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 seven common resume and LinkedIn questions.

1. Should You Include a Job You 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.

2. Should You Put Your Phone Number on Your Resume?

In my opinion, it's usually unnecessary.

Email is likely to be the first way a recruiter or employer contacts you, particularly when you're submitting applications online.

Your email address gives employers a reliable way to reach you without putting additional personal information on a document that may be uploaded to job boards and resume databases.

That doesn't mean having a phone number on your resume is wrong. It's still common, and some employers or recruiters may prefer calling candidates.

But I don't consider it an essential part of a modern resume.

Whatever contact information you provide, make sure you actually monitor it during your job search.

3. Should You Include Your Graduation Year?

Sometimes.

If you graduated recently, 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 also 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.

But 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 generally fine to leave it off.

4. Should You Include Certifications on Your 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, for example, 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.

5. PDF or Word: How Should You Send Your Resume?

Have both ready.

For most direct job applications, I generally 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.

However, external recruiters may prefer a Word document.

Recruiters sometimes need a Word version because of how they submit candidate information to clients or work with resumes internally.

The easiest solution is to keep both versions ready. Then you don't have to convert your resume at the last minute.

If an application or recruiter specifically requests a particular format, follow those instructions.

6. Should You Include an Unfinished Degree on Your Resume?

Here's another it depends.

If you recently attended college but didn't complete the degree, the education can still be relevant.

Instead of presenting an unfinished program as a completed degree, you might accurately describe it as:

Coursework in Accounting, University Name

or

Coursework toward a B.S. in Accounting, University Name

This can be particularly useful if the coursework relates directly to the jobs you're pursuing.

If you attended many years ago, didn't complete the degree, and the education doesn't contribute anything meaningful to your current professional story, you may decide to leave it off.

Most importantly, don't format an unfinished degree in a way that could lead someone to believe you earned a credential you didn't complete.

Then return to the same question:

Would discussing this education give an employer a more positive or complete understanding of me as a candidate?

If yes, consider including it.

If not, you probably don't need it.

7. How Do Recruiters Find Candidates on LinkedIn?

One of the simplest things you can improve is your LinkedIn headline.

Recruiters don't necessarily search LinkedIn for creative descriptions. They 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

and

Growth Product Manager

"Tech Enthusiast" may tell someone something about your interests, but it doesn't clearly identify your profession.

"Growth Product Manager" does.

Think about the words a recruiter would actually 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. But someone who sees it should be able to quickly understand what you do professionally.

Creativity can be useful on LinkedIn. Clarity and searchability are usually 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 otherwise question, shows an important qualification, or makes your professional story easier to understand, it may deserve space.

If it adds clutter, creates unnecessary questions, or doesn't contribute to the story you're trying to tell, you may not need it.

Your resume doesn't need to tell someone everything about you.

It needs to help them understand why they should want to know more.