Part 1 covered what to write in a resume.

This guide focuses on how top candidates maintain, optimize, customize, and improve their resumes using AI, ATS optimization, and LaTeX best practices.

One Resume is Never Enough

A common mistake is maintaining only one resume.

Different companies value different skills.

Examples:

Backend Engineer
Frontend Engineer
Full Stack Developer
DevOps Engineer
Cloud Engineer
AI/ML Engineer
Android Developer
Security Engineer

Each role should have a slightly different resume.

Recommended Folder Structure

resume/
│
├── master/
│   ├── education.tex
│   ├── experience.tex
│   ├── projects.tex
│   ├── skills.tex
│   └── leadership.tex
│
├── backend.tex
├── frontend.tex
├── devops.tex
├── ai.tex
├── internship.tex
└── experienced.tex

Maintain one master copy and generate role-specific resumes from it.

Never duplicate everything manually.

Modular LaTeX Resume

Instead of writing everything in one file,

split sections into separate files.

\input{sections/header}
\input{sections/education}
\input{sections/experience}
\input{sections/projects}
\input{sections/skills}

Benefits:

easier maintenance
reusable sections
cleaner repository
role-specific resumes become simple

For example,

Backend resume

\input{experience/backend}

Frontend resume

\input{experience/frontend}

Keep Multiple Resume Versions

Maintain different resumes for different situations.

Examples

Campus Placements
Startups
Product Companies
Service Companies
Research
Open Source
Higher Studies

Each version highlights different strengths.

Resume Naming Convention

Instead of

resume_final.pdf
resume_final2.pdf
resume_latest_final.pdf

Use

Shadil_Rayyan_Backend.pdf

Shadil_Rayyan_SDE.pdf

Shadil_Rayyan_Google.pdf

Shadil_Rayyan_Amazon.pdf

Professional filenames create a better first impression.

Famous Resume Templates

These templates are widely used in the software industry.

Jake’s Resume

Best for

internships
freshers
software engineers

Pros

ATS friendly
clean
simple
widely accepted

Deedy Resume

Best for

experienced engineers
research
open source contributors

Pros

compact
fits lots of information

Cons

two-column layouts may not parse well in some ATS systems.

Awesome CV

Best for

experienced professionals

Pros

visually attractive

Cons

too decorative for many campus placements.

ModernCV

Good for

academia
Europe

Not recommended for most software placement resumes.

Plain One-Column Resume

The safest option.

Most ATS systems parse it correctly.

Many FAANG engineers prefer simple resumes over fancy designs.

ATS Optimization

ATS (Applicant Tracking System) scans resumes before recruiters see them.

It checks

keywords
skills
formatting
experience
education

If ATS cannot read your resume,

the recruiter may never see it.

ATS Rules

Use

Education
Experience
Projects
Skills
Certifications

Avoid creative headings.

Bad

My Journey

Cool Projects

Things I Know

Good

Experience

Projects

Skills

Avoid Tables

Many ATS systems fail to parse tables correctly.

Instead of

| Skill | Level |

write

Languages:
Python, Java, Go

Avoid Text Boxes

Text inside

images
text boxes
floating elements

may be ignored completely.

Avoid Progress Bars

Don’t write

Python ███████

Java █████

Simply list the skill.

Keep Icons Minimal

Icons are acceptable if they do not interfere with parsing.

Useful icons include

email
phone
GitHub
LinkedIn
portfolio

Avoid decorative icons throughout the document.

Use Clickable Links

Always hyperlink

GitHub
LinkedIn
Portfolio
LeetCode
Codeforces
HackerRank

Clickable links help recruiters access your work quickly in digital copies.

Prefer Usernames Over Long URLs

Instead of

https://leetcode.com/u/john-doe-123456

Use

leetcode.com/u/john-doe

LeetCode: john-doe

with a hyperlink.

Cleaner and easier to read.

Use Custom Link Text

Instead of displaying long URLs, use descriptive labels.

Good examples:

GitHub
Portfolio
LinkedIn
LeetCode
Blog

This keeps the resume clean while preserving clickable links.

Numbers Make Bullet Points Stronger

Recruiters love measurable impact.

Weak

Built backend.

Better

Built a backend serving 5,000+ API requests daily.

Examples of metrics:

latency reduced
users served
response time
downloads
contributors
repositories
performance gain
memory reduction
cost savings
automation time saved

The XYZ Formula

One of Google’s famous writing principles.

Accomplished X, measured by Y, by doing Z.

Example

Instead of

Improved website performance.

Write

Reduced page load time by 42% by implementing lazy loading and image optimization.

Another

Automated report generation, reducing manual work by 6 hours per week using Python scripts.

Every bullet should answer:

What did you achieve?
How much?
How?

Keep Bullet Points Consistent

Good bullets

start with action verbs
stay on one or two lines
use active voice
include measurable impact

Examples of action verbs

Built
Designed
Developed
Implemented
Automated
Optimized
Reduced
Improved
Engineered
Scaled
Led
Created
Integrated
Migrated
Refactored
Deployed

Hyperlinks in PDFs

Your exported PDF should allow recruiters to click

GitHub
LinkedIn
Portfolio
Project demos

Always test the PDF after exporting.

Helpful LaTeX Packages

These packages improve resume quality.

hyperref

Creates clickable links.

\usepackage[hidelinks]{hyperref}

hyphenat

Disables automatic word splitting.

\usepackage[none]{hyphenat}

Without it

Develop-
ment

With it

Development

Cleaner resume.

enumitem

Controls bullet spacing.

\usepackage{enumitem}

Helps fit more content without clutter.

geometry

Controls page margins.

Useful for maximizing space while keeping readability.

fontawesome5

Provides icons for

GitHub
LinkedIn
Email
Phone

xcolor

Allows subtle color usage.

Use sparingly.

Black text is usually best.

graphicx

Allows logos or small graphics if needed.

Usually unnecessary for placement resumes.

AI Prompts for Resume Writing

Improve a Bullet Point

Rewrite this resume bullet.

Requirements:

- Follow Google's XYZ formula.
- Quantify impact.
- Begin with a strong action verb.
- Keep it under 30 words.
- ATS friendly.

Bullet:

[Paste]

Improve an Entire Experience Section

Act as a senior software engineering recruiter.

Rewrite this experience section.

Requirements:

- ATS friendly
- Strong action verbs
- Quantifiable impact
- Professional wording
- No buzzwords
- Keep every bullet under 2 lines.

Experience:

[Paste]

Improve Projects

Rewrite my projects section.

Focus on:

- technical depth
- measurable impact
- architecture
- scalability
- production readiness

Projects:

[Paste]

Skills Optimization

Given this job description and my resume,

identify

- missing keywords
- unnecessary skills
- ATS improvements

Return an optimized skills section.

Job Description:

[Paste]

Resume:

[Paste]

Tailor Resume for a Job

You are an experienced technical recruiter.

Given

- my resume
- job description

rewrite my resume to maximize ATS score.

Do not invent experience.

Prioritize matching keywords naturally.

Review My Resume

Act as

- ATS software
- recruiter
- engineering manager

Review my resume from each perspective.

Give

- ATS score
- readability score
- technical depth
- formatting score
- recruiter score

List the top 10 improvements.

Resume:

[Paste]

Common Resume Mistakes

More than one page (for most students)
Generic objective statement
Poor grammar
Long paragraphs
Weak bullet points
No measurable impact
Listing every technology learned
Broken hyperlinks
Spelling mistakes
Using colorful templates
Copying resume templates without customization
Sending the same resume to every company

Resume File Naming (ATS-Friendly)

Your resume filename is one of the first things a recruiter sees. A clear, professional filename makes it easier to identify your resume and leaves a better impression.

Recommended Format

FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf

Examples:

John_Doe_Resume.pdf
Priya_Sharma_Resume.pdf

For role-specific resumes:

John_Doe_Backend_Resume.pdf
John_Doe_Frontend_Resume.pdf
John_Doe_SDE_Resume.pdf
John_Doe_DevOps_Resume.pdf
John_Doe_Data_Engineer_Resume.pdf

For company-specific applications:

John_Doe_Google_SDE.pdf
John_Doe_Amazon_SDE.pdf
John_Doe_Microsoft_Intern.pdf

Avoid

resume.pdf
Resume Final.pdf
resume_latest.pdf
resume_final_final.pdf
newresume.pdf
cv2.pdf
myresume.pdf
updated_resume.pdf

These filenames look unprofessional and make it difficult for recruiters to organize applications.

Tip: Keep separate PDFs for different roles instead of editing the same file every time.

ATS-Friendly Resume Checklist

Before submitting your resume, verify the following:

Content

No spelling mistakes
No grammatical mistakes
No false or exaggerated claims
Quantified achievements wherever possible
Strong action verbs used throughout
Keywords match the job description
Projects include technologies used
Experience follows the XYZ formula
Relevant skills only

Formatting

One page (recommended for students and fresh graduates)
Standard section headings (Education, Experience, Projects, Skills)
No tables
No text boxes
No charts or skill bars
Consistent font and spacing
Bullets aligned properly
Good use of white space

ATS Compatibility

Final Review

Tailored for the specific role
Reviewed by AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
Proofread by another person
Opened on both desktop and mobile to verify formatting

Earn Premium with Referrals

One Resume is Never Enough

Recommended Folder Structure

Modular LaTeX Resume

Keep Multiple Resume Versions

Resume Naming Convention

Famous Resume Templates

Jake’s Resume

Deedy Resume

Awesome CV

ModernCV

Plain One-Column Resume

ATS Optimization

ATS Rules

Avoid Tables

Avoid Text Boxes

Avoid Progress Bars

Keep Icons Minimal

Use Clickable Links

Prefer Usernames Over Long URLs

Use Custom Link Text

Numbers Make Bullet Points Stronger

The XYZ Formula

Keep Bullet Points Consistent

Hyperlinks in PDFs

Helpful LaTeX Packages

hyperref

hyphenat

enumitem

geometry

fontawesome5

xcolor

graphicx

AI Prompts for Resume Writing

Improve a Bullet Point

Improve an Entire Experience Section

Improve Projects

Skills Optimization

Tailor Resume for a Job

Review My Resume

Common Resume Mistakes

Resume File Naming (ATS-Friendly)

Recommended Format

Avoid

ATS-Friendly Resume Checklist

Content

Formatting

ATS Compatibility

Final Review

Premium Content

My Private Notes