12-Point Engineering Resume Checklist
Based on guidelines from the 200K+ member engineering resume community. Check each item before submitting your resume.
Engineering resumes should never include a headshot. It introduces unconscious bias and is unnecessary for technical roles. In many countries, it can even cause your resume to be auto-rejected.
Include only essentials: email, phone, LinkedIn, and GitHub (or portfolio). More than 4 clutters the header and distracts from content.
Test every link on your resume. Dead links look sloppy. Ensure LinkedIn, GitHub, and portfolio URLs are up-to-date and show relevant work.
A recruiter spends ~6 seconds on initial scan. Have someone glance at your resume for 5 seconds, then ask what they remember. If they cannot name your role and top skill, restructure.
Avoid columns, graphics, icons, or complex layouts. Use a single-column, clean design. Fancy templates often break ATS parsing and make scanning harder.
Each bullet should be 1-2 lines max. If a bullet wraps to 3 lines, split it or trim it. Use the XYZ/STAR formula: "Accomplished [X] by doing [Y], resulting in [Z]."
Bold only job titles and company names. Over-bolding creates visual noise and makes nothing stand out. If everything is bold, nothing is.
Use the same font size for all body text, same size for all headers, and consistent date alignment (right-aligned is standard). Inconsistency signals carelessness.
Replace internal tool names and project codenames with generic descriptions. "Migrated monolith to microservices" is better than "Led Project Phoenix migration."
"References available upon request" wastes space. Language sections are unnecessary unless the role specifically requires multilingual skills.
Hyperlinks in printed or ATS-parsed resumes should match body text color. Blue underlined links look unprofessional and break visual consistency.
Each bullet should follow a results-oriented formula. XYZ: "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]." STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. CAR: Challenge, Action, Result. Pick one and be consistent.