Table of contents
- 1. Choose the best format
- 2. Style your resume
- 3. Add contact info to the header
- 4. Write a compelling professional summary
- 5. Describe your work history
- 6. Emphasize your most relevant skills
- 7. List your education and credentials
- 8. Add optional sections
- 9. Proofread your resume and save it as a PDF
- How to make a resume: Key takeaways
- You’ve written your resume — what’s next?
- How to make a resume FAQ
A resume is an essential part of any job application. Not only is it a perfect career summary but also a well-made resume is your ticket to the job you want.
But you probably already knew that. What you’re wondering is — how to write a resume that stands out from the rest.
If you need help writing a resume immediately, skip this guide and go directly to our Resume Builder. You will get free writing tips and auto-suggested text for every section to help you make a marketable document in minutes.
1. Choose the best format
While every resume contains the same ingredients — professional summary, work history, skills and education — the final product reads differently depending on the resume’s format.
There are three standard formats:
- Chronological: This traditional format focuses on reverse-chronological work experience.
- Functional: This format emphasizes skills and abilities.
- Combination: This format balances work history and skills equally.
The best resume format for you will depend on your career goals, work experience, skill set, and whether or not you have unique challenges like employment gaps.
But for most job seekers, the chronological resume is the way to go.
Why? Recruiters spend only seven seconds glancing at a resume before deciding whether to give it a closer look, which makes paying attention to your resume outline critical. In it, they expect to see your work history. If they don’t see it immediately, they think you’re trying to hide something. It’s as simple as that.
Here’s an example of a reverse-chronological resume format:
If you’re wondering about formatting — the font size, spaces and margins — we have a comprehensive resume-formatting guide just for you. After you learn how to format your resume, review our resume examples to see how the formatting principles are applied.
2. Style your resume
You can make the words on the page say so much more with an eye-catching resume template. Templates provide the design and layout to put your skills, qualifications and work experience in the best possible light.
We have many different styles to choose from.
Here’s an example of how a well-chosen resume layout can transform your resume:
3. Add contact info to
the header
The goal of a resume is to get calls from employers, so you want to make your contact info easy to find. That’s why you always place this critical information at the top of your resume, whether it’s toward the left, right or center.
Now, you don’t want to make your resume feel cluttered, so you should be discerning about what you include in the header.
Every resume header should include the following:
- Your name
- Phone number
- Professional email address
If you’re in a creative industry, your header may also include:
- Personal website or portfolio
- Social media channels
- Headshot
No headers should include:
- Full address
- Date of birth
- Zodiac sign
4. Write a compelling
professional summary
Your resume needs to make a good first impression, starting with the professional summary. Professional summaries are three- to five-sentence resume profiles packed with action verbs and power words.
When the right words don’t immediately spring to mind, take a closer look at the job listing. What keywords does the employer use? Is there a way to rewrite your work experience to include these keywords?
Beyond keywords, your summary should include your greatest accomplishment, most relevant skills, and an accolade or award, if possible. It should sit at the top of your resume, close to the header.
Here’s what a good professional summary looks like:
Passionate writer with 10+ years of experience telling stories in a wide range of formats. Work has appeared in Fortune, Dwell and National Geographic. Skilled at using Adobe Creative Suite and social media to create multimedia reports across multiple platforms. Recognized by the Poynter Institute for Excellence in Journalism.
Professional summaries are best suited to applicants with at least one year of experience. Anyone new to the workforce or changing careers may want to consider the alternative — the resume objective statement.
Is a resume objective right for you?
Resume objectives are the professional summary’s no-nonsense cousin. In an objective statement, you tell the employer exactly what you intend to do.
Here’s an example of a well-written career objective:
This job seeker means business. After citing her experience level, she tells you which department she’s interested in, the skills that would transfer into the role and why she wants to work for the company. See more examples like this for different industries and jobs in our resume objectives library.
Objectives are best for candidates who are:
- New to the workforce.
- Switching career paths.
- Coming back to work after a lengthy break.
5. Describe your work history
Work history is one of the most important sections of your resume. Employers want to know you can deliver results, and here is where you show them your track record.
Start by listing your most recent employer first and move backward. Work experience over 15 years old may not be relevant anymore, so as you get further into the past, carefully weigh the benefits of adding each job. Don’t be afraid to cut an irrelevant job or add a second page to the resume if you need more space.
The most valuable parts of your job history are the quantifiable achievements. Hiring managers prefer metrics over lists of job duties because they show the results of your work, suggesting you can do the same for them.
Writing your work history as a list of measurable accomplishments will help you stand out from the competition. Here’s an example:
When an employer reads “retention rates,” they see value in their bottom line.
Quantifiable achievements can come from various activities, such as increasing customer satisfaction or saving a company money. Accomplishments can be hard to quantify in retrospect, especially if you don’t have access to a previous employer’s analytics tools, so keep careful track of them while you’re working. Most success can be measured in terms of time, dollar amounts, volume and percentages by putting in a bit of thought.
You may be wondering how to make a resume with no experience, and we get it. We all have to start somewhere. When writing a resume without job experience, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Use a functional resume format. This style puts skills and qualifications center stage, minimizing the focus on work history.
- Highlight other experiences. The workplace isn’t the only place you learn valuable skills. Touching on the skills you learned through volunteering or personal projects can help.
- Emphasize your education. The classroom is another forum for learning. Be sure to mention any special projects you took part in.
Customize your work experience to the job ad
To get an advantage over other job seekers in a competitive market, you need to make a targeted resume. The one-size-fits-all resume is a thing of the past.
A good rule of thumb is to match everything to the job description. But be honest! If the job calls for someone with strong math skills and yours aren’t that great, focus on your skills that match the position and tailor your achievements around those.
What may seem like a silly exercise could make all the difference. Employers use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) that hones in on keywords and disqualifies applicants who don’t include the right ones.
Screening programs search for keywords that match the job description, so use as many of those keywords as you can — if they truly apply to you. And don’t just stick them all in your resume skills section. You’ve got to sprinkle them throughout your resume, particularly in your work experience, so the hiring manager can see these skills are part of your work history.
Here’s a targeted resume example that shows you how to update a resume work experience section with keywords pulled from a job listing:
Highlight your achievements
If you’re wondering how to make a resume online that highlights your achievements, start by asking yourself a handful of questions.
Five questions to help you make a results-oriented resume:
- Did I save the company money? How much, and how did I do it?
- Did I create a new program, process or initiative that saved time, enhanced productivity or increased revenue?
- Did I meet or exceed the company’s goals? How? By how much?
- Did I lead a team on a special project? How many people were on the team? What was the project, and what did we accomplish?
- Did I receive a promotion in record time?
Your list of answers will help you create much stronger bullet points.
Here are four examples of well-written, quantifiable successes:
- Organized monthly volunteer projects with more than 30 volunteers per event.
- Provided award-winning in-home medical care for 10 senior citizens over the span of three years.
- Implemented a filing system that organized more than 500 past and current employee files, increasing efficiency by 100%.
- Exceeded sales goals by an average of 30% every quarter in 2020.
See how much stronger work experience sounds when you have data to back it up?
Next up, the abilities that make you uniquely talented: skills.
6. Emphasize your most
relevant skills
Skills are the lifeblood of your career; Without them, making a resume would be impossible.
The key to writing a resume that employers love is to showcase the breadth and depth of your skill set. By including a variety of soft and hard skills, the employer will recognize your versatility.
Soft skills are personal attributes, innate abilities and personality traits we are born with and develop throughout our lives.
Examples of soft skills:
Interpersonal relationships
Leadership
Listening
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Perseverance
Collaboration
Hard skills are practical abilities learned in school, on the job or through training.
Examples of hard skills:
Computer software
Foreign language
Typing
Bookkeeping
Presentation
Project management
Additionally, you should name-drop specific software or technical skills you use in your day-to-day job, whether it be Photoshop for graphic design or a working understanding of OSHA safety procedures.
When matching your skills to the position, comb through the job requirements. Employers often list “Required Skills,” “Essential Duties” or “Skills and Competencies,” which often mix together all types of skills.
Employers also weave soft skills throughout job descriptions, like so:
It’s perfectly acceptable to use a skill twice in your resume, such as in your job history and skills section, but you must provide context (and don’t overdo it!).
For example, look at this job requirement:
In your work history section, you could add an achievement like:
Simultaneously, you can mention “organization” in your skills section.
Another example is if the job description for a server position says they expect their employees to build rapport with guests. In that case, one way to show you can do this might be to list interpersonal skills in your resume skills section. Then, in the job history section of your resume, point out a time you were recognized for building relationships with clients, which resulted in increased sales and customer retention.
Pro tip:If you lack work experience or you’re changing careers, then lean into your transferable skills, which are attributes and abilities that you can apply to most jobs and industries. Examples include persuasion, negotiation, organization, time management and communication skills.
7. List your education and
credentials
In the quest to make a good resume, education remains one of the most important stops. However, you don’t want to overload your education section with too much information; There are facts you should include and others you shouldn’t.
Your education section should include:
- The name and location of schools you’ve attended.
Any degree(s) and academic honors or awards you’ve earned.
- Relevant coursework or special projects.
Your education section should not include:
- Your GPA (unless it’s at least 3.5).
- The years you attended.
- Your graduation dates, which could introduce bias into the hiring process.
Pro tip:If you are a student, recent graduate or making a resume for your first job, it’s okay to put your educational details at the top of your resume, under your objective or summary and work history. Otherwise, place it at the bottom of your resume.
However, sometimes education isn’t a straight line. For example, millions of people who started college never finished it.
In that case, if your area of study isn’t relevant to the job, don’t bother including it. But there are cases where it should be listed, particularly if your studies relate to your desired position or if the role requires some education.
How to list unfinished college on a resume:
- Mention the name and location of the university.
- List your GPA (if it’s above 3.5).
- Note the subject of your coursework.
- Cite the number of credits you completed.
- Showcase any awards accrued.
In cases where you’re still attending school, you should also include an expected date of completion: [Month] + [Year].
What about certificates? If you have professional certifications, you can create a separate section for them. While it isn’t necessary — “Education and Certifications” would do just fine — giving them their own space could call attention to how you’ve formalized your skill set.
How to list certificate of completion on a resume:
- Create a heading on your resume or CV called “Certifications.”
- List the name of the certificate and year completed.
- Cite the organization that gave you the certificate.
- Write as many entries as needed.
Pro tip:Licenses and certifications can boost your resume if you don’t have much on-the-job experience because they verify your technical skills.
8. Add optional sections
Resumes shouldn’t be generic. Every candidate has unique abilities to bring to the table, which may require adding a new section.
Perhaps you took continued education classes or went overseas to volunteer. Maybe you joined a professional organization or parent-student council. These are all details that belong on your resume — but where to put them?
Create new sections for any outside-the-box experiences. The key is that they must be relevant to your job of interest. HR doesn’t need to know about your Yahtzee meetups, for example.
Common optional resume sections include:
- Volunteer work
- Awards and honors
- Hobbies and interests
- Special projects
- Certifications and licenses
- Publications
- Languages
Here’s some more advice on creating new sections to highlight your experience.
How to list volunteer work on a resume:
- Full-time, consistent volunteer work belongs in your work experience and should be treated as if it were a job.
- Otherwise, create a dedicated section called “Volunteer Experience” or “Community Service.”
- Include the organization, location, title (likely “volunteer”), the dates you served and one or two bullet points describing your contributions.
How to list publications on a resume:
- Create a distinct section titled “Publications.”
- Place it below your “Education” section.
- Use reverse-chronological order, beginning with your most recent publication.
- Include the year and title of each one.
- Only mention publications relevant to the job.
Quick note: It’s much more common to see publications listed on a CV. If you’re writing a CV, visit our library of CV examples and choose a CV template that appeals to you.
There’s one additional section we should touch on: professional references. These days, you only need to include a line at the bottom of your resume that reads, “Professional references available upon request.” Then, create a separate page listing your references in case the employer asks for them.
How to list references on a resume:
- Use a separate page for your references list.
- Give a title to your resume references, for example: “Professional References” should work.
- Include at least three people.
- List their full names, job titles and companies.
- Add their contact information — both phone number and email address, ideally.
9. Proofread your resume and save it as a PDF
Now that you know how to write a resume for a job, get ready to proofread it. Not once, not twice — proofread your document at least three times.
A resume containing typos, inconsistencies, misspellings, improper formatting, inappropriate fonts and missing information can cost you the job — no matter how strong your qualifications are.
Easy-to-catch mistakes tell the employer you are sloppy and don’t pay attention to details.
There’s an easy way to avoid this mistake: proofread every resume you write more than once. After your first glance, walk away for a while to clear your mind (ideally for an hour) and review your document again with fresh eyes to make sure everything is in order before you send your resume to employers. Proofread it once more. Then give it to a friend to proofread it if you can.
Finally, when you’re ready to submit your resume, save it as a PDF. Always read the job listing carefully to use the employer’s preferred file type when you upload, but the industry standard is a PDF.
Making your resume as a Word document or Google Doc is fine, but you should also save it as a PDF. Unlike Word documents, PDFs are very good at retaining their formatting, so your document is less likely to get mangled in translation.
How to make a resume: Key takeaways
We know this is a lot to process, so before we wrap up, here are 10 important takeaways:
The chronological resume layout is popular and well-suited for most job seekers.
Tailor your resume each time you apply for a different job.
Include skills from the job listing throughout your resume to get past HR screening software.
Use active, powerful language to make your professional summary pop.
Quantify your accomplishments with specific numbers.
Keep your formatting choices consistent throughout the entire document.
Optional sections — volunteer work, awards, special projects — are a great way to differentiate yourself from other applicants.
Always write a cover letter to accompany your resume (scroll down to learn more about cover letters).
Proofread your resume multiple times before submitting it.
Make your resume more quickly with a resume builder that auto-generates text based on your work experience.
You’ve written your resume — what’s next?
Writing a resume is a huge accomplishment, and you should take a moment to pat yourself on the back. But knowing how to make a resume for a job is only part of the journey. You need to land the job!
Before you hit “send” on your job applications, complement your resume with a professional cover letter.
Pair your resume with a cover letter
Your job application is made complete with a cover letter. While they aren’t always required, cover letters remain one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the pack.
Here are three ways to make your resume and cover letter a perfect match:
Apply the same style. Your resume templates and cover letter templates should have a similar style and use the same colors. A consistent look between the two will make your application cohesive and tell employers you pay attention to details.
Be mindful of formatting. Your cover letter and resume must be formatted correctly. If you use Arial 11-pt font for your cover letter, use it for your resume, too.
Use the same header content. Again, consistency matters. If you add a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume, then put it on your cover letter. If you write your phone number (415) 555-5555 on your resume, don’t write it as 415-555-5555 on your cover letter.
Your cover letter is not a repeat of your resume, so don’t use it to rehash it or discuss each job line by line. Instead, make your cover letter into a short narrative using skills and experience from your resume strategically.
For example, pick a few skills from your resume and give examples of how you’ve used them in your cover letter. And, if you display awards on your resume, then use the space on your cover letter to talk about one or two of them in detail.
If you don’t know what to say, consider using a cover letter builder to speed up the process, or browse cover letter examples for inspiration.
How to make a resume FAQ
If you’re wondering how to build a resume, you can get started for free with a resume builder. Simply follow these steps:
- Open the resume builder.
- Share your level of experience.
- Choose a resume style.
- Upload your existing resume (if you have one).
- Add your contact info in the header.
- Fill in your work experience.
- List your degrees and certificates.
- Type in your skills.
- Customize a professional summary.
- Download your resume as a Word doc or PDF.
A great tip for making a resume after a long period of unemployment is to spin your story in the best light. Use your professional summary statement to emphasize the value your unique skills can bring to the table. Don't lead with your last job, but rather, lead with the most relevant. If you have relevant training, put it above the work history resume section. Consider omitting exact dates and simply including years if you believe that would benefit your profile.
To write a resume for a career change, use a functional or hybrid format detailing your transferable skills. These resume formats will emphasize your most relevant skills, accomplishments and work experience. Our Resume Builder can help you decide which format to use based on your information, prior work history and the job you want.
Employers expect to see a reverse-chronological resume, beginning with your most recent job and working backward. We recommend that most job seekers use this format because it’s popular, easy to use and passes through applicant tracking software (ATS) without a problem.
That said, there are exceptions to the rule. If you lack professional work experience or you’re making a big career change, you may find an alternative format like the functional resume a better fit. This is a skills-based format that puts skills and qualifications in the limelight, downplaying work history.
Finally, use a modern template or creative template to give your document a fresh contemporary look.
No, you shouldn’t include references in your resume. That said, you should have a separate page for your professional references at the ready. Include a line near the bottom of your resume that says, “Professional references available upon request.” Then, if the employer asks, you will be prepared to give them a polished list.
Although they share the same purpose, CVs and resumes are different.
- Resumes are one- to two-page job application documents that outline someone’s skills, qualifications and professional experience. They are used to apply for jobs in nearly all industries in the U.S.
- CVs are lengthier documents used in academic fields like medicine, law and the sciences. Their length allows space for publications, research projects and teaching experience.
Additionally, outside the U.S., the term CV is used interchangeably with “resume.”
If you’re looking to make a CV, we have a CV builder ready for the job.
- Typos and grammatical errors: Hiring managers will toss a resume in the trash for a single misplaced comma.
- Inconsistent formatting: Once you set your margins and font size, make sure you stick to it throughout the entire resume.
- Citing job duties instead of results: Some candidates simply list their responsibilities when it’s much better to highlight the results with quantifiable metrics.
- Not tailoring the resume to the role: There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all resume anymore. Failing to customize it for each application is an oversight.
- Exaggerating or lying about experience: Advocating for yourself is great — lying is not. Always tell the truth on your resume.
Don is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than 10 years’ experience creating digital content, including four years helping job seekers develop their careers. He holds an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.
More resources
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