Resume Writing
What to Put on Your Resume When You Did "Nothing" During Your Gap
You didn't take a course or freelance during your employment gap. Here's what honestly goes on a resume when there's no productive gap story to tell.
Job Search
Resume Writing
What to Name Your Resume File (and Why 'resume-final-v3.docx' Is Costing You)
Name it FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf. The resume filename format recruiters prefer, what to avoid, and the honest truth about how much it really matters.
Resume Writing
The Medical Gap on Your Resume: What to Say (and What You Never Have to)
Your resume owes honest dates, not a diagnosis. How to handle a medical or health gap: say nothing, add a neutral "career break" label, or one brief line.
Is LinkedIn Even Worth It? An Honest Reality-Check (2026)
LinkedIn is two products in one: a searchable resume recruiters actually use, and a feed you can skip. Here is the honest, low-effort version worth having.
Resume Writing
The Career-Change Resume: Leading With Transferable Skills When You Switch Industries
Switching industries? Translate your experience into the new field: lead with transferable skills, write a bridging summary, and reframe every bullet.
interview
The Recruiter Phone Screen: What They're Actually Filtering For (and How to Pass)
A recruiter phone screen is a filter, not a deep interview. Here's what recruiters actually check, why salary sinks most screens, and how to pass the first round.
Resume Writing
USAJOBS Now Caps Federal Resumes at 2 Pages (2025 Rule): What Changed and How to Fit It
As of Sept 27, 2025, USAJOBS caps federal resumes at two pages, over the limit means ineligible. Here is what changed and how to condense without losing detail.
Resume Writing
How to Explain an Employment Gap in Your Cover Letter (One Honest Line)
Should you mention an employment gap in your cover letter? How to handle it in one honest line, where to put it, what to say and omit, framed by gap type.
Resume Writing
Do You Need Two Resumes? The Pretty-vs-Plain Workflow
You don't have to pick between a pretty resume and an ATS-safe one. Keep both, and learn which version to send to portals vs. real humans without them drifting.
interview
The Thank-You Email After an Interview (and Exactly When to Follow Up)
Send the thank-you email within 24 hours, then follow up on a schedule: wait past a stated decision date, or about a week, then one more nudge, then let go.
The LinkedIn Buzzwords Recruiters Skip Right Past (and What to Write Instead)
Passionate, results-driven, Growth Ninja: the LinkedIn buzzwords recruiters skim past, why they fail search, and the concrete words to write instead.
interview
The STAR Method, Done Right (and When to Use CAR Instead)
STAR is Situation, Task, Action, Result. The result is the point, and most people rush it. Here is how to do STAR right, plus when CAR or CARL works better.