When writing a resume, you can’t settle for decent. You need a perfect resume.
The perfect resume will be well-formatted, expertly written and ready to sail past the company bots.
The perfect resume — why you need one
Before we tell you how to make the perfect resume, let’s break down a perfectly constructed example. Perfect resumes will always include five sections:
- Contact information
- Professional summary or resume objective
- Work history
- Skills
- Education credentials
While those are the five core sections, keep in mind that there are many more optional resume sections you may want to add. Some candidates would benefit from adding professional associations, volunteering, foreign languages or special projects, to name a few. The final list will depend on each job seeker’s situation.
Now let’s see what the five primary sections look like when arranged in a perfect resume layout.
Customize the perfect resume for each job
Now that you’ve seen the perfect resume example and understand why you need one, there’s one more thing you should know: a perfect resume has to be carefully targeted to the job description.
Job listings will be full of requirements and skills that must be included in your resume, using the exact wording whenever possible.
Why do you have to be so particular? Employers spend a lot of money on applicant tracking systems (ATS) designed to weed out applicants who don’t have the right keywords. To build the perfect resume, job seekers must add those keywords — and the job listing is the best place to find them.
See how a few lines from a maintenance coordinator job listing can be quickly reorganized into work experience bullets on a resume.
Job Listing Example
Manage inventory levels by ordering parts and sourcing suppliers to guarantee timely delivery and defect-free product.
Field customer calls on billing, scheduling and shipments.
Work Experience Sample
Responsible for customer service, inventory and administrative workflow across two branches and 25 employees.
Managed inventory levels by ordering parts and sourcing suppliers, leading to error-free delivery and storage over five years.
Took 50+ customer calls per day, promptly answering questions on billing, scheduling and shipments.
Okay, you have the right words. Now how do you make your resume look perfect?
Perfect resume templates in popular styles
Choosing the perfect resume template should be based on your job and industry.
For example, candidates who work in an academic field or a buttoned-down profession like law or medicine are advised to pick a style that is simple and professional. On the other hand, photographers and web designers may want to use color or inventive design to showcase their creativity and individuality.
In other words, what’s perfect for one job seeker may not be suitable for another.
Let’s review four distinct templates that might be perfect for different types of job seekers.
1. Blue Monogram
One of the most popular Modern resume styles, Blue Monogram uses a splash of color to draw the reader’s attention to section headers. The blue makes it easy for recruiters to clock all key sections — summary, work history, skills and education — at a glance. It’s clean, easy to read and anything but boring.
The perfect resume for candidates who:
- Want their credentials and qualifications to stand out.
- Hope to frame their achievements in a minimal, elegant design.
- Work in virtually any industry — this style is highly versatile.
2. Classic
Classic is considered a Simple resume template because it scales back design elements so the reader can focus squarely on the content. This design centers the contact information in the header at the top. The important resume sections follow. By stacking the sections, you make it easy for an employer to read the resume as his or her eye moves down the page.
The perfect resume for candidates who:
- Prefer a pared-down resume design.
- Want to bring greater attention to their qualifications.
- Work in industries like automotive, construction, logistics and transportation.
3. Patterns
Among the most eye-catching Creative resume designs, Patterns uses color, a background design and a strong font choice to make an employer stop in their tracks. Perfect for when you want to exude fun, the colorful pattern only takes up the left edge of the page, so it draws attention without distracting from the resume content, and the Arial font style is neat and striking.
The perfect resume for candidates who:
- Want to showcase their personality.
- Prefer colorful and stylish designs.
- Work in a creative field like photography, film or art.
4. Professional
Many job seekers may learn a Professional template is right for them. The version above is a great example of how font and spacing choices can make a basic layout visually engaging. The insignia in the upper left corner projects confidence, and the spacing is breathable, making it easier for recruiters to quickly read skills and accomplishments.
The perfect resume for candidates who:
- Want to put forward a polished, white-collar image.
- Possess robust and clear career goals.
- Work in professional fields like medicine, law and finance.
Want more examples? See our resume example library, where you’ll find resumes for most jobs and industries.
Choose the perfect resume format
Formatting is another factor that goes into building the perfect resume.
There are three commonly used resume formats:
Each format organizes the sections differently. For example, the chronological format focuses on work history, which is perfect for job seekers who have a clear and consistent track record. Meanwhile, the functional format stresses skills, an ideal format for candidates without work experience.
Make sense? Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Learn more about the three resume formats and how to pick one that’s right for you.
8 perfect resume formatting rules
Whether you’re using a resume builder or creating a document from scratch, you should always follow the basic formatting rules. The rules make it easier for employers to see they’ve found the perfect candidate by simply glancing at your resume.
Here’s how to perfectly format your resume:
Choose a professional font style, like Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri or Garamond.
Make your font size no smaller than 10 points and no larger than 12 points.
Generally, use 1-inch margins on every side, but you can bring your margins down half an inch if you need more space.
Center the header if you’d like, but align the rest of the document to the left.
Ensure your section headers (e.g., skills, experience, professional summary) are the same style, size and spacing.
Leave plenty of white space throughout the page to not overwhelm the reader.
Use bullet points in the experience and skills section to make it easier to scan.
Read and reread the final document to catch any typos or grammatical errors.
But formatting won’t matter if the content isn’t good. Let’s turn our attention to perfect resume writing.
How to write a perfect resume in 5 steps
Formatting a resume is one thing — but how do you write a perfect resume?
You have to write a resume that speaks to your accomplishments, experience and skills and gives the hiring manager a reason to call you back.
Following these steps will help you perfect your resume and provide a real advantage over other job seekers.
STEP 1
Write a professional summary for the top of your perfect resume
Your professional summary is a chance to encapsulate your career. Professional summaries are typically two to four sentences and they speak to the accomplishments and skills that make you a good fit for the role.
Let’s see what a perfect summary looks like.
Professional summary example
Dedicated and skilled line cook with three years of experience preparing food and serving customers for fine dining restaurants. Track record of completing orders quickly and efficiently, and known for being reliable and collaborative. Trained in OSHA’s food safety standards.
This example is perfect because it:
Opens with candidate-defining skills
Mentions role and level of experience
Shares achievements that address the employer’s bottom line
Touches on desirable personality traits
Highlights qualifying training
Summaries should always be concise and to the point, giving the employer a snapshot of who they’d be hiring. The bottom line is, you want to show you are qualified and driven to succeed.
For some, the alternative profile — known as a resume objective — may be a better option. Read our guide on resume objectives to see many examples and decide if this is a better option for you.
STEP 2
Craft the perfect work experience section
On most resumes, work history should take center stage. After all, experience is a job seeker’s best evidence that their skill set is valuable in the real world.
When perfecting your work history, there are two important pieces of advice to keep top of mind:
- Use bullet points to list your experience.
- Customize the wording to match the job listing.
Bullet points will make your resume more readable and help the reader grasp your experience at a glance. Each bullet should highlight an accomplishment or unique skill. Include quantifiable results whenever possible.
Then, when you have a solid list of workplace achievements, tweak the wording to match the job description. If the description mentions “effective communication,” your experience should include a line on how you “effectively communicated” during a specific task or project.
STEP 3
List your hard and soft skills
You don’t want to leave any relevant skills off your resume. Comb the job description to gather every skill mentioned. Match those skills to your work history, and make sure they are included in your resume. Anything you couldn’t work into your work experience or professional summary would be a perfect candidate to list in this section.
While skills are specific to the job, there are some that transcend boundaries and would be wise to consider adding to your resume to improve your chances.
Hard skills found on a perfect resume:
Record-keeping
Microsoft Office
Adobe Creative Suite
Data analysis
Design
Project management
Soft skills found on a perfect resume:
Teamwork
Leadership
Communication
Creativity
Adaptability
Problem-solving
Want to see more skills that apply to you? Find an additional 150+ skill examples in our resume skills guide for all jobs.
STEP 4
Add more sections to complete the perfect resume layout
In writing a resume that’s perfectly suited to your career, you may need to add a few sections typically considered optional.
There are more than a dozen optional resume sections to consider. Here are a handful of the most common:
Volunteering – Any community-oriented work you’ve done without pay. Bonus points if the gigs were directly related to your career.
Foreign languages – More than ever, knowing a second language (particularly Spanish) can give you an advantage in many fields.
Awards – Including industry recognition will help you stand out from the competition.
Professional associations – Belonging to a professional organization is a great way to show you are engaged in your career. Employers love to see it.
STEP 5
Get your perfect resume past the bots
Ultimately, the goal is to get your perfect resume in front of the hiring manager.
But first, you have to get it past the bots — the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that employers use to filter applications.
That’s why building the perfect resume is so important.
Following our writing and formatting tips will help you do exactly that.
To be safe, when you finish putting together your resume, we recommend taking one last look at the document and asking yourself these questions:
Does this mention every skill found in the job listing?
Do I perfectly explain why I’m qualified for the role?
Have I followed all of the formatting rules?
Could a recruiter spot my skills and achievements at a glance?
And that’s about it! We hope this guide helped you understand what makes for a perfect resume.
For resume-writing advice that goes into much more detail, check out our step-by-step overview on how to write a resume.
Then, if you want to continue learning about resumes, you’ll find more information in our guides:
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.
