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How to Make a Resume in 2022 | 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 leads to HR managers inviting you to interviews daily.

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:

So, let’s dive right in!

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before you even start working on your resume, you need to decide how you’re going to build it.

With a basic text editor resume, you’ll need to spend hours playing with the formatting. You make a minor change and BAM! Your entire resume layout gets messed up.

Instead of using a text editor, we recommend choosing a resume builder, such as Novorésumé. Our resume builder is fast, easy, and to put the icing on the cake, a Novorésumé looks much better and can fit more information than your average, cookie-cutter resume.

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

How to Pick the Right Resume Format?

There are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional or skills-based, and a combination of the two. The choice depends on the type of job you are applying for and your level of experience.

The 3 resume formats are:

2) Functional/skills-based resume format – If you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/recent graduate, or you are looking to make a career change, the skills-based format is a better choice.

3) Combination resume format – The combination resume is a great choice for job-seekers with a very diverse skill-set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in 3-4 different fields, and you want to show all that in your resume. Say, for example, you’re applying for a senior management role, and the requirements are expertise in Management, Sales, and Software Development.

So, which one do you go for?

In 90%+ cases, you’d want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common one, and most HR managers are used to this. Hence, in this guide, we’re going to focus on this specific format.

If you’re a recent graduate, or possess a diverse set of skills & work experience, you might want to pick one of the other 2 formats. Check out our guide to resume formats to learn how to write either.

What is the Best Resume Layout?

The first thing a job recruiter notices about any resume is the layout.

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or does it scream out “ Read me! ”?

Here are some of the best practices when it comes to your resume layout:

1. One page in length. You should only go for 2 pages if you really, really believe that it’ll add significant value. HR managers in big firms get around 1,000+ resumes per month. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!

2. Clear section headings. Pick a heading (H2, for example) and use it for all the section headers.

3. Ample white-space, especially around the margins.

4. Easy-to-read font. We’d recommend sticking to what stands out, but not too much. Do: Ubuntu, Roboto, Overpass, etc. Don’t (ever): Comic Sans

6. As a rule of thumb, save your resume as PDF. Word is a popular alternative, but it has a good chance of messing up your resume formatting.

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

If you’re applying to a tech company, though, where imagination and innovation are valued, you can go for something more creative.

Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s dive into the essentials of how to write a resume.

Below, we’ll explore each resume section from top to bottom. We’ll explain what to write and how to write it so that you stand out and get the job you deserve.

Contact Information

The most critical section in your resume is the “contact information.” Even if you get everything else right, you’re not going to go far if the HR manager can’t get in touch with you because you misspelled your email.

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

Must-have Information

Optional Information

What NOT to Include in the Contact Info Section

All clear? Good! Now, let’s examine what a successful example of the contact section looks like:

Resume Summary or Objective

It’s not a secret for anyone that first impressions matter, whether they’re in your personal life, or your career.

If you leave a bad first impression, chances are, it’s there to stay. After all, it’s very hard to change someone’s opinion of you.

The way you accomplish this is through either a good resume summary or objective. Both are placed at the top of your resume, right around the contact information section:

So, here’s what you need to know about the two:

What’s a Resume Summary & When to Use it

A resume summary is a 2-3 sentence summary of your career. You should use a resume summary in basically any situation, unless you’re a recent university graduate or switching careers (in that case, you use a resume objective. More on that later!).

In your resume summary, you need to mention:

What’s a Resume Objective & When to Use it

A resume objective is, in a nutshell, the goal of your resume. It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be around 2-3 sentences.

As we’ve mentioned before, a resume objective is the go-to for anyone that either has no work experience or is going through a career change.

(1) [SKILL/EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION RELEVANT TO THE JOB WITH JOB TITLE].

Looking to apply my (2) [years/months of EXPERIENCE RELEVANT TO THE JOB DESCRIPTION] at [COMPANY YOU ARE APPLYING TO]

to help (3) [TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES YOU WILL HELP OUT WITH SUCCESSFULLY].

1) So, here’s how that would look like if you’re a student:

2) Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change:

Work Experience

This is where you really sell yourself, displaying your past accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section alone, you’ll know 80%+ of all there is to know about how to make a resume.

There are a lot of best practices for writing your work experience. Before we dive into all the nits and grits, though, let’s start with the basics.

How to List Work Experience in a Resume

The standard format for your work experience is as follows:

Here’s a real-life example:

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to talk about how to write about your experience in such a way that you stand out from the competition.

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

List Achievements When Possible

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

Coincidently, this is exactly the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager. 90% of all other resumes probably mention just about the same thing.

So, to stand out, you want to focus on mentioning achievements in your resume instead. Or in simple terms, how exactly you helped the company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

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:

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

Did you know that over 70% of resumes submitted to job boards are never read?

Yep, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) keep your resume from being read by HR. An ATS (for resume) is software that helps companies filter through hundreds of resumes they receive per day.

So you’re probably wondering, “What gives?! What’s the point of perfecting your resume, if a robot can just say “No” and single-handedly destroy all the effort you put in?”

The key here is to tailor your resume to each job you apply. To do this, you need to mention the right keywords from the job ad in your resume.

So, let’s cover a simple example on how to do this. Let’s say that after reading the following job ad for the position of a digital marketer, you discover that the most critical requirements for the job are:

Now, to tailor your resume to these requirements, simply mention each in your resume, considering you have the relevant achievements and qualifications!

How much work experience do you include in your resume?

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably confused about how much of it you mention in your resume. After all, If you had to list everything you’ve ever done, you’d end up writing a mini-novella.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re a newcomer to the job market, you probably don’t have ANY experience and are wondering what could you even mention.

Here’s how much information you’d mention in your resume depending on your level of experience:

How to List Education on Your Resume

Here’s an example:

Emphasize Your Know-How with the Skills Section

Another must-have section in your resume is the “Skills” section. Here, you want to mention all your know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are 2 types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

Hard Skills (Measurable abilities). This can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.

Soft Skills (Personal skills). These are a mix of social skills, communication skills, personal traits, career attributes, and so on. Leadership, critical thinking, management, and communication, just to name a few.

A good resume should cover both.

How to List Skills in Your Resume

When mentioning skills in your resume, there are 3 essential steps to follow:

As a rule of thumb, you can divide them by:

Make sure to NEVER lie about your skill levels. Otherwise, it’s going to be pretty awkward both for you and your employer.

Take a look at the job ad and list 2-3 essential skills required for the job.

Qualifications

As you can see, the must-have skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote and Pages. A good-to-have is WordPress. You can also mention Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook, but it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them, as they’re required for most office jobs.

If you’re qualified, make sure to mention all relevant skills with respective proficiency levels in your “Skills” section.

Not sure which skills to mention for your field? It might be one of these 100+ essential skills to put on any resume!

Other Important 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.

The following sections, though, can really give you a boost here and there.

Languages

Are you bi-lingual? Or better, multi-lingual? You should ALWAYS mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know the 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, simply write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

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 & Interests

Want to add some spice to your resume? The hobbies and interests section, while not a game-changer, can help show who YOU are as an individual. Who knows, maybe you and your interviewee have some hobbies in common?

If you end up with some extra space in your resume, don’t hesitate to show off your personality with a hobbies/interests section.

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person to use your free time 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. It leaves the impression that you’re a devoted, loyal employee.

Several studies show that you can boost your chances of getting hired simply by listing your volunteering experience. This holds especially true if you’re a student with next to no work experience.

Certifications & Awards

Do you have any awards that make you stand out in your field? How about certifications from industry experts?

Whichever the case is, as long as it’s relevant for the position you’re applying for, feel free to add it to your resume.

Let’s say, for example, you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer. Assuming you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you’d definitely want to include all essential certifications, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Publications

Are you a freelance writer? Maybe a distinguished academic?

If you have any published works (online, or in an academic journal), you might want to include them in your resume. Make sure to include a URL, so the HR knows where to check your work!

Projects

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

Let’s say, for example, you worked on a mock software product as part of a competition in university. You went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

You can mention the project in your resume and stand a better chance at landing that business internship!

Or on the other hand, maybe you manage an Etsy store, selling hand-made arts & crafts to customers online. Mention all of it!

Hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time.

Already done with your resume? Interested in seeing how it holds up? Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you ☑’d all the points? Congrats! You’ve mastered all there is to know about how to write a resume, and you’re good-to-go to move on with your job search! If you missed some points, though, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it as much as possible.

Wondering how to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV (31+ examples included)!

4+ Effective Resume Examples

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

Check out the following effective resume examples to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like.

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

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to create a resume, let’s talk cover letters & interviews.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To really land that job you deserve, you also need to craft a killer cover letter, and ace that upcoming interview.

How to Write a Convincing 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 writing job!

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is pretty simple, if you know its purpose.

You should think of a cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. You get to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. When we put it that way, it doesn’t sound as hard, does it?

Here’s a format you could follow:

All clear? Just in case, you can also check out a real-life example below:

How to Ace Your Next Interview

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. After all, sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging the hell out of you isn’t the most fun experience.

Want to learn more? Check out our complete guide to Job Interview Questions and Answers.

. And let’s wrap it all up!

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

To wrap it all up, let’s brush up on some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far.

At Novorésumé, we’re committed to helping you get the job you deserve, every step of the way! Follow our career blog to stay up to date with industry-leading advice. Or, check out some of our top guides:

How to write a resume

Having a perfectly honed and well-written resume is like having a superpower during your job search.

While most people walk up the hiring ladder, you put on your crimson cape and soar upwards at supersonic speed. This how to write a resume guide outlines the most important building blocks for creating exactly this type of amazing resume.

There are the 10 important resume writing steps we will cover in this blog:

Imagine two great professionals with awesome credentials, talents and expertise. Except that one gets ignored by potential employers and stumped by automated application systems. While the other gets several interview calls each week from industry leaders.

What’s the difference between the two people? It could be connections or circumstance. But often, the difference is a great resume that “hacks” hiring situations. Marketing is just as important for professionals as it is for businesses. Present yourself as the obvious choice for the role.

It’s often the little things in life that matter the most.

The vital starting point: where to write your resume?

We’ll go straight to the golden rule, no beating around the bush.

Do not use basic text editors to write the final version of your resume. You can use them to craft your initial thoughts if you feel comfortable with them, but MS Word, Excel and similar programs have a host of potential problems that may hinder you.

These may include:

So, what’s the solution?

The accepted standard for submitting most resumes is the PDF file format. The benefits are clear in most cases: universal formatting that doesn’t change regardless of where you view it and readability by most software systems.

Use professionally designed layouts and tools that have been tested with hiring managers and applicant systems.

Use old-school text editors that take hours of work and are often incompatible with the employer’s software.

The ideal tools to produce clean, concise and beautiful resumes in PDF format are online builders. These web and/or software solutions are specifically made to be the perfect instrument for visually striking, technically functional and content-optimized resumes.

Visual character, templates and first impressions

We’re all visual creatures. Our first impressions are always based on aesthetics, symmetry and images.

We choose our clothes for an interview with care, why shouldn’t we put the same effort into the appearance of our resume? It’s our primary ambassador before any sort of physical meeting, a first impression that will live long in the hiring manager’s memory.

According to a study done by TheLadders, recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds glancing at a resume before moving on to another one (as we mentioned in our profession-specific guides and examples ). During this short time, a subconscious decision is often made based on the “looks” of your resume. If it’s clean and beautiful, the hiring manager will infer a number of positive traits about your personality.

By adding icons to your resume, you can draw attention to particular sections and stand out from the crowd.

You can create your own templates, but unless you’re a professional designer, it may be best to rely on field-tested visuals. Templates project a certain character and mood with their design: they can emphasize creativity, dependability, discipline and other qualities.

Use professional designs and templates that have been optimized for content, psychology and visual perception.

Spend hours or days creating the perfect design/layout from scratch, only to discover it has technical issues.

Resume.io templates are divided and developed based on these identities, which can be better aligned with certain professions, industries or simply the circumstances of the job opening.

Here’s an example of our diverse lineup of tested and professionally designed templates:

Resume formats: defining structure

Now that we’re done with the visuals, let’s move on to the magic of text. The most fundamental division of text in resumes is based on content format:

The Reverse Chronological format is not only the most common one, but also the most widely accepted among various employers and industries. The biggest benefit of a reverse chronological resume is its straightforward, easy to understand and linear structure.

It displays your professional experience and past work experience from most recent to oldest. Your most recent roles are most relevant for your application. This is great when you have a continuous history of work, and you can showcase some important recent positions. But what should you do if you’re a fresh graduate or have a sizable gap in your employment history? This is where the Functional and Combination formats come in.

A Reverse Chronological order also takes advantage of short attention spans and busy schedules of recruiters by demonstrating your most recent and impressive positions first. Take advantage of those 6-7 seconds of “eye time”!

The Functional resume format leans on soft and hard skills as its main focus-point. If you lack experience as an entry level job seeker due to recently graduating college, or are in the process of moving to a new industry, the Functional format is one you might consider. You can also make the resume more robust by mentioning past projects, social initiatives, experience in other fields and so on.

A Combination format places equal emphasis on skills and relevant work experience, and is therefore appropriate for many technical and technological professions (though not exclusive to them). Many modern resumes have an expanded skills section at the top of the document before the reverse-chronological employment history, so they might be considered combination format resumes.

For visual emphasis, check out a strong example of how resumes can be structured:

Resume sections: your professional feature list

There’s often a lot of confusion as to which sections to include in your resume.

This isn’t surprising, since their importance can vary depending on your profession, industry and nature of your experience. We can divide section types into necessary and optional ones. Let’s assume for the time being that you’re using the Reverse Chronological format (as it’s used in more than 90% of resumes nowadays).

Necessary sections often include:

Optional sections can include:

These are not iron-clad rules, however. Sometimes certain sections change their importance depending on the job itself. For example, in our Nurse resume guide, we highlight the fact that belonging to professional organizations is much more important than usual. Some questions to ask yourself when deciding to include or resize sections are:

Your resume may be Chronological, but your decisions should be functional and pragmatic!

The temptation to increase your resume to two pages is real, but is it the right thing to do? For a director-level job seeker, the answer will be yes, but what about everyone else? If you do opt for two pages, make the most of them.

The professional summary: your highlight, your story

The vital necessity of keeping your resume concise often leads some resumes feeling bland or emotionless. The Professional Summary is your biggest chance to add some color, life and personality to your resume. It demonstrates your determination, positive outlook and brings some emotion to dry facts.

The Summary should be energetically written to capture attention. Use action verbs and strong descriptive terms. Avoid lengthy, grammatically complicated sentences. This lets the achievements and facts stand out.

There are some resume action verbs you may want to use in your resume:

Some guides favor the Resume Objective, yet we believe that the Summary is a more robust and universal tool.

The Objective can have its role in certain circumstances (for example, when you lack work experience or wish to make a career change). You can also include an objective as a part of the summary but it would be rare to call this section «objective.» The hiring manager understands that your objective is to get the job, otherwise why would you apply?

For a look at the specifics, check out our dedicated article on Personal Statements in the resume (Summaries and Objectives alike).

Here’s how a summary is composed and finalized in our builder tool!

Ever wondered what Elon Musk’s resume looks like? Ponder no more! We’ve created a simple one-page resume sample that shares the entrepreneur’s accolades, education, and many, many titles.

Work experience: professional experience

Think TikTok is all about lip-syncing and dance moves? Think again. The new generation of job seekers post resumes on this social media platform. Here’s what you need to know about why and how to create a TikTok resume.

Each position should be outlined in the following approximate format:

It’s a great idea to keep a separate file or list with you can consider to be your milestones, achievements, projects and numbers. That way, you always have an arsenal of illustrative facts ready to go. Take a deeper dive and learn more about this important section in our dedicated Work Experience guide.

Did you recently receive a promotion? Don’t forget to show your promotion on your resume!

Learn exactly how to describe work experience on a resume. There are specific formats that hiring managers and recruiters prefer, here they are!

The skills section: competencies and superpowers

The skills section is your professional feature list, your superpowers, your abilities.

This is where you pass your first “competency test”. This part is more pragmatic than the Summary, because recruiters and automated systems will be appraising your skills based on a certain checklist. If something is missing from a hiring manager’s wish list, you can be sure they will quiz you on your suitability during an interview.

Space is finite and you may have many skills. Make sure the ones you describe (especially at the top) are the ones that fit the job listing.

Even the most seasoned professionals often confuse hard and soft skills, as in certain job areas, the line can be blurry. The rule of thumb is that soft skills mostly relate to interpersonal interactions, emotional intelligence, organization and leadership.

Hard skills are pragmatic and often technical competencies that are often requirements for getting a certain dream job. For example, a certain programming language in a developer position. Or using a certain type of software for an office administrator job. They relate to your everyday duties in terms of pragmatic actions.

A demo of the Skills section in our interactive and powerful resume builder tool

Education: a story of growth and intelligence

The education section varies in importance depending on your profession and industry.

Like in many other situations, there is no “one size fits all” approach to education sections. Professions like lawyers, doctors and hard-sciences positions (chemist, biologist etc.) will have a very strong emphasis on formal education. You may even want to include scientific or similar publications in your resume for some of these (in your Education section or in a separate category). Academic CVs will likely contain a long list of academic publications.

Reverse Chronological doesn’t only apply to your Employment History. Your education should also showcase the most recent and impressive academic achievements first.

It’s important to note that in our era of accessible information and technology, your education listing can include things like online certificates, bootcamps, specialized seminars or courses and so on. To understand how high to prioritize this section, check out or dedicated Education guide or take a deeper look at our Profession Guides and Examples.

An effective resume in 2022 needs to be long enough to cover all the necessary information, yet not so long that it will dilute your story. Find that perfect balance.

Technology and psychology: ATS checks and recruiters

We’ve covered a large portion of the important fundamentals you need to understand when composing a job-winning, attention-grabbing resume.

But there’s still two vitally important aspects to making your resume that perfect professional key: interacting with Applicant Tracking Systems and understanding how a recruiter views your resume.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become ubiquitous for large and medium-size employers in most developed countries around the globe. With the amount of applications and potential employees coming in each month, human specialists can’t always keep up.

So, instead of expanding recruiting departments to ludicrous sizes, employers are using automated systems to help with hiring. The task of an ATS is to analyze, filter (and sometimes score) your resume based on keywords. It may even morph your resume into a different format for the hiring manager.

A study by Preptel shows that, in general, 75% of resumes (U.S. data) are never seen by human eyes. Automated filters can become a resume black hole. So, understanding how the ATS works is important.

But how does an ATS filter and score your resume? The answer is simple: based on keywords defined by the potential employer, hiring manager or job-specific system parameters.

There are three methods to picking out keywords: industry knowledge, manually analyzing the job description and using word clouds.

A resume headline can be your ticket to the interview you desire. But what exactly is a resume headline and how do you best take advantage of it? This blog will show you everything you need to know.

Industry knowledge is based on your own expertise and research. You can rely on your experience or refer to job-specific guides. For example, in our Web Developer resume guide we emphasize what relevant skills, programming languages and interests that have been trending in the last couple of years. In our Nurse resume guide we mention the two statistically most common job skills requested by employers for this position.

Researching the employer’s website is also always a great idea. It can hint at what the company values, what kind of language they use and so forth. Such knowledge can be the necessary “ace up your sleeve” and it demonstrates that you have taken the time to tailor your application. Generic resumes are worryingly common.

The job description is your most important ally in picking ATS keywords for your resume sections. Job descriptions often outline the vital requirements and soft skills for the position. Make sure to find these and include them in your resume text.

If the job description is too vague or too wordy, don’t worry, there’s a handy tool to make sense of it: Word Clouds. These are useful instruments (easily found through Google, like Wordle or Worditout.com) where you can simply copy-paste the text of a job description and get a visualization of its terminology.

Moving on to the human side of hiring: consider two main points on how a potential employer views your resume. First of all, understand the volume of submitted applications. Hundreds of resumes is the reality for some companies. Avoid being bland, generic or low-energy. No need to overdo it (hiring managers have a keen eye for «artificially hyped» resumes) and don’t use adjectives that you can’t back up with a fact.

The best resume ATS checker: Read our full guide and beat the Applicant Tracking Systems with our ATS-friendly resume builder.

Thinking through a difficult problem with a logical and unbiased approach lies at the heart of great decision making. Critical thinking skills are highly prized by all employers, so make sure to talk about them during your job search.

Should you include resume references?

If the job description requests references on a resume, then follow it to the letter, but if references are not requested it doesn’t mean that they may not contribute to your application when you write it.

As you should seek to use your resume space to create the optimal impact, here are a few tips about when including references might be appropriate:

Do you still need a mailing address on your resume in the digital age? The answer is yes, no and maybe. Here are the pros and cons to consider about telling employers where you live.

How to write a cover letter alongside a resume

In actual fact, employers will request a cover letter the vast majority of the time. For good reason: there are certain aspects of a cover letter that make the content very different (and highly complementary) to a resume.

For a start, a cover letter is a free-form piece of writing that allows an applicant to outline the finer details of their application. It is a personal pitch to the hiring manager, it can be closely tailored to the role in question and its arguments should form the core of a future interview process.

Every sentence in your cover letter should explore the essence of your job search “why.” While your resume offers the logic of why you should be hired, the cover letter offers a more emotional and personal take.

A great resume can clear the path to transforming your career. Investing in a resume writer is common. But who can you trust to do you justice?

The format of a cover letter should follow the structure of any persuasive argument: the introduction sets the scene; the body of the cover letter contains the key arguments; and the conclusion ends on a high note and includes a call to action. Differentiate yourself with your story, not by breaking this widely accepted structure.

The cover letter distils your career story into 300-400 words of compelling and relevant copy. Your potential future boss should be able to read it and create a mental picture of how you will fit into their future plans. Everyone likes a good story, especially if they feel that it could become their story too. If you were them, what would you want to read?

The most important aspect to consider when writing a cover letter is whether every sentence makes an impact. How you go about outlining your accomplishments can make all the difference:

Here are some different scenarios for cover letter accomplishments:

Cover letters help to explain complex career issues, in a way that resumes could never manage. There has to be some degree of repetition of the core achievements, but in a cover letter you can add so much more personality and emotion to nudge your future boss in the right direction.

You’ve scheduled an interview for your dream job. So exciting! You really want to nail it and you know certain questions are coming: “What are your strengths?” followed by “What are your weaknesses?” but this is your dream job and you want to get these answers right.

The art of proofreading a resume

Once you have sent your resume in to a potential employer, there is no “edit” button. Multiple people will read it over the course of the interview process, and they will assume what you write reflects the best of what is on offer.

When you are considering how to write a resume, it is vital to check for careless mistakes and lazy language choices, which tend to slip in all too easily in your excitement to send the application.

Proofreading a section of text requires a slow-motion thought process that is forensic in its approach. Every word counts and you have to consider how they will be received by the reader rather than how they sound in your head.

We have written a comprehensive expert guide to proofreading your resume. Doing it right could make all the difference. Here are three of the tips that far from every candidate will consider:

Read your resume out loud. Although it is impossible to achieve a conversational flow due to the fractured structure of a resume, it is nonetheless important to read each sentence and bullet point out loud to sense check that it “sounds” like you.

Sleep on it. Creativity is often enhanced after we have walked away from a task for a while. It is tempting to send off that application immediately, but it is often worth taking a break and considering it with a fresh mindset. Potential improvements will leap off the page.

Print it out. Maybe we are so used to skimming text on a screen, but somehow we tend to read text on paper that little bit slower. Print out your resume – reading it slowly with a coffee offers a new perspective.

It has long been a job search rule that experienced professionals should not put hobbies and interests on resumes. However, as work/life boundaries shift, employers are increasingly interested in the broader aspects of a candidate’s personality. Time for a rethink.

An informative LinkedIn profile can be a crucial asset to any job seeker. In which circumstances should you choose to include LinkedIn on your resume?

International vs. country-specific resumes

Last but not least, if you’re looking to relocate or find a job abroad, consider the geographical specifics of hiring.

Every region or even country has cultural, ethical and technical nuances when it comes to good resumes. Asia, Europe and the United States may be drastically different in some aspects. It’s a great idea to do your research on the country in general and your specific local industry too. Find expat communities, networking events and online resources to expand your knowledge.

Generally speaking, the «geographical» resume types that often come up are:

More than any other resume, if you’re applying to a foreign country you need to be clear on your resume about your nationality, visa status, and language abilities. Whereas this isn’t important if you’re applying in your own country, this is critical information for international resumes.

If you’re interested in the career expert tips of writing a resume for a certain geography, check out our guide on regional resume types : it includes all the categories listed above, as well as resume tips on how to write a resume as a non-native English speaker.

While we’ve provided you with the most fundamental and important information needed to create a resume that secures amazing opportunities, our useful resources don’t end here!

You can check out our guides on additional sections and topics, once you feel like you need to polish up these areas.

Here is exactly how you can write a cover letter that will stand out from the crowd, and help you land that interview.

How to Write a CV: Make the Perfect Curriculum Vitae in 2022

You’ve found the perfect job opportunity. You send your CV and you breathlessly wait for the call-back… but it never happens. Sound familiar? Yeah, it does for most of us. But how’s that possible?

Your CV has never been read. It wasn’t good enough.

Take heart, this nightmare scenario isn’t unfolding ever again. You’re about to learn how to write a CV no one will be able to resist reading.

Read this guide and you’ll see:

Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.

Sample CV made with our builder—See more CV samples here.

One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:

[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

Here’s how to write a CV:

This is the most effective CV structure: the top of the document should contain important contact information, the summary is a great way to introduce yourself, and show your experience and achievements, while the rest of the curriculum vitae is there to provide as many relevant details as necessary to convince the reader that you’re the perfect fit for the position.

Have a job title or position in sight already? Here are CV examples for specific situations: 100+ CV Examples for All Careers.

We’ll explain how to successfuly go through each of the above mentioned steps in the following chapters of our guide.

CV, Curriculum Vitae and Resume. What are the differences?

What is a CV?

In its full form, CV stands for Curriculum Vitae (latin for: course of life). In the US, Canada, and Australia, a CV is a document you use for academic purposes. The US academic CV outlines every detail of your scholarly career. In other countries, CV is an equivalent of an American resume and is used to apply for a job.

A CV is therefore a curriculum vitae, and other than its length and purpose in a few English-speaking countries, a CV is a synonym for a resume. Confused? Read our full guide on what a CV is.

What are the differences between a CV and a resume?

Let’s get this straight, once and for all:

In the hiring industry, nowadays there’s almost no formal difference between a CV and a resume. It’s the same thing that Brits call a CV and Americans—a resume.

Just like they do with chips and french fries, football and soccer, or Queen Elizabeth and Queen Bey.

So, if you’re applying to a European company, you should create a CV. But if you’re applying to a US-based employer, you should make a resume. If you’re making a CV for academic purposes in the US, Canada or Australia, read our guide on the differences between a CV and a resume.

And no, a CV is not a cover letter. A curriculum vitae contains your work history, education and skills, while a cover letter is a full-blown marketing campaign. These documents are completely different, and you can learn more about those differences in this guide on Curriculum Vitae VS Cover Letter.

If you’re confident now that you need a curriculum vitae, let’s get this writing guide started.

Pick the Best CV Format

Here’s a disturbing thought:

Every time you’re looking for a job, you compete against 250 other candidates on average.

Yes, you read that right.

Imagine you are the recruiter and you have to review 250 job applications. Do you thoroughly read all of them? Nah, of course you don’t.

Recruiters spend only 6 seconds scanning each CV. So the very first impression is key. If you submit a neat, properly organised document, you’ll convince the recruiters to spend more time on your CV.

A poorly formatted CV, on the other hand, will get you discarded in the first-round review.

Here’s how to format a CV the right way.

Start with creating a CV outline divided into the following sections:

CV: Proper Order of Sections

Pro Tip: If you’re fresh out of uni and need to write a student CV with no experience, or if you’ve graduated from a very prestigious institution within the last 5 years, put your education section above your work experience.

When filling in the sections, always keep in mind the gold CV formatting rules:

Choose clear, legible fonts

Go for one of the standard CV typefaces: Arial, Tahoma, or Helvetica if you prefer sans-serif fonts, and Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style if serif fonts are your usual pick.

Use 11 to 12 pt font size and single spacing. For your name and section titles, pick 14 to 16 pt font size.

Be consistent with your CV layout

Set one-inch margins for all four sides.

Make sure your CV headings are uniform—make them larger and in bold but go easy on italics and underlining.

Stick to a single dates format on your CV: for example 11-2017, or November 2017.

Don’t cram your CV with gimmicky graphics

White space is your friend—recruiters need some breathing room!

Plus, most of the time, after you send out your CV, it’s going to be printed in black ink on white paper. Too many graphics might make it illegible.

Get photos off of your CV

Unless you’re explicitly asked to include your photograph in the job ad.

If so—make sure to use a professional looking picture, but not as stiff as an ID photo.

Make your CV brief and relevant

Don’t be one of those candidates stuck in the nineties who think they have to include every single detail about their lives on their CVs.

Hiring, nowadays, is one hell of a hectic business. Nobody’s got the time to care for what high school you’ve attended or to read 10+ bullet point descriptions of past jobs. We’ll get to that later on.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve finished writing, save your CV in PDF to make sure your CV layout stays intact. But pay close attention to the job description. Some employers won’t accept a PDF CV. If such is the case, send your CV in Word.

Learn more about CV formatting from this quick dedicated guide I’ve written recently: CV Formatting—The Ideal Structure for a CV

Alright, so you’ve got the best CV template ready for ya and you know the basic CV writing rules. Time to dive in!

Add Your Contact Information the Right Way

You want the recruiters to get back to you, so you need to let them know how they can reach you.

In the contact information section, enter your:

The contact information section seems fairly straightforward, but here’s the one reason it might be tricky:

Recruiters will use it to research you online. If your social media profiles are unprofessional, or if your LinkedIn profile information doesn’t match that on your CV, you’re immediately out of the race.

Start your CV with a Personal Profile

After listing their contact information on a CV, most candidates jump right into their work experience or education.

But you’ll do better than that. You will actually get remembered by the employer.

So, how to make a CV pop?

All it takes is a CV personal profile statement—a short, snappy paragraph of 100 words tops that tells the recruiters why you are just the candidate they’ve been looking for.

Your personal profile will either be a CV objective or a CV summary.

What’s the difference?

A CV objective shows what skills you’ve mastered and how you’d fit in. It’s a good choice if you’ve got little work experience relevant to the job you’re trying to land, for example, if you’re writing a student CV.

A CV summary, in turn, highlights your career progress and achievements. Use it if you’re a seasoned professional and have a lot of experience in your field.

Now, have a look at some examples. Let’s say there’s a posting for a nursing job. Here are sample nursing CV objectives and summaries.

Example of a CV Objective

Not awful, right? The problem is, in this CV objective, the bottom line is basically “I want a job because I learnt for the job.”

Have a look at another CV objective sample.

Objective for a CV—Example

See the difference? The latter candidate focused solely on what she can offer her future employer. She also mentioned the name of the specific hospital to which she’s applying.

And yes, name-dropping is something you, too, should definitely do in your CV objective.

True, it means you won’t be able to spam your CV out to every company that’s currently hiring but, then again, when was the last time you replied to a “Dear User” email?

As we said before, if you’ve got some relevant job experience under your belt, begin your CV with a CV summary instead of an objective.

Check out these sample CV summaries.

Sample CV Summary

The General Hospital Director just picked up the phone to call this candidate.

What’s so great about this CV summary?

Above all, it’s super-specific. It gives a complete outline of the candidate’s background and shows how her experience will help her tackle particular problems the hospital is facing.

Here’s another example of a CV summary.

CV Example—Summary

This one, on the other hand, says little more than “I am a nurse.” It presents nothing but generic responsibilities all nurses have.

In your CV summary, don’t ever go for meaningless buzzwords.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Writing an objective or a summary for your professional CV is tricky and we know it. That’s why we’ve put together a dedicated guide to crafting this section: 20+ CV Personal Statement/Personal Profile Examples (Writing Guide)

List Your Relevant Work Experience & Key Achievements

More often than not, your work experience section is the most important part of your whole CV—the one that gets the most eyetime.

If you’re thinking “Easy, I just need to list my previous positions, the dates worked, and my responsibilities,” think again.

All of the above are must-haves in a basic CV. But “basic” won’t get you that dream job.

The thing is: recruiters know what you did. They want to know how well you did it and what you can offer your prospective employer.

Here’s how to make your work experience section illustrate that:

Let’s see a real-life CV example.

Here’s a sample job description for a position of a junior product marketing specialist.

Responsibilities:

Now, have a look at this example of a CV work experience entry.

CV Example—Work Experience Section

Product Marketer

Nike, 10-2015–present

Key achievement: Lead a project team (5) in designing and implementing a comprehensive social media relations strategy for a new line of lifestyle products, grew Facebook fan base from 0 to 12,000 in 4 months [LINK to the Facebook fanpage], gained 35,000 Instagram followers [LINK to the Instagram account] in 3 months.

“Wow, we need this one to work with us!”

This entry is sure to bring that sort of response from the hiring manager.

What makes it so great?

First, it’s perfectly tailored to the job ad (have another look at the numbered phrases in bold). The candidate showed she’ll be able to manage her most important future tasks because she’s done them before.

Secondly, it’s action-verbs-packed. “Created and maintained” instead of “responsible for creating and maintaining,” “produced product pitches,” not “product pitches production.”

Last but not least, its central focus is the candidate’s achievements. Like the candidate above, if you want your CV to impress, add a “key achievement” sub-section. Then, include hard numbers. Don’t say you “significantly increased sales.” Say how much exactly. Numbers pop!

To make sure your achievements on a CV shine as they’re supposed to, follow the PAR (Problem Action Result) formula to describe them.

Like in the CV example discussed:

Key achievement: Lead a project team in designing and implementing a comprehensive social media relations strategy for a new line of lifestyle products, grew Facebook fanbase from 0 to 12,000 in 4 months, gained 35,000 Instagram followers in 3 months.

Problem: Lack of sufficient social media promotion for a new line of lifestyle products

Action: New social media strategy

Result: 12,000 Facebook fans in 4 months, and 35,000 Instagram followers in 3 months.

If you learn how to list your achievements on a CV the right way, you’ll outperform 9 out of 10 other candidates. Have a read of our dedicated guide: Achievements to Put on a CV: Complete Guide (30+ Examples)

Build Your CV Education Section Correctly

Good news is, putting your education on a CV is usually simple.

If you’ve got any post-secondary education, include only it on your CV. Don’t mention your high school, unless it’s your highest degree of education. List:

Pro Tip: Including your honours is optional. If you don’t want them to do you more harm than good, add them only if they’re 2:1 or higher for the undergrad degrees, and “merit” or “distinction” for postgrads.

CV Example—Education Section

2014 B.A. in French

University of Southampton

But what if you’re writing a CV with little or no work experience? What if you’ve just graduated and are looking for your first full-blown job?

If such is the case, you should do two things:

First of all, place your education section above your work experience.

Secondly, elaborate a bit more on your academic experience. Include, for instance:

A lot of fresh graduates don’t know how to make their CVs’ education section stand out. If you want to have an edge over them, read our comprehensive guide: How to Put Your Education on a CV [Tips & Examples]

Put Relevant Skills that Fit the Job Opening

Now, for your skills. You’ve probably got plenty of these. But would a list of a dozen and a half skills look good on a CV?

When it comes to skills for a CV, one issue is more important than any other: relevance. The skills you decide to include on your CV have to be relevant to the job you’re trying to land.

Remember when I mentioned tailoring your CV to the job description? Here it comes again.

Start with a spreadsheet. In it, list all your professional skills (that’s right, it means “eyebrow dancing” doesn’t count). Then check the job description for the skills desired by your prospective employer.

Do they match some of the skills from your spreadsheet? Presto! These are the ones to put in your CV skills section. Include an appropriate mix of hard skills, soft skills, and anything in between.

Pro Tip: When you list your skills, add a short description of each to indicate your level of proficiency. For example “Excellent,” “Advanced,” or “Basic.”

Want to find out which skills on a CV are most valued by employers? Check out this piece and impress every recruiter: 30+ Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a CV (Proven Tips)

Include Additional CV Sections to Impress the Recruiter

Let us all confess to something.

We constantly lie about ourselves. We just can’t help it—those little white lies that help put us in a slightly better light.

Care to venture a guess what group of people excels in lying?

They all lie on their CVs in frail hopes that recruiters won’t be bothered to verify, say, “full bilingual proficiency in French.”

Here’s the thing: recruiters are trained to spot liars, so don’t even entertain the thought of embellishing your past achievements or skills.

But what if you could help the recruiters avoid interviewing CV fabulists altogether? There’s a surefire way to do it:

On your CV, include an additional section in which you show off your unquestionable triumphs: things that prove your value as a candidate.

Sample CV Additional Sections

A well crafted additional section can be the decisive factor in choosing you over another candidate with a seemingly similar background. Don’t ignore this chance to stand out from the crowd. Learn more from our handy guide: How to List Certifications on a CV: Guide (20+ Examples)

Don’t worry if you’re still studying and can yet showcase none of the above.

A good student CV will still benefit from an additional section. Here are some ideas:

Sample Student CV Additional Sections

Right, if you apply all the strategies we discussed, you’ll make a perfect CV. But hey—

Want to do it the easy way?

Organize this All on a Professional CV Template

No one likes to mess around with formatting a CV in MS Word.

Luckily, there are hundreds of ready, fill-in-the-blanks CV templates available online. And we happen to offer some truly cracking ones.

Check out some of the CV templates available in our CV maker:

CV Templates UK—See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here

And for the final word, here’s what every job seeker ought to know:

Complement Your CV with a Cover Letter

“Stalk your prospective boss to show commitment.”

Sound like the worst career advice one can get?

Well… And probably is so. But guess what—

Because as many as 45 out of 100 recruiters won’t even get around to reviewing your CV if there’s no cover letter attached, according to our HR statistics report. True, the other 55 might think a cover letter for a CV is redundant. But here’s who does read cover letters:

Hiring managers. And, at the end of the day, it’s their decision whether or not you’re getting the job.

Most people hate writing cover letters for CVs because they are clueless about how to write them properly. And writing great cover letters is much easier than it seems.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here’s what it may look like:

Key Takeaway

Hiring has changed drastically. It’s fast and furious. To get your foot in the door, you’ll need to go an extra mile with your CV. Here’s how to make a CV:

Do you have any more questions on how to write a job-winning CV? Give us a shout in the comments and we’ll answer your queries!

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Write a CV

What is a CV?

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a job application document that summarizes your professional experience, skillset, and qualifications. In some circumstances, such as when applying for research placements, graduate school, or academia in general, a CV is a comprehensive description of both your professional and academic career.

The terms resume and CV are used interchangeably in Canada and Australia. So, a resume and CV are standard documents you apply for jobs with. However, in Europe and New Zealand, the term resume does not exist. To be considered for a position, you have to send through a Curriculum Vitae.

Hope you’ll never have any more doubts about what a CV is.

How to write a good CV for a job step by step?

With Zety CV builder, you won’t have to remember all those points. It’ll remember it for you. Just pick a CV template you like the most from over 20+ designs, and let’s get you a job.

How should a perfect CV look in 2022?

A perfect CV draws attention with a modern template design and clear sections allowing for enough whitespace. An eye-catching CV design combined with highly tailored content will create an invincible duo in 2022. You’ll need to strike a balance between breaking the design standards and building your CV with the Applicant Tracking Software in mind if you hope to impress your recruiters.

See the CV templates Zety’s hiring pros have designed for you to get a head start. Pick one and go to the CV maker to complete it within minutes. Or, create a perfect CV all by yourself but with the help of one of our CV examples.

How to start writing a simple Curriculum Vitae?

How to write a CV for my first job if I have no experience?

Whether you’re writing a graduate CV or executive resume, there are universal rules to follow. So, don’t worry about having little or no experience. There’s a smart way to get you a job.

What is the best CV format?

The reverse-chronological format is the best out of the three CV format musketeers. It’s simple to read by the Applicant Tracking Software, which makes it highly unlikely for your CV not to reach the recruiter. Ultimately, recruiters can make informed decisions about hiring in seconds by only skimming such a CV. What’s not to love?

How to Create a Professional Resume

Image by Theresa Chiechi © The Balance 2019

Your resume needs to be professional and polished because, if not, your application materials probably won’t get a second glance from any hiring manager.

An unprofessional resume—one that is difficult to read, confusing, covered in errors, or unrelated to the job the person is applying for—will get tossed in the trash right away. Hiring managers often get dozens, even hundreds, of applicants for each job. An unprofessional resume makes you look unprofessional as a job seeker and will cost you a possible interview.

Sloppy resumes that are riddled with typos will be ignored and resumes that are inconsistent —bullets in some places, dashes in others, bold in some headings, plain text in others—may not get a second look either.

Your resume, to be effective, needs to be consistent, concise, and clear and easy to read. Avoid tiny fonts, dense blocks of text, vague language or excessive jargon, and inconsistent formatting.

Tips for Creating a Professional Resume

Grab your current resume (or organize your work experience and education information) and give it a professional boost with these tips:

Select the Best Resume Type

There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, functional, combination, or a targeted resume. Taking the time to choose the best type of resume for your situation is well worth the effort.

Choose a Simple Font

Your resume should be easy to read. You want the hiring manager to easily read and absorb your work history and accomplishments. Therefore, use a legible font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri). Make sure the font is not too big or too small (choose a size between 10 and 12).

Avoid dense blocks of text and use standard margins. Use white- or cream-colored paper if you are sending a physical resume; colored paper can be very distracting.

Keep Your Formatting Consistent

Professional resumes need to have consistent formatting. For instance, if you use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and achievements at one position, be sure to use bullet points in all other positions as well.

Also, make certain that the bullet points are formatted the same way throughout. For example, don’t use circle bullet points in one section, and diamond bullet points in another section. Be consistent with font, font size, and style (such as the use of bold and italics).

Keep it Focused

It’s important not to include extraneous information. More isn’t necessarily better. Your resume should focus on the skills and attributes that qualify you for the job. It will be helpful to leave out anything that won’t help you get the job you want.

A resume shouldn’t be several pages long for the average job seeker, a one-page resume is probably enough, or two pages at most.

Give It a Makeover

It’s always a good idea to periodically refresh your resume. Be sure you have included all your latest achievements, and your employment and educational history are current. Updating your resume will increase your chances of getting it noticed by the hiring manager.

Use Resume Examples and Templates

Use a resume example or template to help you write your resume. An example can help you decide what information to include. Templates can help you format your resume. However, whenever you use a resume example or template, be sure to customize your resume, so it reflects your skills and abilities, and the jobs you are applying for. A simple copy/paste isn’t enough.

Get Creative (Maybe)

If you’re in a creative field, you might use a free resume website to build a creative resume that includes all the facets of a traditional resume, with add-ons like video, infographics, and links to your accomplishments. However, only do this if you are in a creative industry. Otherwise, you definitely need to stick to a traditional resume.

Carefully Edit Your Resume

Spelling and grammar errors can make an applicant seem inattentive to details. Review proofing guidelines to ensure that your resume is consistent and error-free. Then check it again. And, if you can, find someone else to look at it too, because it’s so easy to miss your own typos.

Get Resume Help

Writing a resume is hard work and it’s important to get help, or at least have your resume reviewed before you send it to employers. Consider using a career counselor or other professional resume service to help you make sure your resume is professional and polished. Having a friend or family member check for typos and formatting errors is another option to make sure it’s perfect.

Check Your Resume Before You Send It

Before you send it, use a resume checklist to make sure you have included all relevant information in your resume. Avoid common mistakes on your resume and use writing strategies that lead to success in resume reviews.

Review a Resume Example

This is a professional resume example. Download the resume template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or read the example below.

Resume Example (Text Version)

Dexter Applicant
123 Main Street Jackson, MS 12345
123-456-7890
dexter.applicant@email.com

Production Technician
Strong and able-bodied Production Assistant with 8 years’ experience in assembly of components and sub-components for automotive and aviation parts manufacturers.

Professional Experience

Hughes Automotive Company, Canton, MS
Production Technician, July 2017-Present
Weld automotive components as technician on fast-paced assembly line. Operate welding tools and automated machinery; perform quality control and pack parts for shipping.

Pine Hills Avionics Manufacturing, Jackson, MS
Assembly Technician, June 2014-June 2017
Skillfully set up and operated assembly department test stands. Interpreted schematics; utilized hand tools and testing instruments including micrometers and venire calipers.

Southern Lumber Supply, Mayhew, MS
Warehouse Assistant, June 2011-June 2014
Concurrent with education, operated forklift during 2nd shift in warehouse receiving and shipping operations.

Education

Associates Degree in Machining Technology, 2010
East Mississippi Community College, Mayhew, MS

Review More Sample Resumes

Review 100+ professionally written resume samples that you can download and customize to create your own resume.

How to Make a Resume: Secrets Your Employer Won’t Tell You

According to recent statistics, approximately 72% of adults are passive job-seekers. That means that hundreds of candidates are aiming for your potential job. And they might be more experienced and skilled than you.

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Do you know how much time recruiters spend looking at a candidate’s resume? 10 minutes? 15 minutes?

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Our article will help you improve this significant part of the job application process.

📄 What Does a Resume Look Like?

To start writing the perfect resume, we first advise you to reread the resume definition: a visualized description of a job applicant’s skills, education, and experience.

To develop a great resume, you need to be a writer and an advertiser at the same time. Why? To sell the main product as profitably as you can. And the main product is your services.

You should also understand the difference between resume and CV. A CV (Curriculum Vitæ) is a detailed text developed to show your achievements and biographical details. It’s usually much longer than a resume and is never tailored to a particular job offer.

On Uptowork, you can find many impressive resume examples to use as patterns or just to copy some details from them.

📜 Types of Resume Formats

The first thing to do when writing a resume is to determine the setup you prefer. We recommend that you choose from the following two types (or make a combination of these formats):

⌛ Chronological Format

This is a simple and typical type of resume formatting. According to this structure, you should place your most recent experience and all its relevant information at the top of your resume.

This order helps recruiters evaluate all the previous experience you have and decide whether your skills are suitable for the vacancy.

⚙️ Functional Format

Professional resume writers are fans of this type of format. These resumes don’t include every single point of your work history.

Instead of experience, this basic resume format focuses on skills. This type of resume first appeared because the majority of recruiters don’t need to know about all of your previous workplaces. For example, if you’re applying for a Lead QA Engineer vacancy, your experience as a KFC crew member makes no sense to include in your professional resume.

📑 Which Resume Sections to Include

A typical resume structure contains several primary categories:

☎️ Contact Information

What do we await after a job interview more than anything? That’s right—the recruiter’s call.

To make this happen in the future, you need to put all your important contact information at the top of your resume now.

You need to include both your phone number and e-mail address.

A couple of tips to make a professional resume:

✅ Resume Objective

Does your text say why the recruiter should choose nobody else but you?

Use the objective section to explain why you’re applying for this job. List your key skills and any previous experience connected with the vacancy.

Put all this information into 2-5 sentences. Write precisely and briefly.

🎓 Education History

At the top, list the most recent degree you earned. If you have a master’s degree, list it before the information about your bachelor’s degree.

Your resume structure will also allow you to include some achievements. Be careful to list only those things that would be meaningful to your recruiter.

If you’ve received a bachelor’s degree, there’s also no need to add information about your high school.

Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/

🔨 Work History

Some people have so much experience in their field that it’s difficult to insert all the information into a one-page resume.

But what about those people who don’t have experience?

The secret to an effective high school student’s resume is to change up the type from chronological to functional. Focus on your skills and knowledge and show how beneficial it will be to hire you, and no one will pay attention to the lack of experience listed on your student resume.

💡 Skills for Resume

Companies are always looking for talented team members. Oftentimes, the skills on a resume mean more to an employer than your work history. That’s why you should choose these characteristics carefully.

There are three main rules to listing skills:

Of course, there are some skills to add to resume that can be considered recruiters’ favorites. Here are the top 10 abilities that employers want to see on a college student resume:

Decide which of these abilities are most relevant to you. Now you can use them to build a resume that describes your very best features.

But to become a resume genius, listing your advantages as a worker isn’t enough.

For effective resume building, it’s also important to explain which office software programs you can use. The key point to this idea—prove your knowledge.

For example, if you say you’re an experienced Microsoft Excel user, name a certificate that you have earned on this topic.

✒️ Resume Style

Once you’ve collected all the information you need, it’s time to start resume formatting.

Surely, you can find hundreds of resume examples online to use as patterns. But how will you know whether you’ve made a good choice or not?

We prepared several tips so that you can improve your resume design.

❓ How to Format a Resume

📂 What to Put on a Resume

Your resume header should include your first and last name.
Include the resume sections that you think are most appropriate for the vacancy you’re applying for.

Don’t add a photo to your resume. 88% of candidates are rejected if they use their pictures.

👁️‍ What Does a Resume Look Like?

1. Make it Appropriate for the Vacancy

It’s time to remind you about the CV vs. resume distinction. To develop a good resume, you should tailor it to the job application.

Often employers see biographies full of clichés—responsible, likes to work in a team, hard worker… It’s great that you can stick to this simple resume format. But recruiters want to see your actual skills and knowledge.

Let’s take as an example a high school student resume with no work experience. Imagine that you want to get a summer job and are writing a babysitter resume.

What will you write?

“I like kids, and I look after my two brothers on the weekends”?

Source: https://work.chron.com/

For an employer, it’s significant to understand what exactly you can do. That’s why you should take our following advice on how to make a resume for a job.

In Google, type in “babysitter duties” or “nanny responsibilities.”

You’ll get several websites with all the information you need. According to the resources, a babysitter should know how to prepare formulas, bathe children, prepare easy snacks, discipline kids, and so on.

From all of these listed skills, choose the ones you’re great at and include them in your text.

There’s also another way.

In Google, type in “babysitter forum” or “nanny problem.”

This way, you will find the typical difficulties that your colleagues encounter while looking after children.

For example, you may find good information on the topic of “How to stop a child’s hysteria.”

If you know the answer, add it to your babysitter resume.

2. Finish Some Courses

What do employers expect to see when reading a college student resume?

Proof that you’ve learned a lot over the last few years.

Of course, you’ll write what degree you have. But it’s much better to show that you love learning and care about your professional development.

Finish some courses on one of the following educational websites. Many of them give users the opportunity to earn certificates.

Applying these certificates to your student resume will make you a more valuable candidate:

There are a lot of time management, office software, business communication, and computer skills that can be useful for both a high school student resume and an experienced worker resume.

3. Eliminate These Resume Buzzwords

Not every positive word is great for a professional resume. We prepared a list of resume buzzwords that can harm your job application:

These resume killers should vanish from your text as soon as possible.

4. Use Online Resume Builders

There are plenty of resume builders online. We don’t advise you to use them as templates, but the questions they offer are really helpful to get inspired for writing.

Look at these examples:

There are of course some benefits to using these sites for writing resumes:

But there are also some negative points to such a resume writing process:

But we have another option for those who need a resume in a short time: resume templates.

📥 Download Resume Templates

Custom-writing.org has prepared several links with resume templates tailored to the most frequent vacancies for which students search. Just choose the one you’re most interested in, and edit it to make it your own unique text.

Don’t be shy to correct or change anything you like. You can download these student resume templates by following the links below. This way, you will know how to make a resume that your employer is sure to like:

You might also be interested in:

Источники информации:
• http://resume.io/how-to-write-a-resume
• http://zety.com/blog/how-to-write-a-cv
• http://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-create-a-professional-resume-2063237
• http://custom-writing.org/blog/how-to-make-resume