• Recruiters skip generic objectives quickly
• ATS scores lower when keywords appear later
• Fails to showcase measurable impact

• Replace the objective with a 3‑sentence professional summary
• Lead with your title and years of experience
• Add 2‑3 quantifiable achievements

Objective: Seeking a challenging position where I can utilize my skills.

Professional Summary: Results‑driven Office Manager with 5+ years overseeing daily operations, improving efficiency by 20% and reducing supply costs by $15K annually.

• Doesn’t demonstrate value to employers
• ATS looks for action verbs and results
• Hiring managers can’t gauge impact

• Start each bullet with a strong action verb
• Include numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts
• Focus on outcomes rather than tasks

- Managed office supplies. - Coordinated meetings. - Handled phone calls.

- Streamlined office supply ordering, cutting costs by 18% while maintaining stock levels. - Organized weekly cross‑departmental meetings, improving project turnaround time by 12%. - Implemented a call‑routing system that reduced average hold time from 3 minutes to 45 seconds.

• ATS may misread employment periods
• Gaps appear larger than they are
• Hiring managers question attention to detail

• Use a uniform MM/YYYY format for all entries
• Include both month and year for each role
• If a gap exists, add a brief explanation or a freelance/volunteer line

Office Assistant – Jan 2018 – 2020 Office Manager – 2020 – Present

Office Assistant – 01/2018 – 12/2020 Office Manager – 01/2021 – Present

• ATS may skip sections it doesn’t recognize
• Recruiters skim for familiar headings
• Important information can be missed

• Adopt common headings: Professional Summary, Core Competencies, Professional Experience, Education, Certifications, Technical Skills
• Keep headings bold and capitalized

Career Highlights Work History Academic Background

Professional Summary Professional Experience Education

• Wastes valuable space on a 1‑2 page resume
• ATS may penalize unrelated keywords
• Hiring managers lose focus on qualifications

• Remove hobbies, marital status, and unrelated jobs
• Keep only experience and skills tied to office management
• If you include a hobby, ensure it demonstrates a transferable skill

Interests: Hiking, Cooking, Photography Volunteer: Animal Shelter (2015‑2019)

Volunteer: Administrative Coordinator, Local Non‑Profit (2015‑2019) – Managed donor database and coordinated events, improving donor retention by 10%.