Learning how to write a resume is a crucial skill for job seekers—it’s how you market yourself to potential employers.
A well-crafted resume summarizes your professional experience, skills, and achievements. It should grab the hiring manager’s attention and show them them why:
- You’re the perfect match for the job.
- The skills you have will make the company money.
- You’re qualified to solve the company’s problems.
- You’ll be worth your salary.
- Your accomplishments can be measured and verified.
But in today’s job market, it’s not enough to write an effective resume. You must also tailor each one to the job you’re applying for. Why? Because most companies today use applicant tracking systems, or ATS, to sort and filter the large volume of resumes they receive.
If you’re resume doesn’t contain the specific keywords hiring managers are searching for, it won’t be found—even if you’re qualified for the job!
In this guide, you’ll learn how to write a resume that stands out in today’s job market. We’ll show you how to present yourself as the ideal candidate, highlight the skills that will benefit potential employers, and ensure your resume is compatible with ATS.
How to write a resume that gets interviews
Here’s a quick overview of the basic steps for writing a professional resume. Follow these steps to make your resume clear, concise, and appealing.
Gather all relevant data about your work experience, skills, achievements, and education.
Select a format that’s right for you, whether it’s chronological, functional, or hybrid.
Clearly list your name, phone number, email, and key social media profiles.
Create a compelling headline that includes the job title you’re applying for.
Write a brief statement that summarizes your key achievements and value you offer.
List the skills you have that align closely with the job requirements.
Detail your past job roles, responsibilities, and accomplishments.
Include your educational degrees, certifications, and relevant training.
Showcase any relevant honors, awards, and volunteer work.
Tailor your resume by focusing on the experiences and skills that are most relevant to the job.
Before you start working on your resume, remember that your resume is not your biography. You’re not telling the story of your life. Instead, your resume should be a targeted document meant to showcase the skills and experiences that match the job you want.
This means that if something is not relevant to your targeted job, leave it out. With this in mind, let’s start building your resume!
1. Gather your essential information before you start
Before diving into the actual resume writing, it’s crucial to collect all the necessary information you’ll need. This preparatory step ensures that the resume writing process is smooth and that you don’t miss any important details.
- Significant achievements: List standout accomplishments from previous roles that demonstrate your contributions and successes.
- Skills: Compile a list of your soft, hard, and technical skills that align with those required by the job you’re targeting.
- Employment history: Provide detailed information about past employers, including their names, your dates of employment, locations, job titles, and a clear description of your duties.
- Education: Document your academic qualifications like college degrees, certifications, or licenses that prove your expertise in relevant fields.
- Volunteer work: Include any voluntary engagements where you developed skills pertinent to the job you are seeking.
- Awards and honors: Mention any notable recognitions you’ve received that underscore your exceptional talents and commitment.
When you gather your information, include everything you can think of. You can cut information that’s not relevant to a specific job later.
2. Choose a resume format that’s right for you
A resume format is the way you organize, or lay out, your information. There is no one-size fits all resume format. Instead, there are three different types of formats to choose from – chronological, functional, and hybrid. Which format you choose depends on your particular situation.
The chronological resume format
This is the most traditional resume format, especially for job seekers with lots of relevant experience.
The chronological resume format lists your work history in reverse chronological order, with your most recent jobs listed first. Your skills and education should come after your work history in this format.
- Have a strong work history showing steady career growth without significant employment gaps.
- Are staying in the same field and want to highlight your experience and advancements within that field.
- Want to highlight career progression and professional achievements over time.
The functional resume format
This resume format focuses on your skills rather than your work history. It helps you downplay your lack of experience in a particular field.
In this format, your skills and education should be emphasized over your work history.
- Are changing careers and want to emphasize transferable skills over past job titles.
- Have gaps in employment and want to focus on skills rather than work experience.
- Are new to the workforce and want to highlight skills, coursework, and internships.
NOTE: Generally speaking, we don’t recommend the functional resume format. Recruiters want to see some kind of work history. Instead of the functional format, try the next resume format—the hybrid.
The hybrid resume format
A hybrid resume is a combination of the chronological resume and the functional resume. It showcases both your work history and your skills.
In this format, your skills comes before your work history. But your work history is still the heart of your resume, just like in the chronological format.
- Have lots of skills that are relevant to the job you are targeting.
- Are climbing the career ladder within the same field.
- Are changing roles within the same industry and want to highlight your relevant skills.
We like the hybrid resume because it offers the best of both worlds, combining the strengths of the chronological and the functional resume formats.
3. Put your contact information at the top of your resume
This section might appear simple, but it’s important. If hiring managers can’t contact you, you won’t get an interview.
- Name
- Phone number
- Location (City, State, Zip Code)
- Email Address
- LinkedIn profile URL
It’s surprising how often job seekers forget a crucial piece of contact information. Double-check to make sure it’s as easy as possible for recruiters to contact you for a job interview.
Here’s an example:
Contact information do’s and don’ts
- Include your full name, including your middle initial.
- Include a link to your professional website or online portfolio.
- Create a strong LinkedIn profile and be sure to include the URL on your resume.
- Don’t write your full address; only your city, state, and zip code.
- Don’t include a work phone number; only your personal number.
- Don’t add a photo of yourself. This can lead to bias or discrimination.
4. Create a compelling resume headline
Your resume headline comes right after your contact information. At the very least, your headline should clearly identify the title of the job you’re applying for.
Is putting the job title in the headline necessary? Yes! “Think of your resume as a maze,” says resume expert Laura DeCarlo. “It has to have a visible entrance or no one would ever get started.” Without a headline, “the prospective employer won’t know for which position you are applying.”
Your headline can also include years of experience and key qualifications. Here’s an example:
Resume headline do’s and don’ts
- Tailor your headline to each job you apply for.
- Keep your headline under ten words to make sure it packs a punch.
- Position yourself as an expert in your field.
- Don’t use clichés such as “hard worker” or “team player.” Be specific.
- Don’t be too salesy. Focus on giving a snapshot of your skills and experience.
- Don’t make your headline too long. Cut to the chase.
5. Write your resume summary
A resume summary is a brief paragraph that provides an overview of your qualifications for the role you’re applying for. Most expert resume writers today highly recommend using a summary.
“One of the most common mistakes I see in resumes is the absence of a targeted introductory paragraph at the beginning of the resume,” says career coach Suzanne Berger. “Keep in mind that recruiters or hiring managers only spend 10 to 20 seconds reviewing your resume, so it is important to make an impact from the start.”
As you can see from the following example, your summary goes right under your resume headline:
Your resume summary should include a concise overview of your key qualifications, professional achievements, and skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
Here’s a formula you can use to write your summary, followed by an example:
[Your Professional Title] with [Years of Experience] years of experience. Proven track record in [Top Achievement 1] and [Top Achievement 2]. Skilled in [Skill 1], [Skill 2], and [Skill 3]. Known for [Unique Value or Strength].
Marketing Manager with 8 years of experience. Proven track record in increasing online engagement by 40% and boosting lead generation by 30%. Skilled in content creation, data analysis, and strategic planning. Known for exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage and inspire teams to exceed corporate objectives.
Resume summary do’s and don’ts
- Use numbers to show that you are able to produce tangible outcomes.
- Incorporate keywords from the job description whenever possible.
- Write your resume summary last because you’ll then have a fuller picture of your experiences and skills.
- Don’t just list your job duties; instead focus on your accomplishments.
- Don’t use personal pronouns (I, me, or my).
- Don’t make your summary too long; keep it to no more than 3-4 sentences.
6. Create your skills section
When we talk about keywords, we are mostly talking about skills.
There are two main types of skills—hard and soft. Hard skills are specific abilities you learn through education or training, like using certain software or speaking a foreign language. Soft skills are more about how you work and interact with others, such as teamwork, communication, and flexibility.
You should place your skills section under your resume summary. List your skill set using bullet points, either in columns or in a bullet-point format. Try to include 10 to 20 key skills in this section.
Here’s an example:
IMPORTANT! The way the same skill is worded in a job description can vary from company to company. This is why it’s crucial to tailor each resume to the job you’re applying to.
For example, here are three different ways of listing essentially the same skill:
- Customer Service
- Client Relations
- Customer Support
If the job description lists “customer support” and you have “customer service” on your resume, the hiring manager might not find your resume when searching through the ATS database — even though you do have that skill.
To make sure you’re using the right keyword skills, run your resume through Jobscan’s resume scanner. It compares your resume to the job description and tells you which skills to use.
You’ll also receive a resume score which tells you how closely your resume matches the job description. The higher your score the more likely you are to get an interview. Here’s an example of the report you’ll receive from the resume scanner:
The skills in red are missing from the resume. Add them to increase the resume score. You can read more about Jobscan’s resume scanner and how to try it for free here.
7. Create a compelling work history section
Now it’s time to get to the heart of your resume – the work experience section. This is the section employers will spend the most time looking at when they consider your resume.
Why is this section so critical? Because it’s where you provide the proof to support what you said about yourself in your resume headline, summary, and skills section.
Each job should include the following information and be listed in reverse-chronological order (latest job first).
- Company name and location – Include the full name of the company you worked for followed by the city and state of its location.
- Job title – Be as specific as possible to ensure that employers know exactly what your role was within the company.
- Start and end dates – Include the month and year for each position. If you only list the year, it may appear as though you are omitting information.
- Achievements and responsibilities – These can be listed using bullet points. Include hard numbers and metrics wherever possible.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when writing a resume is only listing their job responsibilities. These are tasks that you’re expected to perform as part of your job.
Listing your job responsibilities gives a potential employer an idea of what you did day-to-day. But it doesn’t reveal how well you did it.
This is why it’s important to highlight your specific accomplishments. For example, if you increased sales, reduced costs, or implemented new processes or technologies, be sure to mention these accomplishments.
Here’s an example of a work experience section with measurable achievements:
Work experience do’s and don’ts
- Use numbers to quantify your achievements whenever possible.
- Use action verbs to describe how you did something.
- Use the mm/yyyy format for resume dates.
- Don’t list more than 10 years of work experience unless it’s highly relevant.
- Don’t use the passive phrase “responsible for.” Instead, use active voice.
- Don’t list every single task you worked on; include only the most relevant.
8. Create your education and certification section
Your education section should appear after your work experience. If you’re applying to a job that requires extensive education (like medicine, law, or academia), you’ll need to be more detailed. But most job seekers can get away with providing only the following information on their resume:
- Name of the degree/certification: Write the full name of the degree or certification. Use commonly accepted abbreviations (e.g., B.A. in English, MBA, PMP).
- Institution name: Include the name of the university or institution that awarded the degree or certification.
- Location (optional): List the city and state if the location is relevant to the job or if the institution is well-known.
- Graduation date: Mention the month and year of graduation. For certifications, you can also include an expiration date if applicable.
Here’s an example of an education section on a resume:
Education section do’s and don’ts
- Bold your degree so that it stands out.
- List your education in reverse-chronological order.
- Include any relevant coursework, skills training, licenses, and certifications.
- Don’t mention your high school if you have a college degree.
- Don’t disclose your GPA unless you graduated recently and had a very impressive academic career (3.5 GPA plus).
- Don’t list an advanced degree if the job doesn’t require it.
9. Showcase honors, awards, and volunteer work
The key to this section is to only include honors and awards that are relevant to the job you’re applying to.
This can get a little tricky because if you do have honors or awards that are highly relevant, consider including them in your summary section. Otherwise, hiring managers might miss them if you only list them at the bottom of your resume.
If you have any volunteer experience, it’s generally a good idea to add it to your resume.
According to a LinkedIn survey, 20% of employers say they have hired a candidate because of their volunteer experience. The survey also showed that job seekers who volunteer are 27% more likely to be hired than non-volunteers!
- The name of the organization.
- The dates of your service.
- A brief description of your duties and responsibilities.
Here’s an example of what this section of your resume can look like:
10. How can you tailor your resume to a specific job position?
Tailoring your resume to each specific job is not just recommended; it’s imperative. This is because most companies today use ATS computer software to manage and filter the enormous amount of resumes they receive.
When you submit your resume, it goes into an ATS database. Hiring managers search the ATS database for suitable resumes by typing keywords, or skills, into the ATS search bar. If your resume contains these keywords it will be found. If it doesn’t contain the right keywords, your resume will remain in the ATS database, unseen.
To tailor your resume, you must first read the job description. This is where you’ll find the keywords to add to your resume. Make sure you add those keywords exactly as they are written in the job description.
Unfortunately, tailoring each resume to the job description takes time and effort. The best way to speed up this process is to use an online tool like Jobscan’s resume scanner.
Just paste in your resume and the job description and click scan. You’ll receive a match report telling you how closely your resume matches the job ad. The report also tells you exactly which keywords to add to your resume to optimize it for the ATS. Try the scanner for free below:
Effective resume formatting tips
Properly formatting your resume makes it easy for hiring managers to find what they’re looking for. At the same time, good formatting helps the ATS understand your resume.
Remember, if the ATS can’t read your resume you won’t get the job!
Choose a professional, easy-to-read font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman in size 10 to 12 for text and 14 to 16 for headings.
Clearly distinguish section headings with a larger font size, bold text, or underlining to guide the reader’s eye effectively through your resume.
Set your margins to at least 0.7 inches all around, ensuring that your resume looks balanced and does not appear overcrowded.
Avoid complex graphics, tables, headers, and footers, which can confuse ATS software.
Break up blocks of text. A paragraph should never be longer than 5 lines.
Use standard headings like “Work Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.” These are immediately recognizable to both hiring managers and ATS.
Use the same style of bullets, text alignment, and line spacing throughout your document.
Align your text to the left. Right-aligned or justified text can create irregular spacing between words, making your resume harder to read.
Save your resume file as a PDF to preserve your formatting across different platforms.
Proofread carefully! One grammatical error can ruin your chances of getting a job.
How to write a resume for students with no experience
Creating a good resume without any work experience might seem tough, but you can still make a strong impression on employers by highlighting your skills and activities. Here’s how:
- Focus on your education: Put your education section at the top. Include details like your degree, major, relevant coursework, academic honors, and GPA if it’s above average.
- Include extracurricular activities: List any activities outside of class, like clubs, sports, or student government. Mention any leadership roles or responsibilities you’ve had.
- Add volunteer work and internships: Don’t forget to include volunteer positions, internships, or community service. These experiences show your willingness to work and learn.
- Highlight projects and academic achievements: Talk about any major projects or research you’ve done, especially if they relate to the job you want. Describe what you did and what you achieved.
- Skills section: Make a list of your skills, including technical skills (like computer software) and soft skills (like teamwork and communication).
- Professional summary: Start with a short summary that explains your career goals and your best qualities. Make it clear why you’d be a great fit for the job.
Here’s a sample of a resume for students with no experience:
How to match your cover letter to your resume
Matching your cover letter with your resume helps create a polished and cohesive application. Here’s how:
- Consistent formatting: Use the same font, header, and layout from your resume for your cover letter. This helps create a professional and unified appearance.
- Use similar language: Pick out key skills and phrases from your resume and include them in your cover letter. This reinforces your qualifications and aligns your application with the job requirements.
- Expand on key points: Choose one or two major achievements listed on your resume and elaborate on them in your cover letter. Explain how these experiences have equipped you for the job.
- Keep the tone the same: If your resume is formal, your cover letter should be too. If it’s more casual, your cover letter can be less formal as well.
- Address the job’s needs: Demonstrate how your experiences make you a good fit for the job. Show that you understand what the job involves and explain why you’re the right candidate.
- End with a call to action: Conclude by expressing your enthusiasm for the role and suggesting they look at your resume for more details. Ask them to contact you for an interview.
When you’re done writing your cover letter, run it through Jobscan’s cover letter checker. This tool will tell you how to improve your cover letter.
Hate writing cover letters? Use Jobscan’s cover letter builder. This tool uses AI technology to generate an ATS-friendly cover letter with just one click.
10 standout resume examples to inspire you
These samples showcase a variety of styles and formats suited for different industries and career stages, giving you ideas on how to write a resume.
1. Sales manager resume example
2. Accountant resume example
3. Recruiter resume example
4. Bookkeeper resume sample
5. Digital marketing resume example
6. Teacher resume example
7. Customer service resume example
8. Office assistant resume example
9. Operations manager resume example
10. Technical writer resume example
Key takeaways
- Optimize for ATS: Today’s resumes must be tailored to pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) by including specific keywords related to the job you’re applying for. This ensures your resume is seen by hiring managers.
- Tailored Resumes: Each resume should be customized to the job description, emphasizing relevant experiences and skills. This enhances your chances of standing out in a competitive job market.
- Resume Formats: Choose between chronological, functional, or hybrid formats based on your career history and the job requirements. Chronological is suitable for those with a strong, relevant job history; functional is best for career changers or those with gaps in employment; hybrid combines the strengths of both.
- Essential Elements: A resume should include a clear headline, a compelling summary, a detailed work history, relevant skills, and educational credentials. Each section should be crafted to showcase your qualifications and fit for the role.
- Skills and Keywords: Highlight both hard and soft skills that are directly relevant to the job. Using precise keywords from the job description in your resume ensures compatibility with ATS and increases the likelihood of your resume being selected.
- Quantifiable Achievements: Where possible, use metrics to quantify your accomplishments. This provides concrete evidence of your capabilities and impact in previous roles.
- Additional Sections: Including volunteer work, awards, and certifications can differentiate your resume. Ensure these are relevant to the job to keep the resume focused and impactful.
- Resume Building Tools: Utilize tools like resume builders and scanners (e.g., Jobscan) to construct a resume that matches job descriptions and optimizes for ATS, saving time and improving effectiveness.
- Format and Proofread: Proper formatting and thorough proofreading are essential to maintain professionalism. Ensure the resume is easy to read and free from errors, which can detract from your credibility.
FAQS
Beginners can use the chronological format if they have some work experience, even if it’s part-time jobs, internships, or volunteer work. However, if a beginner has little to no work experience, a functional format might be better.
Include essential resume sections like contact information, a summary, education, and any relevant work experience or skills. Tailor your resume to the job by incorporating keywords from the job description. If you lack work experience, emphasize volunteer work, internships, and extracurricular activities that demonstrate your skills and commitment. Always proofread for errors before submitting your resume.
To make your resume stand out to recruiters, start by tailoring it specifically for each job application, incorporating keywords from the job description to align closely with the requirements.
Highlight your achievements by quantifying them with specific numbers and outcomes, such as “increased sales by 20%” or “reduced processing time by 30%,” to demonstrate measurable success.
Begin with a compelling professional summary that succinctly outlines your key qualifications and what you bring to the role, clearly establishing why you are the ideal candidate. Ensure your resume has a clean and professional layout, with logical sections and easy-to-read fonts, to facilitate quick review and make a strong first impression.
1) Gather information
2) Choose a format
3) Write contact information
4) Craft a headline and summary
5) Detail your experience and education
6) Highlight skills
7) Add additional sections
8) Tailor for the job
9) Proofread and edit
10) Finalize and save
To create a resume with no work experience, start with a functional format that emphasizes your skills and education. Begin with a strong summary statement that highlights your career goals and key skills. Place your education section prominently, including any relevant coursework or projects.
List both hard and soft skills applicable to the job, and include any internships, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your abilities and work ethic. Mention any significant projects or achievements, especially those relevant to your desired job.
Also, include any professional affiliations that show your interest in the industry. Ensure the resume is well-organized and clearly formatted to highlight your qualifications effectively.
Use Jobscan’s resume builder, which is specifically designed to help you craft a resume that is both appealing to hiring managers and optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). This tool provides templates and real-time content suggestions, helping you tailor your resume effectively for each job application.
1) Log into your Google account, go to Google Docs, and either start a new document or use the template gallery. Jobscan also offers free Google Docs resume templates.
2) Select a resume template that fits the job you’re applying for from the template gallery.
3) Replace the template’s placeholder text with your personal information, including contact details, educational background, work experience, and skills.
4) Tailor the content to the job by adding relevant keywords from the job description and adjusting the format—like fonts and spacing—for clarity and appeal.
5) Double-check your resume for any errors and consider having someone else review it too.
6) Once satisfied, download your resume as a PDF or DOCX file, or share it directly via email or a shareable link.
1) Start the program and select “New” from the file menu to access templates.
2) Type “resume” in the template search bar to see available resume designs.
3) Choose a template that suits your needs, then replace the placeholder text with your personal details, including work experience, education, and skills.
4) Adjust the content to match the job description, using relevant keywords and highlighting your qualifications.
5) Modify font size, style, and colors to ensure the resume is clean and professional.
6) Check for any errors, and consider having someone else review it.
7) Save your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and make sharing easy.
8) Print for physical submissions or save digitally for online applications.
In 2024, resumes should be designed for clarity and ATS compatibility. Start with a professional layout that includes plenty of white space and a logical structure. The top should have your contact information—just your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL, omitting a full address for privacy.
Follow this with a concise professional summary, then list your work experience, skills, and education. The format should ensure easy readability for both human recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems, emphasizing a clean design without complex graphics or tables that could confuse the ATS software.
Choosing the right resume format depends on your career background:
Chronological: Lists your work history in reverse chronological order, ideal for those with a solid work history.
Functional: Focuses on skills rather than work history, suitable for career changers or those with gaps in employment.
Combination: Mixes elements of both chronological and functional formats, highlighting skills followed by work history in reverse order. Good for those with significant skills and experiences.
The number of jobs you should include on your resume depends on your experience level and relevance to the role. Typically, if you’re early in your career with less than 10 years of experience, aim for 2-3 recent and relevant positions. For mid-career professionals, around 3-4 positions spanning the last 10-15 years is common.
Experienced professionals may include the most pertinent roles from their extensive history, focusing on the past 10-15 years. Ensure each listed job directly relates to the position you’re applying for, prioritizing relevancy over quantity to present a focused and impactful resume.
A resume should typically be one to two pages long, with rare exceptions for highly experienced individuals or those in certain industries. Aim to keep it concise and focused on highlighting your most relevant qualifications and experiences for the position you’re applying for.
AI and machine learning have revolutionized resume screening by automating the process. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) use these technologies to quickly analyze resumes, searching for relevant keywords and qualifications. This saves recruiters time and ensures a more efficient screening process, helping them identify top candidates more effectively.
When writing a resume summary with no experience, focus on your education, relevant skills, and career goals. Highlight any coursework, projects, or extracurricular activities that demonstrate skills applicable to the job. Emphasize your enthusiasm, work ethic, and eagerness to learn. Keep it concise and impactful, showcasing how your background aligns with the position and company’s needs.
Crafting a simple resume involves starting with your contact information, followed by a brief summary statement. List your work experience, education, and relevant skills, ensuring consistency in formatting. Consider including optional sections like volunteer experience or honors/awards. Proofread carefully and tailor your resume to each job application.
