Landing a job in another country often takes more than strong qualifications and years of experience. Recruiters usually spend only a few seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to move a candidate to the next stage. If they cannot quickly understand a person’s role, education or achievements, the application may never reach an interview.
US-based entrepreneur Rathanakumar Udayakumar shared a detailed guide on LinkedIn that focuses on making resumes easier for international recruiters to understand. He said that many professionals lose opportunities not because they lack skills, but because their resumes fail to provide enough global context.
“Your experience may be global. Your resume still needs local context,” he said in the post. He also wrote, “A strong background can be overlooked when recruiters cannot quickly understand your titles, qualifications, achievements, location, or relevance to the role.”
Along with his LinkedIn post, he shared a series of visual resume guides. The graphics include a “Global Resume Checklist”, examples of common resume mistakes and practical ways to fix them. The checklist advises candidates to ensure their resumes match the target role, use globally clear language, include measurable achievements, explain unfamiliar job titles, add relevant keywords and remain easy to scan.
The entrepreneur said, “Your resume does not need to explain everything. It needs to make your value understandable to someone who has never worked in your country.”
Below are the 10 resume mistakes he believes reduce international job opportunities.
1. Using the same resume everywhere
According to the entrepreneur, many job seekers make the mistake of sending the same resume to every employer and country. He wrote that applicants should tailor their resumes to the target job, required skills, employer priorities, industry language and local hiring expectations instead of relying on a generic version.
2. Listing duties instead of achievements
The entrepreneur said that resumes should focus on measurable impact instead of routine responsibilities. He suggested using the formula “Action + Task + Measurable Result” to demonstrate achievements. To illustrate the point, he compared a basic statement such as “Managed customer accounts” with a stronger example that mentions managing more than 90 customer accounts and improving renewals by 18%.
3. Using unclear job titles
He wrote that candidates should keep their official designation but add a globally understood equivalent wherever necessary so recruiters outside their home country can understand the role more easily.
4. Ignoring local resume standards
The LinkedIn post also urges job seekers to research resume norms in the country where they are applying. According to him, applicants should check expectations around resume length, date format, page size, photo requirements, personal details and whether employers use the term CV or resume.
5. Hiding transferable skills
The entrepreneur said candidates often focus too much on technical experience from their home market while overlooking skills valued across countries. He advised highlighting abilities such as leadership, communication, project management, problem-solving, customer service and cross-functional collaboration.
6. Using local acronyms and jargon
He also warned against assuming recruiters will understand regional abbreviations or qualifications. The post recommends writing the full form first. For example, “Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)”, before using the acronym.
7. Leaving education unexplained
According to the entrepreneur, resumes should include the degree name, field of study, institution, country, graduation year and relevant specialisation. He also cautioned candidates against claiming degree equivalency without formal evaluation.
8. Missing job-specific keywords
He said applicants should naturally incorporate keywords from the job description into sections such as the professional summary, skills, projects, certifications and work experience.
9. Using an unclear location or work status
The entrepreneur also advised candidates to clearly state their current location, target work location, willingness to relocate, remote-work preference and work authorisation wherever relevant.
10. Making the resume difficult to scan
He recommended using clear headings, concise bullet points, simple fonts, consistent spacing and reverse chronological order. According to him, recruiters should be able to understand a candidate’s value within seconds.
Global resume checklist
The entrepreneur also shared a checklist for candidates before submitting applications.
A resume should:
- Match the target role
- Follow local expectations
- Use globally clear language
- Quantify achievements
- Explain unfamiliar titles
- Highlight transferable skills
- Include relevant keywords
- Clarify location preferences
- Avoid unnecessary personal details
- Remain easy to scan
He also shared a simple formula in his LinkedIn post for stronger international applications: “Clear positioning + Relevant keywords + Measurable achievements + Global context + Localised formatting = Stronger international applications.”
He urged candidates to make every title, achievement, qualification and skill easy for someone outside their home country to understand.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended only for informational and entertainment purposes. The strategies mentioned are personal to the user and have not been independently verified. Readers should consult an expert before making job-related decisions.