Answers to Frequently Asked Questions | JobHero

A resume template is a valuable tool that:

• Provides an overall structure and design for a resume.
• Organizes your information within a professionally designed framework.
• Gives your resume a polished look.
• Is a reliable blueprint for a successful resume.

After choosing the best resume template for your needs, it’s time to write your resume.

JobHero’s Resume Builder helps you do this section by section, quickly and easily. Simply click “Create a new resume,” and we will guide you through the steps to complete each section. We’ll even provide relevant keywords and offer guidance throughout the process. You’ll have the chance to save your progress along the way and edit your work before you save and download your final resume.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software program that recruiters and hiring managers use to scan resumes and cover letters for relevance to job openings. They look for keywords and phrases that match the job description and rank candidates based on how much their resumes and cover letters meet the employer’s requirements for the position.

JobHero’s resume examples serve as a guide for job applicants seeking inspiration to craft their own resumes. Resume examples provide job seekers with format ideas, well-written work history and professional summary samples, and insight into how your competition’s resumes might look.

To customize JobHero’s resume examples:

• Think about the type of job you want.
• Consider your work experience.
• See how others describe their work history.
• Select the appropriate format to showcase your accomplishments.
• Study the resume example and incorporate practical ideas into your own resume.

There are three primary resume formats: 

• The chronological format is the most widely used and is ideal for job seekers with a long work history. 
• Functional resumes, also known as “skills-based” resumes, prominently highlight job seekers’ skills. 
• The hybrid/combination format is precisely what it sounds like: a mix of the functional and chronological formats.

The resume format you choose depends on your career level, work history, and professional goals.

Resumes should be no longer than two pages long. Most job seekers will use only one page, but some applicants with more than 10 years of experience may find that two pages are more suitable for them. A well-written resume will always be concise and to the point, accurately and clearly conveying a candidate’s qualifications.

Yes! You need to create a new resume for every job you apply to.

You should tailor your information to each specific position, company, and industry. No job is identical: Even if you apply for roles with the same job title in the same industry, there will be differences. Additionally, every company has its own unique perspectives and goals, and your resume should clearly convey these aspects first and foremost. So read each job description carefully and tailor your resume to match it.

Unless you are an actor or a model, you should not add your photo to your resume.

Here are the top five reasons why:

1. It’s not necessary. Your resume needs to be concise and highlight all your relevant qualifications, so utilize every available space effectively. A photo won’t help you get an interview, but it will eat up precious space.
2. It’s distracting. You want hiring managers to focus on your relevant attributes and work experience, not your photo.
3. It can be used to discriminate. Whether intentional or not, a hiring manager might discriminate against you based on race, gender, or age. Most companies have policies to reject resumes with photos instantly to avoid accusations of discrimination down the line.
4. It is not ATS-friendly. Applicant tracking systems, which most companies use to parse and scan resumes for relevance, cannot read images. If an ATS can’t scan your otherwise perfect resume because it has a photo, then it will reject it immediately, eliminating your chance to get the job.
5. It is considered unprofessional. It’s true. Many hiring managers consider resumes with headshots to be amateurish, primarily due to the factors listed above. Those hiring managers won’t take you seriously as a candidate and will reject you without even bothering to read your credentials.

There are several reasons to avoid using graphics and fancy fonts on your resume, including:

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) can’t scan resumes filled with graphics and inappropriate fonts, so it’s likely your resume won’t make it to a hiring manager, and all your effort will be wasted.
• It will appear that you’re trying too hard, making hiring managers perceive you as desperate. Hiring managers don’t want desperate candidates.
• They detract from your qualifications. Hiring managers are busy, so they need to be able to read through your resume quickly. Don’t make them search for your relevant information; otherwise, they may move on to the next candidate.
• Some hiring managers see graphical resumes as unprofessional. Sure, a highly stylized resume might get you noticed, but not in a positive way.

Accomplishments are crucial to your resume because they indicate to employers what you can achieve for them. Add them to your work history instead of listing your responsibilities, and quantify them with numbers for the most significant impact.

For example:

Instead of: “Takes vital signs, records health data, and performs procedures including venipuncture, measuring blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, weight, and height.

Try: “Measures and records health data and performs routine procedures such as venipuncture for an average of 65 patients per day with a consistent patient approval rating of 100%.”

The best way to determine which skills to use on your resume is to read the job description carefully and take note of which requirements match your skill set. List those skills on your resume, taking care to use a mix of soft and hard skills to convey that you are well-rounded. Jobhero’s resume examples are an excellent resource for understanding which in-demand skills you should add to your resume for your target role.

The general rule for how much experience to show on a resume is no more than 10 years to stay current and keep your resume at the recommended two-page maximum. It is possible to show 15 to 20 years of experience if you think it’s necessary, but if you do, then keep it concise. It helps if you’ve only worked for a handful of jobs in that time and if you use a hybrid/combination resume format.

Cover letter templates are professionally designed and formatted tools to help applicants quickly write their cover letters. They do the following:

• Provide the overall structure and design for cover letters
• Organize cover letters within a recruiter-approved framework
• Give cover letters a polished look
• Offer reliable blueprints for successful cover letters

After choosing the best cover template for your needs, it’s time to write your cover letter. JobHero’s Cover Letter Generator helps you do this section by section, quickly and easily. Simply click “Create a new cover letter,” and we will guide you through the steps to complete each section. We’ll even provide relevant keywords and offer guidance throughout the process. 

You’ll have the chance to save your progress along the way and edit your work before you save and download your final cover letter.

A cover letter example serves as a guide for job applicants seeking inspiration to write their own cover letters. Cover letter samples demonstrate how to format a cover letter, assist job seekers in selecting the most suitable design for their experience level, industry, and job title, and offer insight into best practices for cover letter writing.

To get the best use of a cover letter example:

• Think about the type of job you want.
• Consider your work experience.
• Review the design, which is the template you will use to build your cover letter.
• Study the cover letter example and apply what you learn to your cover letter.

A cover letter format is a framework that makes your cover letter clean and readable — from the way it is organized to its line spaces, margins, font types, and font sizes.

If you have looked for the hiring manager’s name but still can’t find it, then address them specifically, such as “Accounting Department Hiring Manager.” That way, your cover letter will likely go to the right person.

Don’t use phrases such as “Dear Sir or Madam,” or “To Whom It May Concern,” not only because they are outdated and convey that you have not tried to find the hiring manager, but also because they are too general and could get your resume in the hands of the wrong person.

Unless the job application instructions explicitly state, “Do not send a cover letter,” you should always send one, even if the instructions do not request one or imply that one is not necessary. When coupled with a strong resume, a good cover letter can be the critical factor in getting an interview. This is because cover letters help you stand out, provide the opportunity to introduce yourself, and give depth and context to the information on your resume.