Stop Losing Jobs Over a Bad Resume
Fix the critical mistakes that keep hiring managers from seeing your subway operation expertise.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
- Provides no value to the hiring manager
- Lacks keywords that ATS look for
- Makes you appear unfocused
- Replace the objective with a concise professional summary
- Highlight 2â3 key achievements or certifications
- Incorporate industryâspecific keywords such as "train operation" and "safety compliance"
Objective: Seeking a position where I can utilize my skills.
Professional Summary: Certified subway operator with 4âŻyears of experience safely operating 600âcar trains, maintaining 99.9% onâtime performance and zero safety incidents.
- Fails to demonstrate impact
- Makes resume look like a job description
- Reduces relevance to the new role
- Convert each bullet into a quantifiable achievement
- Start bullets with strong action verbs
- Show how you improved safety, punctuality, or customer satisfaction
- Operated subway trains on assigned routes. - Checked equipment before each shift. - Assisted passengers with inquiries.
- Operated 600âcar trains on the Red Line, achieving 99.9% onâtime performance over 12âŻmonths. - Conducted preâshift equipment inspections, reducing mechanical delays by 15%. - Resolved passenger issues, maintaining a 4.8/5 satisfaction rating.
- Hiring managers prioritize certified operators
- ATS may filter out candidates lacking required credentials
- You appear less qualified than peers
- Create a dedicated "Certifications" section
- List all relevant certificates with issuing authority and date
- Use exact certification names such as "MTA Certified Train Operator"
Work Experience - Subway Operator, City Transit (2020âPresent)
Certifications - MTA Certified Train Operator, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 2020 - OSHA 10âHour General Industry Safety, 2021
- ATS may fail to read unusual fonts or graphics
- Hiring managers skim poorly formatted resumes
- Important information can be missed
- Use a clean, ATSâcompatible template with standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
- Keep margins at 0.5â1âŻinch and use bullet points consistently
- Save as PDF or DOCX without embedded images
<div style="font-family:Comic Sans MS; color:#ff0000;">Operator Experience</div>
Operator Experience - Subway Operator, City Transit (2020âPresent)
- Include a professional summary with keywords
- Show quantifiable achievements for each role
- List all safetyârelated certifications
- Use standard fonts and simple bullet points
- Save the file as PDF or DOCX
- Proofread for spelling and grammar errors
- Trim content to a maximum of 2 pages
- Convert duty statements into achievementâfocused bullets
- Add missing certifications and relevant keywords
