What Hiring Managers Actually Care About When They Read Your Resume

Kyle Lutteroty
Jun 27, 2025
2 min read

Writing your resume can feel like walking a tightrope: one wrong move and you’re worried you’ll fall off the shortlist. Most job seekers spend their time obsessing over things like font size, color schemes, and how to “beat the ATS.” Meanwhile, hiring managers are focused on substance.

The Resume Writing Disconnect

When it comes to resumes, there’s often a big gap between what applicants stress over and what hiring managers are really looking for. Let’s break it down:

What job seekers worry about:

How much of their job description they can copy without sounding boring
How to fit years of experience onto one page
Whether using navy or charcoal gray will make them seem more “professional”
Tricks to “beat” applicant tracking systems
How small their font can be without becoming unreadable

Now compare that to...

What hiring managers care about:

Is the resume easy to scan and understand?
What are the person’s actual skills and areas of expertise?
What’s their educational and professional background?
Have they consistently delivered on the job?
What impact have they made at previous companies?

The difference is clear: while you’re obsessing over visuals and gimmicks, they’re scanning for value, clarity, and results.

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Focus on What Matters

A modern resume needs to be visually clean and formatted correctly, but that’s just the foundation. What really moves the needle is substance. Your resume should answer the hiring manager’s silent questions: Can this person do the job? Will they contribute? Have they proven themselves?

So instead of trying to trick the system, build your resume to communicate your value. That’s what will get you interviews.

Why Writing a Resume Feels So Hard (And What to Do About It)

Most people don’t write about themselves often, let alone try to sum up years of experience in a few bullet points. It’s no wonder many professionals feel stuck, even overwhelmed.

Some of the most common struggles I hear from clients include:

Not knowing how to market themselves without sounding boastful
Uncertainty about which skills or accomplishments to highlight
Feeling behind on what “modern” resumes are supposed to look like
Having trouble connecting the dots between different roles
Not knowing how to customize their resume for different jobs

If that’s you, know this: it’s normal. Resume writing is a skill, and it’s okay if you’re still learning it.

4 Ways to Improve Your Resume Today

Whether you’re building your resume from scratch or refining a recent draft, these tips can help:

Research your target role and industry.Know what employers are actually looking for. Read job descriptions and take note of recurring themes.
Identify your key strengths.List the top 3–5 skills or contributions that make you stand out. These are your focus points.
Use numbers and outcomes.Wherever possible, describe your impact using data, metrics, or specific achievements.
Get outside feedback.A second pair of eyes can help spot blind spots and ensure your message is clear.

Final Thought

A great resume is focused. It’s built for clarity, relevance, and value. When you understand the hiring manager’s perspective, you can stop second-guessing every design choice and start telling a clear story about what you bring to the table.

Need help? That’s what I do.