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• How to Make a Resume:...

How to Make a Resume: Beginner's Writing Guide with Examples

30 min read · Updated on March 22, 2024

Your dream job is one resume away!

Your resume is arguably the most important financial document you'll ever own. And before you think, “Yeah – right” let's consider for a moment. Without a resume, you don't get the job, so you can't pay bills, support a family, go to the big game, have that weekend trip, or plan for retirement. Your resume is the doorway to your future, so let's make sure it's perfect. 

Part of making it perfect is remembering that it's a targeted career marketing document – not a chronicle of your life. So, how do you write a resume? In this beginner's writing guide, we'll show you how to make a resume and provide examples of what each section should look like. 

Grab a cup of coffee and strap in, because you're about to learn everything you need to know about how to make a new resume!

Table of contents:

The purpose of a resume

Avoid rejection by the ATS

What is your career target?

Build your personal brand, what should your resume look like, how to make a resume – the layout.

How long does it take to put together a resume?

A major resume no-no: typos

How to make your resume more professional

Theory in practice – resume examples

The most basic purpose of a resume is to sell your skills , achievements , and qualifications to prospective employers. This one document can financially make or break you. Let's take a quick look at what being unemployed costs you per day (assuming a five-day workweek):

If you make $40,000 per year, you lose about $155 every day that you're out of work

If you make $50,000 per year, you lose about $190 every day that you're out of work

If you make $75,000 per year, you lose about $288 every day that you're out of work

If you make $100,000 per year, you lose about $385 every day that you're out of work

Clearly, finding out how to make a resume for a job is critical so that you can properly sell your skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements to prospective employers. 

The job market is tough and highly competitive; you have to stand out in a sea of qualified candidates by creating a compelling narrative that tells a story of value, keeping in mind that your resume is supposed to do a few things for you:

Introduce you to a new company

Underscore how your experiences and education are relevant

Showcase how your skills and competencies will benefit the new company's team

Win interviews

Avoid rejection by the ATS 

What do you know about applicant tracking systems? Job seeking can be compared to throwing your resume into a black hole. You can go through 100 listings on any job search website and complete the online application with zero results. 

Ever had that happen? It's okay, it happens to everyone at some point or another! 

The problem is that you're probably not putting the correct keywords into your resume. When you hit “Submit” on an online application, it isn't magically emailed to the hiring manager. 

Oh, no! 

It goes through a computer system that scans your resume for specific keywords that can be found in the job description posted by the company. And, just so you know, approximately 90% of companies use ATS scans , including everything from mom-and-pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. 

The companies use these programs because they just don't have time for a human to go through all the resumes they receive. Depending on the job opening, a company can get between  250 and 500 applicants . Can you imagine being the person who has to sift through all those resumes? 

Here is where the ATS steps in. It's designed to weed through candidates to narrow the applicant pool, so that the human hiring manager has a more reasonable resume load to go through. It ranks the remaining candidates in order based on how much of a match they are for the position that's open. 

Being overlooked by the ATS is one of the number one reasons job seekers get ghosted by companies.

Once your resume makes it through the ATS and gets into the hands of a hiring manager, don't think they're going to sit down and read each one. Who has that kind of time? You should expect that the first round of resume sorting will consist of them flipping through the stack to pick the ones that stand out within about 6 seconds of glancing at them. 

PRO TIP: Put your resume on a table, stand up, and look at it from a little distance. Is it eye-catching? Can you tell the position you're seeking just by glancing at it? Set a timer if you have to, but no more than 10 seconds.

Speaking of eye-catching, don't make the same mistake as a lot of your rival job seekers by being too generic with your resume. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being non-specific will open doors to more opportunities. The problem is that the hiring manager won't be able to tell exactly where you'll fit within their organization. 

The first step in winning an interview is being sure that your resume actually makes it into the hands of a human being at the company you apply to. Start by defining what you want to do.

So the first, and most important, step in crafting the perfect resume is to narrow down your target career path. The more specific you are with this first step, the more response you'll receive from hiring managers because they'll be able to tell exactly how you fit within their organization. There are four areas to focus on as you begin to chart your career path:

Industry: Do you want to work in private sector, nonprofit, government, or public roles?

Geography: This one is more in-depth than choosing rural vs urban. It also includes whether you want to work in a dynamic or static environment.

Company size: You may not think it, but having an idea about whether you want to work in a small company or one with thousands of employees is important. 

Role: Saving the best for last, you have to know what position you want.

On the surface, it may seem like these things are only important for the job search aspect of landing a new position, but you have to know what voice to write your resume in, too. Part of that is knowing your audience. When you understand your audience, you can build a personal brand that resonates with what they're looking for in a new staff member.

Now that you've gotten your target career path nailed down, the next step is to brand you. Think of yourself as a product and your resume is the packaging. Companies spend a lot of time on their branding and packaging - you have to do the same thing.

The best place to start is with a  career assessment . Taking one of these tests can help you to identify your strengths, what sets you apart from others, and key themes of your professional identity. Just like Nike and Coca-Cola have timeless taglines and catchphrases that succinctly define what they have to offer to consumers, your personal brand has to tell a concise, yet compelling, story. This is where your resume comes in.

Your resume isn't just a piece of paper you give to a hiring manager or upload to a website that says, “I'm interested in this job.” Your resume is a personal marketing tool. You shape that tool with words that describe your experiences and achievements, to impress and grab the attention of the hiring manager. 

Unlike Nike's “Just Do It” phrase, your personal brand isn't something you build and forget. It is fluid and should be revisited and refined as you gain new skills, experiences, and achievements. Weave the elements of your brand into every section of your resume.

There is a common misconception that entry-level resumes look different than executive resumes. The reality is that the only difference is how much content is available to write about. 

Obviously, someone who has little to no experience will have a  short resume  – generally one page. 

When you start to get up to 10 years of experience, then you've earned the second page, so go ahead and use it. 

It's not incremental though

Just because you have 20 years of experience doesn't mean you can have a three-page resume. As you work through how to make a resume, remember that a three-page resume should be avoided, unless you have a lot of career extras like publications, research, patents, publications, or public speaking engagements to talk about. 

Other than the number of pages, your resume should use the same format and layout no matter if you're applying to a job as someone fresh out of college or seeking to be the CEO of a company. 

Chronological resume 

The  reverse-chronological  is the most popular, traditional, and well-known resume format. Its focus is placed on achievements from your career history and is defined by listing your work history starting with your current or most recent job and working backward 10-15 years. 

Employers like this type of resume because it tells them what, when, and where you worked. It's best to use this if your work history is steady and shows growth and development. If you're looking to make a career change, have had frequent job changes, or if you're seeking your first job, this may not be the best format to use.

Pro Tip: You could also get lost in the ATS if your  resume is over-designed . Many resume writers will tell you that you need to stand out in the sea of sameness by adding some personality to your resume through design. While that's true, you need to avoid heavily formatted resumes which are often rejected by computer scanners as being illegible.

Functional resume 

This resume type focuses more on skills and experiences rather than on your work history. It's more of a “what you know and how you apply that knowledge” than a simple list of where you got the knowledge. It plays down gaps in work history and makes frequent job changes less noticeable. If it isn't done properly, though, it can be confusing for the hiring manager to read and understand. There's also a bit of a stigma behind it, because employers know that job seekers use this style to downplay job-hopping. So, the first thing they do when they get a functional resume is check employment dates. If you can avoid using this style, it's best to do so.

Combination resume 

There is another resume format that focuses on skills first and then experience last. It's the combination resume, which is sometimes called a hybrid resume. This is the most complex resume type and the best resume for mid-career professionals who are transitioning into another career or for people who have special skills and a strong track record of accomplishments. These types of resumes do take a long time to read and some hiring managers won't take the time unless they're looking to fill a hard-to-fill position.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae (CV) is Latin and means “course of life.” It's a little different from a resume, but some positions require a CV over a resume. The first thing you would notice is that a CV is significantly longer than a resume.  A resume is a self-branding document meant to portray your experience and achievements in a concise and easy-to-read format. A CV goes much further into the depth of your education and accomplishments (think publications, awards, and honors) and even has a section for you to include "Areas of Interest."

The best way to describe a CV is that it's a career biography. The biggest significant difference is that a CV is arranged chronologically in a way that gives a complete overview of your full working career. It also doesn't change based on the career or position for which you're applying.

Layout 

To make things easier for the hiring manager to digest the content of your resume, it should be laid out in a specific way to ensure that the right information is in the right place. 

Hiring managers don't  READ  resumes. They skim through until they find something that piques their interest and then they stop to read

Contact information

Title 

Professional summary , core competencies, experience , education and credentials , awards, certificates, and volunteer work .

Since the reverse-chronological resume is the one that the majority of people will use to apply for jobs, and because it's the format that hiring managers want to see, we'll focus this article on showing you how to make a resume using that style. 

Current contact information 

Location | Phone | Email | LinkedIn | Portfolio (if applicable)

You can be creative and use bold font in your  contact information  and even put a border under it to separate it from the body of your resume. 

• Name: Be sure to list your name the same across all professional documents (e.g., resume, cover letter, thank you note, LinkedIn profile). Don't get hung up with whether to use your legal name (i.e. the name on your birth certificate or driver's license). Write your name in the manner you want people to address you. Also, if you use any abbreviated credentials after your name (e.g. Jane Smith, MD), remember to include them on all professional documents.  You can also include any shortened versions of your name in quotations (e.g. Christopher "Chris" Smith). Just make sure to list it the same way everywhere you put your name.
• Address: It is no longer customary to include your full address on your resume. There have been instances of discrimination against job seekers based on their address. As far as your address is concerned, all you need is the City, State, and Zip Code. A lot of people leave off the Zip Code; however, hiring managers can query the ATS for all resumes within a radius of a Zip Code. If you exclude the Zip Code or put something like, "Greater New York Metro Area," your resume won't be included in the query.
• Phone and email: Put the telephone number and email address where you can easily be reached. Also, be sure that your email address is professional. Using something like [email protected] just won't cut it. The best idea is to use some form of your name. If you're paranoid about having your name in your email address, then you can use some form of the type of position you seek, like [email protected].
• LinkedIn URL: You don't have to spell out the entire URL on the contact line. You can put the words “LinkedIn URL” and hyperlink those words. Before you include your LinkedIn URL, be sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized for the career you want - because you can bet if they have access to it, the hiring manager will look at it. 
• Portfolio: If you're applying for a position like Graphic Designer or Software Designer, you may have a portfolio of work that you want to make available to someone reviewing your application for employment. Include a hyperlink to the portfolio in your contact information. 
• Headshot / photo: There is no reason to include a  headshot on your resume . Actually, it's seen as taboo and could be the thing that gets your resume rejected, because the hiring manager might assume you think you can get the job based on your looks. However, there are some exceptions, like if you're applying to be a model or actor. 

Do you want a hiring manager to be able to tell immediately what type of candidate you are? Put a title at the top of your resume. Center the text on the line, put it in bold font, and put a blank space above and below. The white space and the small amount of words will help it to jump off the page and immediately be noticed. It will also be the first step in helping you stand out in the sea of sameness.

Also, be sure the title on your resume mirrors the title on the job description that you're applying to, but add a bit of panache to it so that it's not too boring. For example, instead of writing “Financial Services Associate,” write “Client-Centric Financial Services Associate Dedicated to Customer Engagement and Revenue Growth.” Just remember to keep it on one line. 

The very next thing on the page should always be your Professional Summary. But how do you write a summary for a resume?

It's a three to five-sentence statement about you. Where you've been in your career, where you're going, and how you'll use your experience to get there. 

While the professional summary is sometimes referred to as the resume objective , you must remember that the days of writing a  resume objective are dead . Never, ever include an objective on your resume. They are a waste of space and don't relay any information that markets you as the best candidate for an open position. 

Let's take a look at an example of each:

Sales Representative seeking a challenging position that will use my skills and provide opportunities for growth in a dynamic and rewarding company. 

As you can see, the objective is very inward-facing and only talks about what you want out of your career. It provides no value to the hiring manager and eliminates any possibility for them to be able to tell what you bring to the table for them. 

Professional Summary:

Ambitious sales professional offering 10+ years' experience in customer retention and aggressive revenue growth. Conquers goals and quotas through a keen awareness of the human buying motive that allows for quickly overcoming objections. Used historical data and consumer trends to reach new customers and grow territory by 24%. Innate ability to work independently or as a member of a cross-functional team.

The best use of resume space is to write a summary of your career. The effectiveness of this summary comes from the fusing of three things:

Relevant keywords – customer retention, revenue growth, and quotas 

Hard and soft skills – overcoming objections and working independently

An achievement – 24% territory growth

With this professional summary, the hiring manager will be able to tell in an instant what you have to offer their team. 

Even though the skills section of your resume is small, it packs a powerful punch! The skills you list in this section highlight your key abilities and show potential employers what you bring to the table. 

It should contain approximately 12 ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that align with the keywords in the job description. Meaning, this is a fluid section that will need to be  tailored to every job  that you apply to. Technically speaking, your entire resume should be customized to align with each job description. That's one thing that will help you get past the ATS. 

Be sure to include a good mix of  hard and soft skills  because prospective employers not only want to know that you can perform the tasks related to your job (hard skills), but they also want to gain a clear understanding of how you'll fit within the culture of the company (soft skills). 

Tips for building your Core Competencies section:

Include skills that are relevant to the job that you're applying to

Avoid creating a laundry list of everything you know how to do – be selective so that the section is more impactful

Group similar competencies together using categories – technical skills, soft skills, and languages

Prioritize your top skills based on their relevance to the job you want

Update frequently

Be consistent with the formatting

Here is a sample Core Competencies list that contains both hard and soft skills:

Core Competencies

Project Management | Data Analysis | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Digital Marketing Strategy | Python Programming | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Negotiation | Team Leadership | Business Development | Financial Modeling | Articulate Communication

This section is meant to show how your career history lends itself to the skills you have that make you the perfect candidate for a given job. There are some general rules of thumb on how to make a resume with a great professional experience section:

Don't go further back than 10 to 15 years

Use no more than 3 to 5 bullets per work listing

Incorporate at least 5 measurable achievements per 10 years of experience (the more the better)

Use stacking for companies where you held more than one role

10-15 Years

The 10-15 years of experience is the most relevant – you can list more than that, but avoid using bullet points for roles over 10 years old. Begin by listing your most recent position first and work your way backward to your oldest position, within that 10-15-year range. If you have 30 years of experience, you can use achievements or skills you learned during that time as talking points during the interview. Listing those older experiences on your resume will only dilute the content.

As you write out your bullet points, keep two words in mind: “so what?” The hiring manager is going to be thinking it, you might as well be thinking it, too. Every time you write something on your resume, think, “So what? Why am I writing this? What value will it bring to my new employer? Will this be THE THING that lands me an interview?"

Achievements

Remove “Responsible for…” from your resume-writing vocabulary. That's because it's crucial that you talk about what you achieved, instead of just what your responsibilities were. Let's face it, there are a lot of things that people are “responsible for” that never get done. So, be sure to talk about things you actually accomplished, as that will be the proof the hiring manager needs to take the next step and call you for an interview.

1. Use numbers whenever possible

The best way to call attention to your career accomplishments is to use numbers. Numbers add credibility to your claims and provide a clear picture of what you bring to the table. 

Don't write this:

• Conducted cold calls to expand client base

Write this instead:

• Increased sales by 15% by making approximately 20 cold calls per day to expand the client base

The latter makes an unmistakable assertion that you had a positive impact, not only in your role but on the company as a whole. You can take it a step further and talk about things like problem-solving skills and how you addressed challenges to lead to team success. These types of  soft skills are highly valued by employers  and could be the thing that lands you an interview.

PRO TIP: Use the  CAR method  for building achievement statements into your resume.

2. Use action words to convey accomplishment

A lot of people make the mistake of copying bullet points from the job descriptions of the roles they've held. This practice makes you sound detached from achievements and focuses more on responsibilities. Using passive language is too generic and doesn't allow a hiring manager to see what you'll be able to accomplish in the new role. 

It's better to use action language to show that you're an achiever rather than a doer. Here are some examples of action words you can use on your resume: 

Worked with others: Advised, Aided, Assisted, Chaired, Coached, Collaborated with, Consulted with, Helped, Instructed, Interacted with, Mentored, Motivated, Supported

Communicated: Addressed, Advertised, Answered, Briefed, Corresponded with, Debated, Explained, Facilitated, Informed, Interpreted, Interviewed, Persuaded, Responded to

Analyzed data: Assessed, Appraised, Audited, Calculated, Computed, Estimated, Evaluated, Forecast, Inspected, Measured, Researched, Surveyed, Tested

Operated equipment: Installed, Maintained, Programmed, Ran, Serviced, Used

Worked with money or contracts: Administered, Appropriated, Authorized, Balanced, Controlled, Directed, Enforced, Financed, Funded, Governed, Invested, Monitored, Oversaw, Purchased

Organized something: Arranged, Assembled, Catalogued, Compiled, Coordinated, Itemized, Routed, Scheduled, Stocked, Tracked

Created: Composed, Customized, Designed, Directed, Established, Founded, Illustrated, Originated, Shaped

Researched: Analyzed, Collected, Criticized, Detected, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Tested

How to make your professional experience section: The formula

There's a formula for writing your professional experience section in a way that focuses on achievements. You'll start by asking yourself these questions about every job you've had:

What was the name of the company?

What was the title of your role?

What dates were you employed? (*Hint: use the MM/YYYY format for your dates)

What did you do every day? (*Example: Leveraged management skills to direct operations of 5 separate but concurrent projects by delegating tasks to staff based on employee acumen and monitoring / controlling budgets)

What is one thing you did at the company that you're really proud of?

What is another thing you're really proud of?

What is one more thing you did that you're really proud of?

When you put all of that together, it should look like this:

Company Name | MM/YYYY to Present

Position Title

Balanced competing priorities on multiple and concurrent projects and program management initiatives using data-driven strategies in Agile environments. Managed key accounts, onboarded new accounts, and oversaw organizational process adoption for nursing facilities, emergency departments, and pharmacies.

Developed $2M Provider Incentive Program that increased community provider partnerships

Saved $800K by using Six Sigma skills to implement DMAIC approach

Coached and mentored 2 direct reports, creating an open environment of communication that facilitated future-facing decision-making

Many people will create separate sections for education history and certifications. That's not necessary. You can include all of it in one section. You can also include extras like  relevant coursework , projects, and achievements. These extras can be truly beneficial for your application if you have little to no work experience. 

There are some general rules of thumb for the education section: 

Spell out acronyms (BS, MS, PhD) and school abbreviations

It is no longer customary to include graduation dates unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year

Never include high school, unless you're still in high school - listing high school doesn't say “ I finished high school, ” it says, “ I didn't go to college .” 

List your degree first and then your school, unless you've obtained multiple degrees at the same institution. 

Here's what a regular education section looks like:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | XYZ University

Six Sigma Black Belt | Council for Six Sigma Certification

If you don't have a lot of experience and need to include some relevant coursework or major projects to inject relevant keywords into your resume, then this is what that would look like:

Relevant coursework:  Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting, Corporate Finance

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program. 

You can include educational information about a degree program even if it's still in progress. Here's what that would look like:

Expected completion:  05/2024

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program.

It is important to list what you do outside of work and school. It helps to demonstrate that you're a well-rounded person. 

Were you the president of a fraternity or sorority? 

Did you get involved with showing new students around campus? 

Have you headed a sales team that produced top awards? 

Were you an employee of the month? 

Do you speak multiple languages?

Did you volunteer for an organization?

Did you perform some major research that ended up being published?

All of these extras allow prospective employers a sneak peek into your life outside of work. They can also go a long way to breaking the ice during an interview, especially if something you do outside work is important or interesting to the hiring manager. 

Keep in mind to list only those volunteer positions, projects, or affiliations that are related to your career goals. 

How long does it take to make a resume?

If you're going to use the resume wizard that MS Word has, you can slap your information together in a day or two. It will get to employers. The bad thing is that it probably won't get a whole lot of attention. 

The "just right resume" can take weeks, because of how much background work goes into it. You'll write it, rewrite it, and write it again, and may even have multiple versions. Ultimately, the exact amount of time that goes into putting your resume together depends on your level of experience, how complex your history is, and the specificity of the job you're applying to. 

Entry-level resumes take the least amount of time, simply because there's less information to include

Mid-level resumes take a few days because of the amount of detail in your work history

Executive resumes, or those for specialized positions, can take weeks - especially if you have to do some digging to come up with accomplishments from your previous positions

Updating an existing resume that's well-maintained can be done in just a few hours

While the time spent can seem like a lot, if you're truly marketing yourself for that “just right” position, do you want your resume to say “This was thrown together in a couple of hours using a template” OR do you want it to say “I know this document is important and a significant amount of time was spent on it to make it perfect?”

The first and foremost thing that will get your resume tossed in the garbage can are typos. The number of resumes with errors that are turned in every day to employers across the globe is so astounding that it bears discussing. 

You must proofread your resume!

The major problem with typos and grammatical boo-boos is that your eyes will read what you intended to type. So, after you've read through your resume a few times and think it's perfect, get a friend to read it. Make sure the friend is one of those brutally honest types. It's better to get it back marked all over with bright red ink so you can fix it before you send it out, than to send it out and then realize there's a mistake in it.

How to make your resume seem more professional

Lazy words: Do you see words like "etc" or “other duties as required” on your resume? Delete them immediately. If you take shortcuts in the language of your resume, hiring managers will wonder if you'll be taking shortcuts at work. 

Cookie cutter resumes: Your resume has to stand out. Because of that, you should avoid throwing something together that you find a sample of online. Make it yours, make it represent you. Many people rely on the resume wizard that comes loaded with MS Word and, while that is a good tool to use to help you remember the sections to include, it shouldn't be the end-all-and-be-all of your resume design. 

Specificity: You've had three jobs in the last 10 years and you've listed every detail of everything you've done during your tenure at those jobs. That makes you a Jack (or Jackie) of all trades, but a master of nothing. You have to be specific to the job for which you're applying. What value do you bring to that employer for that job? What achievements can you highlight?

Tailoring: Considering the rampant use of ATS by companies big and small, you have to take the time to customize your resume so that it gets past those scanners. Remember to use relevant keywords from the job descriptions throughout your resume. 

PRO TIP: You can check to see how to make your resume better! Have it checked against an ATS and get a free, personalized, and  professional resume review . 

Theory in practice – 10 resume examples

It's one thing to have someone tell you how to make a resume, it's another thing to see an example – proof that all of this information can come together in a practical way that makes sense. 

1. Software Engineer resume example

Click here for an example of a Software Engineer resume.

2. Data Scientist resume example

Click here for an example of a Data Scientist resume.

3. Cybersecurity resume example

Click here for an example of a cybersecurity resume.

4. Digital Marketing Manager resume example

Click here for an example of a Digital Marketing Manager resume.

5. Nurse Practitioner resume example

Click here for an example of a Nurse Practitioner resume. 

6. Finance Director resume example

Click here for an example of a Finance Director resume. 

7. Attorney resume example

Click here for an example of a Attorney resume.

8. Administrative Office Assistant resume example

Click here for an example of an Administrative Office Assistant resume. 

9. Information Technology Expert resume example

Click here for an example of an Information Technology Expert resume. 

10. Chief Executive Officer resume example

Click here for an example of a CEO resume. 

Now you know how to make a resume for your next job!

It may seem like it takes a lot of work to make a good resume, but if you've followed along this far there are a few things that should be ingrained in you that will help you write a professional resume:

Know what you want to do – be specific

Make your resume with the right format 

Use a standard layout, whether you are writing your first resume or 50th

Use action words to make your resume stand out

Quantify your achievements to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a new role

Tailor your new resume to each job

Double and triple-check for errors, typos, and grammar mistakes

If you're still unsure how to make a perfect resume, TopResume has you covered. Our team of  professional resume writers  has the know-how and experience to write a resume for you that will win interviews.

Recommended reading: 

Resume Tricks That Don't Work

What Does Your Resume Really Say About You?

Bad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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Switching Careers? Here’s How to Write a Strong Resume.

• Benjamin Laker,
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Start with a personal statement.

When you’re switching career paths, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on: updating your resume. Crafting a smart resume is key to showing your potential employer why you wish to make a change. While there’s no one right format to write a resume, here are some tips you can follow:

• Begin the resume with a personal statement. This is a short description about who you are, your reasons for changing your career, your new goals, how your previous experience can be transferred to the new industry, and why you’re perfect for the job.
• Next, instead of highlighting your work experience first, showcase the skills you’ve learned throughout your career. That’s because when changing careers, the hiring managers reviewing your application may not always be familiar with the roles and responsibilities of a different industry.
• Below your skills, you can include a more traditional description of your relevant work history. You don’t need to include every job you’ve ever had, especially if you’ve held a number of positions that don’t highlight any essential skills required for this role.
• Finally, end with a chronological list of your educational qualifications. You can also include details about any certifications or courses that you may be undertaking that may be relevant to the position you’re interested in.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Switching career paths and trying something completely new can open you up to exciting opportunities, help you learn new things, and even earn you more money. But it’s not always easy — especially if you’re looking to move into an entirely different field. Apart from doing your research and unearthing opportunities, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on before you make the leap: updating your resume.

• Benjamin Laker is a professor of leadership at Henley Business School, University of Reading. Follow him on Twitter .
• Vijay Pereira is a professor of strategic and international human capital management at NEOMA Business School.
• AB Abhishek Behl is an assistant professor of information management at the Management Development Institute Gurgaon.
• ZK Zaheer Khan is a professor in strategy and international business at the University of Aberdeen.  

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Resume Examples for 2024 & Guides for Any Job [90+ Examples]

In today’s competitive job market, having an impactful resume is more essential than ever. 

However, many job seekers struggle to craft a resume that effectively highlights their skills and experience and, in turn, misses out on potential job opportunities. 

This is where our extensive library of resume examples comes in. 

By looking at examples of resumes for different industries and professions, you can gain great insight into what works and what doesn’t, get inspired to present your own qualifications, and stand out from the competition.

Let’s dive in!

15+ Resume Examples

#1. architect resume example.

Here’s what this architect resume example does right:

• Lists related experience. This resume highlights the relevant professional experience the candidate gained in the field during their internship.
• Mentions achievements and responsibilities. The candidate backs up their claims by going into detail about their achievements and responsibilities. 
• Focus on personal projects. By dedicating a section to their personal projects, this candidate makes up for their lack of work experience and shows off their dedication to the industry. 

#2. Business Resume Example

Here’s what this business-related resume example does right:

• Prioritizes work experience. The work experience section is arguably the most important section in every resume, which is why this candidate has given it a priority by giving it enough resume space and going into detail about their previous positions. 
• Highlights accomplishments. To make their professional experience even more impactful, this candidate has supported all their claims with quantifiable achievements. 
• Lists the right optional sections . The candidate adds more value to their resume by including the organizations, honors, and conferences as optional sections.

#3. Computer Science Resume Example

Here’s what this computer science resume does right: 

• Prioritizes technical skills. Technical skills are essential when it comes to IT-related roles, which is why this candidate has prioritized them over soft skills.
• Keeps the education section concise. With such extensive professional experience in the field, the candidate has opted to keep their education section short. 
• Lists relevant social media profiles. Listing websites like GitHub and LinkedIn is a great way to provide recruiters with additional information about your skills. 

#4. Data Analyst Resume Example

Here’s what this data analyst resume does right: 

• Includes a strong resume summary . This candidate showcases their key skills and qualifications from the get-go, which is much more likely to get recruiters to read their resumes from start to finish. 
• Highlights technical skills. Data analysts work with “big data,” so this candidate prioritizes their quantitative and technical skills over other resume sections. 
• Lists relevant professional certifications . The resume lists the candidate’s most noteworthy professional certificates. 

#5. College Resume Example

Here’s what this college resume example does right: 

• Lists relevant social media profiles. By including their Medium and LinkedIn accounts, this candidate gives the hiring manager a chance to know them more professionally. 
• Highlights achievements . Although they lack work experience, the candidate has listed everything they’ve achieved during their academic career, thus showing they’re a promising candidate. 
• Mentions the right optional sections. Adding hobbies and interests and foreign languages to a resume is a huge plus for a candidate with no work experience.

#6. Customer Service Resume Example

Here’s what this customer service resume does right: 

• Includes both soft and hard skills . Customer service roles require a mix of soft and hard skills, so this candidate has listed both. 
• Mentions quantifiable achievements. To make their achievements more impressive, the candidate has backed up their work achievements with data and numbers. 
• Lists foreign language skills. Foreign languages are a huge plus when you’re working in customer service and this resume does a good job highlighting the candidate’s foreign language skills. 

#7. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Here’s what this digital marketing resume does right: 

• Follows the reverse chronological format . This format is the most popular one worldwide and is easily the safest choice.
• Grabs attention with a resume summary. In a single glance, the recruiter can tell that the candidate is a digital marketing professional with the right amount of experience.
• Lists relevant skills. The digital marketing specialist resume above lists in-demand marketing skills like Google Ads, SEO, and others.

#8. Graduate Resume Example

Here’s what this graduate resume example does right:

• Starts off with a well-written resume objective . The resume objective does a great job of showing off the candidate’s promise and industry-related experience. 
• Includes work experience. The candidate has gained professional experience while they were a student and they’ve made sure to include that in their resume. 
• Takes advantage of optional sections. Sections like volunteer experience, and personal projects and achievements can help make up for the lack of extensive experience in the industry. 

#9. HR Resume Example

Here’s what this human resources resume example does right: 

• Follows the right format. The reverse chronological format lists the candidate’s latest experience and achievements first, which is exactly what recruiters want to see. 
• Highlights professional experience. With so many years in the industry, this candidate has dedicated the biggest part of their resume to their work history. 
• Includes courses and certificates. To make their achievements even more impressive, the candidate has included all their courses and certifications. 

#10. Medical Assistant Resume Example

Here’s what this medical assistant resume example does right: 

• Starts off with a memorable resume summary. The candidate lists their years of experience, skills, and passion for the industry, making it more likely for the hiring manager to read the rest of their resume. 
• Lists the candidate’s certificates. There are many certifications one can obtain in the medical field, and this candidate proves how professional they are by listing theirs. 
• Highlights the candidate’s extensive work experience. Experience speaks louder than a thousand words, which is why this resume example provides the work experience section its due space. 

#11. Project Manager Resume Example

Here’s what this project manager resume example does right: 

• Uses bullet points. The candidate uses bullet points to organize and present the information which makes this project manager resume example look neat and structured.
• Keeps their education section relevant. The candidate only includes their key education details, such as their Bachelor’s degree and a field-related minor.
• Takes advantage of additional sections. The candidate takes advantage of the extra space on their project manager resume by including relevant additional sections, such as their industry-related certifications and academic achievements

#12. Bar Manager Resume Example

Here’s what this bar manager resume example does right:

• Includes relevant social media profiles. Details such as your LinkedIn profile or Instagram handle make you look more professional (as long as they’re work-related). 
• Mentions industry-related skills. Instead of listing a bunch of unrelated skills, the bar manager resume example above only lists industry-relevant skills.
• Quantifiable achievements. This applicant quantifies their achievements as much as possible, showing the bar owner how they stand out amongst other candidates.

#13. Supervisor Resume Example

Here’s what this supervisor resume example does right: 

• Lists relevant contact details . The supervisor resume example above leaves out redundancies like marital status or age and includes relevant information, like a LinkedIn URL. 
• Features as many accomplishments as possible. To really highlight their candidate’s professional experience, the supervisor example lists achievements over responsibilities. 
• Lists the right kind of skills. This supervisor's resume example doesn’t list every skill under the sun. Instead, they keep the section relevant by only listing skills required from a supervisor. 

#14. Teacher Resume Example

Here’s what this teacher resume example does right:

• Mentions industry-relevant skills. The candidate lists all the soft and hard skills a teacher should have. 
• Includes hobbies and interests . By including hobbies and interests, the hiring manager will see the candidate as more than just a resume. 
• Lists volunteer experience. The candidate reinforces their teaching experience by including their teaching volunteer gigs and experience. 

#15. Writer Resume Example

Here’s just what this writer resume example does right: 

• Impressive resume summary. The resume includes a brief but effective resume summary that highlights the candidate’s skills and top achievements.
• Relevant contact details. This writer resume example contains relevant contact information, including the candidate’s name and surname, email address, phone number, location, professional website URL, and LinkedIn URL. 
• Short education section. A writer’s skills and experience matter more than their education. For this reason, this candidate kept their writer resume’s education section short and sweet. 

#16. Web Developer Resume Example

Here’s what this web developer resume example does right: 

• Focuses on technical skills. Technical skills are essential for web development, which is why this candidate has prioritized theirs.
• Grabs attention with their work experience. Their rich work experience, listed in reverse chronological order, shows the candidate is a promising professional.
• Keeps their education section minimal. With such extensive work experience and training, the candidate has kept their education section concise.

65+ More Resume Examples and Guides 

Couldn’t find a resume example for your field? Worry not!

Below you can find a number of other resume examples for different fields and industries:

• Accountant Resume
• Administrative Assistant Resume
• AI Engineer Resume
• Animator Resume
• Babysitter Resume
• Banking Resume
• Bank Teller Resume
• Barbie's Resume
• Barista Resume
• Bartender Resume
• Bookkeeper Resume
• Business Analyst Resume
• Career Change Resume
• Caregiver Resume
• Cashier Resume
• College Application Resume
• College Freshman Resume
• Consultant Resume
• Construction Project Manager
• Creative Resume Examples
• Data Entry Specialist Resume
• Data Scientist Resume
• Dentist Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Digital Marketing Manager Resume
• Editor Resume
• Electrical Engineer Resume
• Elon Musk's One-Page Resume
• Engineering Resume
• Esthetician Resume
• Europass CV
• Event Planner Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Federal Resume
• Financial Analyst Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Game Designer Resume 
• Graphic Designer Resume
• High School Resume
• Illustrator Resume 
• Interior Designer Resume
• Internship Resume
• Java Developer Resume
• Military to Civilian Resume
• Marketing Executive Resume
• Minimalistic Resume Examples
• Nanny Resume Example
• Nurse Resume
• Office Assistant Resume
• Office Manager Resume
• Operations Manager Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Photographer Resume
• Program Manager Resume
• Real Estate Agent Resume
• Receptionist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Restaurant Manager Resume
• Retail Manager Resume
• Richard Branson's One-Page Resume
• Sales Resume
• Sales Associate Resume
• Satya Nadella's One-Page Resume
• Server Resume
• Social Worker Resume
• Software Engineer Resume
• Stay-at-home Mom Resume
• Student Resume
• Student Resume Templates
• Taylor Swift Resume
• Video Editor Resume
• Volunteer Resume
• Waiter/Waitress Resume
• Warehouse Worker Resume
• Web Developer Resume
• Welder Resume

5+ Examples of Resume Templates

Your resume template can play an important role in helping you make a great first impression on the hiring manager. 

Specifically, your industry, work experience, or skills all impact how your resume should look, so make sure to choose the right template when making your resume: 

#1. Traditional Resume

A straightforward format that gives equal importance to all resume sections , emphasizing skills and work experience.

#2. Creative Resume

Land your dream job in the creative industry by using this creative resume template. 

#3. Minimalist Resume

A simple and easy-to-follow resume template. Perfect for more conservative industries which prefer less flashy templates.

#4. Basic Resume

This easy-to-personalize basic resume layout can be ready in under ten minutes through our resume builder .

#5. IT Resume

One of the best resume layouts to choose when you wish to showcase your IT expertise.

#6. Modern Resume 

It can be hard to stand out from the crowd, but this modern resume sample will take care of this.

#7. General Resume

5+ Resume Examples by Career Level

#1. no experience resume .

Are you a student with no experience ? Learn how to write a compelling resume with our guide! 

#2. College Freshman Resume

Learn how to ace your college freshman resume with our comprehensive guide! 

#3. Graduate Resume

Fresh out of college? Write an impactful graduate resume to land your first gig after college. 

#4. Career Change Resume

Going through a career change? Perfect your career change resume to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

#5. Manager Resume

#6. Executive Resume

The Perfect Resume Structure 

Not sure how to structure your resume?

Here’s our tried-and-tested resume layout :

• Choose the right resume format or pick a template. If you’re formatting your resume yourself, follow the reverse-chronological format and make sure to follow the right layout rules. Alternatively, you can use one of our premade resume templates and not have to worry about formatting your resume one bit. 
• Add relevant contact details and make sure they’re mistake-free. You shouldn’t be missing information such as your full name and job title, e-mail address, and where you’re based. Optionally, you can also include some relevant social media profiles, such as your LinkedIn.
• Include a resume summary or a resume objective. Done right, a resume summary will show the hiring manager you’re a relevant candidate from the get-go and have them read the rest of your resume.
• List your work experience, placing special focus on your achievements. Your work experience becomes more meaningful if you include your achievements in your past roles and manage to make them quantifiable.
• Mention your top soft and hard skills. List any skills you have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for in a seperate section. 
• Keep your education section short and concise. Unless you’re an entry-level candidate with little-to-no work experience, keep your education section short and to the point. 
• Leverage optional sections like “Languages,” “Certifications,” or “Hobbies and Interests.” Fill up the rest of your resume space with optional sections that can highlight your strengths and qualifications as a candidate (e.g. foreign languages you speak, certifications you’ve obtained over the years, or your hobbies and interests).

3 Examples of Resume Formats 

#1. reverse chronological resume format.

This resume format highlights your experience and key professional achievements by listing your latest position and acquired skills first. It’s the most popular resume format among recruiters and the one we advise job seekers to use in 99% of cases. 

#2. Functional Resume Format

A functional resume , also known as the skill-based resume, is a resume format that focuses on your professional skill test as opposed to work experience. You’re better off using a functional resume if you’re a recent graduate with no work experience, if you’re switching careers, or if you have a long employment gap . 

#3. Hybrid Resume Format

A combination resume combines the two traditional resume formats: the reverse-chronological resume and the functional resume.

As such, this format places emphasis on a candidate’s skills and work experience. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Examples

1. Are resume examples helpful?

Resume examples are helpful for several reasons. For starters, they can inspire you to write an A+ resume that meets the industry’s requirements. 

Also, resume examples can show you the best practices for listing your work experience and achievements, can guide you through your resume formatting and can help you understand exactly what the end result should look like.

2. How were these resume examples created?

All our resume examples and resume templates were created in full collaboration with industry-leading HR professionals.

This means that they meet all job market requirements, are modern and impactful, and meet recruiters’ standards worldwide.

3. What if I can’t find a resume example for my job?

While we’ve tried to list as many resume examples as possible for different jobs across several industries, it might happen that you can’t find the resume example that perfectly matches your needs. 

If that’s the case, you can check out our guide on how to write a resume , and learn to create an effective resume regardless of industry.

4. What is the best resume format in 2024?

The reverse-chronological format is still the best resume format in 2024. It remains the most widely used and preferred format by employers and recruiters alike. In this format, you list your work experience in reverse chronological format, starting with your most recent position and working backward.

This format showcases our most recent and relevant experience, making it easier for employers to see our career progression and accomplishments. 

5. Are these resume examples free? 

Yes, most of these resume examples can be used for free in the Basic account, while there is also a selection of templates included in the Premium account. All of them though can be tested for free in our editor. 

6. Do you also have cover letter examples?

Yes, we have an entire article dedicated to cover letter examples for different fields and jobs. Not just that, but you can also find tips on how to write a great cover letter and an FAQ section to answer any question you may have. 

7. Should my resume and cover letter match?

Yes, having a cover letter that’s consistent with your resume in terms of style, tone, and content can be a plus for your overall job application. In a nutshell, a matching resume and cover letter can increase your chances of getting an interview by demonstrating your professionalism, attention to detail, and suitability for the role. 

Conclusion 

And that’s a wrap!

We hope the examples and guides provided in this article can help you create a powerful and effective resume that highlights your unique qualifications and experiences. 

Whether you're a recent graduate, a mid-career employee, or a seasoned professional, there are tips and templates here to help you create a compelling resume for any job.

For more career advice, make sure to check out our career blog . 

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• Resume Tips

Beginner's Guide to How to Write a Resume

21 min read

For job seekers, few things are more important than making a great first impression on employers. Of course, it’s difficult to accomplish that goal without a compelling resume. 

But what can you do if you’ve never had the opportunity to craft a personalized resume? 

What do you need to know to write a truly convincing resume that can capture an employer’s interest?

In this beginner’s guide, we will provide you with all the information you need to know to learn how to make a resume that can increase your odds of landing an interview. We’ll explain why it’s so important to know how to make a resume and then walk you through the resume creation process step-by-step.

What is a resume?

Before we explain how to make a resume, let’s make sure that we properly define this vital job search tool. A resume is a brief one to two-page document that highlights your most relevant skills, work experience, achievements, and educational qualifications. If you’ve ever filled out a formulaic job application, then you already have some idea about the type of information you’ll need to include in your resume.

But make no mistake; resumes are not just job applications. 

Instead, they are marketing documents designed to highlight your qualifications and potential value as a new hire. Well-crafted resumes should offer more than just a dull recitation of your skills and experiences. A great resume delivers a powerful and compelling narrative that enables prospective employers to envision all the many ways that you might benefit their company.

Why do you need to know how to make a resume?

To understand why it’s so important to know how to make a resume, consider the following job search challenges:

Today’s job market is more competitive than ever before, and you need a way to stand out from the competition.

Most companies expect candidates to provide a resume when they apply for a job. Without a compelling resume, you may have no way to introduce yourself and compete for the role.

You need to be able to convince employers that your experience and skills offer real value to their operations.

Without a resume, you’ll struggle to get the attention you need to earn interview opportunities – interviews that can help you make your best case as a candidate.

The good news is that you can overcome all these challenges by learning how to make a resume that helps you capture employers’ interest. With the right approach and execution, you can craft a resume narrative that not only highlights your qualifications for a job but also demonstrates that you know how to provide value for your employers.

How to make a resume, step-by-step

Now that we’ve explained why it’s so important to have a great resume, it’s time to learn how to make a resume for a job. To simplify this process, we’ve broken everything down into distinct steps that you can follow as you craft your resume document. Just follow along with the steps outlined below, and you’ll quickly learn how to make a great resume that can capture an employer’s attention.

1.     Know your goals

First, you’ll need to figure out your career goals so that you can make a resume that is targeted toward jobs in that industry. Have you given any thought to your career path? 

Some of the key things you’ll want to consider include:

What industry interests you? If you already know which type of job you want, then chances are that you’ve already answered this question. If not, give it some thought.

Which city or state do you want to live in as you pursue your career? Do some research on industries and jobs in that area to make sure that your goal is reasonable.

What position are you seeking? Until you figure out what type of job you want, there’s no reason to create a resume.

What long-term goals do you have for your career? The answer to this question can help you identify short-term job goals as you figure out which career steps you need to take to reach those broader objectives.

Once you’ve answered these questions and formed the broad outline of a career plan, you’ll have a better idea of how to make your resume in a way that speaks to that audience. 

As you craft your resume and continually revise it for each new job throughout your career, knowing your audience can help you focus on creating a professional brand that speaks directly to their hiring needs.

2.     Gather your resume information

The next step in your resume creation process involves preparation – which means getting organized so that all the information you need is readily available before you even begin. This initial preparation can ensure that you don’t waste time looking for key details later and can instead just focus on writing the best resume possible.

Below is a summary of the information you should gather:

A list of your marketable skills. Make sure that you focus on hard and soft skills, including technical abilities, industry-specific knowledge, and key interpersonal skills.

An outline of your employment history. Create a list that includes each job title, the name of the company you worked for, their locations, and your employment dates.

A list of three to five quantifiable achievements for each of those jobs.

Your educational qualifications. Here, we’re talking about any degrees that you’ve earned, the schools you attended, the date you graduated, and relevant coursework or certifications.

You can also gather details about any volunteer work you’ve engaged in – identifying any key skills that you might have learned or used during that experience.

Depending on the job you’re seeking, you may also want to gather information about any accolades you’ve earned – but only if they reinforce your qualifications and past performance.

3.     Choose your format

After gathering your information, you’ll be ready to make your first big resume decision – which format to use. There are three options here, each of which offers a different way to organize and present your information. The choice you make will largely depend on where you are in your career and what you’re trying to achieve. Those three formats include:

The reverse chronological resume format

This format choice is preferred by most hiring managers and job seekers. Its structure and format provide an ideal way to present your work history in a clear and convincing manner by listing your previous jobs in reverse chronological order. That allows employers to focus on your most recent achievements at work while also being able to review your overall career progression.

The functional resume format

The functional resume takes a different approach to organizing your employment information. Instead of focusing on that work history, the functional format emphasizes your skills and education to demonstrate your qualifications for the role. Because it is often used by those with little experience or major gaps in their work history, many employers view this resume format with some degree of skepticism.

The hybrid, or combination, resume format

If you’re looking for a resume format that seeks a happy middle ground between functional and reverse chronological resumes, then the combination option might be ideal. This resume format is often used by people who are changing their careers or who have a great deal of experience that they want to highlight. It is designed to emphasize both skills and relevant experience.

While you are free to choose whichever option you think will work best, we typically recommend the reverse chronological format for most job seekers with any level of experience. 

If you have no work experience, you may be better off relying on the hybrid option. 

Throughout the rest of this post, however, we will focus on helping you learn how to make a resume that uses the most popular formatting option – the reverse chronological format.

4.     Use a solid structure to outline your resume

Fortunately, the reverse chronological resume offers a simple way to organize your resume information to create a solid structure that is easy to follow and scan. That last part is important because very few employers will ever read through your entire resume when it first crosses their desk. Instead, they will scan it, searching for key bits of information that they’re prioritizing for their hiring process.

Knowing that, it’s important to create an outline that provides that scannable structure. To do so, you need to separate different types of resume information into distinct sections. 

Your resume outline should include the following sections:

Contact information

Resume headline

Resume summary

Core competencies or skills

Work experience/Professional experience

Optional sections

We’ll examine each of these important sections as we proceed through the guide, providing examples to help you better understand how to present these details to employers.

5.     List your contact information

Your contact information needs to be placed at the top of your resume. That helps ensure that hiring managers and others can easily find the details they need to know if they want to contact you for an interview or a job offer. 

Include the following information:

Your name . Make sure that it matches the name you use in your cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Also, use both your first and last name, and adjust the font size to a larger font to help it stand out from the rest of your contact information.

Your location . While there is some debate about this, it is still common for job seekers to include their city, state, and zip code in their contact details. Do not list your home address , though.

Phone number . Make sure you include a working phone number that employers can use to reach you. Include all ten digits of the number to ensure that there is no confusion.

Email address . For your email address, try to utilize a professional email rather than a vanity address. For example, you would not want to use an address like [email protected]. Instead, use an address that contains your name and no silly or controversial details. Something like [email protected] would be a far better option.

LinkedIn URL . If you have a LinkedIn account that you use for your professional career, include that URL too. Just make sure you’ve cleaned up your profile and updated it to align with your resume and current career goals.

Website/Portfolio URL . This is an optional contact detail that you may need to include if you have a professional body of work you need employers to see. Website designers, graphic artists, and architects are examples of the type of professionals who often need to rely on their portfolios to demonstrate their skills.

Putting all of that together, your resume contact information section might look something like this:

Tom Thompson

Anytown, Anystate 99999 ∙ 555-555-5555

your email address ∙ Your LinkedIn URL ∙ Portfolio address

6.     Create a dynamic resume headline

If you’re confused about resume headlines, relax – they’re easy to understand. Basically, they’re just a job title with some descriptive language that helps to capture hiring managers’ attention. The headline goes right below your contact details, with the text bolded and centered to give it more prominence on the page.

To create a headline, start with the job title. For example: Marketing Manager. Now add some descriptive language that makes that title more compelling. For example:

Senior Marketing Manager With 10+ Years of Experience in Brand Enhancement

Dynamic Marketing Manager and Digital Marketing Innovator

Strategic Marketing Manager, Focused on Data-Driven Analysis

As you can see, these examples offer more than just a bland recitation of the job title you’re seeking. They provide a more compelling argument for your candidacy while helping solidify your unique professional brand. This can help ensure that you develop a reputation that can contribute to career success and advancement as you provide real results for your employers.

7.     Craft a compelling resume summary

You’ll also need to know how to create a convincing resume summary to serve as your resume’s elevator sales pitch. 

Remember how we mentioned that hiring managers only scan your resume? Well, it’s true. 

And because they don’t read the entire document, you’ll need to work extra hard to make sure that you capture their attention as quickly as possible.

Enter the resume summary. 

This short, three to five-sentence paragraph sits right below your resume headline and acts as a quick introduction to the reader. You’ll want to include a brief description of yourself that emphasizes your experience and most relevant skills, as well as language that shows how you’ve used those skills and character traits to produce measurable results for your previous employers.

You should also include a few keywords from the job description to help guarantee that your resume gets past applicant tracking systems, of course. Just scan the job posting to locate relevant skills, character traits, and other qualifications that the employer is looking for. Those are likely to be ATS keywords you’ll need to have in your resume.

Since this paragraph is designed to serve as a summary of your resume and career, it is usually best to write it after you’ve completed the rest of the document. That can help you to identify key points that you can use in your summary. Regardless of when you write it, though, it always needs to have a prominent place in the top third of your resume.

Here’s an example of what a Marketing Manager resume summary might look like:

Data-driven Marketing Manager with 8+ years of experience crafting and leading high-impact campaigns for more than 200 client companies. Consistently leverage digital campaign expertise to increase client website traffic by an average of 45%, with an 80% boost to customer engagement and 23% average increase in sales funnel activity.  A proven leader focused on creating motivated teams that exceed every expectation.

8.     Highlight your core competencies

Since you’ve already created a list of your core skills, crafting the core competencies or skill section of your resume should be relatively easy. While this is typically one of the smallest sections in any resume, it can also be one of the most effective. After all, this is the one section in which you can include every relevant skill you’ll need to demonstrate your qualifications.

So, let’s start with that list of skills you created. 

You’ll need a total of between 9 and 12 skills for this section, including both hard and soft skills . 

Try to include a balanced mix of each to ensure that employers can see that you not only have the job-related skills needed to fulfill your duties but also possess the key interpersonal skills you’ll need to fit within the company culture.

Hard skills include technical abilities that you’ve learned in school or other formal training venues, while soft skills tend to include traits and abilities that are more difficult to measure. 

For example, consider your ability to analyze data. That is a quantifiable skill that can be easily measured in terms of results. On the other hand, communication or negotiation skills are less tangible and more difficult to measure. Data analysis is thus a hard skill while communication and negotiation abilities are considered soft skills.

As you create your core competencies section, start by reviewing the job description to identify all the skills the employer listed as core qualifications. Then, compare the skills you cull from the job description with the personal skills list you created as you gathered your resume information. 

Fuse the two lists and fine-tune it using language from the job description to create your core competencies list and get past the ATS.

A few things to note here:

This is the first section in your resume that requires a section label. You can label this section Core Competencies or Relevant Skills – or just Skills. It’s up to you.

You’ll want each skill to be listed as a bullet point to help keep them from looking like they’re squished together on the page.

It’s typical to format this section into two or three columns, to help save resume space and create a more appealing presentation.

Make sure that you list the most important skills first and try to group them according to type. For example, if you’re applying for a technical job, list technical skills first, and then your soft interpersonal abilities.

Omit any unnecessary skills that might distract from your more relevant abilities. The goal is to create a compelling list, so quantity is less important than quality.

Here’s an example of what that skill list might look like for our hypothetical Marketing Manager:

CORE COMPETENCIES

Digital Marketing

Strategic Planning

Campaign Budgeting

Project Management

Data Analysis

Brand Management And Enhancement

Team Building

Creative Thinking

Problem Solving

Excellent Communication

Negotiation

Content Management

9.     Document your work experience

If you’ve ever filled out a standard job application, then you already understand the importance of documenting your work experience for a prospective employer. 

Here, you will need to refer to your list of previous jobs and start with your current or most recent position. To begin, start listing every job that you’ve held for the last 10 to 15 years, in reverse order. 

For each of those positions, you should include the following details:

Company name

Company location

Employment dates

Four or five bullet point examples of your most notable and quantifiable achievements

Before we get to examples that show how this section might look on your resume, let’s talk about those bullet point examples for a few minutes. 

While there was a time when job seekers would just list their job duties for every position, that approach rarely works in today’s competitive job market. The reason for that is simple: every employee has duties, regardless of their position. 

Employers are not impressed by a list of your responsibilities; they want to know how you made a positive impact in that role.

By listing measurable achievements that use real numbers to quantify your results, you can demonstrate how you provide value as an employee. That’s one of the easiest ways to prove your capabilities and help any prospective employer quickly understand the type of benefits they can expect if they choose you over rival candidates.

Below is an example of the employment experience section for your imaginary Marketing Manager:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ABC Marketing – Anytown, Anystate – 2019–Present

Marketing Manager

Successfully created and executed marketing campaigns for 60+ clients, including rebranding strategies, market expansions, and digital engagement, with an average client revenue increase of 22%.

Recruited and trained 3 dozen marketing personnel, boosting company client acquisition by 32% over a 3-year period, with a 95% employee retention rate.

Led negotiations for new vendor contracts, reducing departmental costs by $75,000 per year.

Oversaw digital marketing campaigns that provided $2 million in revenue in 2023.

As you can see, each of these achievement examples highlights the candidate’s various skills, including negotiation, digital marketing, team building, and project management, as well as core leadership abilities that all managers need to possess. Even better, the candidate uses real numbers to demonstrate how those skills helped to add value for his employer.

Adopt this approach to your work experience section by following that same strategy for each of your job role listings. Whenever possible, try to include several skill-based keywords from the job posting in these achievement listings too.

Finally, make sure that you utilize action verbs that demonstrate that you’ve done more than just fulfill your duties in each role. You want employers to see you as a person of action who’s focused on getting results rather than just meeting your responsibilities. 

Avoid boring, meaningless words like “responsible for” or “duties included” and opt instead for action-oriented language like:

Facilitated

Reorganized

Revitalized

Coordinated

Related post : For other great ideas about these types of action words, check out our great post, 101 Power Verbs for Your Resume .

10.   Create an education section

The last required section in your resume is the Education section. This is where you’ll list the degrees you’ve earned that demonstrate you meet the employer’s education requirements for the position. 

Again, refer to the job posting to ensure that you understand what the employer is looking for and make sure that the credentials you list meet those expectations.

This section should include the name of the school you attended and its location, the date you graduated, and your degree. 

Education in progress

You can also include relevant coursework that can help highlight your knowledge base. If you have not yet completed your degree, you can include the anticipated date for graduation. 

The question of whether to include your GPA is a matter of some debate. As a rule, it’s wise to never include it unless you’ve recently finished school – and that GPA is at least 3.5. Of course, some employers may require that information, in which case you’ll need to add it to your resume. In most instances, however, you’ll want to omit it.

Educational awards/honors

Finally, you can include relevant awards or honors if you’re lacking in work experience. If you go that route, make sure that you list the formal award name and include the date that you received it.

So, what does that all look like when you put it together to create a resume section? Let’s return to our Marketing Manager example and see how that resume’s Education section might look:

EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Marketing Anytown College – Anytown, Anystate – May 2008

Relevant coursework: Advanced Marketing Strategies, Digital Marketing Intelligence, Project Management Insights

11.   Add certifications, training, or license credentials when appropriate

Depending on your chosen career path, you may have certain certifications or licensing requirements for any job you’re seeking. Or perhaps you’ve made a point of continuing to advance your career with continuing education that earned certain certifications. 

If you possess those additional qualifications, and they’re relevant to the position you’re seeking, you may want to include them on your resume.

CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES Google Analytics Certification – Google, June 2023 (Expires June 2024)

As you can see, you’ll want to include the name of the certification and the organization or entity that provided it. Add in the date you earned the certification. In addition, you should include any relevant expiration date. You’ll also notice that we added a title for this optional section, to help keep it separate from the other sections in your resume.

12.   Volunteer work

Volunteer work is an optional section that you may want to include – but only if the skills you used are relevant for the position you’re seeking. If so, then you can add a separate labeled section for this part of the resume. Include the type of work you did, the organization that you worked for, and any measurable achievements. 

For example:

VOLUNTEER WORK Anytown Food Drive – Budget Manager – 2022

Developed a budget plan for a local food drive, creating a donor campaign that yielded $13,000 in donations in 2022.

Managed team of 9 volunteers who executed donor drive campaign.

Developed offline and online marketing strategies to maximize community outreach, achieving 11% success rate for actionable donor contacts.

Alternatively, you can simply list volunteer work in your work experience section. This option is especially useful if your resume has noticeable gaps in your employment and you spent some of that off-time doing volunteer work. It’s a great way to demonstrate that you were still actively sharpening your skills during a period of unemployment.

If you opt to add volunteer work to your professional experience list, be sure to change the title of that section of your resume from “Professional Experience” to “Professional and Volunteer Experience” so that employers understand you’re mixing the two together.

Once your base resume is complete

Once your resume includes all the core sections and any relevant optional sections, you’ll have a base resume that you can use as your template for any resume submissions. 

But your work isn’t done! 

In fact, there are still some steps that you’ll need to complete before you can confidently send your document off to employers. Let’s examine those additional steps now.

Edit and proofread your resume for content, spelling, and grammar

Obviously, you don’t want to send out a resume that’s filled with misspellings, typos, or inaccurate information. To avoid that, you will need to spend some time editing the document for both content and quality. 

Remember this: employers who spot mistakes in resumes are more likely to toss those documents in the trash than spend any real time reading them.

Here’s the problem, though: it’s difficult to proofread your own writing – especially if you try to do it right after you’re done with your initial draft. 

You see, your brain will remember what it wrote, which means that your eyes will likely miss even obvious mistakes since your brain will interpret what you meant to write vs what’s actually there. To avoid that challenge, try to set the document aside for a few days before you begin your edits. You may need to review it several times after that to get it right.

Even then, though, you shouldn’t rely on your own eyes to serve as the final word on proofreading. Instead, have a friend or family member who’s good with words review it too. Print it out and ask them to look for any confusing language, spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, or formatting lapses.

Tailor your resume to each job you seek

Our final step to making a great resume is an ongoing one that you’ll need to revisit with each new job you seek. It involves tailoring your resume to target a specific job role at a specific company. To complete this step, you need to take your base resume and make modifications that specifically target the role you want. 

The following tips can help.

Begin by making a copy of your base resume on the computer. Give it a different name that identifies it for use in a specific job application.

Go through your resume and compare the different sections to the job posting for the position you’re seeking. As you read through the job posting, identify those skill and qualification requirements that we talked about earlier in this guide. Write down those exact terms on a sheet of paper. Those will be keywords that you need to add to your resume.

Review each section of your resume to ensure that your headline, summary, core competencies, work experience, and education section all align with the core qualifications for the position you want.

Remove any irrelevant skills and replace them with those required for the new job.

Make changes to your work experience achievements as needed to ensure that your accomplishments highlight the right skills for the job.

Once you’re done tailoring the resume, go through your proofreading and editing process again to ensure that it’s as perfect as possible.

With a little effort, you can learn how to make a resume that’s sure to impress!

Learning how to make a resume may seem like a tall mountain to climb, but the challenge can be overcome if you know which steps to take. With the right goals, preparation, and attention to detail, you can quickly learn how to make a professional resume that will capture the attention of any prospective employer.

Good luck in your job search!

Wondering whether your resume has what it takes to land you the interviews you need? Get your free resume review from our resume experts today!

 Recommended reading:

30 Resume Summary Examples that Work in 2024

Communication Skills on a Resume (Examples + Tips)

150 Resume Buzzwords to Use and Clichés to Avoid in 2024

Ken Chase, Freelance Writer

During Ken's two decades as a freelance writer, he has covered everything from banking and fintech to business management and the entertainment industry. His true passion, however, has always been focused on helping others achieve their career goals with timely job search and interview advice or the occasional resume consultation. When he's not working, Ken can usually be found adventuring with family and friends or playing fetch with his demanding German Shepherd. Read more resume advice from Ken on  ZipJob’s blog .

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The job market is getting more competitive. How to write a resume that stands out.

The job market is getting more competitive .

There were 8.8 million job openings in November – down 18% from the year prior and the lowest level since March 2021.  

Meanwhile, roughly 85% of U.S. workers are considering changing jobs this year, up 27% from last year, according to a recent survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of LinkedIn among 1,013 U.S. working professionals in late 2023.

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For job seekers looking for ways to make their applications stand out, here are tips on crafting the perfect resume.

Make it look nice, but don’t worry too much about the design

Resumes should be organized and easy to scan for information. Experts say a little pop of color is fine, but most professions don’t need the job application to show off their design skills.

In fact, too much focus on design could hurt your application if a resume scanning software is unable to pick up on keywords.

“You might stand out with a very bold, graphical resume, but it’s not necessarily going to be in a good way,” Dana Leavy-Detrick, director of Brooklyn Resume Studio , told USA TODAY. “If you over-focus on the design, you're going to sacrifice the optimization of it.”

She said resumes are considered “safe” with a clean look, sans-serif fonts and plenty of white space. Consider hyperlinking text to sites like your LinkedIn profile. 

“Content is always more important than bells and whistles,” said career coach Jenny Foss . “If you are in an industry where style is going to be advantageous or crucial, you can absolutely have a second version if you're able to send a PDF directly to someone or display it on your own website or portfolio."

Use – but don’t lean on – AI

Artificial Intelligence chatbots can be a great start to people drafting up their resumes, but experts warn not to lean on the technology.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are very good at spotting people are using AI to write the resume,” Leavy-Detrick said . “It may sound very well written, but it falls a little bit flat.”

That can hurt a candidate's chances when hiring managers are “looking for authenticity,” according to Leavy-Detrick . 

“ I have seen just pure AI-written resumes, and they're not great yet,” Foss said. “A big part of what they miss is the person. AI’s not going to capture your unique traits and contributions.”

Resume writing: What to include 

Be specific: For instance, don’t just say you’re a good salesperson – say exactly how many deals you closed in a quarter.“You want to put some meat around what you're saying about yourself,” said professional resume writer Lynda Spiegel .

Add a value proposition: Spiegel suggests adding a short paragraph near the top of the resume that makes clear why the applicant would be the right hire. “Your resume is a marketing document. It's not a history of everything you've ever done.  You’re a product, and you're marketing yourself to the buyer, which is the employer,” she said. “(It should tell) the employer, ‘This is why you want to bring me in for an interview. This is I am the answer to the problem you have.’”  

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Focus on the narrative: With each job listed in a resume, Foss writes up a quick sentence or two that describes what the applicant was hired to do and the overarching focus of that job. The following bullet points highlight the achievements made in that position.“I try to tell the evolution of this person's career story as we go through their career chronology in a way that is kind of like, all roads lead to this being the absolute no-brainer next opportunity for me,” she said. “I am seeing and deploying that storytelling approach more than ever before.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The job market is getting more competitive. How to write a resume that stands out.

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How to Write a Powerful and Memorable HR Resume

No matter how many thousands of resumes you've reviewed throughout your HR career, you are likely to still find it difficult to write your own. Like anyone else, you need to step back and look at your career objectively. What will make people remember you? Why will others want to hire you? What can you bring to an employer that no one else can?

While there's no single formula or template to use in crafting an effective HR resume, we offer some guidelines that will help you showcase your greatest talents and accomplishments. 

1. Use a Well-Branded Headline 

Of course, your resume will start with your name and contact information (phone number and live links to both your e-mail address and LinkedIn profile) prominently positioned at the top of the page. Then create a headline statement that tells readers who you are professionally with regard to your current career objective. Readers should instantly see whether you're a generalist, specialist or senior executive. Your headline replaces the now outdated "Career Summary" or "Professional Profile" heading you may have used in the past. 

Think about adding one or two subheadings to further define your expertise. Do you have an industry specialization? Any distinguishing credentials? Experience with a hot-button HR issue? With just a few words, you can convey what sets you apart from other candidates.

Be certain to highlight not only what you've done in the past but also what you want to do in the future. This is extremely important because you want readers to perceive you as qualified for the positions you're targeting.

If you have extensive experience managing compensation and benefits, for example, but you don't want that to be a major part of your next job, don't note it in your headline. Rather, simply mention it as appropriate in the experience section. Be selective and be strategic.

 Tips continue below. 

Resume Samples

2. Share Details About Where You've Worked 

Help your readers understand the depth and breadth of your experience by providing details about the organizations where you've worked. You can cite the number of employees, locations, total annual revenue, specific business or industry, and other details. Knowing where you've worked before helps hiring managers put everything into context and makes your experience and accomplishments that much more impressive.

Just as with your headline, be strategic. If you've worked only at large public companies and now want to move to a small privately held business, the size of your prior organizations might scare off your target employers. Think about your goals and add the details that make you a good fit for the jobs you want.

3. Emphasize Achievements 

This is perhaps the most critical strategy in creating a powerful and memorable resume. Without highlighting your achievements, your resume will sound much like that of any other HR professional who has similar experience.

While your knowledge and expertise are important, hiring managers want to know more. They seek to understand what you have done—how you have contributed to business objectives, how you have made a difference, what measurable results you have produced, what you have done to improve company culture and more.

Both quantified and unquantified results can add value, so don't feel you must have a hard number for every bullet point. But dig deep to find results wherever possible. Ask yourself about the problem you solved—not just the activity or task, but why it was important to the business.

4. Highlight HR Keywords 

You know how important keywords are for both human readers and the electronic eyes scanning your resume, so make sure to scatter them throughout the document. You can create a "Core Competencies" or "Professional Skills Summary" section at the top, but that's not enough. Consider adding bold keywords at the start of each bullet point. This is a very effective strategy both for increasing the keyword density of your resume and for making your resume highly "skimmable." 

5. Prepare Your Resume for ATSs 

As an HR professional, you have the advantage of being able to "look under the hood" of an applicant tracking system (ATS) to see what happens in a typical keyword-driven resume review. Use that knowledge to your benefit.

Because there are so many ATSs, and because candidate searches are conducted by humans who have their own habits and preferences, you can't guarantee a perfect result from every ATS scan. But you can and should follow best practices for formatting your resume, integrating keywords and increasing keyword density. 

For example, use and spell out acronyms so that the ATS has the best chance of picking up relevant terms, however they're defined. You might have "SHRM-SCP" at the top after your name, but that should become "Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional" under the "Education & Professional Credentials" section. 

6. Share What Makes You Special 

In addition to your professional experience and educational credentials, share your professional credentials (e.g., SHRM-SCP), professional affiliations (e.g., SHRM, OD Network), board of director appointments, and other leadership posts, presentations and public speaking engagements, media features and quotes, and publications.

We recommend that you focus on professional activities and exclude common civic or community-based affiliations. Resume "real estate"—just one or two pages—is extremely valuable, so you want to be certain that each line of text adds strength to your candidacy.

7. Write Tight, Lean and Clean

Clean, clear, concise writing is the hallmark of a good resume. Readers simply don't have the time or inclination to wade through irrelevant experiences, fluffy adjectives, unnecessary details and the other "filler" that weighs down many resumes.

No one writes this way on the first pass. It requires repeated review, careful editing, and a constant focus on strategy and goals to determine what's important to include and what does not support your professional brand and career objectives.

In addition to writing tight, pay attention to formatting. Avoid dense paragraphs (anything longer than three or four lines) and allow ample white space to create an inviting document that rewards readers, whether they come for a quick skim or a more thorough read.

Moving Forward

These guidelines cover just some of the things you can do to create a strong resume. Constantly remind yourself that you're writing to the future—to the positions that you're targeting—and emphasize relevant skills, experiences, achievements, keywords and results. If you do, chances are you will get noticed, interviewed and, we hope, hired.  

Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark are both master resume writers, job and career transition coaches, and certified professional resume writers who have authored 40-plus books, including  Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed … Get Hired  (Emerald Career Publishing, 2016). 

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Create your Europass CV

The Europass CV builder makes it easy to create your CV online. You can use it to apply for a job, education or training opportunities as well as volunteering.

The best-known CV format in Europe

The Europass CV is one of the best-known CV formats in Europe. It is easy-to-use and familiar to employers and education institutions.

You will first have to create your Europass profile with information on your education, training, work experience and skills. After you complete your Europass profile, you can create as many CVs as you want with just a few clicks. Just select which information you want to include, pick your favourite design and Europass will do the rest. 

You can create, store and share CVs in 31 languages . You can download your Europass CV, store it in your Europass Library share it with employers, with  EURES  or other job boards.

How to create a good CV

Remember that your CV is your first opportunity to communicate your skills and experiences to a future employer. It is a snapshot of who you are, your skills, your educational background, work experiences and other achievements.

Present your experience clearly

Highlight examples of your skills and experiences matching the job you are applying for. Pay close attention to the details published in the vacancy notice.

Tailor your CV

Make sure you update the ‘About Me’ section to highlight why you are the best person for the job. Do not include a full detailed history. Focus on facts and main points that match the job you have in mind.

Make it readable

Make sure your CV is easy to read. Use clear and simple language.  Use strong verbs (e.g. ‘managed’, ‘developed’, ‘increased’).

Use reverse chronological order

Always list the most recent experience on the top followed by previous ones. In case of long gaps in working or learning, include an explanation.

Polish and fine-tune

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, provide a professional e-mail address, and add a professional photograph of yourself.

Your Europass profile

Your Europass profile is the place to keep a record of all your skills, qualifications and experiences. If you keep your Europass profile up-to-date then you will always have all the information you need to create tailored CVs and job applications quickly.

Good luck with your applications!

Find support through EU services

Eures the european job mobility portal, working abroad in other eu countries, education and training in other eu countries, you may be interested to read.

Create your Europass Cover Letter

Develop your skills through volunteering

Managing your personal information in Europass

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