14 July 2026 · 6 min read
Most resumes are scanned before they are read. In that first pass a reviewer is answering three questions: what level is this person, what is their domain, and is there evidence they perform at that level.
That means the top third of page one carries a disproportionate share of your outcome. Use it for a precise professional title, a three-line positioning statement, and two or three quantified proof points — not for an address block and an objective statement.
Everything below that line is corroboration. It matters, but only after the top of the page has earned the reader's attention.