how to build the best resume 2023

How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

• The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
• 11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
• 27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

• Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
• Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
• Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
• Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
• Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
• Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
• Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
• Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good. 

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
• Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
• Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume. 

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

• Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
• Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
• Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
• Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
• Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

• Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
• Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
• Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

• Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional. 
• LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate. 
• Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
• Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
• Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
• Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Your job title and years of experience.
• A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
• Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary: 

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

• Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
• Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
• Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
• Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with: 

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

• Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
• Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
• Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
• Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
• Generated leads through cold-calling
• Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

• Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
• Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
• Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

• Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
• Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
• Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

• In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
• Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
• In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

• No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
• Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
• Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
• Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

• Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
• Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
• Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
• Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go! 

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

• Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
• University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
• Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
• Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
• GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
• Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
• Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
• Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

• If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
• You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
• If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
• Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
• Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
• Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

• Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
• Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

• Agile Methodology
• SCRUM Framework
• Waterfall Project Management
• Microsoft Project
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Risk Management

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
• Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
• A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
• Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

• Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
• Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
• Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
• Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better  – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

• Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. 

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

• Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
• Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
• Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
• Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
• Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
• Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
• Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
• Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
• Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
• Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
• Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
• Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
• Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture. 

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking. 

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example 

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Bartender Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

• Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
• Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
• Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
• Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible. 

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template . 

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should: 

• Open MS Word
• Click “file” from the menu bar 
• Select “new”
• Type “resume templates” in the search bar 

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go! 

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format. 

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume? 

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five. 

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume? 

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address. 

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume. 

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

• Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
• Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
• Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
• Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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Resume Writing Tips

What your resume should look like in 2023 (with examples & templates).

Learning what your resume should look like in 2023 isn’t just a matter of aesthetics.

Hiring data shows there’s an average of 200 applicants per job opening. Some researchers say that figure may be closer to 500 candidates , depending on the position.

I share these figures not to scare you, but to highlight your stiff competition.

Your resume is your best chance to make a powerful first impression on hiring teams and recruiters. These decision-makers are inundated with well-qualified applicants as soon as they post a job.

And to make matters worse, eye-tracking studies reveal they only spend 7.4 seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to read it in its entirety or move on to the next one.

That’s not a lot of time to capture and excite readers about your value.

So in this post, I’ll highlight exactly what your resume should look like in 2023 to stand out, engage readers, and boost your chances of landing an interview.

What Your Resume Should Look Like In 2023: 5 Must-Haves + Examples

An attractive, high-performing resume immediately piques a reader’s interest. It subtly draws them down the page to learn why you’re the candidate they’re looking for.

So every resume in 2023 should incorporate these five elements to achieve that goal:

1. An Updated, Modern Design

A traditional resume format (think: chronological order, bullet points, etc.) won’t give you a leg-up on your competition in 2023. Using one may even hold you back.

See, hiring managers tune out when one of those stale resume templates lands on their desks for the umpteenth time. These boring resumes don’t excite or connect with readers. So your resume could be passed over in that brief 7.4-second scan before it’s even read.

That’s why it’s so important to freshen up the look of your resume with an updated, modern resume template like this one:

Want to use this resume template? Click this link purchase it and start customizing this template (or any others in this article) now.

Unlike a traditional resume template, the one above builds a personal connection with readers by introducing and showcasing your value first. A quick scan of the top half provides them with a snapshot of your areas of expertise and core competencies, two very attractive “hooks” to hiring teams.

Readers will then feel compelled to learn where you honed those skills. So the bottom half of this resume template helps organize your career achievements in an engaging, eye-appealing way. 

Rather than reading like a bland job description, each point should back up your skill set while proving your track record of success.

Anyone reading your resume formatted with a modern template like this will know precisely who you are and the value you’ll deliver, which is the ultimate goal.

2. Clear Sections To Highlight Your Best Features

Resumes that look like one giant block of text are intimidating. They tell hiring teams they’ll need to spend time and effort to mine for the intel they’re looking for. And with hundreds of other resumes vying for their attention, they’ll probably just pass on doing so.

That’s why most modern resume templates are divided into sections with clear, distinct headers. This makes your resume easier to scan and read, not to mention far more enjoyable for busy hiring managers.

The resume template above does a fantastic job of breaking up a resume into bite-sized chunks of information. The example below takes this concept a step further:

The highlights and expertise section in this resume template sits in a blue box to draw the reader’s eyes and attention. This is like telling hiring teams, “Hey! Come check this out!”

So think of your resume as a cheat sheet for hiring managers and recruiters rather than a dossier.

Your resume headings and sections will create an organized outline of your qualifications. Then these call-out boxes can be used to show off your best features, as they’re likely one of the first things hiring managers will notice during their initial scan.

3. Strategically-Placed White Space and Tight Copy

Often times, candidates are so focused on adding every little detail to their resume that it becomes too crammed to read. Headings and call-out boxes can help with this problem. But nothing works quite as well as more white space.

White space, or the places in your resume without words or formatting, adds breathing room to your resume . It prevents a resume from appearing jam-packed and hard to read.

A resume with well-defined sections naturally creates more white space, like this resume template :

Aim for short copy to add more white space to your resume . Break up any big chunks of text to make reading less overwhelming and easier for the eyes.

Your resume is like a garden. You don’t want wordy sentences hiding your highlights and achievements like weeds overrunning a beautiful flower bed. 

Prune your copy, and you’ll easily add more white space to your resume and draw attention to your best selling points simultaneously.

4. A Bold Pop of Color

If you really want to stand out and catch someone’s attention, a pop of bold color on your resume is a must. But this doesn’t mean you should haphazardly throw a rainbow of color wherever you want.

When done strategically, as this example does, color can be used to add emphasis, contrast, and personality. It can also help break up the sea of black text on your resume.

Want to use this resume template? Click this link to customize this template or any others in this article now .

Though a pop of color can help your resume stand out and make a memorable first impression, colors that are too bright or off-putting will do so for the wrong reasons. Opt for deeper, saturated shades, so your resume will be legible in person and on-screen.

5. A Clear, Easy-to-Read Font and Formatting

It’s essential to think about the font you choose for your resume .

Anything “cutesy” will likely be regarded as unprofessional. Likewise, a font that’s too light or too bold may also be difficult to read.

The best fonts to use on a resume include Serif and Sans Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, Georgia, Verdana, and Arial.

As for the font size, stick to 10-14 points (10-12 for regular text and 12-14 for headings and subheadings).

This template offers a great example of resume text formatting:

On a similar note, be sure to emphasize the right areas, not everything . Only use bold or italics to draw attention to your top achievements, companies you’ve worked for, and other notable points according to the role.

Ready To Update Your Resume for 2023?

Now that you know the must-have ingredients for a high-performing resume, it’s time to put these tips to good use.

Incorporating today’s must-have elements will give your resume a fresh upgrade for 2023 and help you connect with hiring teams and recruiters.

Even better news?

If you use one of the resume templates shared in this guide, you’ll ace this task in half the time. Just purchase and download the one that fits your needs best, plug in your information where prompted, and voila! 

You’ll have a modern, professional resume ready to send out in a matter of minutes instead of spending all day reformatting your current one.

Click this link to learn more about the resume templates featured in this article. Psst! You’ll also find a free executive resume template download on our resources page.

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About the author

Jessica hernandez, president, ceo & founder of great resumes fast.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

This is very well-detailed content. I highly appreciate your work. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

Hi Jessica,

As I was looking to give my resume a fresh, new style for 2023, I came across your article. I kid you not, I have been styling my resume like this for the last 3 years! I am an independent career coach–would you be interested in hiring a partner?

I’m not kidding.

I found these resume formats to be reader friendly and they target what potential employers want to see quickly. It allows the reader to focus on the accomplishments beyond the day to day duties.

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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Perfect Resume (With Examples!)

Your resume is arguably the most valuable piece of paper for your career. But this document can be daunting for many. Maybe you’re not sure how to fit in all your information onto one page. Maybe you’re not sure about the right way to format and write your resume. Maybe you don’t even know what the heck a resume is!

Whatever your concern, we’ll break down everything you need to know about making the perfect resume, from scratch.

What Is a Resume?

What are employers looking for in a resume.

• Pick Your Format
• Start With Your Basic Information
• Add in Your Work Experience
• Consider Including Volunteer Work or Other Experience
• Don’t Forget Your Education
• Top It Off With Some Skills and Interests
• Write a Resume Summary Statement (if Relevant)
• Tailor It to the Job (and the ATS)
• Edit and Refine It

What Are Some Examples of a Good Resume?

A resume is a summary of your career, whether yours is just getting started or has been going on for years. Coming in at around one page in length (two only under specific circumstances), it showcases the jobs you’ve held and currently hold, the responsibilities you’ve taken on, the skills you’ve developed, and the qualities you bring to the table as an employee. Together, those things make it super easy for any hiring manager to see your qualifications and fit for a role.

For all the work you may put into writing one, hiring managers actually spend very little time—mere seconds in many cases—looking at your resume. But despite this sad fact, it’s safe to say that creating a great resume (rather than hastily throwing one together) still matters.

“If you miss the mark, your resume may never be read. Even worse, you might be removed from the applicant pool by a computer before a human even knows you exist,” says Muse career coach Heather Yurovsky , founder of Shatter & Shine. So you want to get it right because, as she explains, isn’t the goal to “spend less time looking for a job and more time in a role you love?”

You might be wondering if you can lean on your LinkedIn profile instead of writing a resume. The answer, sadly, is no. Most hiring managers still expect you to submit a resume, even if they also look at your LinkedIn. Even if you don’t need a resume for a job you’re applying for now, you’re going to need one at some point in your career—they’re not anywhere close to going out of style. So it’s best to always have one at the ready should an opportunity pop up.

And although LinkedIn has plenty of benefits, a resume has one clear advantage: While your LinkedIn is usually a broader picture of your career trajectory, your resume gives you the opportunity to tailor your career story to a specific role or company (more on that later).

Oh, and you’ve probably heard of something called a CV? It’s slightly different from a resume , and usually more common with academics and job seekers outside the U.S.

Hiring managers look for three things on your resume, “What did you do? Why did you do it? And what was the result?” says Muse career coach Martin McGovern , owner of Career Therapy. “If you can answer all three of these questions in...your resume bullet points, you’re going to be on the right track.”

Clear, easy-to-understand language is key. “The truth is that most resumes make no sense. They are stuffed with jargon, they are too technical, and they are filled with redundancies. Try to read a resume that isn’t yours and you will quickly realize that it feels like an alien wrote it,” McGovern adds. Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter who has no idea how your role works—how can you make your resume accessible to them?

The hiring manager also cares about more than just you and you alone—they care about you in relation to them. “Hiring managers want to see if a candidate matches the requirements” of the role they’re hiring for, Yurovsky explains. “Your resume should paint this picture so the hiring manager not only knows what day-to-day responsibilities you can handle, but why you, above other[s], bring value to their organization.”

How Do You Write a Resume?

Whether you’re someone who’s never written a resume in your life, or you need a nice, thorough refresher on the process of creating one, follow these steps to go from a blank page to a complete—and dare I say beautiful—document.

Related: This Free Worksheet Makes It Easy to Create (or Update) Your Resume

1. Pick Your Format

Before you start typing one single thing, you have to decide what you want the overall resume to look like.

Resume builders can be helpful for this step—they’ll take all your basic information and organize it for you, eliminating some of the legwork. You can also use a pre-made outline, such as one of these free Google Docs templates .

But it’s often safest to start with a clean slate all on your own and eventually upgrade to a more advanced layout. (If you'd still like a place to write all the relevant information before you get started, check out our resume outline .) This allows you to course correct, edit and re-edit, and choose a resume format that best fits your particular situation (after all, not everyone has a career trajectory that’s easy to compartmentalize).

In general, you’re most likely to cover and/or include sections on the following:

• Your work experience
• Your non-work experience, including professional organizations, community involvement, or side projects
• Your education and certifications
• Your skills (specifically hard skills) and interests

So how do you format and organize all of that information?

By far the most common (and safest, if you’re not sure which route to take) option is reverse chronological order . This means you organize your experiences from most recent to least recent. So your work experiences would go above your education, and your current role would go above previous roles you’ve held. This of course has its exceptions—maybe you went back to grad school between jobs, or your most recent role is irrelevant to the job you’re applying for. So the whole page may not be exactly in reverse chronological order depending on your situation. It’s just a guideline.

There’s also something called a functional or skills-based resume . This is used pretty rarely, mainly with career changers and those with limited or complicated work histories. It gets its name because it’s primarily about listing your skills rather than experiences, and showcases them above your work history and education.

You can also opt for a combination resume , which is a mix between a reverse chronological resume and skills-based resume. It highlights your skills at the top, but allows just as much room below to cover your job and school experience.

Use caution when choosing these two formats: “Combo and skills-based [resumes] can be hard to follow, because [they force] the reader to hunt for connections between your skills and experience, and [don’t] provide the full context of your work,” says Muse Career Coach Angela Smith , founder of Loft Consulting. “I’ve also heard a lot of recruiters say that they automatically discount skill-based resumes because they feel the candidate is trying to hide something. I don’t necessarily believe that, but I think it’s important for job-seekers to know that perception is out there.”

2. Start With Your Basic Information

Your contact information should always go at the top of your resume. In this header you’ll want to include anything that could be helpful for a recruiter to get in touch with you. Usually, this means adding in:

• Your full name (preferably the name you use across the web)
• Your phone number
• Your personal email address

You might also choose to include other basic information, such as your LinkedIn or personal website URL, your GitHub (for technical roles), your social media profiles (if relevant to the job), or your address. If you’re looking to move for a job, you may choose to leave out your address or write “open to relocating” to better your chances of getting an interview.

The key is to make this part as clear as possible. If a hiring manager can’t reach you, there’s no point in perfecting the rest of your resume.

3. Add in Your Work Experience

This section will most likely be the bulk of your resume. Even if you’re changing careers, employers still want to see where you’ve worked, what you’ve done, and the impact of that work to get a sense of your background and expertise.

Your “Work Experience” might be one entire category, or you might choose to break it up into “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience” to highlight the jobs that are most important for hiring managers to focus on. Either way, you’ll almost always want to have your most recent experience at the top and your older experience down below.

Within your work experience, you’ll want to include each official job title, the company (and possibly its location), and the years you worked there. Below that, you’ll add in two to four bullet points explaining what you did in that job, the skills you built and exercised, the tools you used, and the results of what you did. If you accomplished a lot during your time there, focus on the responsibilities that made the most impact or you’re the most proud of, as well as the ones that best align you with the job you’re applying for (more on that in the following sections). It’s key here to list, if relevant, quantitative as well as qualitative accomplishments.

For example, you might write:

Associate Accountant, Finances and Co., Ann Arbor, MI September 2017 – Present

• Manage billing and invoicing for more than 50 clients, ensuring the deadlines and needs of our enterprise partners, including Big Company and Super Star Org, are met
• Collaborate closely with sales, account management, and project management teams on project setup, maintenance, and invoice management
• Assist in the streamlining of invoicing guidelines and procedures through documentation and the implementation of new software, resulting in an average two-week decrease in total time spent per client

Your resume bullets should be in past tense if you’re referring to past jobs and present tense if you’re talking about your current roles. In addition, your bullets should always start with a strong action verb that best describes what you did. And if you have examples of your work, consider hyperlinking them here as well.

If you have a ton of experience and this category is starting to run long (read: over one page), consider kicking out your oldest jobs unless they’re super relevant to the job you’re applying for, or extra impressive for your field.

Not sure where to start? “It’s helpful to do a brain dump and create a document that has everything and anything you consider as experience or an achievement,” says Yurovsky. From there, she explains, you can start to whittle down what is and isn’t important. And you can refer to this document later if you ever decide to update your resume for a specific role.

Need more specific advice on listing your work experience on your resume? Check out these additional resources:

• When you’ve held multiple jobs at the same company: 2 Jobs, 1 Company: How to Show Multiple Positions on Your Resume
• When you’re not sure what your accomplishments are or how to explain them: Resume Revamp: How to Turn Your Duties Into Accomplishments
• When you want to spruce up a boring or insignificant job: How to Make Your Most Boring Jobs Sound More Interesting on Your Resume
• When you’re considering fudging a job title: The Answer to “Can I Change My Job Title on My Resume to Make It More Accurate?”
• When you’ve had a bunch of short-term gigs: How to List Temporary Jobs on Your Resume

4. Consider Including Volunteer Work or Other Experience

Anything you’ve done that’s not work experience—your side gig, volunteer work, special projects—can be hosted under clearly-labeled sections (“Volunteer Experience” or “Activities,” for example). Depending on how robust your work experience is, these things may be worth including, particularly if they’ve helped you level up your skill set or better align you with your dream job. Plus, they make you look that much more well-rounded, passionate, and hardworking.

If you’re a recent grad, you might also build out a section for on-campus activities, such as clubs, organizations, or leadership experience. This can be a great supplement if you’re lacking in the jobs department. You can frame these just as you would professional jobs—including your title, the organization’s name, and bullets describing what your role was and what you accomplished.

Read More: This Is Exactly How to List Volunteer Work on Your Resume

5. Don’t Forget Your Education

If you’re still in school or just graduated, your education can go at the top of your resume, but for pretty much everyone else, this goes near the bottom. Most people include their school, graduation year (for folks less up to about a decade out of school), major, and degree. Brand-new grads might also write in their GPA, honors and awards, study abroad, thesis, or other notable achievements. But keep this section super simple, as you don’t want it to take up too much space over your work experience.

It’s possible you have unique education experience, such as taking an online course or certification. If you did this specifically as a way to boost yourself within your industry, definitely include it. Again, list everything more or less reverse chronologically—so a grad school degree would go above an undergrad degree, and a more recent relevant online course would go above that.

Learn more about the ins and outs of listing your education on your resume:

• How to (and How Not to) List Education on Your Resume
• How to List Online Courses on Your Resume the Right Way (Because Yes, There Is a Wrong Way)

6. Top It Off With Some Skills and Interests

The skills section of a resume gets a bad rap, but it’s just as important as the rest of the stuff you include. It’s a quick list a recruiter can scan to see if your skill set aligns with what they’re hiring for. And it’s super ATS-friendly (ATS stands for “applicant tracking system,” the robot that in some cases reads your resume before a human does) because it allows you to add in keywords the machine is scanning for.

Usually this section goes at the bottom of your resume, but in special cases—such as a skills-based resume or when someone’s switching fields—you may place it further up.

What exactly do you throw in here? You’ll want to list any hard skills and applications you’re familiar with (Photoshop, SEO, JavaScript, to name a few examples), and, if relevant, your level of expertise. Avoid including soft skills here, like time management or public speaking—save those for your bullet points instead.

Be strategic when filling in your skills. Don’t list things you actually couldn’t do at a high competence level (I’m looking at those of you who say you’re “great” at Excel), and maybe nix skills that are completely irrelevant to the job you want. For example, you may not even need to include Excel if you’re applying for say, a design position, unless it’s listed as a job requirement.

Maybe you’re thinking, I’m a really good volleyball player, but that’s not a “skill,” right? No, it’s not, but it is a hobby. Adding in a hobby section at the bottom of your resume is underrated, and frequently a smart choice. It can be a great conversation starter with a hiring manager, and it can show that you’re a good culture fit—or a culture add—for the company. Also, it’s just a nice way to add in some of your personality. So tack on a bullet point listing out some of your interests, such as hiking, rowing, or crafting (no more than five to seven work-appropriate verbs), and you’re all set here.

7. Write a Resume Summary Statement (if Relevant)

You may have heard of a resume summary statement . They’re not super common, but they can be useful to include near the top of your resume if you’re looking to add clarity or context to your resume. If you’re a career changer, you might find a summary statement helpful in explaining your leap and tying your experience to your new path. Or if you’re a more experienced professional, you can use a summary statement to highlight a theme that brings your career trajectory together.

Overall, you probably won’t need a summary statement if your career is pretty linear and your bullet points do a great job of emphasizing what you have to offer in terms of skills and experience. But if you think it makes sense to include one, “Take the time to think about what the person reading your summary wants to know before you write it,” says McGovern. “Good summaries explain why you do what you do and how it can help. For instance: Merging a background in ABC, I help companies improve XYZ through 123. Summaries shouldn’t be any more complicated than that.”

So, taking McGovern’s example, you might say:

Merging a background in social media marketing and PR with seven years in the consumer tech space, I help companies improve their internal and external communication and brand awareness through data-driven, quality content and strategies that align with the modern trends of the space.

Yurovsky adds that “you don’t want your summary statement to be a dense paragraph with too much information. You want it to be easy to read, concise, and memorable. Almost like a tagline.”

Read More: 3 Resume Summary Examples That’ll Make Writing Your Own Easier

8. Tailor It to the Job (and the ATS)

Once you have your resume written out—you’ve broken down your work experience, tagged on some activities and additional experiences, and listed out your skills—it’s important to go back to the job description (or multiple job descriptions, if you’re applying to several similar jobs) and make sure that what your resume says matches up with the kind of candidate the employers are looking for. In other words, tailor it .

Let’s explain further. You’ll want to begin by tackling the ATS . This means combing the job description to see if individual words and phrases line up. What skills are they asking for, and have you listed them (so long as you actually have them)? What words are they using to describe their ideal hire, and do you use similar language in your resume?

Next, take a bird’s-eye view. If you were the hiring manager for the role, where on your resume would your eyes be drawn to? And what would you be looking for? Whatever you think will be most important for the recruiter, make sure it’s near the top of your resume, or otherwise emphasized.

Finally, dig into the role and responsibilities of the job. Does your resume reflect similar experience? If not, is there a way you can spin it so that it’s clear you’re capable of doing the job (and doing it well)?

These articles can help you if the word “tailoring” makes you start to sweat:

• What It Really Means to “Tailor Your Resume”
• Your Guide to Making Unrelated Experience Look Relevant on Your Resume
• A Cool Trick: How to Spin 1 Resume Bullet 5 Different Ways

9. Edit and Refine It

Please, please don’t just write your resume and shoot it out without giving it a second glance. Hiring managers may not spend hours browsing it, but if there’s one thing that sticks out more than anything else it’s a glaring typo.

The best approach? Write a rough draft, then leave and come back to it later with fresh eyes to give it an edit.

Cover the basics: Is your contact information correct and updated? Are you using the right verb tenses? Does everything look consistent and accurate in terms of spelling and grammar?

Then do some cutting if your resume’s quite long. It’s no longer a hard-and-fast rule that all resumes must be only one page—but consider it a smart guideline for most applicants, especially if you've got less than 10 years work experience. The exception is if you’re very senior or very established in your career; in this scenario, a two-page resume isn’t completely out of the question. Everyone else, read this article for advice on how to cut your resume down.

Formatting-wise, it’s key to consider a couple things. First, what font are you using , and is it legible (for a human and a robot)? When in doubt, go with one of these simple, but sleek, options: Arial, Arial Narrow, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, or Helvetica.

Second, are you going to save it as a Word document or PDF ? Neither option is wrong, although a PDF helps ensure that your formatting is maintained, no matter what type of computer the hiring manager uses to open the document.

Third, is your resume formatted in a way that it’s skimmable? If it’s feeling crowded or overrun with words, read this: 12 Tiny Changes That Make Your Resume Easy for Recruiters to Skim .

Once you’ve given it a few good looks, it may be worth sending it to a friend or colleague (or even a career coach ) to get a second opinion. Don’t just have them edit it for spelling and grammar—they should dig into your bullets and offer feedback on whether or not your resume is showing you in the best possible light (it’s smart to also send them the job description for something to compare it to).

Here’s the thing: Your resume won’t ever look exactly like someone else’s, nor should it. How you choose to format it, organize your information, and talk about specific experiences depends not just on your career path, but on your field, the job you’re applying for, the company that job is at, and more.

So there isn’t a universal way to do a resume. But there are common themes. To give you some context as to how yours might turn out, here are three examples of different kinds of resumes.

The Most Popular: A Reverse Chronological Resume

As previously mentioned, a reverse chronological resume is preferred by many coaches and HR experts, mainly because it’s super readable. When everything’s in a clear order, it’s easy to skim and even easier to draw lines between experiences.

Who it’s good for: Just about everyone—from students applying to internships all the way up to senior-level executives (with an optional resume summary statement)

Download an Example Chronological Resume for a Software Engineer

The Unorthodox Route: A Functional or Skills-Based Resume

Rather than listing out your experience in reverse chronological order, a functional or skills-based resume has bullet points that reflect how each of your skills is demonstrated by the work you’ve done over the course of your career. At the bottom, you’ll include everything else, such as your education, job history, professional achievements, community involvement, and other technical skills. This is a good option if you have a somewhat all-over-the-place work history and want to tie everything together neatly.

Who it’s good for: Career changers whose work experiences may not appear to be relevant and people with an abundance of temporary jobs or gaps in their work histories.

Download an Example Functional Resume for a Project Manager

The Creative Angle: An Infographic Resume or Resume Website

This resume type is characterized by how it’s formatted visually. You may choose a reverse chronological order or skills-based style to organize your information, but also use graphics, colors, unique fonts, and even multimedia elements to help that information pop. Keep in mind that any creative resume is still likely subject to an ATS—and certain elements may be unreadable by a robot. So consider going this route only if you know a human will be reading your resume (and that said human might enjoy it).

Who it’s good for: People applying to creative roles (designers, editors, writers, marketers, video producers, for example), startups, or fun companies, or to jobs where a creative resume is encouraged, if not required.

Download an Example Infographic Resume for a Designer

Not a designer but want your resume to look just as pretty as this example? Check out these articles:

• 5 Sites to Create an Awesome Infographic Resume (Even if You’re the Least Creative Person Ever)
• How to Build a Resume Website That Will Impress Every Hiring Manager Who Sees It
• 5 Digital Tools That Will Make Your Resume Infinitely More Beautiful

Your resume is a living, breathing document. So while you won’t go through this whole process every time you apply for a job, you should be thinking about all these things as you go to update your resume for your next career step. You might decide later on to switch up the order, or remove or add things, or even get creative and try out a whole new format. If you’re not getting the calls back you expect, you may decide to scrap it and start over —and that’s totally OK.

Regardless of where this piece of paper goes and how it grows, when you give it the care and attention it deserves, you set yourself up for success. And you’ll make it that much more likely that you’ll land an interview and get the chance to prove to the hiring manager—over the phone or in person—what you’ve got to offer.

• Knowledge Base
• Free Resume Templates
• Resume Builder
• Resume Examples
• Free Resume Review

Click here to directly go to the complete resume sample.

How to make a resume?

A resume is a gateway to your dream job. Drafting a job-winning professional resume can feel quite challenging and overwhelming, especially if you are making it for the first time.

A few industry-standard resume building strategies can help you in jotting down your skills and experience in a professional document, tremendously boosting your chances of getting shortlisted.

Read to learn the key points of the article on creating a job resume:

• Choose a suitable resume format with appropriate line spacing, margin, and font as it is essential for drafting your resume.
• Read the job description carefully and inculcate keywords in your resume to make it ATS friendly.
• If you are a fresh graduate or changing career path, opt for writing an objective statement rather than a resume summary.
• Mention your key achievements and provide numbers to heighten the impact of your contribution.

This article will answer the following questions in details:

• How to build a resume?
• What to include in a resume?
• How to get your resume shortlisted?

How to Build a Resume?

Creating a resume can feel like a daunting task, and being unaware of the right process can make you feel clueless. We are here to guide you to the right path of creating a resume and give you some comfort amidst so much confusion.

Here is a 'how to make a resume' checklist that you can follow:

Pick the Right Resume Format for Creating a Resume

There are 3 standard resume formats:

• Reverse Chronological Format: This format lists your recent education and work experience first and then highlights the rest of the details dating back to the oldest one.
• Functional Resume Format: It focuses on your skills and achievements instead of work experience.
• Combination Resume Format: This format gives equal weightage to your skills and work experience.

Out of the 3 above-mentioned resume formats, the reverse chronological format is the most used resume format and is a safer bet.

You can use a functional resume format if you are changing careers or have career gaps but in general, always opt for a reverse-chronological format.

Choose the Right Resume Layout to Build a Resume

Failing to choose the suitable resume layout can make your resume look cluttered and cramped & ultimately pave its way to the rejected piles of resumes.

Read the best practices to choose the right resume layout:

• Line Spacing: Go for a single or 1.15 line spacing between text and double line spacing after subheadings
• Margin: Ensure a one-inch margin on all four sides of your resume to maintain the right balance between text and space.
• Text Font: Use a 10-12 point font size and keep the size consistent throughout.

Note: Keep the font size of your name, job title, and section headings larger than the text font to maintain a clear distinction between the stated features of your resume.

Read the Job Description Before Creating a Resume

Read the job description of the profile you are interested in to get an insight into what skills and experience are required for getting shortlisted for the specific job.

Sort out companies you want to work with and understand what those companies are looking for in a candidate.

As you send the resume to the companies, tweaking it as per job requirements and then sending it can increase your chances of getting more interviews.

How to Make a Resume?

Let us learn the essentials of creating a resume:

A professional resume is divided into the following sections:

• Personal information
• Profile title
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (if any)
• Awards & recognition (if any)
• Volunteering Experience (If any)
• Additional information (if any)

Also read: Must have sections in a resume.

How to Make a Resume: Resume Header?

Your name occupies the top section of your resume, giving it a unique identity.

Ensure the following points while writing the resume header:

• Use a font size between 16 and 20.
• Do not write "CV" or "Resume".
• If you have a middle name, write the initials followed by a full stop. Example: "Noah June Bownas" should be written as "Noah J. Bownas".

Also read: How to craft a perfect resume header?

What to Include in the Personal Information Section of Resume?

Ideally, the personal information section includes the following details:

• Phone Number
• Email Address
• LinkedIn Url (Optional)
• GitHub Url (Optional)
• Website/Blog Link (Optional)

How to Create a Resume: Profile Title

Your profile title is the 2nd largest text on your resume and is in the range of 14-16 font size.

Your most recent job title should ideally be the profile title of your resume. Do not commit the mistake of exaggerating your profile title, hoping to get a better pay.

How to Present Work Experience in your Resume?

The professional experience section is one of the most critical components of your resume. Your work experience can go all waste if you do not know how to succinctly mention it in your resume in the most effective manner.

Let us see the best approach to write the professional experience section:

• Use the STAR format
• Frame one-liner points
• Use Grouping & Highlighting

Also read: Step-by-step guide on crafting a professional experience section

How to Build a Resume: Education Section

Mention the below-mentioned details in the education section of your resume:

• Name of your school/university
• Name of the courses you have pursued
• The location of your school/university
• Date of enrollment and graduation in month and year format

This is how you need to put your educational details in your resume:

Also read: How to list eduction section on a resume?

How to Make a Resume: Certifications Section

Mention the following information in the certifications section of your java developer resume:

• Name of the certification you have pursued.
• Name of the certification issuing body.
• Location of the certifying authority.
• Enrollment and completion date in the month and year format.

Align the information as specified below

{Name of certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (in month & year format)

Also read: Should we add certifications to resume?

How to Make a Resume: Skills Section

This section gives the recruiter a broad view of your professional skills.

If you are applying for a technical profile, make two separate sections viz. 'KEY SKILLS' and 'TECHNICAL SKILLS', or you can create a technical skills subhead under the key skills section and mention your technical skills.

It is highly recommended to read the job description and identify the relevant keywords to design your skills section. It will help you beat the bots but make sure that you do not exaggerate or add any skill that you do not possess.

Resume sample for skills section:

Also read: Is there a correct way to add skills to a resume?

How to Build a Resume: Summary Section

The resume summary is an overview of your achievements and past roles & responsibilities.

Follow the guidelines mentioned below to draft the perfect resume summary:

• Always draft your resume summary at the end.
• Write the resume summary only if you have experience of 3 years and above.
• Scan the most relevant skills and achievements from your professional experience section to highlight in the summary section.
• Keep it between 3-5 lines.

Have a look at the snapshot below to help you design your resume summary:

Also read: Tips for curating a perfect resume summary

Is Your Resume Not Getting Shortlisted?

Are you not getting enough calls for the interviews that you should be getting? Do not worry. We will share some proven tips and tricks that can do wonders for you.

Let us see what you might be doing wrong:

• Not Using Enough Keywords

Use words in your resume based on the requirement of the job position you have been eyeing on. For instance, if the job description states the requirement of presentation skills, you can mention the same in your professional experience and skills sections.

• Not Customizing

Sending the same resume to all the companies can be one of the biggest reasons for not getting enough interview calls. Customizing your resume can enormously improve your chances of getting shortlisted.

• Not Providing Numbers

Provide figures around your achievements to give an idea of the value of your contribution to previous organizations. For example, you can provide ballpark numbers around the number of clients you handled, issues you resolved, etc.

• Not Proofreading

It is crucial to review the final draft of your resume before sending it to the hiring manager. A simple grammatical error or spelling mistake can set the wrong impression and can affect your shortlisting rate.

Hiration Pro Tip: Send your resume in pdf format unless specifically mentioned to send it in word format.

Resume Sample: What to Include in a Resume?

• Front-end tools: CSS3, JavaScript, HTML5, and jQuery
• Code Versioning tools: Git, Mercurial, and SVN
• Debugging tools: Chrome Inspector and Firebug
• Designed 5+ web pages and applications that increased user satisfaction by an average of 15%
• Coordinating with clients to determine project scope & timelines while delivering projects within budget
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams and delivered 10+ mission-critical projects worth millions successfully
• Generating WordPress themes and plugins while liaising with the content team for troubleshooting content issues
• Conducting website performance tests as part of ensuring 100% quality and zero defects
• Monitoring the performance of live websites to ensure high-performance and orchestrating all technical aspects of the CMS
• Performing a critical role in meeting with clients to discuss website design & functions, and adhering to their requests
• Planning and building the website front-end via HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and designing the website architecture
• Designing and monitoring the website back-end including database and server integration
• Coordinated with 15+ developers to deliver functional and visually appealing website meeting clients' requirements
• Planned the layout of the website while ensuring that the website is optimized for various devices
• Designed website mock-ups before the commencement of a new project to incorporated client's additional feedback
• Created project plans and generated reports for providing updates to the senior professionals and adhering to timeframes
• Played an instrumental role in assisting senior UI developers by contributing to design and coding parts for the website
• CGPA: 3.8/4.0
• Member of the DesignForChange Club | Jun '15 - Jan '17
• Volunteer at 'TheFuture' NGO | Jun '15 - Present
• Collaborating with 15 other volunteers to teach computer skills to at-risk children
• Facilitating extracurricular activities by organizing various events during weekends, and ensuring active participation
• Languages: English (native), French (fluent)

Key Takeaways

• Choose reverse chronological resume format unless you have gaps in your career or you are changing industries.
• Opt for the resume layout with appropriate line spacing, margin, and font.
• Read the job description and customize your resume for each company to make it ATS friendly.
• Quantify your key achievements in your past jobs wherever possible to have the recruiter's attention.
• Proofread your resume before sending the final draft to avoid any spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.

Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and an AI-powered resume builder, along with a ChatGPT-powered interview prep platform.

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Resume Help - How To Write a Resume In 2023 | The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

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How To Write a Resume In 2023 | The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

A step-by-step guide covering everything you need to know about how to write a resume in 2021, with resume templates, examples, and hacks you can steal.  A good resume is critical in job hunting for job seekers and recent graduates seeking new jobs and a career change. It acts as the first point of contact…

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A step-by-step guide covering everything you need to know about how to write a resume in 2021, with resume templates, examples, and hacks you can steal. 

A good resume is critical in job hunting for job seekers and recent graduates seeking new jobs and a career change. It acts as the first point of contact between a recruiter or potential employer and boosts your chances of getting hired. 

With a poorly written resume, you’ll be sitting around missing out on fantastic employment opportunities. So you’re probably wondering how to make a resume that captures the HR’s attention and lands you interviews with the best potential employers. 

This guide will help you make an outstanding resume and understand the process of crafting a great resume. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a resume in 2021. 

How to Write a Resume – Step by step

• Pick The Correct Resume Template
• Choose The Correct Resume Format
• Choose The Correct Layout
• Build Your Resume Content

Resume Summary or Resume Objective 

1. Pick The Correct Resume Template

The first step in writing a resume is deciding how to write the resume. Critics often discredit resume templates for reasons such as the absence of uniqueness and creativity. The myth is that every job seeker goes online, finds a template, and uses it to craft their resume. As such, recruiters see the same templates in every talent recruitment session. 

However, these myths about resume templates are far from the truth. Resume templates are diverse and customizable to fit your needs. Furthermore, more than 100+ free resume templates are circulating online. Also, your resume is your work experience and is, therefore, unique. 

The alternative for resume templates is a basic text editor. This method consumes time and requires creativity and originality, which you may struggle with. When you use a text editor, you spend countless hours working on the format, only to lose it when you make the slightest change. 

Instead of struggling with resume formats and building resumes from scratch, we recommend using our 33 most used professional resume templates . You’ll find it easy to summarize your career information when the template is already laid out for you. 

What’s more, we have a broad selection of resume templates for recent graduates, interns, and experienced professionals. 

2. Choose The Correct Resume Format 

After selecting StylingCV for your resume template needs, you need to choose the correct format for your resumes . Resume templates follow three main formats. 

1) Reverse chronological resume format : This is a popular resume format among job seekers with extensive careers and work experience. 

2) Skill-based/ Functional resume format : A skill-based resume format is excellent if you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/ recent graduate. This format is also great for workers seeking a career change. 

3) Combination resume format : A combination format is great for you when you need to showcase your skills and experience in several fields. For example, this format is useful if you have worked in legal, banking, and finance departments and wish to apply for a senior management position in a company. 

The reverse-chronological format is the most popular and an excellent choice for all. This means that your latest work experience appears first, and then you date back to your first work experience. The same reverse-chronology is also applied to your education and certifications. 

Fortunately, you can also pick a resume based on your specialty in StylingCV. 

3. Choose The Correct Layout 

The first thing any recruiter notices about your resume is the layout. Is it appealing, crowded or cluttered? Is it too spaced out or boring? Does it capture the recruiter’s attention?

There are several tips to consider when choosing a resume layout.

• Use clear section headings and keep them consistent to guide the reader. For example, you can choose the H2 format for all resume headings. 
• Have ample white space around the text to reduce clutter and create a neat appearance. 
• Use an easy-to-read font. Examples include Arial, Cambria, Calibri, Helvetica, and Didot. 
• Use the right font size. Use font size 11-12 for text and 14-16 for headings. 
• Always save your resume as a pdf to avoid changes when you transfer the document. 
• Select the format based on the industry you’re applying to. For example, more traditional sectors such as legal and finance may appreciate the Alfred resume template, while modern industries such as tech may appreciate the Catics resume template more. Check our site for more templates . 

4) Build Your Resume Content 

Your resume is a summary of your career, skills, and accomplishments as far as your career is concerned. It’s also a contact card and an opportunity to showcase your personality and uniqueness. As such, what you include in your resume matters. Let’s discuss the most popular sections for a resume. 

Contact Information

One critical section in your resume is the “contact information”. Your contact information should include:

• Your name, preferably the first and last name 
• Address/ Location 
• Phone number 
• Your professional title, if any
• LinkedIn URL- This directs the recruiter to your LinkedIn profile, where you share detailed information about your accomplishments and responsibilities. 
• Social media handles, especially if you have a published portfolio. This could be Medium if you are a writer, Behance if you are a designer, or Github for developers. 

You do not need to include a headshot to show the recruiter your appearance. Also, avoid using unprofessional emails. 

Recruiters and employers spend an average of 6 seconds scanning your resume. Therefore, you have exactly 6 seconds to capture the recruiter’s attention and impress them with this resume section. This means that no matter how many “how to write a CV” searches you do, you’re wasting precious time if your summary does not tick the right boxes. 

The resume summary is 2-3 sentences long and lists your strengths, accomplishments, responsibilities, and desired goals for working for the company. However, you should avoid resume summaries if you’re a recent graduate with no job experience. 

Tips for writing a resume summary:

• Describe yourself: A “hardworking”, “motivated”, “fast-paced” etc. employee 
• Your job expeirnce: A certified developer with two years of experience
• Achievements: Specialized in software development, UX, and customer care 
• Desired Goal: Looking for an opportunity to work as the lead designer and leverage my experience in managing design teams 

Work Experience 

Your work experience is an opportunity to list your accomplishments, responsibities, and roles. You can list your work experience as follows:

• Job title: For each job entry, state your work title as the first part. 
• Company name: State the name of the company and the location where you worked in a specific role.
• Achievement/ responsibility: Either list your achievements or responsibilities in the role. Be as detailed as possible. For example, “Created a new keyword and title template for organic inbound marketing and boosted blog engagement by 20% within 3 months”. 
• Employment dates.

When you explain your experience, be detailed instead of listing the general responsibilities in your role. You want the recruiter to know what you accomplished and distinguish yourself from the crowd. You can also state your proficiency level based on the NIH Proficiency Scale . 

Remember to tailor your resume to the role. 

When you submit your resume to a job board, an Applicant Tracking System filters the resumes before any recruiter sees them. The ATS (for resume) is software that helps recruiters filter through hundreds of resumes submitted to job boards. 

You should tailor each resume to the job you’re applying for to cross the first filtration process. You can do this by including the right keywords in your resume. Peruse the job description, note the crucial education, skill, and experience requirements, and mirror them in your resume. 

For example, if the job description asks for more than five years of experience in software development, your resume should state, “5+ years of experience in software development”. 

If the job description is looking for a digital marketer with social media experience, campaign management, and organic marketing, list these keywords in your accomplishments or skills. 

The work experience you list depends on your current situation. For example, for job hunters with no experience, it’s better to focus on other sections. However, it’s better for CEOs with decades of experience to list the five most recent roles relevant to the job you’re applying for and ignore your first experience as a cashier. 

List your education in reverse chronological order. For example, an education entry may appear as follows. 

• Program Name: Bachelor’s Degree in Education 
• Name of Institution: Warren State College
• Years of Attendance: 2000-2014 
• (Optional) Honors:Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude
• (Optional) Academic achievements: Papers you’ve written and have been published
• (Optional) GPA: 3.5 

The education section is vital if you have no work experience. Always start with the latest education achievement, and generally, avoid mentioning your high school education if you have a university education. Lastly, only mention optional features if they help you stand out and are impressive.  

The skills section is a must-have in any resume. You can list hard, measurable skills . Examples of hard skills are coding in Python and JavaScript or knowing how to make a latte. 

With Styling CV resume templates , you can mention your hard skills and show your expertise level. For example, beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert. 

You should also mention transferrable soft skills such as excellent communication, team management, critical thinking, and social skills. Overall, remember only to mention skills that are relevant to your job application. For example, coffee-making skills are great but not crucial for accountant positions. 

Other Sections 

You can expand your resume by listing other sections such as:

• Languages: Are you native, basic, intermediate, proficient, or fluent in the languages?
• Hobbies and Interests: This section is great for job seekers with little to no experience, especially because you can use it to showcase your skills. 
• Volunteering Experience: Volunteering experience showcases your philanthropy, loyalty, devotion, and values. 
• Certification and Awards: Have you received certificates and awards for participating in competitions and events? List them. 
• Projects and publications: If you have personal projects relevant to your job and publications worth showcasing, you can list them and link to their respective sites. 

1- What does a resume look like in 2023?

There are three standard resume formats: functional, reverse chronological, and combination (or, hybrid). In 2023, the reverse-chronological format will be the most widely used, thus we usually advise using that one.

2- What is the best resume format for 2023?

Reverse-Chronological Resumes

Reverse chronological resumes are now the most popular resume style among job seekers. They are also likely the simplest for hiring managers and recruiters to understand at a glance, which is in and of itself advantageous.

3- How many pages should my resume be 2023?

In 2023, how long should a resume be? There isn’t a perfect response. Your resume should be one or two pages long, depending on the position and your work history. A multi-page resume performs better than a one-page resume if you have more than ten years of relevant experience.

Get Your Dream Job Now 

At StylingCV , we help you get your dream job by helping you with your resumes, CVs, and cover letters. You can explore our resume examples , cover letter examples, and resume builder to help you get your desired position. If you need help writing a cover letter, exploring job interview questions and answers, and crafting the best resumes and CVs, look no further. 

Create your resume now!

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Resume Trends To Follow in 2024

Some resume advice is timeless … but not all of it. Here’s a list of the current resume trends worth following, including our top resume tips for 2024 and beyond.

2 years ago   •   7 min read

The job market is changing more rapidly than ever, which means that resume trends seem to be coming (and going) faster than ever. So, which trends are worth following — and which ones are better off ignored?

We’ve analyzed the current resume trends and landed on 12 resume trends for 2024 that aren’t going anywhere. These are all based on data and backed by recruiters, which means you can bypass the fads and skip straight to the resume tips that’ll actually help you land a job.

Wondering what the best resume tips are for 2024? Here’s a quick overview.

Top 12 resume trends in 2024

In 2024, look out for:

• Sticking with a classic resume format
• Keeping it brief
• Having multiple resumes
• Optimizing your resume with keywords
• Integrating soft skills
• Quantifying your impact with numbers
• Embracing of remote work
• Using AI to help your job search
• ... And leaning into AI-specific skillsets
• Highlighting technical skills
• Addressing the market
• Linking to social media

Let’s take a more in-depth look at each of these trends, including what they mean for you and how to stay ahead of the curve.

Top resume trends for 2024

1. use a simple chronological resume format.

In 2024, we’ve seen a lot of resume trends come and go. Infographics, functional resumes, and online resume builders have all come … and gone. What’s here to stay is the classic, easy to read chronological resume.

When writing a resume, there’s no need to get creative with fonts , images, graphs, tables, or fancy layouts. Instead:

Download a simple ATS-ready resume template

• Stick to default formatting in Google Docs or Microsoft Word
• List your experience in order from most recent to least recent
• Always include your dates of employment
• Use bold, underline, and italics if you need text to stand out
• Export your resume as a PDF to keep your formatting intact

2. Keep your resume short and skimmable

Sometimes, less is more — and that includes on your resume. Most resumes only need to be one page long and include:

• Contact details
• Work experience
• A short section for relevant skills and other information

Most of that should be in bullet point format, too, which means recruiters can quickly skim your resume — and important information is more likely to stand out.

Related: How Long Should a Resume Be?

3. Have multiple versions of your resume

Think you can write a single, perfect resume that you can use to apply to any job? Think again!

One of the best ways to land a job is to tailor your resume, which means you’ll end up having at least a few different variations of the same resume. This could be as simple as adding a resume title or as in-depth as curating which jobs you list when applying for roles in different industries. You can also get help from tools like Targeted Resume , which will check your resume against the target job description and identify specific ways to tailor your resume to that position.

Related: How To Tailor Your Resume To a Job

4. Bypass ATS with resume keywords

If you’re currently applying for jobs, you’ve probably heard of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These are automated scanners that companies use to screen resumes before they hit the desk of a hiring manager.

ATS search your resume for a set list of keywords, which means they’re pretty easy to bypass. The key is to not overdo it — after all, you don’t want a resume so stuffed full of keywords that it gets rejected by the first person to read it. Instead, use a tool like our skills and keywords finder to search for relevant keywords and scatter them naturally throughout your resume.

Related: How To Beat Applicant Tracking Systems in a Few Easy Steps

5. Highlight transferable skills

These days, nobody expects to stay in the same job for their whole career — the average tenure of a new job is less than five years , which means that the average person will hold around 12 jobs in their lifetime. With that in mind, it makes sense to build your resume around skills that you can take with you — in other words, transferable (or soft) skills.

According to a recent breakdown of job listing, the top soft skills recruiters are looking for include:

• Communication
• Customer service
• Time management and scheduling
• Project management
• Analytical thinking
• Working independently
• Interpersonal skills and collaboration
• Flexibility
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Multitasking

Related: Here's How To Include Soft Skills on Your Resume

6. Quantify your impact with concrete metrics

The easiest way to show the actual impact you had in a role is to use numbers in your bullet points . This allows hiring managers to get a better feel for how you’re likely to perform in the new role. It’s also a good way to stand out in a sea of applicants, as the vast majority of resumes don’t fully quantify their accomplishments.

Here’s an okay bullet point:

Hired, coached and led sales team.

By adding more details, we can make it better:

Hired, coached and led sales team of five to make sales calls, make client visits and close deals.

And by using metrics to show results, we create an impactful, measurable accomplishment :

Hired, coached and led sales team of five to make sales calls, make client visits and close deals; generated $10M in sales contracts.

Related: How To Quantify Your Resume

7. Get on board with remote work

You don’t have to be looking for remote work to know that it’s everywhere — and you shouldn’t expect this to go away in 2024. Job boards like FlexJobs and Remote OK cater specifically to people looking for remote work, while even the larger job boards have hundreds of thousands of remote jobs listed.

Even if you aren’t working remotely, you’re likely to be dealing with people who are, which means that highlighting experience managing remote workers or your ability to use remote tools like Slack and Zoom is always a plus.

Related: The Complete Guide To Listing Remote Work on a Resume

8. Use AI to your advantage

In 2024, it seems like Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. Employers are obviously using it — but so can job seekers.

AI-powered tools like Score My Resume work in a similar way to ATS, by analyzing your resume and providing actionable steps to improve it . Think of it kind of like a Grammarly for resumes — instead of just fixing your spelling and grammar, it can check for job-specific keywords, resume and bullet point length , inconsistencies, word choice, and any filler or buzzwords you can safely eliminate.

9. Learn to work with AI, too

If you believe the naysayers, AI is about to take over and automate just about every job imaginable. Which may be true ... but in that case, who runs the AI?

The answer is: People do. If AI has started invading your industry, look at expanding your skillset to include AI-specific skills, like AI-assisted coding or ChatGPT prompt writing .

10. Prove that you’re competent with technology

The technology trend doesn't stop with AI. Even in low-tech fields, a little tech savvy goes a long way. Being able to troubleshoot problems and use common technologies can make the difference between hitting the ground running and struggling to keep up.

Looking to make the next move in your career — or to change fields entirely? 2024 is an excellent time to start developing in-demand skills like:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Cybersecurity
• Data analysis
• Cloud computing
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR)
• Digital marketing
• User interface and user experience design (UI and UX)
• Programming languages like HTML, CSS, Java, and SQL

11. Write a market-driven resume

This may sound gimmicky, but all it really means is a) keeping up-to-date with trends in hiring in general and your field in particular, and b) tweaking your resume to address these trends.

If that sounds calculated or impersonal, remember this: Your resume isn't about you, it's about the job you want. Instead of trying to include a complete history of who you are and what you've done, create a resume with a purpose — one that addresses specific needs in your industry or company and explains how you can fill those needs.

12. Update and link your LinkedIn

Whether you’re always on social media or not a huge fan, there’s no doubt that it’s become an important part of job searching. LinkedIn alone is home to over 800 million users, including over 58 million registered companies.

Add a link to your LinkedIn profile, GitHub, or portfolio to the top of your resume (next to your contact details).

A trend we're seeing in 2024: Companies are recruiting more and more via LinkedIn so ATS now provide LinkedIn integrations, where experience can be imported via LinkedIn. So, keep your profile up to date and make sure it reflects skills on your resume.

If your LinkedIn needs a little revamp — or a complete overhaul — LinkedIn Review can provide personalized tips on how to optimize your profile and generate up to five times as many leads.

By the way, it's worth mentioning — keep your other social profiles, like Instagram or Facebook, on private when you're recruiting if you have any content you don't want recruiters seeing.

Related: How To Make Your LinkedIn Stand Out

Resume trends to avoid

Not all trends are created equal — so which ones should you avoid? Here's a list of gimmicks to steer clear of:

• Functional resumes. These are often touted as a way to hide a spotty work history or lack of experience, but in reality, they do the opposite — not listing dates on your resume or using a skills-based format just makes recruiters wonder what you're trying to hide.
• Infographics. These had their moment, but arguably were never a great idea in the first place (for a start, ATS can't read images). Skip the fancy graphics and stick to a classic, text-based resume.
• Resume objectives. This one's so old that some people are trying to make it new again. Resume summaries are different and can actually be useful, but an objective adds nothing to your candidacy. Skip it.
• Gimmicky resumes. It might sound fun to have your resume printed on a beer label, a t-shirt, or a QR code , but the people actually making hiring decisions aren't looking for fun — they're looking for a simple document clearly listing your work experience, skills, and education.

Remember that trends aren't everything — the most important thing when it comes to writing a resume is clearly communicating information. Anything that gets in the way of that is an instant "no."

• Career Advice

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The Top 10 Best Free Resume Builders of 2024

Get ahead in your job search with these top-rated tools that allow you to create a professional resume without hidden fees or premium upgrades.

Customers Interviewed by:

Is writing your resume giving you a headache? Use a resume builder and save valuable time!

In this article, we present the 10 best free resume builders you can use to create a perfect resume in no time. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each builder, show you how to use it, and provide resume examples.

What is a resume builder?

A resume builder is an online tool that comes with pre-made professional resume templates. All you need to do is plug in your information. The resume builder takes care of the rest!

The problem is that many resume builders that advertise themselves as free are NOT actually free. After you’ve spent time working on your resume, you’ll find that you need to pay to download it. This isn’t free, it’s frustrating!

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. The following list features resume builders that are actually free. There are no hidden costs, so you can write a resume and download it without any surprises.

Usability score: Extremely Easy

Why do I like this resume builder?

I have to admit, I’m a bit biased! But I really like this online resume builder. It’s easy to use and creates a highly readable, professional resume in no time. And it’s totally free.

My favorite part of this resume builder is that it’s  ATS-friendly . The templates are designed with applicant tracking systems in mind, ensuring your resume gets noticed by employers who use ATS software to screen applicants.

Another nice feature of this resume builder is the split-screen format. On the left is the area where you input your information. On the right is a real-time preview of your resume as you build it.

When you’re done, you can easily tailor your resume to the specific job you’re applying to by using Jobscan’s resume scanner (up to two free jobs a month).

The resume scanner provides you with a resume score that shows how closely your resume matches the description of the job you’re applying to. It also tells you how to increase your score to get a job interview for your dream job.

Is this resume builder really free? How do you use it?

Yes, Jobscan’s resume builder is 100% free. There are no hidden costs.

• Import an existing resume or create a new resume from scratch.
• Choose one of the ATS-friendly resume templates.
• Fill in your contact information, work history, education, skills, and certificates.
• Use Jobscan’s resume scanner to optimize your resume (two free jobs a month).
• Download your resume as a PDF.

Pros and cons of using Jobscan’s resume builder

• The tool is completely free to use, making it accessible to everyone.
• The split-screen format makes it easy to preview your resume as you build it.
• The free templates are ATS-friendly.
• There are no hidden costs.
• You can use Jobscan’s resume scanner to optimize your resume according to best practices.
• The free version only allows two free scans per month.
• AI assistant is only available with paid version.

Sample resume made with Jobscan

2. CakeResume

First of all, there’s a nice selection of templates. And the drag-and-drop interface allowed me to easily add and rearrange sections as needed.

In addition to a resume, I was able to create a public profile, which I linked my LinkedIn profile to. It was then easy to generate links to both my profile and my resume that could easily be shared.

The only downside of CakeResume is that you can just build one basic resume using their free version.

Yes, CakeResume is free, but you can only create one basic resume.

• Sign up for a free account.
• Pick a template that suits your professional style.
• Use their drag-and-drop interface to organize your professional experiences, education, and skills sections.
• Fill in your details.
• Create a public profile and link your LinkedIn information for added visibility.
• Click the PDF button in the upper left corner to download your resume for free.

Pros and cons of using CakeResume’s builder

• The drag-and-drop sections make customization simple.
• You can create a public profile, enhancing your professional presence.
• You can easily download your resume in PDF format.
• You can create a shareable link to your online resume.
• You can only create one free basic resume.
• The resume can only be downloaded in PDF format.
• The default templates are simple and might not be visually appealing.

Sample resume made with CakeResume

When you’re done building your resume with CakeResume, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

3. GotResumeBuilder

I found this free resume builder super easy to use. I used the drag-and-drop feature to quickly organize my sections, and was able to customize fonts and size without any problem.

I love that GotResumeBuilder offers an AI-powered writing assistant. This is a bonus in any free resume builder.

Finally, I liked that I could download my resume as a PDF or Word file without any hidden costs.

Overall, although it might not have all the bells and whistles of some paid tools, GotResumeBuilder is a fantastic option for anyone needing a reliable and cost-free resume builder.

Yes, GotResumeBuilder is entirely free.

• Select a template that fits your style.
• Add your contact info, job title, work experience, education, and skills.
• Use the AI-powered writing assistant to help you.
• Adjust fonts, sizes, and other design elements.
• Check the real-time preview to see how your resume looks.
• Once satisfied, download your resume in your preferred format (PDF, Word, HTML, or plain text).

Pros and cons of using GotResumeBuilder

• You can create and download resumes in multiple formats (PDF, Word, HTML, txt).
• The platform features an AI-powered writing assistant that can suggest bullet points​.
• Easy to customize with drag-and-drop organizer, quick font adjuster, and real-time preview​​.
• May lack some of the advanced functionalities found in premium resume builders, such as more in-depth resume design, customization, and integration with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)​​.

Sample resume made with GotResumeBuilder

When you’re done building your resume with GotResumeBuilder, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

4. Resume Trick

Usability score: Easy

Resume Trick offers a variety of free, customizable templates that cater to different styles and industries. It also has an AI-powered assistant, which provides writing suggestions and formatting tips. This is a big plus.

This resume builder is also multilingual. Besides English, other languages include German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Another plus.

Finally, you can download the finished resume in PDF format with no hidden costs. Everything a free resume builder should have!

Yes, Resume Trick is entirely free.

• Register for a free account using your Google credentials.
• Browse the selection of resume templates, which range from classic to modern designs.
• Enter your information, including your professional qualifications, education, and relevant skills.
• Use the AI tool to get helpful suggestions and formatting tips.
• Adjust the template’s layout, fonts, and colors to personalize your resume.
• Preview your resume.
• Once you’re satisfied, download your resume in PDF format for free.

Pros and cons of using Resume Trick’s builder

• A range of customizable templates that cater to different styles and industries.
• The AI assistant provides helpful writing suggestions and formatting tips.
• You can create resumes in multiple languages, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
• You can download the finished resume in PDF format at no cost.
• While the platform offers basic customization and AI assistance, it may lack some of the more advanced features available in premium resume builders.

Sample resume made with Resume Trick

When you’re done building your resume with Resume Trick, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

Usability score: Moderately easy

Enhancv is another strong resume builder that does the basics well. It’s got templates, easy customization, and even an AI assistant that helps “write and improve resumes”. And, of course, you can download your resume in PDF format.

BUT, you can only use the free version of Enhancv for 7 days. After that you’ll have to pay for a subscription.

During the free trial period, you can create up to two resumes and cover letters . You have access to all available resume and cover letter templates and basic resume sections.

Yes, it’s free for 7 days, after which you’ll have to pay for a subscription.

• Click on “Build Your Resume” to begin creating your resume.
• You can either start from scratch or upload an existing resume to get started.
• Select a template that suits your style and industry.
• Fill in your information.
• Use the drag-and-drop interface to rearrange sections. You can add up to 15 section items during the free trial.
• Check the real-time preview of your resume.
• During the free 7-day trial, you can download your resume in PDF format.

Pros and cons of using Enhancv’s builder

• Offers a wide range of templates that cater to different industries and styles.
• Features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to customize layouts, fonts, and colors.
• The AI-powered assistant provides writing suggestions and formatting tips.
• Users can preview their resume as they build it.
• After the 7-day trial, you must pay for a subscription to continue to access the resume builder.
• During the free trial, users are restricted to a maximum of 15 section items .

Sample resume made with Enhancv

When you’re done building your resume with Enhancv, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

6. ResumeGiants

Usability score : Moderately easy

I found ResumeGiants to be an excellent tool for creating a professional resume and cover letter.

First of all, the platform is free to use. You can create and download your resume without any hidden charges. And it has an AI assistant, which provides writing suggestions and formatting tips.

The platform is available in nearly a dozen languages, including German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Chinese, and Japanese.

Overall, ResumeGiants is a fantastic, user-friendly option for job seekers looking to create standout resumes at no cost.

Yes, ResumeGiants is completely free.

• Create a free account.
• Browse the variety of templates available and select the best fit.
• Fill in your personal details (address, email, phone number), work experience, education, and skills.
• Adjust the layout, fonts, and colors to suit your preferences.
• Use the AI-powered suggestions for writing and formatting tips.
• Check the real-time preview to ensure everything looks good.
• Download your resume in your preferred format (PDF, Word, etc.) for free.

Pros and cons of using ResumeGiant’s builder

• You can create and download resumes and cover letters without any hidden charges.
• Available in nearly a dozen languages.
• Provides AI-generated writing suggestions and formatting tips.
• The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate.
• Resumes created may not always be optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
• While the free features are robust, some advanced features may be limited compared to paid services.

Sample resume made with ResumeGiants

When you’re done building your resume with ResumeGiants, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

Usability score : Moderate

The best thing about Indeed’s resume builder is that you can automatically share your resume with potential employers on the Indeed website. 

Now for the negatives. Overall, I didn’t feel that this resume builder was flexible enough. For example, next to each resume skill you must add your experience level. I didn’t want that option but there’s no way to turn it off.

The education section was also limited (no option to choose MBA?). Plus, the ability to manually edit entries is limited as well.

But perhaps the biggest issue I had with this resume builder was that it doesn’t save your work! Although they do warn you with this message, “Your information will not be saved when this browser tab is closed.”

Yes, Indeed’s resume builder is free.

• Sign in to your Indeed account (or create one first).
• Click “Build your free resume”.
• Enter your contact info, work history, years of experience, and education.
• Include additional sections like skills, certifications, awards, and projects.
• Download your resume in PDF format.

Pros and cons of using Indeed’s resume builder

• You can automatically share your resume with potential employers on Indeed.
• Indeed’s resume builder is completely free with no hidden costs.
• You can upload your existing resume to have it automatically reformatted.
• The builder isn’t flexible enough; there’s no way to turn off options you don’t want.
• The ability to manually edit entries is limited.
• The builder does not save your work automatically, and your information will be lost if the browser tab is closed.

Sample resume made with Indeed

When you’re done building your resume with Indeed, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

8. Kickresume

I liked the user-friendly interface and the AI-powered writing assistant, which can help you generate and rewrite content.

Unfortunately, you can only list two skills with the free version, which is quite limiting. I also didn’t like that I couldn’t add a resume headline or resume summary . And the preview was too small to read properly.

On the positive side, the unlimited downloads are a nice feature for a free tool, and it offers the option to create a matching cover letter.

​Yes it’s free, but there are limitations (like only being able to list two skills).

• Sign up for a free Kickresume account.
• Select one of the four basic resume templates available.
• Enter your contact details, work history, and education.
• Include additional sections like skills (limited to 2 skills in the free version).
• Download your resume in PDF format, with unlimited downloads available.

Pros and cons of using Kickresume’s builder

• Allows you to use AI to generate and rewrite content.
• You can download your resume as many times as needed without additional costs.
• Provides the option to create a matching cover letter.
• You can only list two skills with the free version.
• The preview is too small to read comfortably.
• There is no option to include a resume headline or summary.
• The free version lacks flexibility in key areas, making it less practical for comprehensive resume building.

Sample resume made with Kickresume

When you’re done building your resume with Kickresume, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

It takes a bit of practice to learn how to use Canva, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to create a visually appealing resume in no time.

There’s a wide variety of templates to choose from, although many of them aren’t suitable for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). It’s also easy to customize colors , fonts, and layouts to truly make your resume your own.

Overall, I found Canva to be a strong resume builder with no hidden charges.

Yes, Canva users can create, edit, and download their resumes for free.

• Visit Canva’s website and sign up for a free account.
• Select a free template that fits your style.
• Open the template and use Canva’s drag-and-drop interface to personalize it.
• Change colors, fonts, and layouts to your liking.
• Enter your personal details, work experience, education, and skills.
• Add text boxes for additional sections like certifications or awards.
• Click the “Download” button, choose PDF format, and download your resume.
• Save your project in Canva for future updates and generate a shareable link if needed.

Pros and cons of using Canva’s resume builder

• The drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to customize templates, even for beginners.
• Hundreds of free, professionally designed templates are available.
• Users can personalize colors, fonts, and layouts
• Resumes can be downloaded in multiple formats (PDF, JPG, PNG) as many times as needed without any cost.
• Many of Canva’s templates might not be appropriate for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
• You can’t download your resume in Word format.
• There are no expert tips for writing or suggestions for relevant keywords, making it harder to tailor resumes for ATS.

Sample resume made with Canva

When you’re done building your resume with Canva, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

10. Resume.com

Resume.com is owned by Indeed, so you’ll need an Indeed account to use this builder. It is possible to build a resume in guest mode without signing in, but it will be deleted after 48 hours.

Overall, this builder is easy to use. You can drag sections to reorder them, and you’ll be able to preview your resume in real-time as you build it, which is always a positive.

You can also add custom sections, which adds some flexibility. For example, if you want a headline section, you can manually create one.

I especially liked the tips that pop up as you add your information to each section. And it’s simple to download your resume as a PDF (there’s no Word option though).

Unfortunately, I thought the final resume looked a bit bland and uninspiring.

While this builder is free, you must create an Indeed account and use it to sign into Resume.com. If you don’t, your resume will be deleted in 48 hours (you’ll even see a clock counting down).

• Create an Indeed account and use it to log in.
• Add your information to existing sections like work experience, education, and skills.
• Create custom sections (like for the headline) and reorder them by dragging.
• Click the PDF button to download your resume.

Pros and cons of using Resume.com’s builder

• The builder allows you to easily visualize your resume as you build it.
• You can add custom sections, such as a headline, for greater flexibility.
• Easily reorder sections by dragging and dropping them.
• The tips feature provides useful guidance as you add information to each section.
• Simple to download your resume as a PDF file.
• You need an Indeed account to use the builder since Resume.com is owned by Indeed.
• The final resume can look a bit bland and uninspiring.
• Resumes can only be downloaded as PDFs, not Word documents.
• Your resume will only be saved for 48 hours unless you create an Indeed account.

Sample resume made with Resume.com

When you’re done building your resume with Resume.com, use Jobscan’s resume scanner to see how well it matches the job description of the position you’re applying for.

A resume builder is the easy way to build your resume. It simplifies the process of creating a professional resume by offering templates and step-by-step guidance, ensuring your resume is well-structured and highlights your strengths.

Yes, many resume builders offer completely free templates that jobseekers can use to create and download their resumes without any cost.

Some resume builders are completely free, while others may charge for additional features like downloading or premium templates. Always check for any hidden costs.

The best resume builder depends on your needs, but popular options include Jobscan, Resume Genius, Novoresume, and Resume.com, known for their ease of use and comprehensive features.

Yes, many resume builders offer tips, examples, and suggestions to help you write effective resume content tailored to your job application.

Robert Henderson, CPRW, is a career advice writer and a resume expert at Jobscan.

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Best for features, best for ease-of-use, best job finder, best ai-powered, best affordable, best for speed, best for style, best for versatility, best for phrases, best for recruiters, how we test.

The best resume builders make it simple and easy to write up and manage a CV.

1. Best overall 2. Best for features 3. Best for ease-of-use 4. Best job finder 5. Best AI-powered 6. Best affordable 7. Best for speed 8. Best for style 9. Best for versatility 10. Best for phrases 11. Best for recruiters 12. Best free 13. FAQs 14. How we test

If you’re on the hunt for a new career, you simply can't skip making an effort with every part of the application process, and that means getting your resume right. And to truly stand out, you need to create one with an eye-catching design alongside the relevant information.

The best resume builders transform your resume to create a bold, eye-catching document, and you might not even have to spend any money. Some of the best use free templates with a proven success rate – templates that have helped people land their dream positions.

There are loads of options if you do want to spend some cash, too. Loads of the best resume builders will go above and beyond the best free alternatives if you hand over a bit of money.

Whether you need a free resume builder or a paid option, we’ve got you covered – we’ve compared various resume builders to arrive at the best ones for you. We looked at the variety of templates they offered, the quality of design, the website/app interface, and the pricing plans. We also assessed how swift and hassle-free the entire resume-building process was.

We've also rounded up the best online learning platforms .

Post Your First Job in Minutes with ZipRecruiter Find qualified candidates and get distribution on at least 100 job sites with one click. Start your 4-day free trial today and then pay as low as $16/day after that. 

The best resume builders of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Resume.com

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

 It’s no surprise that Resume.com is where many people start looking when they want to buy a new resume – after all, that name is a pretty good sign of this site’s key strength.

True to form, the site has loads of fantastic templates that you can use, and the huge popularity of this site means that they’re proven to work – as vast numbers of people have already used these templates to secure interviews and new positions. Resume.com has also spoken to thousands of employees and employers to find out what people are looking for in a candidate, and its templates are based on that evidence.

The company behind Resume.com also owns Indeed.com , which is one of the web’s biggest recruitment websites. That means Resume.com has loads of data available for creating its resume builder and CV templates. That also means it’s easy to share your CV to Indeed.com when it’s finished, so you’ll be able to apply for jobs in no time.

Resume.com is free to use, and its templates cater to dozens of different jobs and industries, so it’s easy to start. Once it’s finished, you can easily download it to your PC or laptop . This may not be the only resume builder on the market, but you shouldn’t ignore Resume.com.

• ^ Back to the top

2. ResumeGenius

A site with a name like ResumeGenius must step up if it’s going to live up to its moniker, and this resume builder does the job in terms of quality and features.

ResumeGenius starts the process by deploying dozens of different CV templates. There are plenty of good-looking resumes available here, although they do veer towards the conventional – you’ll find plenty of traditional resumes but few graphics-heavy modern options.

You can fill out your resume with more than 50,000 pre-written bullet points. They cover all industries and mean you can sound as professional as possible. You can download your resume as a Word document or PDF, and the site also has a cover letter builder and tools that can help you with resignation letters, thank-you notes, and letters of recommendation.

This site doesn’t have the in-depth options of many others, but it’s a free tool that can quickly produce a professional resume – and that makes it worth using.

3. CakeResume

CakeResume uses an intuitive and straightforward drag-and-drop interface to make resume creation easier, even for users who may not be particularly savvy when using technology.

The interface allows you to customize your layout, elements, and information quickly, and CakeResume pairs this intelligent user experience with a range of attractive and impressive templates. You can download your resume at any point in the creation process, which is handy for checking your progress or getting feedback from others.

You can download your finished resume as a PDF for free, but you’re only allowed to create one basic resume using the free service. With the Advanced plan, you can use more than twenty premium resume designs as often as you want, and you can remove the CakeResume branding from your finished CV. The Pro option allows you to track your resume using Google Analytics and share the finished product using a custom domain name.

CakeResume is fast, easy to use, and has loads of attractive and straightforward resume templates. Still, it’s only worth considering if you’re willing to buy one of the paid options – the free tier is minimal.

4. Reed.co.uk

Reed.co.uk is a UK-focused site that offers a resume creation tool as part of its wider set of employment features, like job listings, skills modules, and career advice articles.

You start to create a resume when you register your account, and the site takes you through a simple four-step process to create a basic resume. You add your personal information, work experience, and qualifications alongside a personal statement, and then your basic resume will be available for download as a Word document. You can also make it visible on Reed.co.uk’s wider website so it’s easy for employers to view.

You can download Reed’s Word template to do it all yourself if you’d prefer, and your resume and profile are linked – so you can add more experience, qualifications, and information alongside information about your skills and job hunting journey. It’s a free service, and it’s a welcome addition to this popular job site, but be aware that you don’t get to use sophisticated templates or advanced design elements here.

5. Novoresume

Novoresume deploys dozens of different resume templates to help you find the perfect job. They’re all created in conjunction with experienced recruiters, and they’re applicable to loads of different career paths and industries.

You can choose to start with a traditional template, a professional design that includes a photograph or a creative template, and you’ll find other templates that offer a simple, modern, and professional range of designs.

Those templates are a suitable place to start, and Novoresume aims to go further with its extra features. You can use cover letter templates alongside the resume templates. This site has an AI -powered analysis service that suggests resume improvements as you tweak the layout and enter your information.

It’s an intuitive and effective site with straightforward features, and you can use the Basic tier to create a free resume.

The Premium option allows you to use a broader range of fonts and colors, add special sections and graphics to your resume, create more resumes and deploy distinctive styles and templates. That’s all welcome, but this is one of the better sites if you want to create a free resume – it’s not particularly restrictive.

6. ResumeHelp

ResumeHelp is the perfect resume builder to use if you’re not particularly confident with written English, or if it’s not your first language.

This site allows you to create a resume with confidence by inserting pre-written bullet points that emphasize your strengths without focusing on potentially tricky linguistic errors. There are thousands of points that can work in all sorts of resumes, so you won’t be short of things to say, and you’ll also receive help from extra tips as you build your resume.

The site has fifteen different templates available. The designs focus on more traditional, conventional layouts, so this site is ideal if you want to put together a classic, familiar resume. You can customize all the information as you go through the process, upload an old resume to kickstart your new document, and it’s free to download the document after you’re finished.

The upgrade plans are cheap, too: you can buy two weeks of access or a month of access and that plan means you can create more resumes, use more templates, and build cover letters too.

CVmaker is one of the easiest resume builders to use, so it’s an ideal choice if you want to put together a resume quickly and without any fuss.

Creating a resume on CVmaker is simple. The site uses a step-by-step process to gather information about your work experience, education, interests, and references. When that’s done you can switch the design between a selection of different styles and download the document for your use in job applications. You can also add your own sections to the resume, which is a feature that isn’t available on some other sites.

CVmaker is a simple tool, though, especially in its free guise – at this point it’s fine for building a basic resume, but that’s it. If you upgrade to the site’s premium tier you can add more custom sections, use better templates and take advantage of an advanced text editor. It only requires a one-off payment, so it’s one of the cheapest paid resume builder options available.

8. VisualCV

VisualCV is one of the most powerful and versatile resume-building websites around. The process begins with loads of attractive and modern templates that offer more color and visual pop than most other resume building tools, and once you’ve chosen the right look, you’re able to customize each resume to properly suit your needs.

This site goes far beyond resume building. You can use advanced resume tracking to see when your document has been viewed or downloaded, and you can access free guides, blog posts, and articles if you need some extra help. You can import data from LinkedIn to make CV building easier and consult cover letter templates too.

VisualCV allows you to easily share your resume with family and friends for quick feedback, and it has more privacy options than most resume builders, so your information is more secure.

This site’s free package allows you to create one resume using a single template and then download it, but it will have VisualCV branding that can’t be removed. The Pro option gives you more templates and the ability to create an unlimited number of resumes.

9. Resume.io

Resume.io is one of the broadest resume sites on the internet, with a massive range of features that offer impressive quality in every department.

As with any other resume builder, you can quickly use an attractive template to produce a rock-solid CV using Resume.io. This site also benefits from thousands of pre-written phrases alongside automatic spell checking and the ability to export your file in any format you choose.

Elsewhere, this site deploys cover letter templates too. You can also generate automatic summaries for your documents, access recruitment tips, and track any applications that have used the documents you create on the site.

If you use Resume.io for free, you can create a resume and cover letter and share links to those files with prospective employers, but you can only download the resume as a basic text file. If you buy its professional plan, you can create an unlimited number of resumes and cover letters using the site’s full library of tools. That’s the option we’d recommend.

10. KickResume

KickResume places a big emphasis on easy resume creation, and it includes loads of different tools that will simplify the process and help you avoid common pitfalls.

This site serves up more than fifty professional templates that cover traditional and modern design alongside many key jobs and industries. The site has more than 20,000 pre-written phrases that can be slotted into your resume – perfect if you want to include professional language in a quick and straightforward fashion.

You can view resumes that have helped candidates land jobs at companies like Facebook, NASA, and Google . KickResume has in-built proofreading alongside a cover letter builder.

It’s free to create four resumes using KickResume, and you can have a basic website and get access to the full library of pre-written phrases too – this is one of the more generous options for free resume creation. But if you upgrade to the Pro plan, you’ll get more templates, full customization options and AI resume review alongside priority support.  

Zety prides itself on its speed and ease of use, and there's certainly lots to like here: users can build a comprehensive and attractive resume with more than 20 templates, and you can upload your existing CV or add new information to get a document produced within minutes.

The site's resume generation tool delivers context-sensitive tips from professional recruiters as you create your document, and once it's done you can tweak the file with extensive editing options.

Zety has a cover letter builder alongside its resume tools, and users can also access resume and cover letter templates. The site also explains which resume formats are best-suited to different industries and employment situations, and Zety's extensive blog has in-depth articles about resumes, cover letters, and loads of other employment topics.

It's free to build a resume on Zety, but you'll have to pay if you want to download that file in different formats and access the site's full range of features. Happily, it's affordable.

Indeed is one of the largest and most reliable job boards on the web. It offers job listings, great options for employers, and impressive salary data and career advice – and, alongside all of that, it’s got a great resume builder.

Once you’ve registered and verified your account you’ll be ready to get started, and Indeed’s resume builder is pleasingly straightforward. There are eight clean, modern templates to use, and users can deploy a small selection of different accent colors and fonts to personalize the document. It’s easy to type in your personal details, education history and previous employment, and Indeed suggests relevant skills that you can add to the document with a single click.

Once you’ve added those and any extra professional certifications, the basic resume is finished, and you’re given a preview of the document alongside the option to add sections for languages, website links, awards, community achievements and more.

You can make the document public or private – if you choose the former, it can help you apply for jobs on Indeed.com – and you can also download the resume as a PDF file if you’d like to use it for applications elsewhere. And, if you don’t want to use Indeed’s full resume builder, you can use a wizard to create a basic document with a step-by-step process.

It’s extremely easy to edit your resume and add information after you’ve been through the initial creation process, and a personalized link is also available if you want to share the document with other people online. And, if you pay extra, Indeed.com also offers resume reviews.

Indeed.com’s resume builder is basic compared to many of the others mentioned here – you don’t get as many editing and layout options as other sites. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, because it means that Indeed.com can quickly and easily create an effective resume that contains all the information that recruiters need – and, as an added bonus, it’s completely free.

Also check out the best freelancer websites .

What is a resume builder?

Resume builders are online apps that offer interactive templates and forms for swiftly building a seamless resume. While some resume builders need you to fill out all the information manually, some provide relevant pre-written phrases and allow you to import data. 

You'll find various free and paid resume builders online. 

How to choose the best resume builders for you?

To determine the best resume builder for yourself, start with considering whether you want a free or paid option and all the areas you need support with — design, content, or review. If you have your content ready and just need a tool to set up a cohesive and attractive resume, go with a resume builder that offers lovely templates and allows you to import data. 

If you need help with the content, check out builders that offer context-relevant insights and pre-written phrases. For those who want further assistance in reviewing the quality of their resume, you’ll want to opt for a builder that has a review or consultation service.

We tested many resume builders to select the best resume builders. We looked at their pricing plans — whether they were free, subscription-based, or if they had one-time payment options. We evaluated the variety of templates they had, the quality of their designs, the level of customizability they offered, and if there were data-importing options.

We considered whether they offered pre-written phrases and context-relevant tips, if there was a review service, and how straightforward the interface and resume-building process was. We also analyzed their customer service to check how prompt, helpful, and customer-oriented they were.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.

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How To Write a Resume for Your First Job

Imagine yourself stumbling across your dream job listing. You’re reading through the responsibilities and job tasks and you find yourself getting more and more excited as the list goes on. Then, it’s time to apply. But you have no real-world job experience. You’re just a student! How will you ever write a resume for your first job when you haven’t had one yet?

Knowing how to write a resume for your first job does not come naturally. In fact, it feels like a daunting task. If you have little applicable experience yet, or you’re just entering the workforce, how can you prove you’re the right fit for the position? 

Resumes are an excellent way to tout your knowledge, training and (if applicable) skills in the field. You can create an attractive resume highlighting your candidacy without any direct experience or prior work history.

We’ll show you how to write a resume for your first job so you can kick off your work experience with preparedness and confidence.

• Do you need a resume?
• What should you put on a resume?

Crafting a resume with no experience

Finalizing your first job resume, quick guide: write your first resume in 6 steps, do you need a resume for your first job.

While a resume may not be required to apply for your first job, it is highly recommended that you do so, and it will undoubtedly set you apart from the other applicants. A resume reflects your professionalism and commitment to the job application process. It showcases your knowledge, skills, training and prior experience in an easy-to-digest and relatively standard format, making it easy for potential employers to decipher between candidates to choose the best person for the job.

Even for entry-level positions, when many applicants don’t have a prior work history, sharing a resume will give you a competitive edge when written persuasively.

The role of a resume in job applications

A resume plays an important role when applying for jobs. It serves as an introduction to potential employers and those in the company who will decide whether or not to move forward with your application. It also provides a summary of what you bring to the table for those who will be interviewing you during the application process.

The resume is essential for showcasing your skills. A well-crafted and persuasive resume can highlight your achievements and knowledge, even if you have limited work experience in the field you’re applying to. Because your resume is the first contact point between you and a potential employer, it’s crucial to understand how to write a resume for your first job – and how to write it well.

What should you put on a resume for your first job?

There are a few things every resume must include – and those are some of the most essential details.

Contact information

We’d be remiss if we didn’t include the most important part of your resume – sharing your contact information. Start by listing your full name, phone number, email address and a link to your LinkedIn profile. Without your contact information, potential employers will have a hard time contacting you, which can prevent you from getting an interview.

Why share a link to your LinkedIn profile ? LinkedIn is now an essential part of the job search market. It serves as a shareable resume in addition to showcasing your network. Employers can see if you have any professionals in common from work or personal life, which may help build your credibility as a candidate.

Be sure to act professionally on LinkedIn. Share relevant news and insights to highlight your interest and knowledge of an industry, but be wary of getting too personal or engaging in inappropriate dialogue. Behave on LinkedIn as you would in an office setting with colleagues.

Educational background and achievements

Start by listing your educational information, such as schools attended, graduation dates and relevant academic achievements or awards. Include your major and minor, field of study and GPA. If you were enrolled in courses, projects or study abroad programs relevant to the job, include details to show your knowledge and interests.

Skills section

While you likely have some combination of hard and soft skills, a skills section will showcase the hard skills you’ve learned to prepare you for the job. Soft skills are best to be included in the bullet points to describe your accomplishments in your experience section.

• Hard skills include specific technical skills you’ve learned along the way. For example, computer proficiency, language skills, lab skills or specific training or certifications.
• Soft skills , or human skills, include job aspects that apply to many (if not all) job roles. These include communication, teamwork and problem-solving. If you’re particularly adept in any of these, showcase them and be prepared to share real examples of these skills in action.

Extracurricular activities and volunteer work

Employers look for candidates who go the extra mile to be involved in extracurricular activities. This demonstrates your commitment to becoming a well-rounded human being. Highlight clubs, sports or volunteer activities that you were involved in, especially emphasizing leadership roles or particular responsibilities you had in these activities. This extracurricular activity showcases your ability to multi-task, prioritize time and develop skills and interests.

Example Resume & Writing Guide

See a real-life example of a strong resume, including tips for gathering your own persuasive experience and skills using our Resume Writing Guide !

As a young adult or new graduate, you may wonder how to write a resume for your first job with no real-world experience. Don’t fear – there have been many in your shoes before you!

What does a resume look like for a first job?

Your resume should be straightforward with a clean and concise design. It should be easy to read with a simple flow highlighting information from most important to nice-to-have details. Do not go overboard with design details, fonts or graphics. 

Furman recommends that you use Microsoft Word to build your resume as it can be easier to make changes to a Word document than it is to change a template. However, you can use free resume builder tools online to build your resume in standard formats.

• Myperfectresume.com
• Resumenerd.com

Using strong action words and job-specific keywords in your resume for your first job will significantly impact you. Describe experiences and achievements using strong action verbs, such as:

• Collaborated
• Volunteered

What to put on a resume with no experience?

You can learn how to write a resume for your first job that impresses potential employers, even without relevant work experience, by emphasizing relevant coursework. Doing this demonstrates skills learned in a classroom or group project setting. Highlight personal or academic projects showcasing your abilities, such as experiences where you took the lead as a group or team leader.

Before submitting your first job resume, review and edit the document for mistakes or improvements.

Proofreading and editing

Attention to detail is critical to potential employers. Check your resume for typos and grammatical errors. Mistakes on your resume may eliminate you as a candidate, especially if grammatical adeptness or attention to detail is essential to the job.

Similarly, ensure a consistent design throughout your resume. Stick to one format, using one legible font and minimal design details. A professional resume appearance can set you apart from other applicants’ resumes that may appear messy or disorganized.

Seeking feedback

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from friends, mentors or even career services at schools or community centers. A peer review from your fellow students, teachers or mentors can provide invaluable input on skills you may be forgetting, plus the extra set of eyes can help detect errors and typos.

Career services at your school or library also serve as an excellent third-party validation and review resource. Furman’s Malone Center for Career Engagement offers in-depth career preparation services for students, such as resume and cover letter assistance , career fairs and networking , personalized advice from advisors and interview prep – just to name a few.

Webinar: Polishing Your Resume & Preparing Your Pitch

Watch the free Polishing Your Resume & Preparing Your Pitch webinar for an in-depth look at creating your resume and preparing a pitch to potential employers straight from a Furman career advisor.

Now, do you feel ready and excited to write a resume for your first job? We hope you jotted down notes specific to your experience as you read through the post, but in case you didn’t, writing your resume can be simplified to these simple steps.

• Start with your contact information , including full name, phone number and email address. Consider adding a link to your LinkedIn profile.
• List your education experience , including relevant projects, courses and extracurricular activities.
• List both hard skills and soft skills relevant to the job.
• Explain your roles and responsibilities in your projects and extracurricular activities, especially those where you acted in a leadership capacity, using strong action verbs.
• Proofread and gather feedback.

If this is your first time writing a resume for your first job, approach the process with confidence and positivity. Your attitude will shine through the resume, so stay positive!

The perspectives and thoughts shared in the Furman Blog belong solely to the author and may not align with the official stance or policies of Furman University. All referenced sources were accurate as of the date of publication.

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Resonate and elevate: how to transform your résumé into a strategic career catalyst.

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Shruti Parashar consults global professionals aiming to pursue MBA and Executive MBA programs with GOALisB .

The résumé is not merely a chronological list of work experiences and education; it serves as a powerful strategic document capable of opening doors to new career opportunities. When you craft it thoughtfully, the résumé transforms into a compelling marketing tool that exhibits your unique skills, accomplishments and potential value to prospective employers. In this article, I will guide you through a step-by-step process to revamp your résumé into a strategic masterpiece, making you stand out from the crowd and propelling you toward your dream career. Additionally, I'll explore different résumé formats and demonstrate how each can strategically present your qualifications effectively.

Step 1: Assess Yourself And Set Goals

Begin by evaluating your career goals, strengths and the direction you want to take. Ask yourself: What type of roles am I targeting? Which skills and experiences align most closely with these positions? By understanding your objectives, you can customize your résumé to cater to the specific requirements of your desired job market.

Step 2: Research The Job Market

Dive deep into the industry and job roles you are interested in. Examine job descriptions thoroughly, identify prevalent requirements and make note of the keywords frequently used by employers. This research will form the foundation for aligning your résumé with the expectations of potential employers, ensuring a more targeted and impactful application.

Step 3: Select The Right Résumé Format

There are several résumé formats to choose from, and each can be strategically employed based on your career situation:

Chronological Résumé

This presents your work experiences in reverse chronological order. It is the most commonly used format and provides a clear and easy-to-follow timeline of your career progression. It highlights your career progression and allows employers to see your continuous growth. This format is ideal when you have a stable work history with roles directly related to your current job target.

Functional Résumé

The functional résumé emphasizes your skills and abilities over the chronological order of your work experience. It highlights your relevant qualifications and accomplishments, making it ideal for individuals with diverse experiences or those looking to make a career change. It groups your achievements under relevant skill categories, making it effective for career changers, those with employment gaps or individuals with diverse experiences.

Targeted Résumé

A targeted résumé is specifically tailored for a particular job or company, addressing the unique requirements of that position. Although creating targeted résumés may require additional effort and time, they are highly effective, particularly when applying for competitive positions, as they demonstrate a strong alignment between your skills and the employer's needs.

STAR Format

The STAR format is a technique used to structure your résumé's accomplishment statements:

Situation: Describe the context or challenge you faced.

Task: Specify what was required of you in that situation.

Action: It is important to mention the steps taken to address the task or challenge.

Result: Quantify your achievements.

For example:

• Original résumé bullet point: "Developed and executed marketing campaigns to promote new product launches."

• Revised résumé point in STAR format: "Strategized and executed marketing campaigns with cross-functional teams, including creative, sales and product development; generated a 25% increase in product sales within the first quarter of the campaigns."

Step 4: Craft A Powerful Professional Summary

Regardless of the résumé format you choose, start with a compelling professional summary. Summarize your key qualifications, notable achievements and the value you bring to the table. A well-crafted summary immediately captures the reader's attention and encourages them to delve further into your résumé.

Step 5: Include Accomplishments, Not Just Responsibilities

When listing your work experience, focus on achievements and results rather than merely outlining job duties. Utilize quantifiable metrics to effectively demonstrate the impact of your contributions. This approach helps potential employers envision how you can replicate that success in their organization.

Step 6: Highlight Relevant Skills

Tailor your skills section to reflect the specific requirements of your target roles. Incorporate both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (communication, leadership, problem-solving) that are highly valued in your chosen industry.

Step 7: Shape Your Story

You can decide if you wish to organize your work history in reverse chronological order. The idea is to emphasize experiences that align with your career goals and remove irrelevant or outdated roles. Showcase career progression and use concise bullet points to outline your achievements in each position.

Step 8: Integrate Keywords Strategically

In today's job market, many companies employ applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen résumés. Strategically identify keywords from your industry and the job description to better align your résumé for ATS scanning.

Step 9: Add Education And Certifications

List your educational qualifications and relevant certifications. Be selective about including details, especially if you have extensive work experience, as employers are more interested in your professional accomplishments.

Step 10: Enhance Your Résumé Design

The visual presentation of your résumé matters. Choose a clean, professional layout with legible fonts. Use bullet points and bold headings to make your résumé easy to read and navigate.

Step 11: Seek Feedback

Seek feedback from trusted peers, mentors or professional résumé writers to gain valuable insights and further polish your résumé.

Remember, your résumé is more than just a document; it serves as a reflection of your brand and potential, making it crucial to present a flawless and compelling representation of your skills and achievements. By approaching your résumé as a strategic career catalyst, you can create a compelling and impactful representation of your professional journey.

Tailor your résumé to match your career goals, showcase your achievements and align with the demands of your target job market. A skillfully crafted strategic résumé can significantly increase your likelihood of securing the job of your dreams and propelling your career to new heights. Selecting the appropriate résumé format further enhances your ability to present your qualifications effectively and attract the attention of hiring managers in your desired field.

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19 Facts About Tim Walz, Harris’s Pick for Vice President

Mr. Walz, the governor of Minnesota, worked as a high school social studies teacher and football coach, served in the Army National Guard and chooses Diet Mountain Dew over alcohol.

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By Simon J. Levien and Maggie Astor

• Published Aug. 6, 2024 Updated Aug. 9, 2024

Until recently, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota was a virtual unknown outside of the Midwest, even among Democrats. But his stock rose fast in the days after President Biden withdrew from the race, clearing a path for Ms. Harris to replace him and pick Mr. Walz as her No. 2.

Here’s a closer look at the Democrats’ new choice for vice president.

1. He is a (very recent) social media darling . Mr. Walz has enjoyed a groundswell of support online from users commenting on his Midwestern “dad vibes” and appealing ordinariness.

2. He started the whole “weird” thing. It was Mr. Walz who labeled former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, “weird” on cable television just a couple of weeks ago. The description soon became a Democratic talking point.

3. He named a highway after Prince and signed the bill in purple ink. “I think we can lay to rest that this is the coolest bill signing we’ll ever do,” he said as he put his name on legislation declaring a stretch of Highway 5 the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway” after the musician who had lived in Minnesota.

4. He reminds you of your high school history teacher for a reason. Mr. Walz taught high school social studies and geography — first in Alliance, Neb., and then in Mankato, Minn. — before entering politics.

5. He taught in China in 1989 and speaks some Mandarin. He went to China for a year after graduating from college and taught English there through a program affiliated with Harvard University.

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