I’ve read a lot of resumes. Seriously, a lot. As a recruiter who’s successfully placed local government candidates across the United States, I’ve read thousands of resumes. Recruiters read resumes every day. We read every cover letter and resume for each search because it matters. 

It’s the opening window to who you are. Your experience and the value you bring to an  organization are important. The time you invest in sharing your background and experience ensures that we fully understand your strengths and can represent you accurately as a candidate.

Let’s dive into the job market. It’s constantly changing. People are retiring which frees up positions for others. But fewer people are pursuing local government careers than decades ago when I first started working. Negativity about government has discouraged many young people from pursuing local government in the same numbers as in the past. Plus, pure demographics—the Baby Boomer era produced large numbers of people entering the workforce and excited about government jobs. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of people committed to serving communities through a local government career, either at the entry level, mid-point, or in executive positions. Our communities still need leaders at all levels of our organizations who care about reminding people what makes this work so meaningful, so dynamic, and so fulfilling. We need to attract new talent to experience what it means to serve a community and make a difference.

If you’re job hunting, you’re in good company. Recruiters want to help you stand out from the rest of the applicant pool to make sure that your story gets noticed. I love a good story—one that pulls me in and makes me want to learn more about the characters, where the story takes place, how it will end. Your resume is your story. 

Delray Beach human resources director Duane D’Andrea agrees. “I always say you never get a second chance to make a first impression as a job seeker, that is so true, and it begins with your resume. It tells the reader a story about you and if it is not written well and does not describe your knowledge, skills, abilities, and what value you will bring to a specific organization, more than likely the first impression will be the only one that will be attained.”

Your resume needs to sound like you and accurately reflect your professional journey—your experiences, your growth, and your impact. Updating your resume is an essential career habit, whether you’re actively job hunting or just keeping things current. When I began my local government career, my mentor shared a simple but powerful truth about public service: “Our mission is to make peoples’ lives better.” Even on a resident’s worst day, we have the opportunity to make someone’s life better.

I read a resume with one question in mind: “So what?” I want to understand what you accomplished, how you will approach your work, and how you make residents’ lives (and your organization) better. A job description tells me what you should do or what you are responsible for, but I want to read about what you achieved, how it made your organization better, and how you served the community.

D’Andrea believes details are important. “In local government, we are stewards of public funds. If your resume doesn’t show me the metrics—budgets managed, percentages saved, or projects completed on time—I can’t visualize how you will perform in our high-stakes environment.” 

Recruiters care about connecting the right people with the right communities. We want to help you put your best foot forward. My colleagues and I put our heads together to share some of our best practices to ensure your resume is polished, effective, and up to date:

1. Regularly Update Your Resume.

Try to do so at least every 6–12 months. Even if you’re not job hunting, add new roles, responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, or certifications as they happen so you don’t forget important details.

2. Tailor Your Resume to the Role. 

Customize your resume for each job you apply for. Use keywords from the job description. Highlight the most relevant experience and skills. Prioritize recent and relevant accomplishments.

Reverse-chronological resumes are preferred. Don’t make the reader play detective with your employment dates—list them clearly! If you have a gap, just own it. Life happens, and there are plenty of reasons for those periods. Feel free to explain it in your cover letter.

3. Use Action-oriented Language. 

Start bullet points with strong action verbs (e.g., led, developed, launched, optimized), and focus on achievements, not just duties. Make sure your resume is written in plain language that anyone can easily understand. Steer clear of acronyms or jargon that are specific to your job.

4. Quantify Achievements. 

Metrics (e.g., department size, budget, turnover rates) and outcomes (e.g., cost savings, policy improvements) are important to demonstrate the scope and impact of work. Add numbers and metrics where possible. A few examples: “Led a third-party administrator transition for plan year 2024 (medical, dental, pharmacy, and vision), projecting $5M savings in overall healthcare costs.” “Reduced customer service response time by 40% resulting in quicker water service connections.”

5. Focus on Impact, Not Just Tasks. 

Don’t copy and paste the job description for your position. Instead of listing responsibilities, show how your work made a difference. For example:
Instead of “managed a public communications team,” try “led a five-person communications team to deliver a 30% increase in community engagement over six months.”

6. Keep the Format Clean and Consistent. 

Use a modern, applicant tracking system-friendly format. (No fancy graphics.) Keep margins readable and the font professional. Reverse- chronological resumes are preferred in most industries. Save your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting. Use consistent formatting for dates, headings, and bullet points. Avoid first-person pronouns and use action-oriented bullet points without “I” or “my” to maintain a professional tone.

7. Include Only Relevant Information. 

Keep it under five pages. Preferably no more than three pages, but it also may depend on how many years you have been working. Remove outdated technology or irrelevant jobs (especially from over 10 years ago). Don’t include “references available upon request.”

8. Update Your Skills Section. 

Ensure your skills reflect current technologies, tools, and methodologies. Especially for technical roles, remove obsolete tools (e.g. old programming languages) unless required.

9. Protect Against Bias. 

To reduce the risk of unconscious bias, especially during initial screenings, don’t include your gender, marital status or family information, photos, or full address (city and state is usually enough). Leave out your date of birth/age and graduation dates. You don’t want to be judged for being “too old” or “too young.”

10. Proofread Thoroughly. 

Use spell check, then read it aloud or ask someone else to review it. Typos or formatting issues can hurt credibility.

11. Align It with Your LinkedIn Profile. 

Make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile tell the same story. As recruiters, we often cross-check both. In the end, your resume isn’t just a list of jobs; it’s your unique professional story, carefully crafted to showcase your impact, growth, and potential. As recruiters, we are not looking for perfection. We’re looking for clarity, impact, and a true reflection of the difference you’ve made—and the difference you’re eager to continue making.

“Whether I’m using a recruiter or running the search myself, I’m looking for authenticity,” says D’Andrea. “The best resumes don’t just list duties; they reflect a career dedicated to public service. Your resume should make me want to meet the person behind the paper.”

By investing the time to implement these practices, you’re not just improving your chances of landing an interview; you’re demonstrating your commitment to public service and your ability to contribute to the vital mission that drives local government—to truly make people’s lives better.

ANNE LEWIS is a senior manager at Raftelis.