Recruiter FAQ: Common Resume and LinkedIn Questions
Resume advice often comes with a lot of rules: always do this, never include that, keep your resume to exactly this length.
In reality, the answer to many resume questions is "it depends" (sorry).
Your resume isn't a form you need to fill out completely. It's a marketing document designed to help an employer understand your experience and qualifications.
When you're deciding whether something belongs on your resume, ask yourself:
Does this information contribute positively to my story as a candidate?
Here are my answers to some common resume and LinkedIn questions.
Should I include a job I only had for 3 months?
It depends.
A three-month job isn't automatically something you need to hide.
First, consider why the job was short.
Was it a summer job? An internship? A temporary assignment? A contract position that was always intended to last three months?
If so, the short duration makes sense. You can even make that clear on your resume by identifying the position as an internship, contract, seasonal, or temporary role when that's accurate.
Next, consider what the experience adds to your resume.
If those three months gave you relevant experience, helped you develop an important skill, or fill an otherwise significant gap in your employment history, there may be a good reason to include the position.
If it doesn't contribute anything useful to your candidate story, you may decide to leave it off.
A resume doesn't necessarily need to contain every job you've ever had.
Should I put my phone number on my resume?
Again, it depends.
Email is likely to be the first way a recruiter or employer contacts you. Your email address gives employers a reliable way to reach you without disclosing too much personal information. Some job seekers create an alias or new, dedicated email account with a generic professional address, something like this:
lastname.careers@ email(dot)com
This is a great move, especially if you're using an outdated, overly familiar, or inapproporate email address.
I'm not saying it's wrong to list your phone number. It's still common, and some employers or recruiters may prefer calling candidates.
I don't personally consider a phone number to be an essential part of a modern resume, but you should go with your heart on this one. Whatever contact information you do provide, make sure you actually monitor it during your job search.
Should I include my graduation year?
Sometimes.
If you graduated within the past five years, your graduation year can provide useful context, particularly if you're building your first few years of professional experience.
You should include an expected graduation date if you're currently pursuing a degree and the timing is relevant to your job search.
There may be other circumstances where the year contributes something useful to your story.
Once you have an established professional history, your graduation year often becomes much less important. Ask yourself what the date tells the employer.
If it provides useful context, include it. If it doesn't add anything meaningful, it's fine to leave it off.
Should I include certifications on my resume?
Yes, if they're relevant to your career or demonstrate marketable skills.
Professional certifications can be extremely valuable on a resume.
For some occupations, a license or certification may even be required. In others, certifications can demonstrate technical knowledge, specialized training, or expertise that employers actively seek.
The key word is relevant.
If you work in finance, an unrelated baking certificate probably doesn't need valuable resume space. That doesn't mean the accomplishment isn't worthwhile. It simply doesn't help explain why you're qualified for the job you're pursuing.
Prioritize certifications that strengthen your professional story.
PDF or Word: How should I send my resume?
Have both ready.
For most job applications, I recommend submitting a PDF (unless the employer requests another format). A PDF helps preserve your formatting so the document looks the way you intended when someone opens it.
Be advised that external recruiters may prefer a Word document. External recruiters are talent acquisition professionals working to place qualified talent. Depending on their specific operations, external recruiters may need a Word version.
The easiest solution is to keep both versions ready. Make edits and updates as necessary in a .word doc and convert to .pdf with each update. Then you don't have to stress at the last minute.
If an application or recruiter specifically requests a particular format, follow those instructions. The following instructions part matters a lot.
Should I include an unfinished degree on my resume?
Here's another "it depends."
What's most important is that you represent your education history honestly.
Consider whether discussing this education history would give an employer a more positive or complete understanding of you as a candidate. If it would enhance your standing (tell a positive story), consider including it.
Reasons to include:
Degree or credential in progress
Relevant coursework
Stengthens your position as a candidate
How do recruiters find candidates on LinkedIn?
Honestly, headlines.
Matching your headline to the industry-specific title of the role you're in and/or looking for is one of the best things you can do when starting a job search.
Candidates often want to use creative or descriptive terms in their headline because they think it will help them to stand out. While a nice idea, this strategy backfires more often than not. Recruiters search for people who have the skills and professional backgrounds required for the positions they're trying to fill.
That makes searchable language important.
Consider these two headlines:
Tech Enthusiast
Growth Product Manager in B2B2C HealthTech
"Tech Enthusiast" may say something about your interests, but it doesn't clearly identify your profession.
The second one does.
Need help getting started? Think about the words someone would use if they were trying to find someone who does your job.
Your headline might include your:
Profession or job function
Specialty
Industry
Important area of expertise
You don't have to limit your headline to your exact current job title. Just remember, someone who sees it should be able to quickly understand what you do professionally.
Creativity can be useful on LinkedIn (for creatives, etc.). Clarity and searchability are more useful.
The Rule Behind Most Resume Rules
If you've noticed a pattern in these answers, that's intentional.
There isn't always one correct answer about what belongs on your resume.
Instead of asking only:
“Am I allowed to put this on my resume?”
Try asking:
“Does this help tell a clear and positive story about me as a candidate?”
If a detail demonstrates relevant experience, explains something a recruiter might already be wondering, shows an important qualification, or makes your professional story easier to understand, it may deserve space.
If it adds clutter, creates unnecessary questions, or detracts the story you're trying to tell, you may not need it.
Your resume doesn't need to share everything about you.
It needs to demonstrate fit using your experience as evidence.