Resume Building
Master ATS optimization, custom sections, and professional formatting
A professional resume that works in today's job market must satisfy both ATS robots and human recruiters:
For ATS Systems (95% of companies use these):
- Single-column layout (no complex designs)
- Standard fonts (Lato, Helvetica, Times New Roman)
- Clear section headers
- No images, graphics, or tables
- Relevant keywords from job descriptions
For Human Recruiters (7-second scan):
- Clean, scannable format
- Quantified achievements with numbers
- Strong action verbs (managed, increased, developed)
- Relevant to the specific job
- 1-2 pages maximum length
- Perfect grammar and spelling
Custom sections let you showcase unique experiences beyond standard resume sections:
- Stand out from competition: Add sections that highlight what makes you unique
- Industry-specific content: Include relevant sections for your field (e.g., Publications for academics)
- Complete your story: Show achievements that don't fit in Experience or Education
- ATS-friendly: All custom sections are formatted to pass applicant tracking systems
Popular custom sections by industry:
- Tech: Projects, Open Source Contributions, Patents
- Academic: Publications, Research, Conferences
- Creative: Portfolio, Exhibitions, Performances
- Business: Leadership, Board Positions, Speaking Engagements
- Healthcare: Clinical Rotations, Research, Volunteer Work
Two ways to add custom sections to your resume:
⚡ Quick Add Templates (Pre-built):
- Projects: For personal projects, side hustles, portfolio work
- Publications: Research papers, articles, books, blog posts
- Volunteer Work: Community service and nonprofit experiences
- Awards & Honors: Recognition, achievements, scholarships
- Certifications: Professional certifications and licenses
✨ Custom Section (Your Choice):
- Create any section title you want
- Examples: "Research Experience", "Speaking Engagements", "Patents"
- Perfect for unique or industry-specific content
- Completely flexible formatting
Tip: Start with templates for common sections, use custom for unique needs.
Two ways to create resume versions (Premium feature):
📋 Duplicate Current Resume:
- Copies ALL your existing resume data (experience, education, skills, summary)
- Perfect for tweaking your resume for specific jobs
- Saves time when you need minor modifications
- Keeps your original resume intact
✨ Start Fresh Resume:
- Creates a completely blank resume
- Ideal for career pivots or industry changes
- Useful for drastically different job types
- Build from scratch with a new approach
Pro tip: Most users choose "Duplicate" and then modify sections as needed.
Resume version limits by plan:
Free Plan
1 Resume
Your primary resume only
Professional ($9.95)
Unlimited
Create as many as you need
AI Accelerator ($12.95)
Unlimited
Plus AI assistance
Why multiple versions? Tailor resumes for different industries, job levels, or specific companies to increase your interview chances by 40%+
Your primary resume is your main/default resume:
- Homepage display: Appears when you click "Edit Primary Resume" on the dashboard
- Default editing: The version that opens in the resume builder by default
- Protected status: Cannot be deleted (but can be edited)
- Visual indicator: Shows with a ⭐ "Primary" badge in your versions list
- Easy switching: Change your primary anytime by clicking "Set as Primary" on any other version
💡 Smart tip: Set your most versatile resume as primary, then create targeted versions for specific opportunities.
Custom sections are a premium feature with no hard limits:
- Free users: Cannot add custom sections (standard sections only)
- Premium users: Add as many custom sections as needed
- Recommended: 1-3 custom sections for best readability
- Each section: Can have unlimited entries/items within it
Best practices:
- Keep resume to 1-2 pages total (including custom sections)
- Only add sections with substantial content (3+ items)
- Prioritize sections most relevant to target job
- Remove sections that don't add value
Custom sections are independent for each resume version:
- Version-specific: Each resume version has its own custom sections
- Tailored content: Add different sections for different job types
- No automatic copying: Custom sections don't transfer between versions
- Strategic advantage: Customize sections for each industry or role
Example strategy:
- Tech resume: Add "Projects" and "Open Source Contributions"
- Academic resume: Add "Publications" and "Research Experience"
- Creative resume: Add "Portfolio" and "Exhibitions"
Tip: When duplicating a resume version, custom sections are copied to the new version.
Custom sections include a rich text editor with formatting options:
- Bold text: Highlight important keywords or titles
- Italic text: Emphasize specific phrases
- Bullet points: Create organized lists of achievements
- Multiple entries: Add as many items as needed within each section
- Drag to reorder: Arrange entries in order of importance
Writing tips:
- Start entries with action verbs (Led, Created, Developed)
- Include quantifiable results when possible
- Keep descriptions concise (2-3 lines max)
- Use consistent formatting across all entries
- Prioritize most relevant content first
Custom sections have both manual and automatic saving:
- Manual save: Click "Save All Changes" button to save immediately
- Auto-save: Sections save automatically every 30 seconds if changes detected
- Visual indicator: Button turns orange when you have unsaved changes
- Warning on exit: Browser warns if you try to leave with unsaved changes
💾 Save tip: Always click "Save All Changes" after making important edits to ensure nothing is lost.
Full control over your custom sections:
- Edit section title: Click on the title to rename it anytime
- Add entries: Click "Add Entry" to include more items
- Edit entries: Click on any entry text to modify it
- Delete entries: Click the trash icon next to any entry
- Delete entire section: Click "Delete Section" to remove completely
- Reorder entries: Drag and drop to arrange in preferred order
⚠️ Caution: Deleting a section or entry is permanent. There's no undo feature, so save important content elsewhere first.
Custom sections appear after your core resume sections:
- Contact Information
- Professional Summary
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
- → Your Custom Sections appear here ←
Section ordering:
- Custom sections appear in the order you create them
- Currently cannot reorder custom sections (feature coming soon)
- Most important custom section should be created first
- Delete and recreate to change order if needed
Recommended custom sections by career field:
💻 Technology/Engineering:
Projects • Open Source Contributions • Patents • Technical Publications • Hackathons
🔬 Academic/Research:
Publications • Research Experience • Conferences • Grants • Teaching Experience
🎨 Creative/Design:
Portfolio • Exhibitions • Client Work • Awards • Press Coverage
💼 Business/Management:
Leadership Roles • Board Positions • Speaking Engagements • Professional Associations
🏥 Healthcare:
Clinical Rotations • Research • Volunteer Work • Professional Memberships • Continuing Education
Best practices for naming resume versions:
✅ Good naming examples:
- "Software Engineer - Tech Startups"
- "Marketing Manager - Healthcare Industry"
- "Data Analyst - Remote Positions"
- "Senior Developer - Google Application"
- "Project Manager - Finance Sector"
❌ Avoid these names:
- "Resume 1", "Resume 2", "Copy of Resume"
- "Final", "Final Final", "Final Version 3"
- "Test", "New", "Updated"
- Just the date like "March 2024"
Pro tip: Include [Job Title] - [Industry/Company] format for instant recognition when applying to jobs.
Resume deletion rules and safety:
- Can delete: Any resume version EXCEPT your primary resume
- Permanent action: Deletion cannot be undone - data is permanently removed
- Independent versions: Deleting one version doesn't affect your other resumes
- Confirmation required: System asks you to confirm before deleting
⚠️ Before deleting:
- Download a PDF or DOCX backup if you might need it later
- Check if you've used this version for any active job applications
- Consider duplicating and updating instead of deleting
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