Stop Treating Generic Online Resume Advice as the Gold Standard

I had a client a few weeks ago who came to me absolutely paralyzed. She had spent weeks reading everything she could find about resumes online, and now she could not write a single line without second-guessing it. One article said never go past one page. Another said two pages was fine after ten years of experience. One said always use a summary. Another said summaries were outdated. She did not know what to believe, and honestly, I could not blame her.

That is what happens when you treat the internet like a rulebook.

I have been doing this work for over 20 years. I have reviewed tens of thousands of resumes, sat on the hiring side of the table, and worked with everyone from new graduates to C-suite executives. And I can tell you with full confidence that there is no single right way to build a resume. There are fundamentals, yes. But within those fundamentals, there is a lot of room to move.

The Internet Is Writing for Everyone, Which Means It Is Writing for No One

When someone publishes “10 Resume Rules You Must Follow,” they are writing for a general audience. They do not know your industry, your career history, the specific companies you are targeting, or the gaps you are trying to explain. That context matters more than any blanket rule.

A 22-year-old applying for her first marketing role needs a different document than a 48-year-old VP of Operations making a pivot into consulting. A one-page resume that works beautifully for a recent grad would be a red flag for a senior executive. A functional format that helps a career changer highlight transferable skills would raise eyebrows in a more traditional industry. The advice that is right for one person can genuinely hurt another.

So before you apply any rule you find online, ask yourself: does this actually make sense for my situation? Because that is the filter that matters.

Your Resume Is Marketing Material

I say this to almost every client I work with: everything you put out there in a job search is marketing material. Your resume, your LinkedIn profile, your cover letter, even the way you answer interview questions. All of it.

And good marketing is not rigid. It is strategic. It is audience-aware. It shifts depending on who you are talking to and what they care about. You would not run the exact same ad campaign for a luxury brand that you would for a discount retailer, even if the product was technically the same. The audience is different. The message has to meet them where they are.

Your resume works the same way. The version you send to a scrappy tech startup might look and feel different from the one you send to a Fortune 500 company. Not because you are being dishonest, but because you are leading with what is most relevant to that particular audience. That is not manipulation. That is smart communication.

Stop Looking Outward for Answers That Are Inside You

One of the most common mistakes I see job seekers make is going straight to the internet when they get stuck, instead of going inward first. They search for the “right” way to phrase a bullet point before they have even figured out what they actually accomplished in that role. They try to fit their career into someone else’s template before they have thought about what story their career is actually telling.

Your stories are the whole point. Your specific results, the problems you solved, the things that happened because you showed up, that is what makes a resume worth reading. No formatting trick replaces that. No keyword strategy substitutes for it.

Before you search for how to write something, spend time figuring out what you actually want to say. Interview yourself. Walk through your jobs the way you would talk about them with someone you trust. What did you actually do? What changed because of your work? What are you proud of? The answers to those questions are where your resume lives. The internet can help you polish it. It cannot create it for you.

Use What Helps, Leave What Does Not

I am not telling you to ignore everything you read online. There is real, useful guidance out there. Leading with impact matters. Quantifying results where you can, matters. Tailoring your content to the role matters. Keeping things readable and relevant, absolutely matters.

What I am saying is to think critically about the advice you take in. There is a difference between a principle you can apply thoughtfully and a rigid prescription that assumes everyone’s career looks the same. Learn to tell the difference. When something you read does not fit your situation, trust that instinct. You know your career better than any article does.

Be fluid. Be strategic. And remember that your resume is not a form you fill out correctly. It is a story you tell on purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there one correct way to format a resume? No. There are formatting principles that generally work well, such as consistent spacing, clear section headers, and readable fonts. But there is no single correct format that applies to every job seeker. The right format depends on your career level, industry, how much experience you have, and what you are trying to communicate. A new graduate and a senior executive will rarely benefit from the same structure.

Should I follow resume rules I find online? Use online advice as a starting point, not a final word. Most of it is written for a broad, general audience and cannot account for your specific background, industry, or target role. When a rule makes sense for your situation, apply it. When it does not, trust your judgment. The goal of your resume is to communicate your value clearly to a specific audience, and sometimes that means doing things differently than what a generic article recommends.

How long should a resume be? It depends. One page is appropriate for most candidates with fewer than ten years of experience. Two pages is standard and expected for mid-career and senior professionals. Beyond two pages is rarely necessary and usually signals that the document has not been edited tightly enough. The guiding question is not “how long is acceptable?” but “what does this reader need to see to want to talk to me?” Include what earns its place. Cut what does not.

What is the difference between a resume and marketing material? In practice, not much. A resume is a professional document, but its purpose is persuasion. You are making a case for why you are worth a conversation. That means every word, every bullet point, every formatting choice should serve that goal. Thinking of your resume as marketing material helps you stay focused on the reader and what they care about, rather than just documenting your work history in chronological order.

Should I tailor my resume for each job application? Yes, and this is one of the most consistently useful pieces of advice out there. Tailoring does not mean rewriting from scratch every time. It means reviewing the job description, identifying what that employer is prioritizing, and making sure your most relevant experience and accomplishments are front and center. A resume that speaks directly to a specific role will almost always outperform a generic one.

Why does resume advice online seem so contradictory? Because it often is, and that is not entirely a bad thing. Resume writing is not a hard science. Different hiring managers, industries, and company cultures have different expectations. An article written by a tech recruiter and an article written by a financial services hiring manager may give completely opposite advice, and both could be correct within their context. When you encounter conflicting guidance, the question to ask is: which of these applies to my industry, my level, and my target audience?

How do I know what my resume should say if I am not sure what my strengths are? Start by interviewing yourself. Walk through each job you have held and ask: What did I actually do? What changed because I was there? What am I proud of? What would have been harder or different if I had not been in that role? The answers reveal your value better than any template can. If you are still stuck, talking through your career with a professional resume writer or career coach can help surface strengths you may have stopped seeing because they feel ordinary to you.

About Bridget Batson & Houston Outplacement

Bridget Batson, CMRW, CERM, CGRA, CPRW, NCOPE, CEIP is an 8x TORI Award-winning Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW), Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM), and the Owner of Houston Outplacement LLC. A former Fortune 500 Recruiter and contributor to the 9th edition of Resumes for Dummies, Bridget bridges the gap between high-level talent and the modern hiring landscape.

Through her firm, Houston Outplacement LLC, a WBE and WOSB-certified business, she provides end-to-end career solutions for both individuals and organizations:

• For Individuals: Bridget Batson, through her firm, Houston Outplacement, offers private consultations and high-authority resume development, interview coaching, ghostwriting, personal branding, and Myers-Briggs STRONG Interest Inventory assessments, leveraging her status as a Certified Graphic Resume Architect (CGRA) and Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE) to help executives stand out in a “copy-paste” digital world.

• For Corporations: Houston Outplacement serves as a strategic partner during organizational shifts, providing compassionate, human-centric outplacement services, intern transition programs, and layoff assistance that protect employer branding and support departing talent.

• Public Speaking & Training: Bridget is a sought-after speaker on the topics of Career Resilience, Personal Branding, Corporate Etiquette, and Modern Hiring Strategy, helping teams navigate the intersection of human talent and AI-driven recruitment.

Credentials & Certifications: Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW) • Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM) • Certified Graphic Resume Architect (CGRA) • Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) • Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE) • Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP) • Myers–Briggs STRONG® Administrator.

Ready to move beyond the generic? Schedule an Individual Consultation or inquire about Corporate Outplacement services at Houston Outplacement.

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