how to make your resume strong

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

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

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

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

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

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

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

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

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

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

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

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

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

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

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

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

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

So, which one should you go for?

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

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

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

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

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#2. Add Your Contact Information

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

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

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

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

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

Must-Have Information

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

Optional Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is where the resume headline comes in.

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

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

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

Resume Summary

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

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

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

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

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

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

Resume Objective

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

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

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

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

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

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

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s a real-life example:

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

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

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

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

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

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

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

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

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

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

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

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

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

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

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#5. List Your Education

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

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

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

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

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

Resume Education Tips

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

Just follow these expert tips:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

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

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

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

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

Methodologies & Tools

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

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

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

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

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

Qualifications:

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

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

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

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

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

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

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

Include Transferable Skills

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

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

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

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

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

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

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

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

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

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

• Intermediate

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

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

Hobbies and Interests

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

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

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

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

Volunteering Experience

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

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

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

Certifications

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

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

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

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

Awards and Recognitions

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

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

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

Publications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extracurricular Activities

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

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

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

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

11+ Expert Resume Tips

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

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

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

FREE Resume Checklist

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

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

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

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

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

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

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

#1. Traditional Resume Template

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

#2. Modern Resume Template

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

#3. Creative Resume Template

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

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

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

#5. IT Resume Template

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

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

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

#9. Executive Resume Template

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

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

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

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

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

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

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

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

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

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

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

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

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

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

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

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

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

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

#8. High School Resume Example

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

#9. Student Resume Example

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

#10. Server Resume Example

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

#11. Actor Resume Example

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

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

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

#13. Engineering Resume Example

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

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

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

#15. Architect Resume Example 

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

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

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

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

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

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

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

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

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

Next Steps After Your Resume

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

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

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

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

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

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

Just follow this structure:

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

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

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

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

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

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

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

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

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#9. Is a resume a CV?

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

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

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

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

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

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

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

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

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

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

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

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

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

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

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

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

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

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

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

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

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

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

• Benjamin Laker,
• Vijay Pereira,
• Abhishek Behl,
• Zaheer Khan

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.

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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40+ Resume Tips to Help You Land a Job in 2024

When you haven’t updated your resume in a while, it can be hard to know where to start. What experiences and accomplishments are relevant for the jobs you’ve got your eye on? What new resume rules and trends should you be following? And seriously, one page or two ?

Well, search no more: We’ve compiled all the resume tips you need into one place. Read on for advice and tricks that’ll help you craft a winning resume—and land your next job.

Maximize your chances by looking for more open jobs on The Muse »

Basic resume tips

Let's start with the basic do's and don'ts when putting your resume together. Listing your skills is not the only thing that matters—choosing the right format and sections is equally crucial. Here are some tips for writing a resume from scratch:

1. Don’t try to cram every skill and work experience onto your resume

Think of your resume not as a comprehensive list of your career history, but as a marketing document selling you as the perfect person for the role you’re applying to. For each resume you send out, you’ll want to highlight only the accomplishments and skills that are most relevant to the job at hand (even if that means you don’t include all of your experience ).

This is called tailoring your resume and it helps anyone who reads it see exactly why you’re a match for a specific position.

2. But keep a resume outline with a full list of your qualifications

Since you’ll be swapping different information in and out depending on the job you’re applying to, save a resume outline —or maybe our resume worksheet —on your computer with old positions, bullet points tailored for different applications, and special projects that only sometimes make sense to include. Think of this as your brag file. Then, when you’re crafting each resume, it’s just a matter of cutting and pasting relevant information together.

3. Ditch the objective statement

The only time an objective section makes sense is when you’re making a huge career change and need to explain from the get-go why your experience doesn’t match up with the position you’re applying to. In every other case, resume objectives just make you look old-fashioned or out of touch.

Read More: 3 Reasons You Should Ditch That Resume Objective—and 3 Things You Can Do Instead

4. Put the best, most relevant information first

In journalism speak, “above the fold” refers to what you see on the front half of a folded newspaper (or, in the digital age, before you scroll down on a website)—basically it’s your first impression of a document. In resume speak, it means you should make sure your most relevant qualifications are visible on the top third of your resume.

This top section is what the hiring manager is going to see first—and what will serve as a hook for someone to keep on reading. If your most recent position isn’t the most relevant piece of your candidacy, consider leading with a skills section (such as in a combination resume format ) or writing a resume summary .

5. Choose the right resume format for you

There are lots of different ways to organize the information on your resume—like the functional resume or combination resume. But the good old reverse chronological —where your most recent experience is listed first—is usually your best bet. Unless it’s absolutely necessary in your situation, skip the functional or skills-based resume—hiring managers might wonder what you’re hiding.

6. Keep it concise

The two-page resume is a hotly debated topic, but the bottom line is this—you want the information here to be as short as possible, and keeping it to one page forces you to prioritize what really matters. If you truly have enough relevant and important experience, training, and credentials to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for two. But if you can tell the same story in less space? Do it.

Read More: 6 Pro Tips for Cutting Your Resume Down to One Page

7. Include relevant links

Can’t figure out how to tell your whole story on one page, or want to be able to include some visual examples of your work? Instead of trying to have your resume cover everything, cover the most important details on that document. Then, include a link to your personal website , your online portfolio , examples of your work, or a relevant, professional social media profile , where you can dive more into what makes you the ideal candidate.

Just avoid hyperlinking over words that are key to understanding your resume, since it can throw off the tools employers use to store and parse resumes.

8. Be aware of the ATS

You may have heard that employers are using computers to “read” your resume and decide who to hire and reject. That’s not exactly true. But most employers do use software called an applicant tracking system—or ATS—to parse resumes and organize them so that recruiters and hiring managers can search for the most relevant applications.

You should assume your resume will pass through an ATS at some point during your job search, so understanding how it works will help make your hunt more efficient. (All of the tips for resume writing in this list keep ATSs in mind as well!)

Read More: Beat the Robots: How to Get Your Resume Past the System and Into Human Hands

Resume formatting tips

Your resume's format matters as much as the content it holds. Aim for a simple and minimalist layout, without overwhelming columns, colors, or graphic elements. Here are some key resume formatting tips to help you stand out:

9. Keep your resume format simple

We’ll talk about getting creative in order to stand out in a minute. But the most basic principle of good resume formatting and design? Keep it simple. Make your resume easy on hiring managers’ eyes by using a reasonably sized default font like Helvetica or Arial and leaving a healthy amount of white space on the page. Your main focus here should be on readability for the hiring manager (and that pesky ATS).

Read more: The Best Resume Font and Size (No More Agonizing!)

10. Stand out with ATS-friendly design elements

Really want your resume to stand out from the sea of Times New Roman? Yes, creative resumes —like infographics, videos, or presentations can set you apart, but you have to make sure they actually get read. If you’re uploading your resume to a job application site or online portal, use ATS-friendly formatting elements like:

• Bold and italic text
• Underlining (in headings or over hyperlinks)
• Different text alignments
• Columns that can be read straight across

11. Avoid design elements that can’t be “read” by computers

On the flip side, it’s best to avoid design elements that ATSs are known to have trouble with such as:

• Logos and icons
• Images and photos
• Graphics, graphs, or other visuals
• Headers and footers
• Less common fonts
• Columns that can only be read from top to bottom

12. Make your contact info prominent

You don’t need to include your address on your resume anymore (really!), but you do need to make sure to include a phone number and professional-sounding email address (but not one affiliated with another job!) as well as other places the hiring manager can find you on the web, like your LinkedIn profile, plus your pronouns if you’d like to.

Read More: Here's Exactly What Should Be Included in Your Resume's Header

13. Design your resume for skimmability

You’ve probably heard before that hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time on each individual resume. So help them get as much information as possible in as little time as possible, by making your resume easy to skim .

Work experience resume tips

Recruiters nowadays want to know more than a simple description of your responsibilities. They're looking for the results and impacts of your work, as well as the connection between your experience and the position you're applying for now.

That said, let's take a look at some resume writing tips for describing your work experience:

14. Keep your work experience recent and relevant

As a rule, you should only show the most recent 10-15 years of your career and only include the experiences that are relevant to the positions you’re applying to. Remember to allocate real estate on your resume according to importance. If there’s a choice between including one more college internship or going into more detail about your current role, always choose the latter (unless the internship was more relevant to the role you’re applying for).

15. Don’t forget your transferable skills and experiences

Don’t panic if you don’t have any professional experience that fits the bill. Focus your resume on your relevant and transferable skills along with any related side or academic projects , and then make sure to pair it with a strong cover letter telling the narrative of why you’re ideal for the job.

Read more: What to Put on Your Resume When You Have No Relevant Work Experience

16. Write strong, achievement-focused bullet points

The bullet points under each job entry are arguably the most important part of your resume. They tell whoever’s reading it what skills you have, how you’ve used them, and how you’ve helped your employers in the past.

So start with a strong action verb , include relevant skills from the job description , and frame your bullets around your achievements—don’t just list your job duties . Tell them how your work benefitted your boss or company so they know what they stand to gain by hiring you.

Here’s a simple formula to follow:

• Compelling verb + job duty + key skills used = tangible result

So you might say: “ Developed an upgrade to the employee database, ensuring the smooth flow of critical operations, which led to a 35% increase in efficiency. ”

17. Curate your bullet points and experiences

No matter how long you’ve been in a job, or how much you’ve accomplished there, you shouldn’t have more than eight bullet points under it—and that’s only for your most recent and relevant job. Jobs further back should generally be limited to four to six bullets.

Read More: How Many Bullet Points Should Each Job on Your Resume Have?

18. Use as many numbers as you can

Use facts, figures, and numbers whenever possible in your bullet points. How many people were impacted by your work? By what percentage did you exceed your goals? Quantifying your accomplishments allows the hiring manager to picture the level of work or responsibility you needed to achieve them.

19. Don’t neglect non-traditional work

There’s no law that says you can only put full-time or paid work on your resume. So, if you’ve volunteered , worked part-time or as a temporary or contract worker , freelanced, or interned? Absolutely list these things as their own “jobs” within your career chronology—as long as they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for. The same goes for career breaks . Yes, really.

Read More: 4 Things You Didn't Know You Could Put on Your Resume

20. Use important keywords from the job description

Scan the job description, see what words are used most often, and make sure you’ve included them in your bullet points. For example, does the job description list “CRM” or “Salesforce”? Make sure your resume matches. Not only is this a self-check that you’re targeting your resume to the job, but it’ll also make it easier to search for your resume in an ATS.

Read More: How to Pick Resume Keywords That'll Get Your Job Application Past the ATS

Resume tips for including your education

Most hiring managers will want to know your education level, even if it's not necessarily relevant to the position you're going for. This section is especially important for those changing careers or applying for entry-level jobs—as your education can be an indicator of the skills you have.

Here's some resume tips and tricks for this section:

21. Put experience first, education later

Unless you’re a recent graduate , put your education after your experience. Chances are, your last couple of jobs are more important and relevant to you getting the job than where you went to college.

22. Also keep it in reverse chronological order

Generally, you should list your educational background with the most recent or advanced degree first, working in reverse chronological order. But if older coursework is more specific to the job, list that first to grab the reviewer’s attention.

23. Remove the dates from your education section once you’re a few years into your career

Unless you’re early in your career, don’t list your graduation dates. The reviewer cares more about whether or not you have the degree than when you earned it. And you don’t want to inadvertently open yourself up to age discrimination , which is an unfortunate reality in some job markets.

24. Highlight honors and achievements, not GPA

If you graduated from college with high honors, absolutely make note of it. Showcase that summa cum laude status, the fact that you were in the honors college at your university, a relevant project you completed, or an award you won. You don’t need to list your GPA —employers don’t care as much about GPA as they do what skills you gained in school.

Read More: How to (and How Not to) List Education on Your Resume

25. Include continuing or online education

Feel free to include continuing education, professional development coursework, or online courses in your education section, especially if your resume feels a little light on relevant experience.

Best resume tips for showing off your skills

You shouldn't wait until you get an interview to showcase your skills—your resume can and should have a specific section for them. You can also leverage other sections of the document to incorporate what's relevant for the position.

Here are our tips for making a resume that effectively highlights your skills:

26. Don’t forget your skills section

Be sure to add a section that lists all the relevant skills you have for a position—especially those mentioned in the job description. Include technical skills like software and project management tools or specific knowledge of how to perform relevant tasks. Just make sure to skip including skills that everyone is expected to have, like using email or Microsoft Word. Doing so will make you seem less technologically savvy.

27. But don’t only put your skills in your skills section

Your skills section is an easy way for anyone reading your resume to confirm that you have required qualifications, but that shouldn’t be the only place that your important skills appear. Any skill that’s vital to you being hired should also be in your bullet points—where you can show how you’ve used it in the past.

28. Divvy up your skills for readability

If you have lots of skills that would help you with a job but aren’t necessarily in the same category—say, foreign language, software, and leadership skills—try breaking up your skills sections. Below your “Skills” section, add a subsection titled “Language Skills” or “Software Skills,” for example. Again, we’re going for skimmability here!

29. Show—don’t tell—your soft skills

Describing soft skills on a resume often starts to sound like a list of meaningless buzzwords. But being a “strong leader” or an “effective communicator” are important characteristics you want to get across. Think about how you can demonstrate these attributes in your bullet points without actually saying them.

Read more: The Non-Boring Way to Show Off Your Soft Skills in Your Job Search

Other resume section tips

Resume sections are not fixed like stone-written texts; they can change according to the job position you're applying for or the requirements listed by the company. Here are some examples of sections you can add—and more tips on writing a resume that stand out:

30. Include relevant certifications and licenses

If you have a certification or license that proves you can do some aspect of the job you’re applying for, include it on your resume. This is especially important if that certification or license is legally required to do the job—for example, in nursing, teaching, or driving jobs.

31. Show some (relevant) personality

Feel free to include an “Interests” section on your resume, but only add those that are relevant to the job. Are you a guitar player with your eye on a music company? Definitely include it. But if you’re considering including your scrapbooking hobby for a software developer job at a healthcare company? Best to leave it out.

32. Beware of interests and activities that could be controversial

Maybe you help raise money for your church on the reg. Or perhaps you’re dedicated to canvassing during political campaigns. Yes, these experiences show a good amount of work ethic or possibly other relevant skills—but they could also open you up to be discriminated against by someone who disagrees with the cause. So weigh your decision to include them carefully.

33. Add awards and achievements—when they’re relevant

Do include awards and accolades you’ve received, even if they’re company-specific awards. Just state what you earned them for, e.g., “Earned Golden Salesperson Award for having the company’s top sales record four quarters in a row.” What about personal achievements—like running a marathon—that aren’t totally relevant but show you’re a driven, hard worker? Consider the best way to include them (and if you should).

Resume tips for navigating employment gaps and other sticky situations

If you're an experienced professional, you might have some tricky information to explain. Job hopping, career gap, and short term jobs are examples of things that can make an applicant feel insecure when drafting resumes.

Is that your situation? Check on these good resume tips to explain sticky situations without jeopardizing your chances to get an interview:

34. Cut the short-term jobs

If you stayed at a (non-temporary) job for only a matter of months, consider eliminating it from your resume to avoid looking like a job hopper. Leaving a particularly short-lived job or two off your resume shouldn’t hurt, as long as you’re honest about your experience if asked in an interview. But if the short-term job is super relevant to this job, consider including it anyway.

35. If you have shorter gaps, be strategic about how you list dates

If you have gaps of a few months in your work history, don’t list the usual start and end dates with months and years for each position. Use years only (2018–2020), or just the number of years or months you worked at each position. Just keep it consistent throughout your resume and don’t lie if asked about gaps during an interview.

Read more: How to Explain the Gap in Your Resume With Ease

36. Explain serial job hopping

If you’ve job-hopped frequently, you can include a succinct reason for leaving next to each position like “company closed,” “layoff due to downsizing,” or “relocated to a new city.” By addressing the gaps, you’ll proactively illustrate the reason for your frequent job movement and make it less of an issue.

37. Explain a long break in jobs

Re-entering the workforce after a long hiatus? This is the perfect opportunity for a summary statement at the top, outlining your best skills and accomplishments. Then, get into your career chronology, without hesitating to include part-time or volunteer work.

38. Be intentional about career gaps

While career gaps are becoming increasingly common, you should still frame them in a way that’s relevant to a future employer, by talking about skills you gained or any professional endeavors you took on. If you didn’t focus on professional development, that’s fine too! But not every employer will appreciate it if you get too cutesy about that section of your resume.

For example, if you took time out of the workforce to raise kids, you might not want to creatively describe this parenting experience on your resume, à la “adeptly managed the growing pile of laundry.” Instead state what you did plainly and include any professional skills you may have grown or activities you may have done.

Read More: Stay-at-Home Parent? How to Kill it on Your Comeback Resume

Tips on resume finishing touches

Writing a good resume alone isn't the only thing that matters. How you save and send it can also determine whether the recruiter will even take a look at it. To wrap things up, here are our resume formatting tips and other suggestions to boost your chances of getting noticed:

39. Ditch “References available upon request”

If a hiring manager is interested in you, they’ll ask you for references—and will assume that you have them. There’s no need to address the obvious (and doing so might even make you look a little out of touch!).

40. Proofread, proofread, proofread

It should go without saying, but fully edit your resume and make sure it’s free and clear of typos. And don’t rely on spell check and grammar check alone—step away for a few hours, then read your resume closely again, and ask family or friends to take a look at it for you.

41. Save it as a PDF or Word document

Unless a job posting specifically requests that you do otherwise, your resume should always be submitted as either a PDF or Word document (.docx not .doc). These are the formats that can be most easily opened and most easily parsed by an ATS.

The choice between the two is up to you (again, unless the company you’re applying to requests one format over the other). If you’re emailing your resume, however, PDFs are a bit more likely to maintain your formatting across different computers and programs.

42. Name your file clearly

Ready to save your resume and send it off? Save it as “Jane Smith Resume” instead of “Resume.” The hiring manager is going to have plenty of “Resumes” on their computer, so make it super easy for them to find what they’re looking for. You can even go a bit further and put the position title in your file name (e.g., “Jane Smith Marketing Analyst Resume).

Read More: The (Simple) Guidelines You Should Follow When Naming Your Resume and Cover Letter Files

43. Keep your resume outline fresh

Carve out some time every quarter or so to pull up your resume outline and make some updates. Have you taken on new responsibilities? Learned new skills? Add them. When your resume is updated on a regular basis, you’re always ready to pounce when opportunity presents itself. And even if you’re not job searching, there are plenty of good reasons to keep this document in tip-top shape.

How to Write a Great Resume for a Job in 2024

In This Guide:

What makes a job-winning resume, before you start writing your resume, you need a tool to craft it, how to make a perfect resume - step-by-step guide:, the best resume formats and when to use them, resume formatting tips: the anatomy of a job-winning resume, 7 fundamental sections you must have in your resume, proofread your resume, save it, and hit send, make a resume that beats ats and wins interviews today.

Your resume is more than just a document on your computer.

And its true value goes way beyond that of a white piece of paper.

Looking at it profoundly:

You’ll realize that your resume is the portal through which you jumpstart the career of your dreams. After all, the CV is what headhunters rely on to form their first judgment about you before they change your life forever.

Now, believe it or not...

The main cause why 95% of resumes get rejected isn’t because of the candidate’s lack of experience. Think about it — there’s no shortage of overqualified job hunters who still struggle to get noticed.

The real reason is that they look like this:

Recruiters are only humans. They get bored with monotony quickly, which is why they find uncreative resume templates tedious to look at.

But are jobseekers to blame for this?

Not at all!

When you’re bombarded with misinformation about how to make a resume for the first time, the best you can do is get rejected a lot.

For instance:

If you’ve been on the job hunt recently, you may have heard the following:

• You can easily make a resume in ten minutes
• A resume shouldn’t showcase any details besides contact information, paid experience, skills, and education
• You only need to make a resume once in your life
• Following specific rules for writing your resume is the only way to get hired

Let’s be honest — these myths are enticing to hear as they break down the resume writing process to an elementary task. But they couldn’t be more harmful when you’re building your resume.

We will debunk all of them throughout this guide and show you how it’s really done.

Let’s get started.

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

Creating a great resume is an art that requires practice and patience.

It takes a sharp eye to know which details to include in your CV and where they go on the page. More importantly, you need to have an objective right from the start on what you want to achieve with your resume.

Before we get into the practical knowledge, let us first ask:

What exactly is a resume?

“A résumé is essentially a document that enables you to sell yourself to an employer in the best possible way.” ~ Bing

In simpler terms:

A resume is a tool through which you’ll market yourself and the benefits of hiring you to a potential employer.

But where do you even get started? What should you keep in mind while crafting your resume? And how do you sell yourself best with a resume?

Let’s get to the secret sauce…

A good resume is performance-based

“..focus on the specific results you’ve driven and provide tangible evidence of your skills and accomplishments.” ~ Laszlo Bock, VP of People Operations at Google

The best way to market yourself to your dream company is by actually showing what you’re capable of. Feature measurable accomplishments and skills within a context throughout your resume to differentiate yourself from the pretenders.

A good resume is human-centric

“How I Hire: Focus On Personality” ~ Richard Branson

Showing personality takes your resume to a whole new level where recruiters can see your worth more clearly. It enables you to emphasize your strengths and paint a clear picture of what it’s like to work with you.

A good resume is short & concise

“If you cannot sell yourself in 2 pages, you won’t be able to do so in 5 — either.”

This is a rule that 100% of hiring managers agree on when it comes to resume making — which makes it non-negotiable.

Do we even have to ask why?

Hiring committees have to quickly review and shortlist hundreds of the resumes they receive each week. So, one way to make their job easier and get yourself ignored is by making your resume unnecessarily long.

A good resume is job-specific

“We don’t believe in the “spray and pray” tactic – choose 2-3 companies and apply for them” ~ Enhancv

Does that seem counterintuitive?

Well, it really isn’t…

Applying to dozens of companies with a generic resume makes your application look weak and uninteresting.

On the contrary:

A job-specific resume focused on only a few companies portrays you authentically. This is a modern approach that all successful candidates have followed to jumpstart their dream careers.

A good resume is a natural heatmap

“Make it easier for recruiters to spot the best match for the position without spending hours interviewing the wrong applicants.”

Recruiters go over tens of thousands of similar applications throughout their careers. Thus, it’s only natural for them not to be excited about reading every single word on every resume they see.

A well-designed resume prioritizes a nice layout with clearly divided headings and sections that maximize readability. That’s the best and only possible way to beat the 7 seconds rule and keep headhunters engaged.

There are hundreds of resume builders out there claiming to be the best option in the market. But what 99% of them are is just a slightly advanced version of Microsoft word.

Enhancv, on the other hand, is the first performance-based, human-centric resume builder to help you tell your resume story with confidence.

We’ve organized our sections to portray your expertise best and show what you’re truly capable of. And we collaborated with HR specialists and design experts to help you establish the perfect balance between personal and professional.

Our resume builder allows you to spotlight your achievements — not just through words, but also by highlighting your character, personality, and professional expertise.

Ready to hear the best part?

With each step forward, we made sure to keep Enhancv resume builder adherent to industry guidelines while ensuring 100% ATS-friendliness.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word would be top of our list if this was 2006 and you were applying for an office job in a small city.

But today, a lot of things have changed.

The employment landscape has gradually shifted towards a modern hiring culture. Headhunters have different expectations and demands — so they expect more creativity in the resume.

But with Microsoft Word being far from the human-centric approach, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure before you even start.

In many fields, the hiring company would love to go beyond work experience and learn more about you. Personality, projects, and personal interests make up a big part of resumes in creative fields. All of which are almost impossible to show using Microsoft word.

Let’s summarize all these disadvantages in that 95% of rejected resumes are created using Microsoft Word.

Resume building platforms like Europass

Hiring companies may sometimes require applicants to use certain resume-building platforms specifically. For example, many businesses in Europe prefer a standard resume format, so they ask their applicants to use Europass.

If your target company is asking you to use a precise resume-building tool, go for it. Because that’s the only way your application is getting screened and shortlisted.

Thankfully:

That’s not the case in the US, Canada, and most other countries in the world. You can use any resume builder you want as long as your resume is neat and scannable.

Photoshop and Illustrator

Photoshop and Illustrator offer you unlimited design options to create any resume template you want. Therefore, they should be the best option for making your resume.

Well… Only if the following two conditions apply:

• You have months of free time to study graphic design from scratch
• You’re motivated to learn everything about resume making rules and industry guidelines

Even if you do have time and motivation, there’s actually a worse part:

You’re only going to use this knowledge once and never look at it again once you get hired.

So, yes… That sounds unreasonable!

The biggest advantage of using our resume builder is in sparing yourself weeks of work while maximizing your chances of landing the job you deserve. You’ll focus your time on finding better opportunities for work and improving your interviewing skills.

With the right tools and knowledge at hand, it’s time to jump into action and create a resume you can feel proud about.

Based on our long years of experience, we developed a thorough process to help job seekers create their resumes with ease. We relied on research studies to identify key resume characteristics that can help you land more interviews and improve the success rate.

In the rest of this guide…

We’ll map out all the actionable steps you must follow to take your resume from “Okay” to “Great.” You’ll learn expert-based tips and HR-approved techniques to bring your CV to life and beat luck.

Here’s how to write a resume for a job:

• Decide on a suitable resume format
• Add a captivating resume header
• Write a professional resume summary
• Feature your work history through relevant accomplishments
• Showcase your job-specific skills and talents
• Highlight your education, certificates, and courses in separate sections
• Inject personality into your resume through additional sections
• Update your resume to match the job offer
• Proofread, save, then hit “Send”

Other additional resume writing guides you might find useful:

• How To Write Your First Job Resume
• Resume with No Experience
• Career Change Resume
• College Resume
• Resume Examples for 500+ different jobs

The resume format is the structure through which you organize the information on your resume. There are many formatting options such as the modern and basic , which you can choose depending on the job role and industry.

Here are the most popular resume formats:

Reverse chronological resume

The reverse chronological resume format features your work experience, starting from your most recent job going backward. It’s an all tmes favorite for many as it makes the recruiter’s job a whole lot easier.

• Emphasizes successful career progression
• Fit for many job positions and industries
• Easy to skim , which makes it preferred by recruiters
• Employment gaps are more apparent
• May force the candidate to feature unrelated work
• Draws less attention to skills , projects, awards, and certificates

This format is excellent for traditional fields such as finance and accounting — where work experience is the most vital factor.

Not sure whether this is a right fit for your resume? We have a detailed guide about the reverse chronological format to help you decide.

Functional resume

The functional resume format focuses on skills and talents instead of job experience. It’s a widely popular formatting option among recruiters because it highlights the synergy between the candidate’s skills and expertise.

• Promotes your job-specific skills as extremely valuable assets
• Makes up for any lack of experience in the field
• Stands out with a lasting impression among traditional resumes
• Doesn’t portray your skills in action
• Too creative and hard to assess for some old school recruiters
• Lacks essential elements of who you are you are as a candidate

A functional resume is great for entry-level applicants or recent graduates with no experience in the real world. It also works for anyone making a career transition as they can highlight their transferable skills within a context.

Hybrid resume

Based on the name, can you guess what a hybrid resume is?

It’s a cross between the reverse-chronological format and the functional format. Put together, you’ll have the hybrid resume format that combines work history with skillset on the same page.

You don’t even have to be a recruiter to see how awesome this format is. Imagine a resume that isn’t only focused on measurable expertise but also showcases any sought-after skills.

• All-inclusive as it compensates inexperience with skills and vice versa
• Portrays the ability to occupy various positions within the company
• Not always a good format for senior-level applicants since experience is their strength
• Some headhunters just prefer the chronological format

The hybrid resume format is your go-to option if you’re looking to change your career path or get back to work after a long break. It enables you to keep your resume captivating despite any irrelevant experience or long employment gaps.

Now that you fully understand what makes a good resume, it’s time to learn the essentials of resume formatting.

There are a million ways to create your resume based on your job field, work experience, and design preferences. On our platform alone, we have more than 40 ready-made resume templates that you can use.

What do all stellar resume templates have in common?

Resume Formatting Checklist:

• Length — keep your resume length to one or two pages at most
• Bullet points — write 3 to 5 bullet points under each job title featuring your achievements or relevant job duties
• Font — Use one or two modern, professional fonts to establish a clear hierarchy and maximize readability. Be sure to use a consistent size of 10-12pt for body text and 14-16pt for headings
• Color — add some color to your resume to make it visually appealing
• Bold and italics — Use different text formatting options to draw the recruiter’s attention towards important terms and metrics
• White space — leave white space on the margins and around various sections to ensure an optimal reading experience

For your resume to reflect an intriguing narrative, it has to be broken down into smaller sections… Each one tells a tiny part of your story until the full picture is revealed.

After that, you must create heading titles to keep headhunters focused and orient them towards the information they need.    

What sections do headhunters expect to see on your resume?

• Section 1 - Header
• Section 2 - Summary
• Section 3 - Experience
• Section 4 - Skills
• Section 5 - Education
• Section 6 - Certifications
• Additional sections (volunteering, projects, awards, languages, etc)

We’ll now go through each one of them in more depth:

How to write a resume header

Your resume must feature an eye-catching header at the top of the page. That will bring attention to your personal details and help you stand out quickly.

What are the key details to feature on a resume header?

Below your full name, your header must include the following personal details:

• Add a short phrase, a quote, or a creative value proposition as your resume headline
• Pick a professional job title that describes your job role and expertise
• Aim to match the job offer in the title you choose to meet the recruiter's viewpoint
• Stick to a well-known email provider such as Gmail, iCloud, or Outlook
• Use a professional email format such as “[email protected]” or “[email protected]”
• Avoid using your current work email as that reflects disrespect and unprofessionalism
• If you’re a student or a recent graduate, you can use your university email
• Add your cellphone number instead of your home number so you can respond to important calls instantly
• Use a standard phone number format like (123) 4567-8910
• Always include a phone code to your number if you’re applying to jobs abroad
• Use a standard “City, State” address format
• Exclude your complete home address as that’s no longer required by hiring companies
• If you're yet to move to a new state or country, include an “Open to relocate” sign next to your current address
• Only include links if they're essential to showcasing your accomplished projects or work history
• Include links to your website, blog, or portfolio on GitHub
• Feature links to recent projects and activities on Behance or Twitter to stand out as a creative professional

As for the resume photo , there is no universal rule for whether you should add one. The norms around this trend vary based on the industry and the country you’ll work in.

Let’s look at a couple of real examples for resume headers:

Read our detailed guide on how to perfect your resume header to learn more about the best practices in this section.

How to write a resume summary

The resume profile is your elevator pitch.

It’s your chance to spark the recruiter’s interest by showing them why you’re fit for the job. This section is crucial for you to stand out from the competition and prove your worth in a few sentences.

Your resume profile can either be a summary or an objective.

“What’s the difference between the two?” You may wonder…

It’s quite simple!

A resume summary works better if you already have work experience in your field. You’ll use it to bring attention to your top career highlights and job-specific skills in a nutshell.

Other impactful selling points you can mention here are:

• Relevant challenges you’re qualified to solve
• Certificates and educational background
• Ways you can help the hiring company improve
• Industry-related topics you’re passionate about

Let’s look at a couple of examples for resume summaries:

On the other hand:

A resume objective is a better alternative for entry-level candidates or recent grads looking to make their way into a new job position. It also works if you’re looking to make a career transition with limited work experience.

How to write your resume experience

The experience section is the heart of the resume for job seekers in many fields. That explains why it’s often hard to write despite the unlimited amount of free information available online.

If that’s the case for you, no worries! Because we’ve got you covered on this part.

Let’s start with a simple definition of what experience is:

Job experience refers to any work position you held in the past that is related to your dream job.

Here’s how to show it on a resume:

• Professional job title to describe each position
• Company name (with a short description if the company isn’t famous)
• Location using the “City, State” format (just the country if you worked abroad)
• Work duration from starting date to finish date

Notice that — so far — we haven’t mentioned anything about adding your past job responsibilities.

Can you guess why?

Because the headhunters already know them by heart, and they don’t care. Instead of unoriginal duties, they’d rather see your influence in a similar work atmosphere.

To make a lasting impression, you must match the job description by:

• Demonstrating your touch and all the significant changes you were responsible for
• Focusing on highly-related career wins and highlights instead of dull job responsibilities
• Quantifying your impact through exact metrics and measurable outcomes
• Using action verbs and keywords to convey a strong message
• Writing your sentences in the past tense to emphasize expertise and availability

Keep in mind:

If you have decades of experience, you’re not going to feature every single job you held in the past. That applies even if you’re seeking a high-level position in a competitive job field.

Recruiters expect to only see jobs from the past 10 to 15 years at most. Anything before that period might come off as irrelevant and unnecessary.

Promotions are the most powerful advantage when featuring your work history. Simply because advancing in position under the same company shows how reliable, skilled, and dedicated you are.

So make it a priority to highlight work progression and promotions whenever possible.

Two good/bad examples for the experience section:

Now get this:

There are strong empirical data suggesting that internships will improve your chances of landing an interview. For instance, applicants with internship experience had a 14% higher interview rate when compared to those without no internships at all.

So whether it’s paid or unpaid, always include your internships to compensate for your inexperience.

Does your work experience fall under a specific job field or position? Include that in your section title to make it more interesting. For example, your section heading can be — Management Experience, IT Experience, Accounting Experience, etc.

How to add your accomplishments:

Hiring managers love resume accomplishments because they help them separate the talkers from the real achievers. After all, what would be better proof of your competence than your past successes?

Aside from that:

The accomplishments section is an excellent way to bring your resume to life with examples of tangible career wins. Bolster that with concrete numbers and unique facts, and you’ll have a resume that represents the full scope of your impact.

What are you most proud of in your personal, educational, social, and professional life? How did such triumphs affect you and your surroundings?

Take your time with these questions because your answer will reflect your personality and how you define success.

Check out our complete guide to discover more ways to show highlights on your resume .

How to add skill to your resume

As the name suggests:

The skills section is the part of your resume where you highlight your talents and abilities. It helps you edge out most of the competition with a few magical words describing your competence.

There are two types of skills you can put on your resume:

• Soft skills — transferrable talents and personality traits that are hard to measure
• Hard skills — industry-specific skills that are easily quantifiable and can be acquired through practice and education

We’ll get into specific examples of these two types of skills in a moment.

You need to understand how to choose attractive skills to add to your resume.  

Here’s the secret:

Read the job offer attentively to comprehend what the hiring company expects from you in terms of skillset. Then make a list of all the required skills that the headhunter will want to see.

As a final step…

Reduce your list to 5-10 soft skills and hard skills , and put them in a separate “Skills” section.

Here are the best soft skills by 2025 according to the Future of Jobs Report (2020) :

• Leadership — is the ability to influence others to achieve common goals through motivation and decision-making .
• Interpersonal skills — include a myriad of social skills and communication skills.
• Detail-oriented — shows recruiters that you have strong analytical thinking skills .
• Multitasking — refers to the ability to work under pressure and thrive despite all constraints.
• Team management — is critical for managerial roles where strategic thinking and organizational skills are most required.
• Problem-solving skills — prove your ability to succeed in tough environments that demand critical thinking and creativity .
• Transferable skills — encompass many portable skills, including fast learning and adaptability .

We recommend that you scatter these skills across all resume sections. This way, you can better demonstrate their real use and show they helped you handle difficult tasks.

And another thing…

Even if the job posting doesn’t specify any skill requirements, you can convey your knowledge of the position by only featuring relevant talents. That will leave you more room to tailor your resume and appeal to recruiters.

Ready to find out more about this? Read our blog on how to write a stunning skills section that leaves a mark.

How to write your resume education

Education is still required in most job fields during the hiring process.

Because having a strong academic record shows that you’ve invested long years into your career. It’s also direct proof of your deep industry knowledge and promising potential for the future.

Here’s what recruiters want to know in this section:

• Degree name — i.e. “Master’s Degree in Computer Science ”
• Education institution — i.e. “Columbia University”
• Graduation date or years attended
• GPA (only if it’s above 3.5 or if you’re in a technical field)
• Honors and scholar programs (optional)
• Major & Minor (only when relevant)

Where should all of that be on your resume?

Remember that you’re trying to market yourself best by telling a compelling story to the hiring manager. Thus, the order in which you place various parts on your resume matters.

If you already have enough experience to land the job, it’s okay to put the education section at the bottom. However, your academic record might be your best selling point if you’re a recent graduate, which is why education should come at the top.

Here are some rules to keep in mind when creating an education section:

• You can include an incomplete college degree by simply adding the school name and its’ location
• Add an expected graduation date to list any degrees that you’re currently pursuing
• Including relevant coursework is an excellent way to make up for your lack of experience
• A high school degree can be a plus when applying to entry-level jobs you’re qualified for
• You may add Dean’s list if you were featured on it repeatedly

For more details about this section, read our guide on how to highlight education on your resume .

Courses, certifications, and awards on resume

A hiring manager with two hundred applications in their inbox will need more than work experience to choose a candidate. They have to look deeper into what you can offer based on further qualifications.

That’s where courses, certificates , and awards come into play.

Unsurprisingly:

The 2021 workplace learning report by LinkedIn put a huge emphasis on the importance of talent development. It showed that job seekers have spent +50% more time consuming informational content in 2020 compared to 2019.

Do we even have to ask why? Companies that did the best during COVID focused on upskilling and reskilling to survive economic uncertainty. The rapid shifts throughout all industries are now pushing employers to prioritize fast learning and adaptability in the workplace.

The importance of showing your skills set as well as your ability and willingness to learn.

Now, as you may have noticed, these sections fall under different categories. So it doesn’t make sense to put them all under the same heading.

For example:

Let’s say that you have a project management certificate that you want to feature in your resume. You’ll create a new header, name it “Certifications,” then put your certificate with its official name.

You’re not going to randomly list all the courses and licenses from the past because that only shows desperation. Instead, you should only choose the most recognized and valuable ones to add to your resume.

Other sections in your resume

Up to this point, you’ve learned the ins and outs of how to make your resume outstanding . You created and perfected the most important parts of your CV to make a solid impression.

In the rest of this guide, you’ll discover how to put the final touches to your resume in a way that makes a difference.

Let’s start with the best additional sections you can add to your resume:

Showcasing strengths on a resume is a unique way to leap over your competition.

One thing most candidates struggle with when creating the strengths section is self-image. In other words, job seekers find it hard to identify strengths in relation to their work history.

If that sounds like you, don't worry…

We’ve got a few solutions to help you get going:

One thing you should never do is copy uninspired strengths from online resumes and expect them to be appreciated. You must avoid industry jargon and buzzwords at all costs as that might get your resume ignored.

Reflect on your past accomplishments and look for any big projects you were part of. What was it about you that made you successful? And how can these strengths help the hiring company grow?

Another way to go about this is to ask a friend or a former coworker to tell you a little bit about yourself. Nudge them towards giving you a precise answer by asking for a good description of your points of strength.

Can you speak more than a few languages?

This is the perfect place to show off your language skills .

Add the primary language you’ll be using at work along with your mother tongue and any other languages you’re good with.

You can break down your proficiency into these five levels:

• Intermediate

Be careful:

Lying about your language proficiency could get you in trouble in later stages of the hiring process. Most other candidates won’t even have a language section, so stating your language level is already enough.

Volunteering

Community service paints a positive image inside the recruiter’s mind about your good intentions and high values. So even though it doesn’t reflect experience or qualification, volunteer work is a good indicator of your personality and what it’s like to work with you.

In addition to that:

A volunteer section can make up for any employment gaps on your resume — especially if volunteering helped you gain job-relevant skills.

If you were responsible for managing budgets for a charity, you can turn that into an intriguing story that shows your expertise and morals.

When adding volunteering experience:

• Name your position at the voluntary association
• Name of the association
• Description of your role as a member
• Years of community service
• Bullet points summarizing your quantifiable contributions while concentrating on applicable skills

Projects and publications

This section could include personal projects, work-related projects, hackathons, academic publications , freelance work, etc.

Featuring projects on your resume is the ultimate proof of concept every headhunter needs before hiring you. It’s a straightforward way to emphasize technical skills and show personality attributes.

Now — here's the deal:

Projects need to portray your industry-relevant skills and experience positively. So make sure that each project you include is actually understood by recruiters so that it becomes beneficial for your application.

Be sure to include lots of measurable successes using ATS keywords to improve your chances. And don’t worry if you have to leave out some details because you can always address them later in the interview.

Personality - shown through passions, interests, hobbies, or quotes.

Here’s a golden tip to double your chances of getting hired:

Give recruiters a glimpse of what you are like even before they hire you. Not only will that get you noticed quickly, but it also sheds a light on all the positive attributes you can bring to the workplace.

A recent psychological study about resume evaluation has proven the effects of applicant personality on job success. Researchers have found that there are specific resume cues that recruiters often look for in a resume.

In the following section, we’ll break down these cues into the simplest explanation possible.

• Conscientiousness — refers to a candidate’s diligence, reliability, and ability to perform tasks effectively within the deadline
• Agreeableness — suggests that the applicant is easy-going, trustworthy, and fun to work with. It also indicates high morals and sympathy towards their coworkers
• Openness — is the creative sense and the ability to come up with solutions quickly.

Now, to show all of that, you must add new sections — such as “Passions,” “Interests,” “Hobbies,” and “Quotes” to make your application more interesting.

You could also focus on showing each trait individually. Here’s are some ideas to help you get going:

Conscientiousness:

• Create a “Day In My Life” section
• Focus on your “Years of experience”
• Demonstrate acquired skills and talents
• Feature projects and achievements

Agreeableness:

• Showcase teamwork & empathy skills
• Include project collaborations
• Focus on group awards and company achievements
• Highlight your volunteering experience
• Add creative projects with direct links for a personal website, Behance, Github, etc
• Illustrate your artistic achievements
• Specify your passions with hobbies and interests
• Use a modern resume design

Aside from that, you can help headhunters understand your character just by sharing more about yourself. For instance, you can include a quote that you find inspiring, even though that wouldn’t always reflect your true self.

Tailoring your resume

Now with to the most critical step in the resume-making process:

Tailoring your resume to the job offer.

You must create a job-specific resume that captures hiring managers’ interest at first sight. Once they’re hooked, your resume has to outshine the competition by showing your relevant experience and skills.

Think of it this way:

Marketing professionals have to set objectives for their campaigns and identify their target audience before they launch. And since your resume is a marketing tool, you have to follow the same steps and create a targeted resume .

Here’s how you’ll do that:

• Read through the job description to identify the key requirements
• Create a list of essential job duties and relevant keywords
• Update various parts of your resume to match these hiring demands

Let’s look at a quick example of job requirements:

• College degree in Accounting , Finance , or other relevant fields
• 2-5 years of work experience in finance/accounting
• Outstanding time management and decision-making skills
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Highly energetic with a positive attitude
• Solid Excel and QuickBooks skills

The focus keywords you can pick here are accounting, finance, time management, decision-making, QuickBooks, etc. All you have to do now is use them repeatedly in your resume to make it appealing.

Congratulations!

You’ve made it to the final part of our HR-approved resume-making process. Getting to this point shows just how motivated you are to land your dream job and live a new experience.

We have a few final resume tips you can apply before you start sending out your CV…

Throughout the years, we came to identify the most common resume mistakes job seekers make in their journey. Avoiding these errors at an early stage will save you weeks of frustration and help you get hired quickly.

Here’s our final resume-making checklist:

Proofread your resume —

Grammatical errors on a resume are unattractive and can come off as mediocre. Be sure to read the whole thing from start to finish out loud so you can catch any typos or spelling errors.

You may also ask someone to double-check after you to minimize errors.

Name your file the right way —

The hiring manager is probably too busy rejecting other resumes when they decide to shortlist you. So they’ll appreciate it if you used your first and last name as a filename to help find your application quickly.

You can take this one step further by adding the company name to capture their attention. Your resume filename will look something like this:

Jeremy Turner Resume — Google.pdf

Choose a proper resume format —

PDF is the best format according to recruiters because it preserves your resume design and layout. It can be opened using any file reader and on different devices without any errors.

Test print your resume on paper —

Does your resume look good on physical paper ? Print a physical copy of your final CV to test the formatting and color looks.

If you ever decide to send a physical copy of your resume, use high-quality white paper with a smooth texture.

Apply to jobs via email —

Here’s a crucial tip to increase your application success rate:

Send your resume directly to the hiring manager via email to stick out from the crowd. But you shouldn’t do that if the hiring company asks you specifically to use their email address in the job posting.

How do you find the hiring manager’s email?

Here are a few quick ways:

• Find their profile on LinkedIn
• Look them up on various social media platforms
• Check the company’s website, specifically the “Our Team” section
• Do a quick Google Search
• Use a browser extension such as “Rapportive” or “ContactOut”

You may also send your CV to an insider to introduce you to HR and help you put a foot in the door.

Include a references section only when necessary —

“ References ” was a popular section a few decades ago — yet it continues to lose its appeal today as fewer recruiters see the need for it. Save up space on your resume by leaving out references and only include them if required.

Follow our thorough guide to learn how to create a perfect resume that makes you the center of attention. Also, be sure to try our resume builder to save yourself time, energy, and a lot of heartbreak in the process.

Let’s be honest…

You’ll only get so far with written tips and theoretical knowledge. You can read dozens of books on writing a resume — but without actual samples and templates, you’ll always lack the magical touch.

That’s why we created +500 resume examples for different job titles to inspire you to build a resume you can hand with a smile. We also have +40 ready-made resume templates fitting various professions and industries to write your resume without much hassle.

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How to Write an Effective Resume

September 14, 2020

Download this guide in PDF format

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create an effective resume. You’ll learn strategies for tailoring your resume to the role you’re pursuing, and how to effectively present your skills and experience—whether you’re a new-job seeker or a mid-career professional switching to a new field. You will learn about templates and formats and understand the structure of every core section of a successful resume.

An effective resume needs to present all the important information about you as a professional in a concise and clear way. Format and content are both important. Prior to diving into the details of resume structure, you’ll first want to have a clear understanding of what you are trying to communicate. It’s also important to keep your focus on what matters to the employer and do everything you can to tailor your resume to the role.

Focus on what’s important to the employer

Before writing your resume, try to consider the employer’s point of view. What do they want to know? Answering this question will enable you to focus on the information that is going to be relevant to the employer. This, in turn, increases your chances of getting their attention.

When applying to a specific role, carefully read the job description. This will help you understand specifically what the employer is looking for. If you want to gather additional insights, review multiple job descriptions to see what shows up repeatedly. This will help you gain a broader understanding of the role. Another great way to understand the needs of your potential employer is to schedule networking conversations with industry professionals who can share their experiences and insights.

Keep in mind that focusing on what’s relevant to the employer might mean omitting details about your skills and experiences that are significant to you but are not directly relevant to the role. Deciding what to not include on your resume can be as important as deciding what to include. Irrelevant information might distract or confuse a reader, potentially making them more likely to discard your resume.

Tailor your resume to a role

It is essential that you tailor your resume to each job that you apply for. Even if your target roles have the same general set of requirements—and even if your skills and experience are broadly applicable—you should still adjust the order of your qualifications to match the order on the job description. In this way, you’re putting what’s most important to each employer at the top. 

If you can, try to match the language of the job description. For example, if you have a resume built around recruiting, and you are applying for a talent acquisition role, replace “recruiting” with “talent acquisition” on your resume. Shifting to the employer’s terminology can help them relate to you. This approach can also help prevent you from being filtered out by automated software that relies on keywords to match your resume to the job description and to determine whether it should be passed on to a recruiter or discarded.

Tip : Keep in mind that resumes are traditionally written in the third person without the use of personal pronouns. 

Different Types of Job Seekers

Your resume strategy will differ at different stages of your career journey. Someone seeking their first role will need to use a different approach than someone looking to make a mid-career switch to a new field. In both of these scenarios, you have to communicate your value despite not having experience in the field, but your strategy will differ depending on what information you have available to share.

You can use the recommendations in this section to understand how to communicate your value to an employer in a way that’s appropriate to your skills and experience.

Career changers

If you are an experienced professional but are looking to start a career in a new field, your background can provide you with a unique perspective, and can potentially help you stand out as a candidate. At the same time, you will need to be conscious about clearly establishing yourself as a qualified professional in your new field. Remember that your application will most likely be reviewed alongside applications from people with  directly relevant experience, so you need to make it clear to the employer why they should consider you for the role over those candidates. 

Here are some key things to keep in mind as you build your resume:

Focus on your transferable skills and experiences and highlight the advantages of your diverse background . 

When describing your past experiences, focus on what’s relevant to your new career, and don’t over-elaborate on less relevant details. For example, if you’ve been managing a restaurant and are now shifting into IT support, your customer service skills will be crucial, while your ability to manage staff won’t be as relevant. If, as a restaurant manager, you maintained your computer network and electronics, that will be important to discuss on your resume as well—even if it was a minor component of your role. Finally, try to point out how your background—despite being in a different field—is actually an advantage. For example, you might highlight how the commercial awareness you developed as a restaurant manager can help you understand business needs when prioritizing your work as an IT support professional. 

Adopt the terminology of your new industry. 

Get familiar with the language, terms, and jargon of your new industry and demonstrate this familiarity by using industry-specific words and phrases in your resume. This will make it easier for the reader to understand how your experience is relevant for them, and give them confidence about your engagement with your new field. For example, if you’ve run your own business in the past and are now looking for a role in marketing, use terms such as “marketing funnel” and “nurturing leads” when discussing your past marketing activities—even if you weren’t thinking in those terms at the time.

New Professionals

People who are looking for their first job, and who don’t yet have professional experience to describe, might struggle with how to fill their resumes. When this is the case, you can leverage non-professional experiences such as coursework, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and life experiences (travel, caretaking, and more) as a means to demonstrate to the employer how you overcome challenges, solve problems, and achieve results. 

It’s important to remember that the employer only knows what’s on your resume. If you think something will help you make your case to a prospective employer, you need to find a way to include that information on your resume. Use sections such as Projects, Volunteer Work, Relevant Experiences as alternatives to Professional Experience for that purpose.

Templates and Layouts

Now that you have an idea of what you want to communicate on your resume, you can start filling out the details. You can design your own resume or use an existing template. There are many templates available online, and you can access them by typing “resume templates” into your favorite search engine. You can also find Google Doc templates by going to Google Docs and clicking Template Gallery at the top right. 

Tip: Whether you actually use a Google Doc template or not, it’s a good idea to design your resume in Google Docs. It will enable you to easily share, get feedback, and download your resume in a convenient format.

You can use your personal taste and preferences when selecting a template, but it’s also important to consider the following factors:

• Ease of reading : Your resume needs to make a great impression and communicate all your most important information in a very short amount of time. Make sure sections are clearly organized and that the font is easy to read, and use margins and white space to prevent the document from feeling cramped. 
• Simple design . Your resume needs to be easily comprehended by both humans and applicant tracking systems (ATS)—the software that companies use to store and retrieve candidate information. ATS’s vary, but many cannot parse graphs and other visual elements, meaning that information contained in them will be lost. Simple designs relying on well-organized text are best. 
• Length. Your resume should be one page, unless you have at least 10-15 years of relevant (not total) experience. Two-column resume templates are appropriate for one-page resumes. Two-page resumes should use the entire width of the page.

Resume Sections

Before you start filling out your resume, you’ll need to decide which sections to include, and in what order. There are core components that should be in every resume. There are also optional components you may want to include, depending on your skills and experience, and the roles you’re applying for. Adjust your template by moving, adding, removing, and renaming sections as necessary.

Core resume sections include contact information, a professional summary, and details about your skills, experience, and education. Make sure to use section labels to help the reader easily navigate through your resume. In terms of order, this will often depend on what you want to highlight to your employer. A recent graduate might want to put their education first, whereas a working professional would lead with their experience. Optional sections could include information on projects, publications, volunteer experience, awards and honors, patents, languages, and more. Let’s take a closer look at each section of a typical resume.

Individual Resume Sections

This is the section at the top of your resume that includes your contact information. Your name is the only part of your resume that should be spelled out in a larger font than the rest of your document. Your contact information should include:

• city, state, zip (no street address for privacy purposes) 
• phone number, email address
• LinkedIn profile URL
• Optional: personal website, GitHub (for technical roles), portfolio (for creative roles)

The Summary section will always be located at the top of your resume immediately following the Header. It should be brief (3-5 lines) and clearly articulate what makes you a great candidate for the role, as well as what makes you stand out from your competition. The Summary sets the context for the rest of the document by calling out the most important things for the reader to know about you.

While there are many ways to write a summary, consider the following format, focusing on your core expertise, strengths, and what sets you apart from others.

Sentence 1: Describe yourself by role and competencies. This is where you provide your professional introduction. Examples:

• Digital Marketing Manager with expert level knowledge of SEO, Social, PPC, and GMB.
• Talent Acquisition expert with 4+ years of experience in the medical device industry.

Tip: If you are changing careers, describe yourself using your desired title. For example, if you are shifting from QA Analytics to Project Management, describe yourself as a Project Manager. You can add “with background in QA Analytics” to acknowledge that part of your career.

Sentence 2 : Connect your expertise to your value prop.  This is where you define how your unique skills will make you a valuable asset to the company. Examples:

• Proficient in creating and editing graphics, figures, and illustrations. Consistently able to create high-quality marketing assets that drive conversions.
• Able to source for full range of positions from administrative to executive level. Able to create a seamless recruiting and hiring process for managers, and consistently present top-quality candidates.

Sentence 3: Include a differentiator. You are likely competing against other people with similar skills, so it’s important to provide a clear reason why an employer should select your resume. Examples:  

• Known for the ability to eloquently present point of view to clients, prospects, and colleagues with expertise, confidence, and clarity.
• Consistently noted in performance reviews as being able to present to clients, prospects and colleagues, with expertise, confidence, and clarity.
• Received 8 awards for customer service excellence.

Tip : Instead of using the word “Summary” to label this section, use a professional headline to help to set the tone for the rest of the document. For example: “Experienced SEO Manager” or “Android Developer | Medical Devices.” 

Immediately below the Summary you should have a list of your core areas of expertise, and your specific skills.

For a non-technical role , include 4-8 short bullets detailing your core skills (also known as Areas of Expertise) organized in two or three columns. To decide what goes on this list, think of what the employer would primarily hire you for. Focus on quantifiable skills like copywriting, agile project management, Google Analytics, or sales funnel management. Keep in mind that skills like communication, time management, and collaboration—which are harder to quantify, and are claimed by most people—are not as effective on a resume. 

Tip : When tailoring your resume to a specific role, the Skills section is your first opportunity to line up with the job description.

For a technical role , it’s important to list out all of your relevant technical skills. If you find that your list is too long to list out each item in a separate bullet, then organize your skills by type—software, programming languages, hardware, data analytics, or any other categories that apply.

Professional Experience Section

The Professional Experience section is uniquely important because it tells the story of what you’ve done in your career. For employers, this is a strong indicator of what you will be able to do for them.

The Professional Experience section should list your roles (company, job title, location, employment dates) in reverse chronological order. If you have significant professional experience, limit your resume to the past 10-15 years, as that is what is most relevant to the employer. 

Ideally, you want to list three to six roles on your resume that demonstrate progress on your career journey. Under each role, you should list your responsibilities and accomplishments in bullets. Responsibilities describe what you were supposed to do, and accomplishments are the specific outcomes that demonstrate how well you performed your role. 

Your most recent role should feature the most detail, with four to six bullets of no more than two lines each. Older roles should provide less information. Begin each bullet with an action verb that puts you in control. Include numbers to show the scope of your role and impact—how many leads did you convert, how much revenue growth did you drive, how many new hires did onboard, how large was the team you managed, and more.

Tip: Avoid chronological gaps in your Professional Experience. If you spent more than six months out of the workforce at any point—whether intentionally (for caregiving purposes or travel) or unintentionally (unemployment)—explain on your resume what you did during that time. Particularly highlight any activities relevant to your professional life, such as independent study, projects, and part-time or volunteer work. 

Example 

Big Box Story, Service Associate, Middleton, CA 01/2015 – 02/2016

• Provided customer service during checkout transactions and assisted customer questions and concerns in a big-box retail 
• Earned 8 Employee of the Week awards in one year on a team of 100+ associates
• Enrolled over 200 consumers in new credit cards within a 15-month time frame (4x average rate)
• Received “Certificate of Excellence” for success at upselling to customers

Education Section

In this section, include degrees beyond high-school in reverse chronological order (include your high-school information only if you don’t have any education or training beyond it). For each entry in the Education section, list the degree, institution, location, and date of completion.

Tip :  You can include pending or incomplete degrees by marking them as “In progress” or “Incomplete”—if you do so, make sure to include information on the classes/work you did complete. 

Finalize Your Resume

Once you’ve completed your resume using the guidance in this document, try to have someone proofread it for you. Recruiters consistently say they will discard resumes with typos, even if the resume is in great shape otherwise.

Tip : Consider asking a few people you trust—especially those familiar with your work—to provide feedback on the content. Don’t feel obligated to incorporate all the feedback you receive, but be open to recommendations that can help enhance the quality of your resume.

In conclusion, please keep in mind that, while there is no such thing as a perfect resume, you can use this guide to create an effective resume that avoids common problems and pitfalls. As you progress in your job search, remember that your resume is a living document. You can make revisions based on any feedback you receive, but try to avoid losing valuable time trying to over-optimize. Focus on your skills and experience, present yourself in the best light possible, and get ready to land that next role!

Keep reading

• Data analytics tips from a University of Michigan professor
• Ace your interviews with ChatGPT using this CEO-approved process
• Curious about digital marketing? Read on

How to Write a Resume That Stands Out

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing. How do you stand out?

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds or even thousands of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing about exactly the same job. So how do you create a one-page document that will make you and your accomplishments stand out from the crowd?

Your resume is a key part of the job application process: it is the first document that an employer reviews to determine whether they will interview and eventually employ you. Remember that employers often have very limited time to perform this duty. Crafting a strong resume really matters!

Resumes communicate who you are and what you have accomplished. They may be the only document an employer sees to evaluate your record before making a decision to move forward with your application, or they may be used in conjunction with resources like LinkedIn or professional networking profiles and/or a cover letter. A resume that “stands out” in a positive way is one that has been written thoughtfully, clearly and concisely, effectively communicating your abilities and strengths in a very brief space.

Six basic tips will help you build an outstanding professional resume. Note that resumes may vary by professional field (e.g. engineering vs. non-engineering), by location or by other factors such as professional degree. These tips are designed around some of the most common sections and most useful points for resumes across different types.

Tip 1: How to Write an Education Section that Stands Out

The education section demonstrates that you have the academic qualifications for the position. The key questions you should ask yourself while writing this section is, “Have I clearly communicated the strongest and most relevant aspects of my educational experience?” The next question is, “Is this section organized in a way that is easily readable by the employer?”

The education section is important for all applicants but may be weighted differently depending on how long it has been since you graduated from a degree program. For instance, an employer may have a different level of interest in the educational history of a college senior, compared to someone who has been professionally working for several years after college. Understanding this fact may influence where you choose to place this section on your resume.

In general, you should include all of the higher education that you may have had, including undergraduate, graduate, or professional schooling.  You may also consider including online courses, certificates, and completed programs through companies like Coursera. Most people list their experiences in an order called reverse chronological, meaning that they list the most recent experience first, and work backwards down the page.

For each listed school, provide the full name of the school or online program, the years of your attendance, your major or majors, if applicable, as well as a minor if applicable. Include the type of degree received (e.g. a Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science) and the year of graduation. If you are graduating soon, include the month and year of graduation so employers know when you will be available to work. If you have studied abroad, include the institution, program of study, and any relevant coursework.

You may want to include which semesters you qualified for special academic recognition, if any.  Other special awards, scholarships, or competitive grants can also be listed in this section. If you have non-academic awards, such as for sports or community service, you may choose to create a separate section of your resume for honors and awards.

Tip 2: How to Make the Experience Section Stand Out

Along with education, your experience is one of the most important ways to show that you are qualified for a position. Use this section to clearly convey your strongest professional experiences, whether paid or unpaid. Be sure to give detailed aspects of your roles and responsibilities for each listed position. Emphasize any relationships or similarities between your past experiences and the job you want. You should also include the start and end dates of your involvement with each organization, and any key accomplishments from the role. Don’t forget to include where the company is located, including city and state/province, or even country if different from your home country.

Ask yourself: while involved with the company, did I win any awards, get any special recognition, make new discoveries, start a new program? If so, what happened and what were the results? Quantify your experiences when you can! As the expression goes, “Show don’t tell.” In other words, you can more effectively convey a point by giving concrete examples, rather than through vague descriptions. Consider the following examples.

Instead of:

Improved worker productivity significantly, leading to recognition from upper management.

(A resume reader may ask: What does ‘improved’ mean? What does recognition mean? How much have you improved it by?)

Improved quarter returns by 25%, exceeding projections and leading to the Top Manager Award, given to only one manager in the company per year.

When it comes to language, be honest about your job functions while thinking of professional ways to present your experiences.

Sometimes people fall into a trap of thinking that their job or internship experience won’t sound impressive enough to list. The job may have felt like “sitting at a desk, answering the phone.” True, but you may have been performing other responsibilities or developing useful job-related skills without realizing that you were!

When you were at a desk, were you at the FRONT desk? Were you the only person or the main person in this position? Were you overseeing anything while you were sitting there? Were you the sole person responsible for any tasks? Did you have to learn how to deal calmly and confidently with any customer issues? Did people occasionally ask you to take on additional responsibilities, even for a short time?

It is fair to say that a person sitting at a front desk, may have been MANAGING the front desk, or even managing the desk when the person’s boss was away. Time during which an individual is placed in charge of a business or an office, even if for a limited time, can convey responsibility to a prospective employer.

Look at your accomplishment bullet and ask yourself:

• What did I do in the job?
• Using what?
• To what extent or impact?

Sometimes you may need to pare down your list in order to avoid making your resume too lengthy. Try to select the accomplishments based partly on how impressive they are and partly on how well they relate to the position you want. To describe your experience, always use more than one sentence or bullet. That said, word economy in your bulleted descriptions is also important. Try to keep each bulleted description or sentence to one or two lines at most. You can often rephrase a description, eliminating words while keeping the meaning. The more information you can present clearly and concisely within the short resume format, the more the employer will understand what you can do for them.

Remember that by providing relevant details in each statement of your experience, you will give the employer enough information to evaluate you and also provide them with ideas of what they might want to discuss with you in an interview.

Tip 3: How to Create a Leadership and Activities Section that Stands Out

For many people, especially students and recent graduates, a Leadership & Activities section can be a fantastic differentiator for your resume. If you have not been in the workforce for long, or if you have only worked summers and part-time, then you may not have much relevant content to add to your Experience section. A strong Leadership & Activities section can help you fill that gap while also telling an employer something about you as a person.

When creating the section, you should first consider what student organizations and activities you would want to include. Then, you should consider what you would want to write about each one. In general, this section is much like the Experience section, except that it is about what you have done in a personal, rather than professional, setting.

Of course, because student organizations and activities are personal, you should be careful about which ones you choose to list; they should be appropriate to a professional setting. For example, you should probably not choose to share that you were chosen “Top Drinker” of your college’s “Beer Keg of the Day” club. On the other hand, if you volunteered at a food bank, wrote for a school publication, or had a membership in an honor society, those accomplishments would be worth sharing.

Most importantly, you should include student organizations and activities where you have made significant contributions or held leadership positions. Just as you did in the Experience section, you should think about what you did in the organization, any responsibilities you had, any skills you used, and any knowledge you gained. If you made improvements to the student organization or activity, definitely include concrete examples. Make sure to consider if any of your experiences with student organizations and activities could be related to the position you are applying for. Could any of the skills you have learned be useful in the job?

Because student organizations and activities can offer students leadership opportunities and experiences that are often limited to experienced professionals in companies, this section is your chance to show not only that you are qualified for the position but that you have even greater potential. Make the most of this opportunity to show the employer what you can do!

Tip 4: How to Highlight Your Skills

Another important component of what defines an attractive candidate in the modern economy is their skill set. Because employers want people who can quickly start being productive, they care about what skills a job prospect has, particularly in certain technical fields. In most cases, skills are incorporated into the Experience section, if you acquired skills as part of your internship or job, and in the Education section, if you obtained the skills through coursework, research, or projects. Sometimes people with additional skills, such as technical skills, foreign language, or certifications obtained outside of university, will place them into a separate section at the end of the resume. Whichever format you choose, you still need to emphasize the skills you have, so that an employer can easily see how you can help them.

You should ask yourself a few important questions. What skills do I have? What skills are my target employers looking for? Are my skills hard skills (i.e. technical, like computer programming) or soft skills, such as the ability to listen?

Make a list! Separate the skills into hard skills and soft skills. What skills are most in demand (on both lists) for the position you are interested in (One good way to decide this is to look at job listings for many similar positions and note how often a particular skill is listed.)? How can you highlight your proficiency in these skills?

Lead with your strongest skills and/or the ones that seem the most marketable. Let’s say you know the programming language Python. How well do you know it? How many years have you used it? Do you have any specialized knowledge and ability that may set you apart from a competing applicant? Do you have demonstrations of your work anywhere for a prospective employer to see?

Here’s an example of a skills entry that might be included into the Experience section:

Programming: 8 years of experience with Python and similar scripting languages, wrote MyFirstPythonProject software available on GitHub

Useful tip: Artists may have portfolios for their artistic work. Examples of appropriate work, such as for coding, may not be a bad idea to have available in addition to a resume!

Even if your field is not technical, you may still have important hard skills. Do you have experience with popular office software, such as Excel, PowerPoint, or Access? Do you know any foreign languages, even at a basic level? Think about not only what might be required in the day-to-day performance of the job, but what other skills could potentially be useful to the employer.

You will want to include all the relevant skills to demonstrate your qualifications, without including too much less-relevant information which could distract from your message. Think carefully about which skills you want to include, and which could be left out. Remember to choose your words economically to maximize content in a minimum of space. With a little effort, your skills details can transform your resume from a simple list of accomplishments to a document that gets an employer thinking about all the great ways you could contribute!

Tip 5: Formatting and Making the Resume Look Professional

Believe it or not, the appearance and organization of a resume can greatly affect the response. The first hurdle for any resume is to get the employer to read it. An attractively presented, concise resume is easy for a recruiter to pick up. On the other hand, if a resume is 5 pages, written in 6-point font, a prospective employer may not think that it is worth the time to find a magnifying glass and read it. In most cases, a resume should not exceed one page (sometimes two pages, mostly for more experienced candidates, or in scientific and technical fields where publication lists can be lengthy), which has a few key sections that are separated from one another or clearly delineated.

Here are some suggestions to make the format stand out positively:

• Use 10-12-point font or larger. (10 point may even sometimes be too small, and the choice can depend on the chosen font.) Your audience should easily be able to read the size of the writing. Often prospective employers may not have perfect vision, so readability may create problems if the text is too small.
• Use a clean, professional-looking font. Don’t use fonts that are overly artistic and hinder the ability for the reader to understand them. Some find fonts like Times New Roman most clearly readable; others find competing fonts better. The font is just an aspect of the writing; don’t let it overpower the words themselves.
• Use respectable margins. Don’t try to deviate too much from 0.5 margins at either side. Also, don’t make the margins too large, beyond 0.75 or 1 unit on either side. Around 1 unit on the top and bottom should be acceptable.
• Use adequate spacing.
• Abbreviate months of employment.
• Include proper contact information. Most people include full name, address, email address and at least one phone number at the top of the document.

Tip 6: Revision and Review 

One of the most important steps to writing a good resume is having others you trust look it over. A small spelling or grammar error on a resume could cause problems by making it seem like you lack attention to detail.

You can start with standard spelling and grammar checking programs. However, while these programs are very helpful, they are not enough by themselves. For example, the programs may not flag errors with homophones (e.g. hair and hare). They also have difficulty with uncommon, technical, or foreign words that may not be in their dictionaries. In addition, they are not looking for formatting inconsistencies or at the overall appearance of the resume. While computer programs can help with many issues, there is still no substitute for the human eye.

Start by printing a copy of your resume and looking for errors and inconsistencies yourself. Then, present copies to others along with a description of the job or educational opportunity that you are applying for. When presenting your resume to others, consider at least two kinds of people: a peer, and an experienced professional or teacher. Each may identify different issues with the resume.

Ask the reviewers to provide two types of notes: technical revisions and feedback on the writing, organization and effectiveness of the resume.

Once you get feedback, discuss it with them for a few minutes. Remember, don’t take constructive criticism personally! They are trying to help you, and their points of view may be similar to that of the employer. Your goal is to create a resume that most people will appreciate.

Once you obtain proper feedback, you can work on improving your resume. Try to incorporate your reviewers’ suggestions. Their ideas may even make you think of other ways to improve your resume! Most importantly, always remember that once you have made your revisions, review your resume again before you send it out!

The stronger your resume, the better your chance of getting an interview and landing a meaningful job. Just by following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to resume success, creating a clear, detailed, and concise document designed to impress employers. So, get writing and get yourself noticed!

A good resume can help you land an interview, but even minor errors can take you out of the running.  Schedule an appointment with a counselor  to ensure it will be effective.

Quick Resume Tips:

• Use the position description to decide what to include.
• Pick a standard and consistent format.
• Describe your experiences with specificity and strong action verbs.
• Record accomplishments and contributions, not just responsibilities.
• Revise carefully!
• Don’t include personal information about your age, religion, health or marital status.
• Photos are generally not preferred for U.S. resumes.
• Typically, you will not be expected to share past salary information on a resume.
• Employers assume that “references will be available upon request,” so you don’t need to include them on your resume unless asked.
• Employers may use keyword scanning on resumes, so know what words are relevant to the industry and position and ensure they appear in your resume.

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• 17 Best Skills to Put on Your...

17 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume (with Examples)

20 min read · Updated on July 30, 2024

Everything you need to know about adding the right skills to your resume

Whether your resume has been through 19 revisions lately or you're just revisiting it for the first time in years, spending some time taking stock of your skills section can generate more interest in your candidacy and be the key to winning interviews. 

However, there's a lot of conflicting information online and in books about maximizing the effectiveness of this section. 

Do you simply list all of your key skills on the resume? 

What are the right skills to put on a resume? 

What order is best? 

How will a jumble of technical qualifications help you stand out? 

And what about those  soft skills ?

Let's tackle those questions one at a time and learn the 17 best skills to put on your resume – starting at the beginning.

Why is the resume skills section there in the first place?

The number one reason to spend a fair amount of time crafting your skills list is employability. Being employable means that you have the right skills – academic skills, applied knowledge, technology skills, vertical and lateral thinking abilities, and interpersonal skills – that employers value and are willing to pay you for. 

When the hiring manager picks up your resume to determine whether you're a fit for the role they have open, one of the first things they'll look at is your skill level. Having the right skills on your resume is also important to ensure your CV pops up in recruiter searches. 

There are three key reasons to include the skills section in your resume and to organize it well:

To list your skills and abilities in one place for easy reference and scanning

To highlight the match between your background and the job requirements for the position you're interested in

To get your well-crafted resume through keyword screening by applicant tracking systems

The right mix of resume skills will get you past the first hurdle and towards a conversation. Here's a blueprint for making the most out of your skills section:

Relevancy is critical

Including a jumble of skills on your resume, beefed up with some basics that pretty much everyone knows (like Microsoft Office, as an example) won't help you to stand out. In fact, listing out skills that are considered to be a common baseline can actually hurt your candidacy by making you look like you're scrambling to establish credibility. 

PRO TIP: As a general rule, basic user-level proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and email applications is  assumed to be a given . However, if you have advanced Excel skills (expert-level proficiency with macros and advanced analysis capabilities, for example), you should list those.  

Rather than go back to basics, you'll want to focus only on skills that look good on a resume.

So how can you tell that a skill is relevant? That's easy! Read the  job description . 

Interpret the job description

As you dissect the job description to learn what will be required of you if you're hired for the position, pay special attention to the “requirements” and “qualifications” bullets, as that's where you'll find the majority of the keywords your resume will need. Again, the goal is to ensure that your resume speaks to that particular job so you can impress the hiring manager. 

Let's say you're applying for a job as an Account Manager. You may see these bullets under the “requirements” part of the job description:

Build lasting relationships with new and existing clients

Maintain client records, including contract renewals 

Develop sales plans to meet key performance indicators

Understand product offerings to meet customer needs and upsell when available

The keywords you need to focus on in each bullet are:

Client relationships

Client records and contract renewals

Sales plans and KPIs

Product offerings, customer needs, and upsell

The question you then need to ask yourself is, “Do I have the skills to back up these keywords?” If the answer is “Yes,” then these skills should appear on your resume. 

This is called  tailoring your resume  and should be done with every job that you apply to. For example, if you are applying to be a Floor Manager at a store that sells musical instruments, your proficiency with inventory management and your ability to play guitar would both be relevant for the job.

The four main types of skills for your resume

As a human being, you have technical and interpersonal skills in a broad range of areas. You might be an expert whitewater rafter, or maybe you have advanced a World of Warcraft character all the way to level 80. Both of those accomplishments require dedication, practice, and technical proficiency, but they're probably not going to help you land a job. 

The general recommendation on standout skills for a resume is to only list skills that will, directly or indirectly, help you to be more effective in your job. 

To do this, you have to understand the different types of skills that employers look for. 

1. Hard skills for a resume

These are learned abilities that you've picked up during your career, either through education, training, or experience. They can be honed over time. When you add hard skills to your resume, you'll want to include numbers –   measurable accomplishments  – as often as possible. 

2. Soft skills for a resume

Soft skills are characteristics you possess that improve your ability to get along with others, solve problems, and communicate effectively. You'll find that hiring managers love soft skills. 

No matter how technical your position is, it will require interacting with people, dealing with deadlines, and adapting to change. It's not as easy to quantify soft skills as it is hard skills, but employers still want you to prove that you possess these traits.

While most skills can be categorized as hard or soft skills, there are other types of skills, too!

3. Transferable skills for a resume

In addition to hard and soft skills, you might consider whether you have any transferable skills. This becomes especially important if you're changing careers, as they allow you to provide tangible proof of your ability to adapt to new circumstances and use lateral or vertical thinking to apply knowledge about one thing to something else. 

When you're leaning on  transferable skills to sell your qualifications  to the hiring manager, you must take the time to relay how those skills will benefit them and their new team. So, rather than saying that you have good time management skills, prove it by demonstrating what you do to manage time and how this has benefitted previous employers. 

4. Adaptive skills for a resume

You can also show resiliency through skills in your resume if you're not changing careers. Let's face it, if there's one thing that's certain in life and work, it's that things change. If you're the type of person to leverage change as a learning opportunity, then you should definitely be highlighting your adaptability on your resume. 

The 17 best skills to put on your resume

Now that we've defined what types of skills you can use on your resume, let's explore some specific examples of different skills you can include.

1. Computer skills and programming languages

When the job description wants you to prove that you possess programming skills, you can add “ Proficiency in Python, Java, or HTML, ” for example. This signals to employers that you can do everything from coding to automation and makes you a valuable candidate in the tech space.

Some roles that require an understanding of computer languages include:

Software Engineer

Computer Scientist

2. Data analysis

Saying that you possess data analysis skills allows you to demonstrate that you can interpret raw data and draw actionable insights to fuel change. It's adaptable across industries and can be easily backed by quantifiable data. 

Some roles that require an understanding of data analysis include:

Data Scientist

Marketing Consultant

Senior Accountant

3. Project management

You don't have to be a Certified Project Management Professional to include an ability to manage projects on your resume. If you're good at leading, organizing, and delivering successful outcomes, then you should add that you know how to manage projects. 

Some roles that require an understanding of project management include:

Construction Contractor

Industrial Engineer

IT Project Manager

4. Creativity

Creativity is one of the most highly sought-after skill sets. Not only can you leverage it to create tangible marketing pieces that connect with target audiences, but it can also be used to solve problems and bring fresh perspectives to projects. Creativity also signals that you're adaptable to dynamic environments. 

Some roles that require you to be creative include:

Graphic Designer

Digital Marketing Manager

Brand Manager

5. Languages

The world gets smaller every day, so being able to speak more than one language is a skill that you should definitely include on your resume. Adding multiple languages to your application makes you highly valuable in a globalized, connected working world.

Some roles that require you to be speak other languages include:

International  HR Director

Foreign Exchange  Investment Banker

Some  Teacher  roles

6. Communication

Every job everywhere requires employees to have good communication skills. But instead of simply saying that you are a good communicator, be prepared to demonstrate that you understand the value of everything from active listening to properly articulating complex concepts. 

Some roles that require great communication include:

Sales Representative

Public Relations

Nurse Practitioner

7. Teamwork

A lot of people will throw the word “teamwork” into the skills list on their resume without giving it much thought. However, given the vast amount of hybrid and remote working environments, teamwork is more important than ever. A happy team that works together reduces burnout and increases morale. 

Some roles that require good teamwork include:

Sports Fitness Coach

Product Manager

Scrum Master

8. Leadership

If you're applying for a role that will involve guiding others, then including leadership skills is a must. When you add leadership to your resume, you highlight that you're not afraid to take the initiative to make decisions that drive outcomes. 

Some roles that require you to be a leader include:

Director of IT

Sales Manager

9. Critical thinking

When you're known for making well-informed decisions by analyzing information and evaluating situations objectively, you possess critical thinking skills. You may see this pop up in job descriptions where the employer is seeking someone with high emotional intelligence. Basically, if you can navigate your way logically through problems, then critical thinking is probably something you should add to your resume.

Some roles that require critical thinking include:

Data Engineer

Telecommunications Professional

10. Cultural competence

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have become buzzwords in today's workforce. People want a voice and value having a psychologically safe place in which to get things done. This is even more true when you have people coming together from different cultures. 

Some roles that require you to have cultural competence include:

Military-to-Civilian

11. Quality assurance

Quality assurance has implications across a number of fields, including software development and cybersecurity. There is an emphasis on quality assurance in roles that require you to maintain compliance with regulations or particular guidelines and best practices. 

Some roles that require an understanding of quality assurance include:

Aviation Mechanic

Cyber Security Specialist

12. Time management

Ranking right up there with creativity as far as top-rated skills go, being able to properly manage time is critical in today's workforce. It's not only something that's found in professional settings, but across industries and jobs worldwide. A simple search of job descriptions will reveal that the majority of them want people who can meet deadlines, at the minimum. 

Some roles that require good time management include:

Administrative Office Assistant

Finance Director

Project Manager

13. Conflict resolution

Being able to de-escalate situations with irate clients by demonstrating empathy and clearly defining options for a resolution means you're probably good at conflict management. However, conflict management isn't only demonstrated in client interactions. You may also be able to showcase conflict resolution skills if you've solved problems within team environments, too. 

Some roles that require conflict resolution skills include:

Retail Merchandising

Insurance Agent

Information Technology

14. Sales and upselling

Sales is all about employing active listening to ascertain customers' needs, to sell the right product or service at the right time. Whether you're connecting with target audiences to get them to buy something through a digital marketing campaign or you're trying to sell someone a product, meeting client needs is critical to demonstrating that you're good at sales and upselling. 

Some roles that require you to be able to sell and upsell include:

Marketing Manager

Consulting Manager

Real Estate Manager

15. Data entry

As you progress in your career, showcasing that you're good at data entry will become less and less important, however, there are still some roles that value candidates who can quickly and accurately input data into a system. 

Some roles that require data entry include:

Recent Graduate

Mid-Career Professionals

16. Tech-savviness 

Being tech–savvy means that you're always on the cutting edge and consistently keep up with emerging technologies. It helps you to deliver innovative solutions that help your company remain competitive in the ever-changing IT landscape.

Some roles that require candidates to be tech-savvy include:

DevOps Engineer

Technical Project Manager

Senior Software Engineer

17. Continuous learning

Today's employers value job seekers and employees who are fastidiously committed to ongoing education and skill development. Most even provide some sort of knowledge bank or in-house professional development courses to allow you to engage in continuous learning. 

Some roles that value a commitment to continuous learning include:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

How to add skills to your resume

Keep your skills specific and clear.

A common pitfall when it comes to resume skills is to list broad categories of abilities without going into sufficient detail. The problem with that approach is that it won't get your resume found in keyword searches, because they are looking for specific proficiency statements.

So, instead of writing “familiarity with accounting software,” list “Quickbooks, Quicken, Sage, and Xero.” 

Use numbers and descriptive words where appropriate – 

How many projects have you managed using Teamwork Projects? 

How many people have you trained to use Salesforce? 

A few well-placed quantifiers can position you as a serious candidate with supported qualifications.

Organize your skills list

When creating a long list of skills for a resume, consider how you organize everything. Ordering your skills strategically will make your resume easier to read and call the right attention to the right skills in the right place. 

This is especially true considering that our brains look for patterns. A well-organized skill section on your resume will improve the aesthetics and help the hiring manager to skim through it to find just what they're looking for. 

PRO TIP: There isn't a hiring manager alive who is reading your resume. They're  scanning through it in just a few seconds . This makes keeping things organized all the more important.

Another organizing tip is to list the most important skills for the job first. Specifics will vary by industry, but think through the critical technical skills that will drive your effectiveness and success in the role and put them at the top.

When you're starting to group your skills list together, deciding which is most important depends on the job description. While most employers want employees who are good communicators and can solve problems, you have to take the industry and employer preferences into consideration. 

Job relevance: This goes back to tearing the job description apart to find the relevant keywords

Industry trends: Stay on top of things that may be changing in your industry and highlight any new skills that come into demand

Employer preferences: Take some time to research the company and learn what they do, why they do it, and for whom – this will help you to get a feel for their company culture, so you'll know which soft skills will impress them the most

The best place to put skills on your resume

The placement of the resume skills section itself on the page is up to you. Many people prefer to have it positioned near the top of their resume, but it works at the bottom too.

PRO TIP: If you have a lot of skills to list, consider breaking them up (for example, technical skills at the top and additional skills at the bottom).

No matter where you place the skills section, the layout is critical in catching the eye of hiring managers and showcasing your qualifications in a way that helps you to stand out from the crowd. 

At the top of your resume

Technically speaking, your skills list shouldn't be at the top. The first things on your resume should be your  contact information ,  headline , and  summary paragraph . So, when we say “at the top of your resume,” we mean beneath the summary paragraph. 

When you put your skills list at the top of your resume, you call immediate attention to some key selling points. It's an effective technique if you have a strong set of skills that directly align with the job requirements. 

Here's what a skills list at the top of your resume would look like:

FIRST NAME, LAST NAME

City, ST 12345 • LinkedIn URL • [email protected] • 111-222-3333

REGIONAL MANAGER

Operations Management | Project Management | Sales Management | Business Analysis

Innovative and ambitious executive-level management professional offering extensive experience and an accomplishments-driven career in sales, marketing and operations, and key account management. Leverages an entrepreneurial spirit to orchestrate tactical business plans that challenge the status quo, allowing for reformation of process. Intuitive business acumen and skilled strategist who uses the most up-to-date business practices to create, implement, and oversee business continuity. Naturally assumes leadership roles to oversee and achieve organizational success.

Business Development • Executive Leadership • Strategic Business Planning • Data Analysis • Team Training & Development • Policy & Procedure Development • Marketing & Territory Expansion • Procurement, Sourcing, & Negotiation • Relationship-Selling • Customer Relations

This resume example actually has two skills lists. One just beneath the title and then the regular one beneath the summary paragraph. It's an effective way to separate out the skills that are most important – the specialized abilities that you want to call immediate attention to. However, if you do it like this on your resume, the skills listed beneath the title should only be one to two lines max!

At the bottom of the resume

If you've reached a point in your career where your work history and career achievements outshine your skills, then it's a good idea to place the skills list at the bottom of your resume. 

Here's what your skills could look like at the bottom of your resume:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

[List your career history in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent and working backward about 10 years]

[List the degrees you've earned and the schools where you obtained your degrees. You can also mention any professional development classes you've taken and certifications or licenses you possess]

Core proficiencies:

Project Management | Lean Management | Change Management | Operations Management | 3PL | Inventory Management | Inventory Control | Inventory Planning | Logistics Management | Distribution & Processing | Budgeting | Procurement | Purchase Orders

Soft skills:

Team Leadership | Coaching | Persuasion | Creative Problem Solving | Negotiation

Technical skills:

Epicor | PeopleSoft | XAL(Concorde) | HighStage | Deltek (Costpoint) | KBM | Syteline | Kinaxis | Glovia (Oracle-based) | Oracle | Adept | Workflow | Data Vault (Oracle-based) | Intralink

English |  Spanish |  French

Throughout your resume

Since your resume is more than a list of skills, you should know that your master list of abilities and the keywords you've culled from the job description aren't limited to being placed only in a skills list. You can – and should – include hard, soft, adaptive, and transferable skills throughout your entire resume. 

After your contact information, the first thing that should appear on your resume is a headline. A lot of people will simply put a title, but if you take a moment to spruce it up and turn it into a headline, you'll be able to inject a few keywords on the top line of your resume. 

For example, if you're applying for a role as a Real Estate Broker, here's the difference between a title and a headline:

Title: Real Estate Broker

Headline: Real Estate Broker with Expertise in Property Valuation and Team Management

Put yourself into the shoes of a hiring manager and ask yourself, which of those would give you more information about the job seeker? The headline not only indicates which role you want, but also includes two keywords – property valuation and team management. 

Summary paragraph

As you move on to write your career summary, that appears just beneath the headline, you'll want to continue adding relevant skills from your career that are mirrored in the job description. Doing this will ensure that your resume presents a cohesive and powerful message that your experience and achievements will serve the new company well. 

In sticking with the example of Real Estate Broker, perhaps you find that the new company wants you to coordinate marketing events and client activities, write weekly reports, and have a solid understanding of the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) platform for listing properties. 

The keywords to include in your profile paragraph would be:

Marketing events

Client activities

Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Thus, your profile paragraph could look like this:

Veteran real estate professional with a strong background in orchestrating impactful marketing events for single and multi-family residences. Specializes in managing client activities that turn passive consumers into active clientele. Proficient in maximizing MLS to enhance property visibility and streamlining documentation and reporting processes. Known for creating a culture of excellence and client satisfaction by maintaining an open-door policy that encourages communication among team members.

As you can see, the profile paragraph isn't a long and drawn-out diatribe of things you've done in your career. Rather, it's a short paragraph that matches your skills to the job you're applying for. 

Work experience

Let's move on to the meat of your resume - the part the hiring manager is going to spend the most time on – your  career history . You may be wondering how you can put future-facing keywords into the historical part of your resume, but all it takes is a bit of finesse. 

For example, if you have a history of closing multi-million-dollar deals in high-end neighborhoods, you could work a few keywords into an achievement bullet like this:

• Closed 5 multi-million-dollar property sales per month by leveraging MLS for property exposure

While you could stop after you say how many multi-million-dollar deals you closed, because that's a great achievement statement, expanding the bullet to include a keyword makes your overall resume all the more compelling. 

TopResume wants to do more than write your resume. We want to give you the tools you need to succeed in your job search and career. Click on the following link for more  resume and career advice .

Stand out from the crowd

When you master including the best skills in your resume, you reach a level of job search preparedness that propels your resume to the top of the pile. The whole idea is to make it easy for potential employers to see how you'll fit within the folds of their organization and team. That's where tailoring the skills on your resume comes in – wherever you include them. 

Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our  free resume review  today!

Recommended reading:

How to Write a Powerful LinkedIn Summary

How to Format a Resume for Multiple Jobs at One Company

The Best Resume Format to Get Hired  

Related Articles:

7 Signs Your Resume is Making You Look Old

Don't “Snowplow” Your Kids' Job Search — Set Them Up for Success Instead

Why a Simple Resume Layout is a Successful Resume

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Resumes with Impact: Creating Strong Bullet Points

How can you make your resume stand out to an employer?

• Use an easy-to-read format and structure that highlights your relevant education and experience.
• Develop bullet points or statements to show relevant skills and qualities. Be specific about what you did and how you did it.
• Start your bullet points or statements with strong action verbs.
• Provide contextual details to inform the reader about the purpose of your work, the scope of the project, and what you produced or accomplished.
• Quantify your work and achievements where possible.

Using the STAR method

The STAR method can help you create impactful descriptions for each experience on your resume.

First, read through the posting for a job that interests you. This will help you understand the role and the employer’s needs. Identify the skills and qualities they seek. You can usually find them in the responsibilities and qualifications sections.

Next, use the STAR method to describe the context of your work, your actions, and how your actions had positive impact on the organization.

Situation: What was the situation, problem, or conflict you were facing?

Task: What were you tasked with? What were your responsibilities or goals?

Action: What action did you take? What did you do to solve this problem? (start with action verbs)

Result: What was the result or outcome of your action? How did it benefit the organization? Can this result be quantified?

Follow the STAR method to create descriptions that incorporate the key skills and qualities the employer is seeking. Your final statement will start with the action section and include the results section when appropriate.

Skills/qualities you want to show: initiative, organization, analytical thinking, writing, interpersonal skills, problem solving

Situation: The trainees were learning too slowly and could not navigate the company’s data tracking system by the end of the two-week training period. Instead, they were not ready for another two weeks.

Task: Help trainees learn the system faster.

Action: Initiated, wrote, and edited the first training manual for the company’s data tracking system. Successfully presented proposal to use manual to management. Revised training program curriculum to implement new manual. Trainees worked through the manual during the two-week training period.

Result: At the end of the training period, trainees were ready to use the data tracking system two weeks earlier than expected; the training manual was adopted across the company and is still in use.

FINAL STATEMENT FOR RESUME: Initiated, wrote, and edited the first training manual for company’s data tracking system, which cut training period in half, was adopted across the company, and is still in use today.

This example could focus on different skills (communication, persuasion, leadership, training), depending on what’s relevant to the job.

Bullet Point Examples

What, how, and why.

Answer these questions to transform a generic description into an impactful  bullet point. 

• What did you do? What was the situation, problem, or challenge you were facing?
• What were your responsibilities or goals?
• How exactly did you do it? How did you accomplish your tasks? Did you use any tools, equipment, or computer programs?
• Did you work as part of a team or independently?
• Why are these actions important? How did they benefit the organization? What was the result or outcome of your actions?
• Can you quantify the results? (Note: Not every bullet point on your resume must be results-oriented.)

Generic Description

Public Health Society, Events Coordinator

• Responsible for organizing events and panels

In this example, it is not clear what the candidate did to organize events and panels, what skills they used, or what kind of events and panels they organized. Because of this, the writer misses the chance to showcase the skills used to carry out this task.

Strong, Concrete Description

• Plan and coordinate panels on public health for audiences of 25–50 undergraduates on a bi-monthly basis
• Identify and contact health professionals in the community to participate in panels
• Create marketing materials and publicize events through social media

Add context and skills (WHAT was the situation and HOW were the tasks accomplished) to deepen the information provided.

In this example, the first bullet point clearly highlights organizational skills. It also lets the employer know the scope, target audience, and frequency of the events. This efficiently illustrates the candidate’s abilities and experience.

The second bullet point indicates research and interpersonal skills, which were used to secure panelists. It also demonstrates the ability to communicate with professionals outside of the university.

The third bullet highlights a specific business skill and/or the ability to be strategic in marketing, as well as familiarity with using social media for marketing purposes.

Adding Accomplishments and Impact:

Employers review resumes to understand the impact you’ve had on a project, organization, or company. Explain WHY your actions matter; how did your actions affect outcomes? For instance:

• Were the materials and publicizing efforts successful?
• Did these actions result in reaching a new group of students?

Review each statement you’ve created for your resume. Can you add an accomplishment or achievement? What happened as a result of that action? How did it benefit the organization? You don’t need to add a result to every bullet point on your resume, but it’s helpful to demonstrate achievements when possible.

What does this look like? In the bullet point about marketing materials and social media, this might read:

• Create marketing materials and publicize events through social media. Increased attendance at several club programs by 75% (if you have an accurate figure)
• Create marketing materials and publicize events through social media. Saw increased attendance at several club programs throughout the year (if you are unable to quantify)

These statements combine the Action and Result sections of the STAR method.

Related Resources

Writing a Resume: Getting Started

If you’re applying for an internship or job, attending a networking event, or seeking a volunteer opportunity, chances are you’ll need a resume. We’ll walk you through the basics.

Your Resume: What to Put In, What to Leave Out

Wondering how to organize the information on your resume? This resource overviews the sections to include on your resume, and what information to include in each of them.

200+ Action Verbs to Spice Up Your Resume

Use varied, strong action verbs to grab the reader’s attention and make your resume stand out to potential employers. This resource includes over 200 action verbs you can use as a starting point.

How to Write a Resume Profile or Summary Statement

If you are in the process of changing careers, craft a powerful summary to highlight your accomplishments and relevant skills. Show an employer, at a glance, why you’re qualified for the job!

Optimizing Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems

90% of Fortune 500 Companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to manage high volumes of job applications. 75% of candidates are “phased out of consideration” because they don’t pass a screening! Our tips will help your resume make it through ATS.

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More From Forbes

5 tips to write a strong resume.

• The more detailed you can make your resume the better.
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Think of a resume as a digital first impression. It’s the first view of you that a potential employer will see. Just like first impressions, you only get one chance to make an impact. Does your resume give the right impression? There are 5 things you can do to make your resume stand out, and entice the hiring manager to call you in for an interview.

Get detailed.

The more detailed you can make your resume the better. Don’t just write what you’ve done, write about how you did it. Simply listing your job responsibilities won’t make you stand out from the crowd. Your resume isn’t the place to be modest. If you feel like you’re bragging, you’re probably on the right track. When in doubt, have a friend read through it and ask about their first reaction.

Highlight your most relevant experience first.

When you’re listing your job responsibilities, write about your most relevant experience first. Think about which parts of your current job are most transferable to the position you’re applying for, and prioritize them on your resume. Your first two bullet points or first two lines in a paragraph should highlight your biggest accomplishments. A good rule of thumb is to use a statistic in your first bullet point and describe a soft skill such as communication in the second. This way, if those are the only two points that get read, they’ll showcase what you can do.

Use statistics whenever possible.

Talk about the results you’ve achieved using statistics. Statistics are powerful and they stand out. With the average recruiter or hiring manager spending less than 30 seconds scanning a resume, those numbers can really make a difference. Writing that you increased sales doesn’t tell the person reading your resume anything about you, but writing that you increased sales by 35% by training your staff to be better communicators speaks to your abilities.

Make friends with the thesaurus.

You want to be as descriptive as possible, but a resume can get repetitive very quickly. The thesaurus will help you avoid writing ‘managed’ a dozen times and use descriptive words that have greater impact. It helps you transform ‘Responsible for managing a team of 10 salespeople.’ into ‘Oversaw a team of 10 salespeople to ensure they met daily sales quotas.’ Be careful to a void overused buzzwords, and replace passive words with ones that speak to actions. 

After you’ve made your final edits, go back and proofread your entire resume to ensure it’s free from typos and grammatical errors. Do this in two parts – first run a spell check, and second read it out loud. You can’t rely entirely on spell check because that only finds mistakes and grammatical errors. It won’t pick up typos like writing ‘a’ instead of ‘an’. Reading aloud forces you to slow down and go through it word for word rather than just skimming to ensure that you catch these kind of typos.

Once your resume is ready to go, pair it with a well-written cover letter . The combination of a strong resume and a strong cover letter will greatly increase your chances of landing an interview.

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Top 20 Hard Skills for Your Resume: A Guide

16 min read

In the hard skills vs. soft skills debate, there is only one solid answer: you need both. Yes, if you want to win over the hiring manager, your professional resume needs a balance of the two. 

While you might have your soft skills down, choosing the right hard skills for a resume can be tricky. Luckily, we have you covered. In this complete guide, we will look at what they are, why you need them, and the top 20 hard skills that you can consider including on your next resume.

What are hard skills?

Hard skills are competencies that apply directly to the job. These can include the ability to use specific software, industry knowledge, or technical skills, for example. Often enough, these skills are both teachable and measurable. You might learn them over the course of your career. 

The core hard skills that are expected of you will vary from sector to sector. However, there are certain trends of which you need to be aware. Having your finger on the pulse when it comes to what hard skills recruiters are looking for is always a good move. This strategy will allow you to continuously upskill and learn new things, according to the demands of the industry.

Why should you include hard skills on your resume?

Now that you understand what hard skills are, let’s talk about why they matter for your resume. While well-rounded candidates ought to have both hard and soft skills on their resume, the former play a vital role in showing the hiring manager that you have what it takes to succeed. With that in mind, let’s take a look at why you need hard skills for your resume.  

Match the job requirements

One of the main reasons that you need hard skills for your resume is to show that you match the job requirements. Before you apply for any role, you need to check out the criteria. Often enough, the hiring manager will add this information to the job posting or advertisement. 

Look at the exact requirements of the role. You should find that there is a list of hard skills that the employer expects of candidates. Of course, you need to ensure that your resume aligns closely with the demands of the role. Including the right hard skills will help you do just that. 

Beat the bots 

Including the right hard skills can also help you to get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) . The screening software ranks incoming resumes by how well they fit the criteria of the vacancy. One of the ways that it does this is by searching for specific keywords in each application. 

If you want to boost your chances of getting past the software, you need to make sure that your resume includes the right keywords. Once again, you should go back to the job advertisement and look for the hard skills that have been listed there. By including the skills that you have under your belt, you can easily improve your chance of ranking well with the ATS software.

Highlight your expertise

Hiring managers want well-rounded candidates. When they are filling any vacancy, they have to consider how well the person will fit into the workplace and, crucially, whether they have the skills to ace the job. Choosing hard skills for your resume helps you to highlight your expertise. 

When the hiring manager glances at your resume, they will instantly be able to tell which hard skills you have. This means that they can determine whether you have the right level of knowledge to start working in the position that they need to fill. The more technical skills you have, the better your chances will be of landing the role (so long as they are relevant to it!). 

Top 20 hard skills for your resume in 2024

Choosing the right hard skills for your resume can be hard. We recommend considering the employer’s needs when you are making this decision. However, there are some hard skills that are increasingly in demand in the modern working world. In the following section, we will take a look at the top 20 hard skills for your resume as well as clear definitions for each of them.

Technological hard skills 

First up, we’re going to kick things off with the most popular category. When you think of hard skills, chances are technical proficiencies spring to mind. While it’s true that there’s a wide range of hard skills out there, many do fall neatly into this category. For that reason, it’s worth breaking down some of the most common hard skills that employers may expect you to have.

1. Cybersecurity 

Cybersecurity talent is in high-demand. According to the 2023 Fortinet Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report , more than half of all organizations struggle to recruit candidates who have the cybersecurity skills that they need. When you consider that malware variants are on the rise, there is no wonder that the demand for this set of hard skills is booming. 

Cybersecurity skills include ethical hacking, information security, network security, secure software development, and cloud security. If you boast any of these in-demand hard skills and you’re applying for a role in the sector, including them on your resume is a must. 

2. Programming 

Since the technological world is advancing at a remarkable rate, programming skills will always top the charts. Understanding coding languages means that you can create and develop the technology of the future. Whether you work in software development or a related field, choosing these hard skills for your resume is always going to win over hiring managers. You may include: 

If you decide to include these hard skills on your resume, you should add context. Be clear about what language you use and any projects that you have worked on. The more detail you can add here, the easier it will be for the hiring manager to gage your level of expertise, 

3. Cloud computing skills 

Should you have expertise in any level of cloud computing — including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) — it’s worth shouting about. This is an area that is set to expand in the years to come, and so showcasing your knowledge now could be key. As always, it’s smart to show you are continuously learning and developing these skills. 

4. Data and analytical skills 

Should you work in a research-based field, having a strong grip of data and analytics is a must. Of course, there are many ways in which these hard skills for your resume can manifest. You need to be specific about how you manage data and the techniques that you are au fait with. 

Wherever possible, try to hone in on this skill-set on your resume. Here are some examples of the types of hard skills you may choose to include on your next application: 

Data analysis 

Data mining 

Business analysis 

Data management 

Microsoft Excel

Marketing analysis 

Data forecasting 

SWOT testing 

Financial analysis 

Consider where your exact skill-set lies and how you have learned it over the years. You can include these hard skills in the skills section of your resume. However, you may also want to weave them into the fabric of the application. For instance, you can choose to include mentions of them in your tasks and duties when you are writing your work experience section. 

5. AI and machine learning 

You don’t need to have a crystal ball to know that AI is the future. From ChatGPT to algorithms, companies are looking for candidates who have a strong grasp of this rapidly expanding sector. If that sounds like you, there are plenty of hard skills for your resume that you don’t want to miss. Here are some of the skills that you may already have and should include: 

Machine learning (MI) 

Natural Language Processing (NLP) 

Autonomous systems

Expert systems 

Computer vision 

You don’t have to work in the technological sectors for AI to be a useful skill-set. As these systems become more prevalent across various fields, they will be in demand in a range of industries. For that reason, these are prime hard skills for your resume. 

Engineering hard skills 

Next up, let’s talk about the engineering sector. If you’re hoping to land a job in this industry, you need to make sure that you have a wide array of hard skills on your resume. As always, you can refer back to the original job posting to get an idea of what the hiring manager is after. In this next section, we will be looking at two of the top engineering hard skills you may need. 

6. Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills 

Used in product design, architecture, and manufacturing — among many other fields — CAD software gives you the chance to create detailed models of systems or structures. Put simply, it is one of the major tools that engineers use when they are creating their plans. Examples of this software include CATIA, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Revit.

7. Mechanical skills 

Needless to say, mechanical skills are a must in the realms of engineering . Once again, Rather than using this blanket term, you should try to be as specific as you can. You may want to talk about the following hard skills on your engineering resume: 

Blueprint drawing and reading 

Mechanical design and engineering 

Manufacturing troubleshooting 

Mechanical assembly and installation 

Safety regulations and protocols

In each case, consider what the hiring manager is looking for when it comes to their prime candidate. The better you can align your resume to their needs, the higher your chances. 

Digital marketing hard skills 

The global digital advertising and marketing market is set to reach $786.2 Billion by 2026 . It should come as no great surprise that digital marketing skills are popular among hiring managers. Whether you work in this sector directly or within a field that crosses over with it, these hard skills are invaluable. Let’s take a look at some that you may already have. 

8. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past decade, you will have heard of SEO. Search engine optimization is an ever-changing discipline, and so you need to ensure that you're up to date on the latest industry updates and changes. If you know how to make the SEO ranking system work for you and clients, you will always be in a prime position. Not only should you list this in the hard skills for your resume, but also give it context in your application. 

9. Search engine marketing (SEM)

Following on from SEO, you have search engine marketing (SEM). In essence, this is how you use the founding principles of SEO to your best advantage. This hard skill is all about increasing web pages’ visibility and boosting their place in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

10. Social media marketing 

Social media marketing has remained one of the most in-demand hard skills when it comes to digital marketing. It’s clear to see why. The world of social media is always changing. 

While this marketing strategy was once confined to the likes of Facebook and Instagram, there are countless other platforms of which marketers should be aware. These include TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn, X (previously Twitter), and so on. 

If you have social media marketing skills already, be sure to name-check them on your resume. In addition, should you have undertaken any specific training, you need to list this in your education section. Try to give some real credibility to the claims that you make here. 

11. Graphic design 

Graphic design is all about visual communication. You may use a selection of software, such as Adobe programs, to create stunning marketing resources. When you are including this hard skill on your resume, be sure to include the tools that you are confident in using for your craft.

Financial hard skills 

Looking to break into the financial world? If so, you will need to have a diverse range of hard skills for your resume. Any discerning hiring manager will want to make sure that you have the right skills for the job. Let’s take a look at some of the core financial hard skills below.

12. Accounting software

It’s not merely about stating that you understand specific accounting software, such as Sage 50 Accounting or QuickBooks. You should also look at ways in which you utilize that software in your role. You can use the work experience section to elaborate on the way in which each piece of software has helped you in your financial role. 

13. Financial forecasting 

Financial forecasting means analyzing current trends and finances and making predictions on behalf of your business. As you might imagine, this is a hard skill that is always in high demand. Of course, financial forecasting involves a section of disciplines including the following: 

Revenue and expense forecasting 

Financial statements projection 

Budgeting and long-term planning 

Performance monitoring and altering 

Should you work in the financial sector, it’s worth strengthening this particular skill-set. Having these hard skills on your resume could be the key to your ultimate success. 

Methodology hard skills 

In the world of business, many professionals use intelligent methodologies to improve efficiency. So, if you have learned any of the core methodologies, you will want to mention them on your next resume. Here are some of the hard skills that may well come under that umbrella. 

14. Inquiry-based learning

Emphasizing the importance of evidence and research-based learning, this strategy is one that is being adopted by many modern workplaces. When you’re considering the best hard skills on a resume for students, you should not overlook this particular skill. The approach encourages professionals to investigate, ask questions, and further develop their critical thinking skills . 

15. Design sprint 

When teams are aiming to solve complex problems quickly, they will often use a design sprint. This five-day collaboration allows them to understand, diverge, and create a prototype to solve the problem. If you have taken part in this type of strategy — or even lead a design sprint — before now, that is well worth speaking about when creating your professional resume. 

16. Six sigma 

Next up, six sigma is a data-driven approach to operational excellence. It comprises different phases that you use to make sure that a team or department is reaching the highest possible levels of operations that they can. If you are confident in how this methodology works and have previously used it within your career, you may want to include that detail on your resume. 

Miscellaneous hard skills

Not all hard skills fall firmly into a category. In fact, some of the most popular hard skills are miscellaneous. So, let’s take a look at some of the skills you don’t want to forget. 

17. Healthcare skills

Whether you work in the healthcare field or you’re the designated first aider in your office, there’s no doubting the fact that these skills are hard. If you want to show that you can support the wider workforce and keep people safe, it is worth including these skills on your resume. Of course, there’s a broad range of healthcare skills you may choose to list on your application.

18. Languages 

Do you speak another language? If the answer is yes, you should talk about that fact on your resume. In some roles, having an additional language will be a prerequisite of the job. However, even if the job advert does not mention the need for language skills, you may still want to include them. These are the types of hard skills that are certain to set you apart from the crowd. 

19. Translation and interpretation 

While we’re on the subject of languages, why not take things one step further? If you are a pro when it comes to either translation or interpretation, let the hiring manager know. Include any special training or experience you have in this sector. In some cases, it may be worth listing the level of your language proficiency. That way, they can see the value in your language skills. 

20. Project management 

Project management is a hard skill that spans a whole selection of sectors. If you have experience of taking the lead on projects and finding the best ways to keep your team on track, you should include this in your hard skills for your resume. Don’t forget to mention any software, tools, or systems you use when you are taking the helm of a project. 

Tips for strengthening your hard skills 

If you have looked at our hard skills on resume examples and fallen short, don’t panic. There are plenty of ways that you can strengthen your skill-set. Here are some simple tips: 

Look into online training. Taking evening courses or any other form of online training could be the answer. If you want to boost a specific hard skill, this approach will allow you to do so and even gain a certificate in that discipline. 

Watch out for L&D programs. If your workplace offers learning and development programs, make good use of them. Signing up to one of these training systems may help you to gain valuable hard skills you can use later in your career.

Always take on new projects. Whenever there is an opportunity to take on a new project, put yourself forward. The more diverse your experience, the more likely you are to develop a solid range of hard skills on which you can rely. 

Final words 

Looking for a simple way to upgrade your resume? In this guide, we have shared a selection of hard skills examples that you can use for inspiration. Hiring managers are always looking for candidates that have a selection of technical skills that meet the job requirements. Consider which core skills are pertinent in your career and include them within your next resume. 

Be sure to tailor your resume to the role for which you are applying. If in doubt, you can always refer back to the job criteria and see how many of the competencies you already possess. Listing these on your resume will increase your chances of landing that all-important interview.

Want to make sure your resume is hitting the mark? Get your free resume review from our team of experts now. Learn how you can quickly and easily upgrade your application.

Recommended reading: 

5 Things Hiring Managers and Recruiters Want On Your Resume

The19 Essential Skills to Put on Your Resume

Communication Skills on a Resume (Examples + Tips)

Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer, Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer

Charlotte Grainger is a freelance writer living and working in Sheffield, UK. She has a passion for career development and loves sharing tips and advice. Follow her on Twitter

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Business Specialist Resume Example for 2024

Create a standout business specialist resume with our online platform. browse professional templates for all levels and specialties. land your dream role today.

Looking to advance your career as a business specialist? Our Business Specialist Resume Example is designed to provide you with the tips and inspiration you need to create a standout resume. A business specialist plays a crucial role in any organization, and our resume example will help you showcase your skills and experience in a way that will impress potential employers. Whether you're just starting out in your career or looking to take the next step, our resume example can help you achieve your goals.

We will cover:

• How to write a resume , no matter your industry or job title.
• What to put on a resume to stand out.
• The top skills employers from every industry want to see.
• How to build a resume fast with our professional Resume Builder .
• Why you should use a resume template

What does a Business Specialist do?

• Assessing business needs and identifying opportunities for growth
• Developing and implementing strategic business plans
• Analyzing financial data to make informed business decisions
• Identifying and implementing process improvements
• Providing guidance and support to business teams
• Managing projects and coordinating cross-functional teams
• Monitoring industry trends and competitive landscape
• Initiating and managing partnerships and collaborations
• Providing expertise on business-related issues and challenges
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What are some responsibilities of a Business Specialist?

• Conduct market research and analysis to identify potential business opportunities
• Develop business strategies and plans to improve company performance
• Identify and pursue new business partnerships and collaborations
• Assess and manage business risks
• Analyze financial data and provide recommendations for cost reduction and revenue generation
• Create and deliver presentations to stakeholders and investors
• Provide support in the implementation of new business initiatives
• Monitor industry trends and competitor activities to identify potential threats and opportunities

Sample Business Specialist Resume for Inspiration

Personal Details

• Name: John Doe
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (123) 456-7890
• Address: 123 Main Street, City, State, Zipcode

John Doe is a dedicated and results-driven Business Specialist with over 5 years of experience in coordinating, managing, and executing various business initiatives. He has a proven track record of delivering outstanding results in business development, strategic planning, and project management. John is a team player with excellent communication and problem-solving skills, with a strong focus on achieving organizational goals and driving growth.

Work Experience

• Business Specialist, XYZ Company, City, State (2018 - Present) - Led business development efforts and implemented strategic initiatives to drive growth - Supported the sales team in identifying new business opportunities and developing client relationships - Analyzed market trends and competition to identify potential risks and opportunities
• Assistant Business Manager, ABC Corporation, City, State (2015 - 2018) - Assisted in the development and implementation of business plans and strategies - Conducted market research and analysis to identify potential areas for business expansion - Collaborated with cross-functional teams to streamline business processes and improve operational efficiency
• Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), University of Example, City, State (2012 - 2016)
• Strategic Planning
• Business Development
• Project Management
• Market Research
• Communication
• Problem-Solving

Certifications

• Certified Business Specialist (CBS)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• English (Native)
• Spanish (Intermediate)

Resume tips for Business Specialist

Creating a perfect, career-launching resume is no easy task. Following general writing rules can help, but it is also smart to get advice tailored to your specific job search. When you’re new to the employment world, you need Business Specialist resume tips. We collected the best tips from seasoned Business Specialist - Check out their advice to not only make your writing process easier but also increase your chances of creating a resume that piques the interest of prospective employers.

• Highlight your expertise: Use specific examples of how you have contributed to previous companies and the results you have achieved.
• Show your industry knowledge: Demonstrate your understanding of the business landscape and your ability to adapt to changes in the market.
• Emphasize your leadership skills: Showcase your experience in leading teams and driving projects to successful outcomes.
• Quantify your achievements: Use metrics to illustrate the impact of your work, such as cost savings, revenue growth, or process improvements.
• Include relevant certifications and training: Demonstrate your commitment to professional development and your dedication to staying current in your field.

Business Specialist Resume Summary Examples

A resume summary or objective for a Business Specialist can grab the attention of employers by highlighting relevant skills and experience. It provides a snapshot of your expertise and career goals, making it easier for employers to see how you can add value to their organization. A well-crafted summary or objective can set you apart from other candidates and increase your chances of landing an interview. For Example:

• 10+ years of experience in business development and strategy
• Proven track record of increasing revenue and market share
• Expertise in analyzing market trends and identifying opportunities for growth
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams to achieve business objectives

Build a Strong Experience Section for Your Business Specialist Resume

Building a strong experience section for a business specialist resume is crucial for showcasing a candidate's skills, expertise, and accomplishments. It provides a clear and concise overview of their career progression, relevant projects, and responsibilities, which can demonstrate their ability to drive business growth and success. A robust experience section can also impress employers and increase the chances of securing a job interview. For Example:

• Implemented successful marketing strategies to boost sales by 20% in the first quarter
• Developed and managed client relationships, resulting in a 15% increase in client retention
• Created comprehensive financial reports and analysis for senior management
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiency
• Led training sessions for new employees on company policies and procedures
• Organized and executed successful promotional events to increase brand visibility
• Negotiated contracts and agreements with suppliers and vendors to reduce costs
• Analyzed market trends and provided insights to inform business decisions
• Provided exceptional customer service to resolve client inquiries and concerns
• Identified and implemented process improvements to streamline workflow and increase productivity

Business Specialist resume education example

A Business Specialist typically needs at least a Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field. Some employers may also prefer candidates with a Master's degree or additional certifications such as Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) or Project Management Professional (PMP). Additionally, ongoing professional development and staying current with industry trends is essential for a successful career as a Business Specialist. Here is an example of an experience listing suitable for a Business Specialist resume:

• Masters in Business Administration - XYZ University, 2015
• Bachelor of Business Administration - ABC University, 2013

Business Specialist Skills for a Resume

It is important to add skills to a Business Specialist resume to demonstrate proficiency in key areas such as management, financial analysis, marketing, and project planning. Including these skills showcases your ability to contribute to the company's success and effectively handle the challenges of a business environment. It also helps differentiate you from other candidates and increases your attractiveness as a potential hire. Soft Skills:

• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Critical thinking
• Stress management
• Conflict resolution
• Financial Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Business Intelligence
• Marketing Strategy
• Contract Negotiation
• Supply Chain Management
• Risk Assessment
• Budget Planning

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Business Specialist Resume

In this competitive job market, employers receive an average of 180 applications for each open position. To process these resumes, companies often rely on automated applicant tracking systems, which can sift through resumes and eliminate the least qualified applicants. If your resume is among the few that make it past these bots, it must still impress the recruiter or hiring manager. With so many applications coming in, recruiters typically give each resume only 5 seconds of their attention before deciding whether to discard it. Considering this, it's best to avoid including any distracting information on your application that could cause it to be thrown away. To help make sure your resume stands out, review the list below of what you should not include on your job application.

• Not including a cover letter. A cover letter is a great way to explain why you are the best candidate for the job and why you want the position.
• Using too much jargon. Hiring managers do not want to read a resume full of technical terms that they do not understand.
• Omitting important details. Make sure to include your contact information, educational background, job history, and any relevant skills and experiences.
• Using a generic template. Take the time to customize your resume to the job you are applying for. This will show the employer that you are serious about the position.
• Spelling and grammar errors. Always double-check your resume for typos, spelling mistakes, and grammar errors.
• Focusing too much on duties. Make sure to include accomplishments and successes to show the employer that you are a great candidate.
• Including personal information. Avoid including any personal information such as age, marital status, or religious beliefs.

Key takeaways for a Business Specialist resume

• Strong understanding of business processes and operations
• Proven track record in analyzing data and making strategic recommendations
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and drive projects to completion
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools
• Experience in project management and process improvement
• Knowledge of industry trends and best practices
• Proactive and results-driven mindset
• Ability to adapt to changing business environments
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills