version that matters
Endorsements look like noise — and mostly are. But the skills section itself does real work in LinkedIn's recruiter search. Here's how it actually functions.
linkedinskills
5 min readShort tenures on a resume: the framing that turns a pattern into a non-issue
A string of short tenures looks bad until it's contextualized. Here's the language, the layout, and the brief verbal version that lands.
resumespecial-situations
5 min readNegotiating start date and PTO: the two non-salary levers that always move
Start date and PTO are the most movable terms in almost every offer — and the most under-negotiated. Here's the script for asking, and what's actually on the table.
negotiationoffers
5 min readAI cover letter detection: what recruiters actually catch (and what they don't)
Recruiters claim they can spot AI-written cover letters. They can — sometimes. Here's what triggers the read and what makes an AI draft worth using anyway.
cover-lettersai
5 min readTailoring your resume for remote vs. hybrid: what to swap, what to keep
Remote and hybrid roles screen for different signals. A resume that wins one often underperforms in the other unless you swap a handful of specific lines.
tailoringremote
5 min readReferences: when to share them, and what to do before you do
Sharing references too early burns favors; sharing them too late slows the offer. Here's the timing, the prep, and what your references should actually be told.
interviewsreferences
5 min readHeader or no header: the resume design decision that affects parsing
A bold visual header at the top of a resume looks polished — and breaks parsing on some ATS systems. Here's what actually survives, and what's safer.
resumedesign
5 min readWithdrawing from an interview process: when, how, and how to leave it warm
Pulling out of an interview process feels awkward and final. Done well, it isn't either — and it keeps the relationship open for the next role you might actually want.
interviewspost-interview
5 min readTwo layoffs in a row: how to position the pattern on a resume
Two consecutive layoffs feel disqualifying on a resume. They aren't — but the framing matters more than usual. Here's the language that works.
resumespecial-situations