Resume 101
- Why It Matters
The Job of a Resume
A resume is a brief document that summarizes a job applicant’s education, employment and professional experience and is presented to an employer or recruiter in the process of applying to a job.
Your goal? To get an interview.
Entry-level applicants and those early in their careers typically see a 10-20% application-to-interview rate. While luck plays a role, a well-crafted resume significantly increases your chances. This guide will provide proven strategies to improve your resume, ensuring you stand out in the application process.
- DID YOU KNOW?
Applications Are Received
For Each Job Posted Online
Average Time Spent
Reviewing A Resume
Of Resumes Are Rejected
By Automated Software
- First Impressions Matter
How Strong Is Your Resume?
Your resume is your most important job-seeking tool. It doesn’t just list your experience—it reflects your judgment, writing skills, and attention to detail. Employers form opinions about you within seconds of reading your resume, so it must make a powerful first impression.
Think of your resume as a personal branding statement. If it doesn’t align with what an employer values, you’ll likely be passed over for another candidate.
What your resume communicates:
Your professionalism and ability to present information clearly
Your attention to detail (typos or formatting issues create a bad impression)
Your judgment in deciding what’s relevant to include
Your writing skills (concise, compelling bullet points)
With online applications, employers scan resumes in seconds. If yours fails to immediately highlight your strengths, you risk being overlooked.
- The Core Structure
Anatomy of a Great Resume
1. Name & contact information:
Your first and last name should appear in large, bold font at the top of your resume. Be sure to include your city and state, a professional email (avoid informal addresses like “coolguy123@gmail.com”), your phone number, and a LinkedIn profile (if applicable).
2. Professional experience:
Your experience should be listed in reverse chronological order, with your most recent job first. Each entry should include your job title, company name (or “Private Family” if confidentiality is required), location (city, state), start and end dates (month, year), and key responsibilities and achievements. Use bullet points to highlight each item. Each point should begin with a strong action verb, clearly describe a responsibility or achievement, and include metrics or results whenever possible.
For example:
- Implemented a scheduling system resulting in a 15% improvement in staff productivity.
- Managed a $500,000 household budget, achieving 10-12% cost savings through vendor negotiations.
3. Education:
List your education in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent degree. Include the degree earned (e.g., Bachelor of Science in Business Administration), school name, and years attended (in month, year format).
Note: If you have limited work experience, include academic achievements, relevant coursework, or extracurricular activities. If you have a college degree, there is no need to include high school information.
4. Skills & additional information:
This section should include relevant skills, such as industry-specific software or languages, certifications and training, volunteer work (if applicable), and professional interests or hobbies (if relevant to the role).
- Formatting Essentials
Keep It Clean and Professional
Bullet points for easy reading:
Bullets make it easier for employers to scan your resume. Each point should:
Be a full sentence (ending with a period)
Use concise language
Avoid personal pronouns (e.g., “I managed a team of six” → “Managed a team of six”)
Length & spacing:
1-page resumes are ideal for recent graduates or early-career professionals
2-page resumes are acceptable for those with extensive experience
Spacing: Use 1.0–1.5 line spacing for readability
- Less can be more
What To Leave Off
- References (Provide upon request)
- Salary History (Avoid negotiating against yourself)
- Personal Details (Do not include age, marital status, or religious affiliation)
- Soft Skills (Skip generic phrases like “hardworking” or “team player”)
- Pronouns (In bullet points, it’s understood that you did the work. Start with an action verb, like “Managed [a team of].”)
- Pictures (Professional headshots are suitable for LinkedIn but not for resumes)
Should you include an objective statement?
No. Objective statements are outdated, and force a candidate to explain how they think they will fit into a particular role, before even speaking to an employer. It's much better to let an employer paint their own picture of you based on your skills and experience. Plus, the objective of your application is clear — you want to get hired!
- Beating the system
Avoid Getting Auto-Rejected
Most large employers and recruiting firms use online application portals with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that scan your resume for keywords and relevant information, such as employer details, skills, experience, and education. Candidates are ranked based on the information the ATS identifies, so it’s crucial to follow resume best practices to ensure your resume is readable by these systems. At Old State Staffing, we’ve built our ATS from the ground up, programming thousands of rules to ensure that no qualified candidates are disqualified from our roles.
Tips for Applicant Tracking System compliance:
- Match your resume to the job description: without adding unnecessary information, maximize key words that apply to each role. Use words directly from the job description)
- Include both full terms and acronyms: e.g. use both Bachelor of Science and B.S.
- Use standard fonts/colors: e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, Times New Roman or Georgia. Avoid bright colors, designs, icons or other distracting elements
- Avoid graphics and images: do not include a headshot, watermarks, charts or use other graphics in your resume
- Use standard headings: section headings should be standardized. Use “Experience”, “Education”, etc.
- Select the right file type: docx files are generally the easiest for ATS systems to process
- employer recognition
Naming Former Employers
Candidates often ask whether they should mention their employer’s name in the “Experience” section, noting confidentiality concerns (or simply because they do not want their current employer to know they are looking for a new job). We understand this and can certainly explain these sensitivities to our clients, but like the corporate world, understanding where you worked and who you worked for is critical in considering your overall qualifications. If your past employment cannot be verified in some way, it’s essentially the same as you having not worked there.
You are welcome to write “Private Family” or “HNW Individual” on your resume and contact us separately to share this information if you are worried about confidentiality, but we do need to know your complete employment history. Note: Old State Staffing will never reach out to a candidate’s current or past employer without explicit consent.
- Make it count
Do You Need A Cover Letter?
Cover letters can be useful, but they can also be problematic, especially to a referral agency. This is because, despite our best efforts, employers often initiate a search with an idea of the “type” of candidate they would like to hire. Cover letters more often than not can disqualify a candidate because they don’t precisely align with the employer’s own image of this person. It’s better to let your experience and qualifications speak for themselves and to win a potential employer over during an interview on any misalignments between their vision for the person in this role and your own.
While you may be asked to write a cover letter in conjunction with applying to one of our roles, we’ll make sure you have access to the information you need to properly present yourself.
How can I draw attention to my application?
The most effective way to interest a recruiter/employer in your application is to tailor it to their specific role, and to ensure it is adequately proofread. We also recommend sending a personal email or calling to follow up after you've submitted an application, to showcase your professionalism and motivation as a candidate.
Employers know that applicants that go above and beyond are likely to do the same as an employee, so keep them engaged and thinking about what a great employee you could be!
- How To Stand Out
Taking Your Resume To The Next Level
Write With Eye-Tracking In Mind
A great resume trick comes from eye-tracking research, which shows that readers tend to read in an "F" shaped pattern. By this we mean that readers naturally scan a page, looking for places to stop where they may be more likely to find an answer to their question. After reading a few words or lines in that area, the reader continues down the page, fixing their eyes on the left side of the document and looking for another area that may be likely to provide an answer to their next question. After this cycle repeats once or twice, the reader has generally already made up their mind and may quickly scan down the rest of the page, looking for anything that might cause them to change their mind. Hence the "F" shape.
Place your most important achievements at the top of each section and use bolding for emphasis.
Although you should include past jobs for completeness, recognize that an employer is much less likely to read or internalize information that is lower on your resume. Draw attention to the right parts of their resume by bolding or underlining text or adding line breaks in areas where you would like the reader to stop.
Realize that the person hiring for a role typically hasn't worked in that position.
For this reason, keep your resume simple and easy to understand. Don't shy away from industry terminology or statistics that demonstrate your skills or experience, but also do not bog your resume down with complex terms in an attempt to impress the reader. Great resumes stand out by balancing general information with specific examples that quantify a candidate's achievements, allowing a potential employer to form a quick mental picture of you as a candidate. Anything that gets in the way of this should be removed.
Focus on achievements, not responsibilities.
By focusing on your responsibilities, your resume will look the same as everyone else’s and will scream “nothing special to see here.” Employers are well aware of the duties of the position that they are hiring for, so you need to go beyond describing what you do day-to-day. By instead focusing on achievements, you’ll simultaneously describe your responsibility in the role and showcase your unique skills that set you apart from other candidates.
For example:
- Successfully planned and executed a high-profile event for 350 people, remaining under budget by 15% while exceeding expectations for guests.
- Streamlined household inventory system, reducing waste and ensuring supplies were replenished in a timely manner, resulting in a 25% savings on consumables.
Use proper tense.
It seems like every other resume we read these days has issues with proper tense. A resume should use present tense for work that is currently being done and past tense for prior experiences.
Present tense:
- Manage a team of six household personnel, including housekeeping, groundskeeping and culinary professionals.
Past tense:
- Managed a team of six household personnel, including housekeeping, groundskeeping and culinary professionals.
- FAQ: Candidates
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a referral agency do for job seekers?
When you apply to one of our roles, our placement team reviews your experience and qualifications to see if you’re a strong match. If you register as a candidate, we’ll get to know you more personally and reach out whenever we post a role that aligns with your background. We also provide interview prep, resume guidance, and support throughout the hiring process to help you put your best foot forward.
At Old State Staffing, we see our candidates as individuals—not just resumes. If you’re placed in one of our roles, we’ll be by your side to make sure you’re set up for long-term success.
Do I need to register as a candidate to be considered for a job?
You’re welcome to apply to individual roles, but registering as a candidate gives you the best chance of being matched to a wide range of opportunities. Registration is easy—we just need a few basic details and your current resume. Once you’re in our system, we can reach out directly whenever a new role opens that matches your profile.
Does it cost anything to work with Old State Staffing?
No. Our services are completely free for candidates. We never charge job seekers to apply or be placed in a role. Clients pay a placement fee that covers the cost of search, screening, and support.
Where are Old State Staffing's jobs located?
Our main offices are in North Bethesda, MD and many of our jobs are based in the Greater Washington Region. However, we handle placements throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and support clients with secondary or seasonal homes nationwide.
How long does it take to find a job?
That depends on your experience, location, references, and the types of roles you’re interested in. Some candidates are hired within a week, while others may take several months or more. Being flexible about things like location or schedule can help speed up your search.
I’m interested in one of your roles but have limited professional experience. Can I still apply?
Yes. While most of our clients prefer candidates with a few years of experience, there are exceptions. Some clients request recent college graduates, or candidates who are early in their careers but bring a strong work ethic and flexible availability.
If you’re not sure whether you qualify for a specific role, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re happy to help clarify.
What does the application process look like?
We’ve kept our process simple. To apply, we only ask for basic personal info and your current resume. If your background aligns with an open role, we’ll reach out to schedule a time to learn more about you and collect additional details as needed.
If you’re applying for a specific job, submit your resume directly through the job posting on our job board. If you’re interested in multiple positions, register as a candidate to be considered for all current and future roles.
What is your interview process like?
If you’re a potential match for one of our roles, we’ll invite you for a video or in-person interview (usually 45 minutes). Depending on the role, a second interview may be requested.
Employer interviews typically last 30–60 minutes, but format varies. We’ll give you all the details ahead of time, along with interview prep and support.
Who pays my salary? Am I an employee of Old State Staffing?
No. Old State Staffing is a referral agency that guides clients through the hiring process and supports candidates as they apply to and accept a role. Once an employee has been offered a position with an employer, you are considered an employee of the family/employer who hired you. As such, your salary, benefits, and employment terms are managed by the employer directly.
What are the typical workdays or hours for your roles?
Schedules vary—some employers need help during business hours, while others may require evenings, weekends, or travel. These expectations are always discussed in advance and described in detail in your Employment Agreement.
How is my personal information handled during the hiring process?
Your personal information is kept confidential and never shared with clients without your consent. All candidate data is stored securely in our internal database, and our team is bound by strict confidentiality agreements.
We also work with a digital security firm to ensure our systems exceed industry standards for privacy and data protection.
What information is shared with an employer if I’m submitted to a role?
When we present you to a client, we’ll share your basic personal information and resume, as well as our feedback based on our interaction with you. If the client decides to move forward, we’ll request your consent to run a background check as part of our standard screening process.
