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Our resume format has been battle-tested by literally millions of job applicants over the better part of a decade since 2018, and we consistently hear about how it dramatically increases candidates' interview rates.
The reason it works so well is that we personally screened tens of thousands of resumes back when we were recruiters / head hunters (mostly for software and tech jobs, but also for finance, marketing, and sales roles). We recruited for the world's largest banks, hedge funds, and VC-backed startups, plus plenty of normal everyday companies as well.
We know what the job of a screener entails, and to boil it down, it's to make it through a pile of 1,000 resumes in 5 hours (200 per hour = 3 per minute = 1 every 20 seconds!). They're not reading your resume; they're looking for signal so they can make a quick up/down call, ideally in 10 seconds or less. It's our job to give them as much positive signal as possible in those 10 seconds, and to do that we guide their eye to your most important and relevant pieces of information. It's also equally important to not give them any negative signal that makes them iffy: we want a "hell yes, let's get them on the phone" in 10 seconds or less.
Our AI resume builder is an "easy button" that makes your new resume for you in seconds instead of taking the time to fill out our DIY free resume template line by line.
The Builder utilizes this same format, but it guides you through the process of overhauling your resume section-by-section, line-by-line (including copy changes, content trimming, and other important fixes). Memberships to the Builder also include unlimited AI cover letters (also trained by us!), and a file system to store different versions. You can download or export your finished resume in PDF, Google Doc, or MS Word formats.
Note: the Builder isn't free like our template is, as we do have ongoing engineering and maintenance costs, but we do give away free memberships to anyone experiencing financial difficulties (as we all do from time to time). Please just email us for access if you're facing financial constraints and can benefit from the builder. Our paid memberships allow us to offer this assistance to folks in need during a challenging time in their lives, so we sincerely appreciate our paid members! You're helping others while helping yourself.
Yes, and we actually upkeep and update our resume format frequently based on our experience in our 1:1 reviews.
If you have the relevant skills, you will get past an ATS, even one "powered by AI." We try to explain to our clients that the ATS isn't the "great filter" when it comes to your interview prospects: the human screener is. This is because every ATS has the incentive to never block qualified candidates, so it errs on the side of inclusion . A human screener, on the other hand, has the incentive not to get yelled at by their boss for scheduling interviews with unqualified idiots (to use boss speak), so they err on the side of exclusion and are extremely harsh when judging resumes. No relevant title? Gone. Any negative signals? Gone. 4-page resume? Gone. Typo? Gone. Can't skim your resume quickly? Gone. Using quadrants instead of left-right, top-down formatting? Gone. Any colors besides black and white? You guessed it, gone.
Screeners are shallow, superficial people (we are talking about our past selves, so it's cool for us to say this). Imagine a 23-year-old hyped up on too much coffee, who doesn't actually understand the job they're screening for, barely making enough to pay for rent, going cross-eyed from staring at 12-point font and bullet points all day. Unfortunately, these are the arbiters deciding who gets on the phone with the hiring manager. You may think you've written a masterpiece of a resume, but we guarantee that nobody's reading it like you imagine they are.
In short, don't worry about the ATS; your relevant skills and titles will pass you through any AI screen for any job you're remotely qualified for. Worry about impressing the human who has to schedule an interview with you.
Yes and no. Yes, we recommend changing your title to be more relevant (as long as you're not misrepresenting yourself), your first or second bullet point depending on if you read something in the job description that you want to speak to, and your Skills (easy to reorder, add new ones, remove irrelevant ones). Other than that, we don't recommend too many changes – you'll drive yourself crazy!
Our unlimited-use AI Resume Builder is actually made with this in mind: just log in anytime and reorder your skills, ask the AI for new wording of any bullet point, or change your most recent title, and print your new PDF for your next application.
Yes, for both our AI Resume Builder and our 1:1 Resume Refreshes. After so many years helping people with job hunts, we are extremely sensitive to the fact that many people going through a job transition don't have a ton of disposable income. We never, ever want to take a dollar from someone in this position who doesn't feel like they've gotten their money's worth. Just email hey@sheetsresume.com and we'll refund you in full if you're not feeling it.
Our resume format from either our free resume template or our AI Resume Builder works well in America, Canada, the EU, the UK (no longer part of the EU, sorry lads), India, Asia, Australia, Central and South America... we could go on. For some nations, we know it is customary to include certain things that we don't have in our preferred format (like headshots in some countries). So while it does indeed work everywhere, it is USA-centric, and you may want to adjust 1-2 things to localize for your country's CV customs.
Yes! Every 1:1 Resume Refresh client gets help with cover letters as well if they need it. We have also built an AI Cover Letter feature included at no extra cost with the use of our AI Resume Builder.
Absolutely. We have guided thousands of candidates through mock interviews and job searches over the years. Here are some of our best tips:
For example, there are 14 common questions that nearly every job asks at some point in an interview process:
These (and all) questions should always be answered through the prism of "Why are you a good fit for this job?" Always reinforce your fit for the role. Never assume a question is just a random question; they're judging you on every word. For example, when they ask you to tell them about yourself, they don't really care about your life story – they care about your background in the context of why you're a great fit for this job.
Your answers should always be 30-60 seconds, so keep an eye on the clock. Always lead the interviewer back into a natural conversation so they can easily move on to the next question without awkwardness. (I.e., don't leave them hanging on a non-sequitur.) Avoid rambling, try to sound confident, and remember: nobody knows if you make a mistake but you, so never stop and never awkwardly apologize for making a mistake.
And counterintuitively, the more you prepare and practice these answers, the more natural you will sound when asked (and you'll never be caught off guard). So practice in the shower, in the car – rehearse your answers until they sound totally natural and off the cuff.
We also recently launched our new AI Mock Interview tool which can help you practice and hone your skills on common job interview questions. Please try it out and let us know what you think!
For company-specific questions, you can check out glassdoor.com to see if people have put some other questions you can prepare for.
Good luck!
For more interview guidance, check out our How should I prepare for an interview? advice post.