When you apply for a job, your résumé has one single objective: to get that call. After helping a company hire an analyst with experience in marketing and CRM, I decided to turn what I learned into a practical post I wish I had read when I first started working.
Why your résumé only leads to two outcomes: they call you or they don’t
Your résumé works as your professional introduction. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have if the person reviewing your profile can’t find what they’re looking for in the first few seconds.
How we analyzed 40+ résumés to find real patterns
We published a job posting and received more than 40 résumés.
With an average of 3 pages per candidate, that was over 120 pages of reading.
To optimize the process, I used OCR and LLM models to extract all the information and convert it into a comparative table. In less than 2 hours, the data was ready for analysis.
Key statistics to improve your résumé
Work References
2 out of 3 résumés included references.
If you don’t have them, add them: they build trust and reduce friction in the selection process.
Contact Information
1 out of 10 résumés had contact mistakes or poorly visible details.
Make sure your email and phone number appear at the top—easy to spot.
Visual Quality of the Résumé
1 out of 10 résumés was hard to read. The main issues were:
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low visual quality
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lack of organization
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spelling mistakes
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large text blocks
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very small fonts
A messy résumé raises questions: if someone doesn’t take care of their own résumé, how will they present reports to management?
Academic Level
More than 50% of candidates had a master’s degree.
It’s not mandatory, but it’s becoming a standard for analytical roles.
Work Experience
Median post-graduation experience: 4 years.
The 5 most mentioned tools
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Excel – 84.4%
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Power BI – 78.1%
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SQL – 50.0%
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Python – 46.9%
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R – 28.1%
If you’re missing any of these, consider taking a short course. Platforms like Udemy offer affordable, high-quality content.
Practical recommendations to stand out
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Keep your résumé to 1–2 clear, well-structured pages.
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Include measurable achievements, not just duties.
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Use action verbs and specific data.
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Add a 3–4 line professional summary at the top.
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Attach a portfolio, dashboards, or project samples if you're in analytics or creative work.
Conclusion
I hope these insights help you improve your résumé and increase your chances of getting that phone call. If this content was useful to you, then it was worth creating. 🙌
FAQ
How many pages should a résumé have?
Ideally 1–2 well-structured pages. Make it longer only if your experience truly justifies it.
Should I include work references?
Yes. They build trust and make experience verification easier.
Do I need a master’s degree?
It’s not required, but it's becoming increasingly common for analytical roles.