The "6-Second Scan" Rule

Eye-tracking studies show recruiters spend about 6-7 seconds on their first scan. They read in an "F-Pattern": top-left, across headers, down the left margin.

Best Order of Sections

1. Header - Name, Phone, Email, LinkedIn, Portfolio
2. Professional Summary - 2-3 lines max. Avoid generic fluff.
3. Skills/Core Competencies - Keywords recruiters search for. Place early!
4. Professional Experience - Reverse chronological. Focus on results, not duties.
5. Education - Bottom for experienced professionals. Top for fresh graduates.

Why This Order?

Skills before Experience allows recruiters to instantly check if you match their requirements. High keyword density early = better ATS scores.

Formatting Guidelines

• Length: 1 page (standard) or 2 pages (senior/technical). Never 1.5 pages.
• Focus on Results: "Reduced latency by 20%" beats "Responsible for optimizing code"
• Contact Info: City/State is enough. Don't include full home address.
• ATS Compatibility: Use standard section names. Avoid tables/columns for main content.

Ghost Tags

This tool embeds invisible markdown tags (# ## ### * _) in your PDF to help ATS systems parse structure accurately. These are invisible to humans but machine-readable.