The 2020s have practically been notorious for just how brutal it’s become to simply land a role in any field — but luckily, there are people willing to help out a little in that department.

Dilara Casey, a career coach and résumé writer on TikTok, has shared a couple of tips on essential ‘dos and don’ts’ when writing a résumé — no doubt the most important document to focus on when searching for suitable positions.

“What you leave off is just as important as what you leave on,” she captioned her video, which has managed to gain nearly 3 million views and upwards of 150k likes since it went live last December. 

While every situation is different, Dilara — who has worked in both marketing and HR throughout her 20-year career — promises her hacks will more or less strengthen those looking for a standardized résumé.

Dilara Casey shared 10 tips for making sure one’s résumé is as effective and concise as possible

Image credits: totally_employable

Her first tip was to remove any mentions of salary or salary requirements. These numbers will most likely be decided during the interview process, upon more of an in-depth discussion.

In the same breath, it’s important not to include any “references available upon request” at the bottom of the page or list out those references at all. First, that’s “precious” space that should be used sparingly. Second, hiring managers will know that a candidate’s references are available upon request, as it’s “kinda standard.”

“I think it’s a bad practice because the people that are listed as a reference… they probably know you’re listed as a reference, but they could call them willy nilly and you wouldn’t even know. They wouldn’t have a heads up, and it’d be really weird and awkward,” Dilara explained.

Image credits: totally_employable

And though it may be a controversial take, the content creator shared that putting any color on a résumé is a no-go. 

These documents should all be standardized, she claimed. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) may not recognize it, and most people will view résumés in black and white. 

“If there’s something on your résumé you want to call attention to,” Dilara began, “use bold, use italic, use underline, get crazy and throw an arrow in there.”

However, one comment called attention to this and speculated this may not apply to every job.

The job market of these past couple of years has been notoriously difficult

Image credits: totally_employable

Watch on TikTok

“Totally disagree about color especially if you are going for a job that is even remotely creative,” they said. “Standing out is standing out. Use what you can to do that. And it won’t hurt.”

Dilara also mentioned that while LinkedIn is a valuable resource, it’s essential not to put one’s entire profile link on the page. Instead, hyperlink! URLs can often appear to be messy with random and “jumbly” signs thrown in. 

Additionally, there is a secret tool on LinkedIn that will help a candidate shorten their URL so it states nothing but their username.

Another little piece of advice: it’s not required to list out one’s full home address. Besides the obvious space it’s going to take up, Dilara simply stated, “Nobody needs to know where you stay. This is not the Census Bureau you’re applying for a job for; you’re applying for a job at a company.”

Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash

Putting a general city, state, or region is all that’s necessary, especially since most in HR are only interested in seeing whether an employee is in town if the job is on-site.

And on the topic of taking up precious space, pie charts or any sort of graph that shows the experience a candidate has needs to go. 

The ATS may “gunk up” these images as they’re graphic, not to mention they can be “super subjective.” If there’s a certain skill that stands out in a résumé, highlighting it or bolding it would be much more effective.

To keep things interesting, redundant words should not be seen at all.

A résumé shouldn’t be too long — meaning it’s important to save space for the essentials

Image credits: totally_employable

“If you get on the side of your résumé and every single bullet point starts with managed, managed, managed, managed… people’s eyes start to glaze over,” she shared. 

“They’re going to stop reading what you’re writing and they’re just going to totally zone out.”

Luckily, English is considered one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, so a simple search on Google can provide a plethora of other options and adjectives to use. In the case of ‘manage,’ perhaps using words such as ‘led,’ ‘organized,’ or ‘directed’ would be beneficial.

This next one’s “pretty painful,” but Dilara says those old, expired certificates on one’s résumé should not be in sight.

For example, getting certified in CPR in 1996 is certainly an impressive feat — but when it comes to applying for a CFO job in 2025, it’s not really necessary.

Image credits: totally_employable

And one last tip: candidates should remove the third page on a résumé.

“One page is fine,” she said. “Two pages is nice, but three gets a little excessive here. That might mean abbreviating your years of experience.”

According to Dilara, hiring managers won’t be willing to read that many bullet points.

But the comments underneath the video were a stark reminder that every candidate’s experience is different. Just because it works for the majority of people doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will enjoy that same success.

“The way I went to a career counselor and they told me to do half of what you said not to do,” one person wrote. “This is why we hate it here. Everyone wants something different.”

Another chimed in, “Wouldn’t it be so helpful… and i’m just spitballing here… if hiring managers could just give us a mf form to fill out instead of requesting a resume? considering how many unspoken rules yall have.”

Indeed, as Phoebe Chou — a student housing assistant in Cranbrook, BC — said to Bored Panda, “It’s been difficult for someone like me who has years of experience working in marketing and has worked as a manager in the past, but somehow, that’s not quite enough.”

But people pointed out that every hiring manager is different, so these tips and tricks may not be beneficial for all

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