Job Hunting After a Career Gap? Start With These 3 Resume / CV Improvements

A few days ago I was talking with someone I'd just met. He'd been out of work for a few months, was starting to worry, and asked whether there was a way to land his next job quickly.

I asked to see his resume / CV. It had the problem I see all the time: only a few words about each job.

HR will take one look and skip it.

If you're still getting the hang of writing a resume, there's a simple trick. Don't try to do everything at once. Give yourself a small goal: improve three things on your resume.

Start with these three:

1. Who you are: explain it clearly, briefly and to the point.
2. Use strong words: led, built, launched.
3. Focus on achievements and results, not just what you did.

Fix a little each day, and after a week your resume will be noticeably better. If HR schedules you for a first-round interview, you've cleared the first hurdle. Congratulations.

Related reading

Haven't started writing yet? Read this first: How to Start Writing a Resume / CV: Answer These 3 Questions First

Common problems while you're writing: 3 Common Resume / CV Problems I See When Reviewing Friends' Drafts, and How to Fix Them

Read this before you send it: 3 Resume / CV Mistakes That Get You Screened Out in the First Round

This post in Chinese: https://www.uncleric.com/2026/08/cv-six-small-improvements.html

I'm Eric Lu ("Uncle Eric"). I write about food, travel, and careers.