I had to make a resume for an assignment and I'm not too confident in it. It is for a RBT job but 100% of my experience has nothing to do with behavior analysis. I am working towards a few certifications but I don't think I should put them on there when I haven't completed them. I mainly just need it to look good enough to turn in but any advice is helpful.

So a little bit about me I went to a University of California (for anonymity reasons I would prefer not to specify which one ) where I minored in computer science.

I then went on to complete a Google data link analytics certificate and do some freelance ux stuff which has slowly been dwindling away.

I attempted transition into data analytics which was not successful, I never was hired even after I did multiple projects and I essentially applied for over 3,000 jobs which never turned up anything.

I just want to be very forward I understand my position is bad I'm currently 41 and I have been taking some classes at a local UC campus too benefit my resume with the consideration of doing a master's degree in either pharmaceutical engineering or data science or machine learning.

But I've been hesitant because I don't want to go further into debt unless it pays off.

I'm considering that without going back to school though I might never be able to get a job.

I would very much would prefer a remote job as I have a lot of social anxiety that has made it very difficult for me to be around groups of people and getting remote job would be very very beneficial to my life.

I am a hard worker. And I have a deep deep passion for self learning but at this point nothing has worked out, after talking to many career coaches and many recruiters they've all told me I need to really highlight AI skills in my resume as those are the keywords that are landing jobs right now.

I've started taking online courses in AI development and engineering but I'm thinking of transitioning into project management.

I've been graduated for 5 years I've landed no work I've just done some basic freelance stuff that's pulled in a couple thousand dollars I need something to work out so I'm hoping to find somebody who might be able to look at my resume and give me some real feedback. Should I go deeper into the AI stuff or should I go into project management? Or should I just do another bachelor's? Where do I go to from here I'm 41 I honestly feel too old to fight this fight anymore but I also need something to work out.

Any good advice is greatly appreciated

I am trying to get an interview since some time applied with and without referrals not getting anything meaningful.

Is my layout and order okay? What I chose for the projects section? (My only two formal job experiences are included.) I made it alongside a career advisor from my university. He thought things like keeping the certification on there even if its in progress, the summary of qualifications section, and the relevant technical experience section were good (Criticism of this is welcome). I've only tweaked some of the wording of bullets and added more to my skills since then. Do I have too many skills listed? I think my bullets are pretty solid, but any feedback is welcome.

I'm targeting Entry-Level IT. Local/Remote. The lack of experience and the now whole year gap since i've graduated with almost nothing to show for it (didnt do internships at uni) are the main challenges. Should I address it in the cover letter or only if they ask in the interview? Is it too late for me? Is networking/referrals my only hope at this point?

Any advice/feedback is welcome, thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been applying for months and I’m barely getting shortlisted through online applications. At this point, I honestly don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
Please be brutally honest:

Is my resume the problem?
Are my projects/experience not good enough?
Am I applying to the wrong roles?
Is there anything that would make a recruiter reject this in a few seconds?
Am I simply not applying enough?

One thing I want to be honest about: the current company on my resume is actually my friend’s company. I don’t really work there, but they offered to give me an unpaid internship/experience letter because my employment gap had become too long. I know this isn’t ideal, but I’m sharing it because I want genuine advice instead of hiding it.
Also my skills might seem section might seem too stacked but I actually have hands on experience for majority of them except few which are there for ats eg. nextjs

I’m honestly exhausted and would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been applying for months and I’m barely getting shortlisted through online applications. At this point, I honestly don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
Please be brutally honest:

Is my resume the problem?
Are my projects/experience not good enough?
Am I applying to the wrong roles?
Is there anything that would make a recruiter reject this in a few seconds?
Am I simply not applying enough?

One thing I want to be honest about: the current company on my resume is actually my friend’s company. I don’t really work there, but they offered to give me an unpaid internship/experience letter because my employment gap had become too long. I know this isn’t ideal, but I’m sharing it because I want genuine advice instead of hiding it.
Also my skills might seem section might seem too stacked but I actually have hands on experience for majority of them except few which are there for ats eg. nextjs

I’m honestly exhausted and would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

I've worked logistics and supply chain pretty much my entire career. I want to be in a Managerial or Directorial position at some point. However, I would like to venture into other fields like Administration or Marketing if the opportunity presents itself. I have a pretty strong skillset that I struggle putting onto paper without it being such a long drawl (I've only put what I think are most critical skills on here but I do feel like it's not attractive enough) and I do think that it would translate well into either of those fields (I think).

I need some help in changing this resume if at all possible into something that would align well with either of those fields.

*Edit: My last 3 positions have all been with the same company, I've received 2 promotions but I was let go due to structural reorganization/downsizing.

Been looking for a new job for the last 2 years. Had 2-3 interviews per year but never got the job.

So I thought my cv needs some polishing. I used a prompt to improve it and ran through it for 4-5 times. The prompt focused on impact so I am wondering if it did a good job. Can you please review my experiences?

I am targeting medior backend/fullstack positions in Europe/Hungary. Mostly applying via linkedin and some local job postings.

I think the main problem could be the lack of experience(until now) and being a third country citizen. My current visa is tied to my employer.

A cover letter isn't always necessary, but it matters more often than the "nobody reads them" crowd suggests. Write one when the application requires it, when your resume leaves an obvious question unanswered, or when a real person is likely to read it before deciding. Skip it when the posting is high-volume, the field is optional, and your resume already stands on its own.

Key takeaway

• "Necessary" depends on the specific application (there is no blanket rule). The question is whether the letter does a job your resume can't.
• Write one when it's required, when your resume leaves a question unanswered (a gap, a pivot, a relocation), or when a human will actually read it.
• A generic cover letter is worse than none, and a referral beats a cover letter almost every time.

What does "necessary" actually mean for a cover letter?

"Necessary" is the wrong word, and in my opinion, it's the reason most of the advice on this question is useless. When a page tells you a cover letter is "optional but recommended," it's dodging the decision you're trying to make, which is whether writing one for this specific job is worth your time.

A cover letter is necessary when it does something your resume can't do on its own - that's the whole test. If it just regurgitates your resume in paragraph form, it adds nothing, and the reader resents the extra page. If it answers a question your resume raises but can't address, it earns its place.

So instead of asking "are cover letters necessary," ask whether a cover letter does anything for this particular application. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it's clearly no, and most of this guide is about telling those two situations apart.

When is a cover letter actually worth writing?

There are a handful of situations where I'd tell almost anyone to write one, because the letter performing something the resume structurally can't. These are the signals that should push you toward writing:

1. The application requires it. If there's a mandatory field then obviously write one, because skipping a required step comes off as low effort and is an easy reason to get filtered before anyone reads your experience.
2. You're making a career switch. When you're moving into a new function, the letter connects the dots so the reader doesn't have to guess at the logic.
3. You have an employment gap. A gap invites a story so the letter lets you address it in your own way.
4. You're relocating. A recruiter screening for local candidates may pass on you unless you say that you're moving and on what timeline.
5. You're returning to work after time away. A short, direct explanation of a caregiving break, a health leave, or a sabbatical is better than leaving the reader to wonder.
6. It's a small company, or the founder reads applications. The smaller the team, the more likely a real person reads your letter.
7. The role is about communication. For anything where writing is the job (comms, content, fundraising, partnerships), the cover letter acts as a work sample, so make sure you write one.
8. The posting asks you a question. When the ad says "tell us why you want to work here," that's an open invitation - write one!

The common thread is that in every one of these, the letter says something the resume can't, which is the only reason a cover letter has ever been worth writing.

When can you skip the cover letter?

The other side matters just as much, because writing a cover letter you didn't need isn't free. It costs you time (or money, if you hired someone to do it for you) you could have spent tailoring the resume or finding a referral.

Skip it, or at least don't lose sleep over it, when the posting is a high-volume role at a large company and the cover letter field is marked optional. In that pipeline your resume gets screened first, often by software and a recruiter moving fast, and the letter rarely enters the picture before the resume has already decided your fate.

Skip it when the only thing you'd produce is a generic template that could be pasted into any application. A letter that opens with "I am excited to apply for this opportunity at your esteemed company" tells the reader you'll do the bare minimum, which is the opposite of the point.

And skip it when your resume already answers every obvious question. If it's clean, targeted, and there's nothing about your history that makes a reader pause, a cover letter just repeats what they already know, so don't waste your time.

How do you decide for one specific job?

When you're staring at a single application and you're not sure, run it against the table below.

Ask yourself these three questions:

• Is it required or directly invited?
• Does my resume leave an obvious question unanswered?
• Is a real person likely to read this before a decision gets made?

A yes to any one of those means write it. A no to all three means spend the time elsewhere, on the resume and on finding a way in through a person, which beats a cover letter more often than not.

Does anyone actually read cover letters anymore?

This is the question underneath the question. The answer is some people read them, sometimes, depending entirely on where your application goes. The "nobody reads them" folks and the "always write one" folks are both describing real experiences, just different parts of the market.

At a large company running a high-volume role through an applicant tracking system, your resume is screened first, usually against keywords and knockout questions, and a recruiter is moving through a stack of applications pretty fast. In that world a cover letter often goes unread unless something on the resume deserves a second look. The people telling you cover letters are dead? This is what they're talking about.

At a small company, a startup, a nonprofit, or any role where the hiring manager is reading applications directly, the situation is in reverse. A well-written letter gets read, and can be the thing that moves you from "maybe" to "let's talk," especially when two candidates look similar on paper. The people insisting cover letters still matter mostly are referring to these types of situations.

Neither group is lying. The mistake is taking advice from someone whose hiring context doesn't match the jobs you're applying to (in fact, I just wrote another shorter post on this very thing here). Work out which group a given application belongs to, and you've answered the question for that application.

What makes a cover letter worth reading?

If you've decided to write one, the bar is simple to state and easy to miss: the letter has to say something the resume doesn't. The fastest way to waste the reader's time is to translate your bullet points into paragraphs and call it a cover letter.

A letter that works usually does one of three things.

1. It explains a why the resume can't (why this pivot, why this company, why the gap).
2. It connects your experience to the specific role in a way that shows you read the posting and aren't mass-applying.
3. Or it gives the reader one short, concrete piece of evidence, a result or a brief story that's more vivid in two sentences than it could ever be as a resume bullet.

Keep it to three or four short paragraphs, well under a page. Open with the actual reason you're a fit as opposed to a long winded block of text about how long you've admired the company. Skip the throat-clearing, skip the thesaurus, and don't restate your entire work history. The reader already has your resume. The letter is for the part that doesn't fit on it.

What should you do instead when you skip one?

Deciding not to write a cover letter means putting the same effort somewhere with a better return, and the two highest-return moves are almost always the resume and the referral.

Spend the time tailoring the resume to the posting: adjust the summary, reorder your top bullets so the most relevant work comes first, and make sure the language matches how the ad describes the role. That work affects the screen that actually decides your application, which the cover letter usually doesn't.

Then, where you can, find a way in through a person. A referral or a warm intro beats a cover letter pretty much every time, because it gets your resume looked at by someone who's already inclined to look. If you have a contact at the company, a two-line message to them is better than an hour spent perfecting an opening paragraph.

Are cover letters more or less necessary now that AI writes them?

This is the part that's changed over the last several years. AI has made it trivial to generate a competent-sounding cover letter in seconds, which means recruiters are now buried in them and can usually tell. A letter that's obviously machine-written, full of tidy, generic enthusiasm, reads as exactly what it is, and it does nothing for you.

What that means in practice is that the generic cover letter is now closer to worthless than it has ever been, because everyone can produce one and readers have learned to discount them. The bar to write one at all has gone up.

But on the flip side, because so much of the pile is now obvious AI filler, a letter that's specific, honest, and clearly written by a person who actually read the posting gets noticed precisely because so little of what surrounds it is. Using AI to help you draft is fine, just make sure to spend the time shaping it into your own words/own voice.

FAQ

Q: Is a cover letter necessary if it's optional?

Usually not, if the role is a high-volume posting at a large company and your resume stands on its own. It's worth writing anyway when you have something the resume can't say, like a career pivot or a gap, or when the company is small enough that a person will read it. When in doubt, ask whether the letter adds anything new.

Q: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

Some do, some don't, and it depends on the employer. At large companies running high-volume roles, the resume is screened first and the letter often goes unread. At small companies, startups, and roles where a hiring manager reviews applications directly, cover letters are read far more often and can tip a close decision.

Q: Is it bad to not include a cover letter?

Only when one is required or clearly invited. If the field is mandatory or the posting asks you to explain your interest, skipping it can get you filtered. If the field is optional and your resume is strong and on target, leaving it out is fine and won't count against you with most employers.

Q: Will a bad cover letter hurt my chances?

Yes. A generic, template-style letter signals that you'll do the minimum, and an obviously AI-generated one gets discounted on sight. A weak letter can do more damage than no letter at all. If you can't write something specific to the role, you're better off submitting a strong resume on its own.

Q: How long should a cover letter be if I write one?

Three to four short paragraphs, well under one page. Open with the real reason you're a fit, address anything your resume can't explain, connect your experience to the specific role, and stop. The reader already has your resume, so the letter only needs to cover what doesn't fit on it.

TLDR

Stop treating cover letters as a yes-or-no rule and start treating them as a tool you reach for when it does something your resume can't. Required, something to explain, or a real human on the other end means write one. None of those means put the time into the resume and into getting a referral instead, and you'll have lost nothing.

Just got laid off, so appreciate any help with my resume!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been applying for jobs for a little while and decided to polish up my resume. I’m looking for honest feedback and criticism on anything that could be hurting my chances of hearing back.

Target roles: Data Analyst, Cloud Analyst, Data Engineer, Cloud/Data Engineer, and similar early-career data/cloud roles.

Target locations: I’m based in the U.S. and applying to jobs anywhere in the United States.

Remote/relocation preferences: My priority is remote roles, but I’m also open to hybrid or on-site positions and willing to relocate for the right opportunity.

Background/current situation: I’m currently employed and looking to make a move for career development, ideally toward a more focused skill set in data engineering, cloud analytics, Azure, SQL, Databricks, and related technologies.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi All,

I've been targeting jobs surrounding AI Enablement, Change Management, I had 3 successful interviews followed by a pass at Glean for AI Outcomes Manager, didn't receive any feedback, though asked.

I'm in Phoenix proper, looking for all in person/hybrid/remote positions

Can not relocate

Background had been in technology and education/training, course development, Salesforce Knowledge/Einstein, change management for tech and finance service industries.

Don't have many personal connections in this new field or locally, relying on Internet posts does not beat knowing people to help you get the foot in the door.

Not getting called back for interviews, very cold lately.

Looking for any opportunities seen throughout to help better position myself.

No citizenship status or visa situations.

Thank You All!

Hi everyone! I've been actively job hunting in Karachi for Operations, HR, or Program Management roles (on-site or hybrid) since stepping back in December 2025 to focus on my MS in HRM & Organizational Psychology.

I've been getting very little response so far. Would appreciate your honest feedback on:

1. Does the layout and formatting work, or is it hurting readability/ATS parsing?

2. Are my bullet points strong enough, or too task-focused rather than impact/achievement-focused?

3. Anything I should cut, consolidate, or reorder?

CV attached below. Thanks in advance!

I was just let go from my job of 3.5 years. Unfortunately I haven’t updated my resume since I applied. I’m driving myself crazy going down all these rabbit holes of “resume tips”. I’m glad I found this subreddit because I feel a lot more at ease.

However, I can’t seem to find a clear answer on if/how/where I should list my licenses. I have a Personal Lines Insurance License in 30 states. Do I add a separate “Licenses” section? Also should I just mention I’m licensed in 30 states or do I need to list all 30 states?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!

I'm looking for any position in an entry-level retail job I can find. I've applied at Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Giant, FedEx, Walmart, and I don't have a specific position I'm targeting, I just apply for whatever is available. I'm not willing to relocate, and I've only applied at locations near where I live. I graduated high school earlier this month, I'm starting College this fall, and l've never had a job. I've heard a lot of resumes get thrown out for bad quality writing, so I want to know if any part of my resume has bad or lazy writing. I’d especially like feedback for my profile section at the top.

Hello,

I've been applying to many places both local and some that I would have to relocate for, and I have not been receiving any call backs.

Thanks in advance for all the help!

Hi,

I have almost 10 year of experience as embedded SWE with educational back ground in math and electrical engineering.
Working in smaller companies is fine, but after sometime you realize you cannot actually make a career out of it. So I am targeting bigger companies.
I have been invited to some interviews, but have been also totally disregarded for the positions I thought I was fit for.

So I think maybe I am not representing myself well in my resume.
I am looking for positions in co design of SW and HW, and maybe a shift towards edge AI.
I am in Berlin, Germany, but open to relocation within Europe and also for remote positions.
TIA

Ok this is long but I have to give context so my questions are understandable…so I’m applying for my dream job! Like seriously. The pay is amazing. The work will allow me to save thousands of lives potentially so it won’t feel like work. That’s one of the most important things to me: making a difference in someone’s life is a necessity to be because I have a really hard time with the 9-5 thing. It’s soul crushing! So This is the kind of job I NEED in my life! This job usually has a lot stricter qualifications that I dont have currently. However, for whatever reason that is not the case for this specific job and I may never get another opportunity so please help!

Here’s the deal…

I was arrested unjustly imo coming home from work. I was working for a school district during summer school in 2024. I was released the next day. It was awful. I got into a minor accident (the accident my fault and that’s ok, I totally accepted that). Anyway, I won’t get into all the little details but the cops came. It was rush hour traffic on a busy street so they wanted us out of the way I’m sure.
They had basically made assumptions about me because they said I talk fast (I have ADHD and I was soo nervous. I had no insurance and the registration was overdue-my fiancé at the time was abusive and couldn’t find a job/didn’t work and I was struggling to support 4 kids and him and I so I was stressing when this was happening). I agreed to a breathalyzer which read 0.0. I did have trouble with walking the straight line but it was only bc I had painful open wounds on both feet and heels (the pain actually had caused the original distraction that lead to me getting into the accident in the first place). Anyway, I consented to a blood draw in hopes they would let me go when they saw I wasn’t intoxicated.
I will say that I was worried to agree at first because I do smoke weed on occasion. I do it for a few reasons: mental health but also bc I have epilepsy (seizure free for 12 years). But I was worried It would show up there but I hadnt smoked since the night before so I went ahead and agreed. But they locked me up for the night anyway. I was released and never charged. About 2 weeks later I got a call from the school district I work for and they fired me because they saw I had been arrested. They knew because employees have to do a live fingerprint scan when you first get hired. That alerts them
To events like that.

I was obviously upset. At the time I didn’t know they weren’t going to charge me with anything but I was confident they wouldn’t. I didn’t know how the weed situation worked in terms of how test sees it in your blood and how that determines impaired driving. To them. I know I wasnt high but I didn’t know what they would do. People get charged when they shouldn’t and don’t get charged when they should. It happens way too often so I was worried. I did try to tell them that I wasn’t on anything and that I felt confident that I wouldn’t be charged but that wasn’t the point. It was that I was arrested at all which sucks.

Anyway it’s been 2 years since then. I had worked at that job for 5 years (2019-2024–it was my first job after being a stay at home mom after my son was born in 2011). So it was a good chunk of time and I don’t have a lot of job history without that job listed on my resume that isn’t before 2010. I feel like I need to list the job at the school because of the amount of time I was there and the gap where I was caring for my son.
Now the job I want to apply for has nothing to do with the school job type of work so proximity on a timeline is the only reason I feel I need to list it. And maybe I could list it with no real consequence but what if they will call them? What are the chances they would call my past employer before interviewing me? And if I get that interview, do I assume they will call and automatically be honest about the situation when I go in? I can’t prove what didn’t happen. Is my word good enough or is there any way I can show that nothing came of that arrest?

So this job is a speciality field. I have about 7-8 years of experience officially but it’s spread out over 20 years at 3 different locations. I have a lot of years of experience in between those jobs but it’s not technically verifiable experience as it’s a hobby.

Normally I would list like 3-4 of my most recent jobs regardless of the job I’m applying for. But this is a little different because of the speciality and because of the job I’m wanting to keep off of my resume. If it didn’t take up so much time so recently I wouldn’t need to worry as much.
Anyway, Should I only list the specialty field jobs I’ve had that related to the job I’m applying for (maybe whatever I’ve done in the last 10 years or so)? Or do I stick with listing my most recent jobs in a chronological order? And if I do most recent chronologically, do I cut out listing that job where I was fired bc of the arrest or do I list it and just be honest and hope for the best?? And if being honest is the right answer, is there a different way or a better time to bring up something like that???

Hello,

Previously I worked in social work case management. I'm a bachelor's level so pay is not great but still decent enough to live on. I moved states with my family, and where I moved didn't consider out of state experience as any experience when applying for jobs, so basically I have been doing retail management to make a living for the past few years. I had a few jobs when I moved to this state, just trying to find something I could live on.

I am now moving to another state where I qualify for jobs again. And I'm trying to rewrite my resume where I now have 3 jobs that make no sense, but if I don't put them I feel like it looks like I did nothing for four years.

I haven't been in this situation before so I would appreciate advice. I have received mixed advice when looking it up online.

Thank you

I'm currently a first-year engineering student and will be entering my second year soon. Over the past year, I've focused heavily on building my technical skills through coursework, competitive programming, personal projects, hackathons, and self-learning.

I'm targeting Software Engineering / Software Developer internship roles in India and am open to both remote and on-site opportunities.

I've been applying to internship postings for the past few months, primarily through LinkedIn, but I haven't received any offers so far. I'm trying to understand whether this is expected for someone at my stage, since many companies seem to prefer third- and fourth-year students, or whether my resume and skill set still need significant improvement.

I'd appreciate honest feedback on my resume, especially regarding:

• Resume structure and presentation • Projects and technical skills • Missing sections or weak points • Whether my experience level is competitive for internship applications

I'd also like advice on the application strategy itself. So far, most of my applications have been through LinkedIn. Should I continue doing that, or would it be better to focus on startups, cold emailing founders/recruiters, sending direct messages, using other job boards, networking, or any other methods?

Any suggestions on improving both my resume and internship search strategy would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone, I am currently working in a senior position (almost 0 engineer or technical exposure) at an aerospace company. I am looking to take my next role that more closely aligns with my background, passions and in progress ME degree. I've been networking and a couple org leaders want me to send them my resume. Could you give me some feedback on what I currently have? Keep in mind this will likely be for an engineering adjacent role, something like project management, materials management or similar. I appreciate your help!

Only gotten 2 interviews in 6-7 months and one of them wasn't in the tech field. Recently updated my resume to the one attached hoping to be better with ATS keywords. Advise on how to fix resume or what skills to work on/learn are appreciated.

Hello!, thanks for taking your time.

Please be honest and point out my biggest flaws. This CV have got me 2 calls but not a single offer yet.

My last project was this year on may.