how to write an effective resume

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• How to Make a Resume:...

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

30 min read · Updated on May 22, 2024

Your dream job is one resume away!

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

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

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

Table of contents:

The purpose of a resume

Avoid rejection by the ATS

What is your career target?

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

How long does it take to put together a resume?

A major resume no-no: typos

How to make your resume more professional

Theory in practice – resume examples

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Introduce you to a new company

Underscore how your experiences and education are relevant

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

Win interviews

Avoid rejection by the ATS 

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

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

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

Oh, no! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's not incremental though

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

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

Chronological resume 

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

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

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

Functional resume 

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

Combination resume 

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

Curriculum Vitae

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

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

Layout 

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

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

Contact information

Title 

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

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

Current contact information 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Professional Summary:

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

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

Relevant keywords – customer retention, revenue growth, and quotas 

Hard and soft skills – overcoming objections and working independently

An achievement – 24% territory growth

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

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

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

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

Tips for building your Core Competencies section:

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

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

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

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

Update frequently

Be consistent with the formatting

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

Core Competencies

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

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

Don't go further back than 10 to 15 years

Use no more than 3 to 5 bullets per work listing

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

Use stacking for companies where you held more than one role

10-15 Years

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

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

Achievements

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

1. Use numbers whenever possible

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

Don't write this:

• Conducted cold calls to expand client base

Write this instead:

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

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

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

2. Use action words to convey accomplishment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to make your professional experience section: The formula

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

What was the name of the company?

What was the title of your role?

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

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

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

What is another thing you're really proud of?

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

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

Company Name | MM/YYYY to Present

Position Title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's what a regular education section looks like:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | XYZ University

Six Sigma Black Belt | Council for Six Sigma Certification

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

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

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

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

Expected completion:  05/2024

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

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

Were you the president of a fraternity or sorority? 

Did you get involved with showing new students around campus? 

Have you headed a sales team that produced top awards? 

Were you an employee of the month? 

Do you speak multiple languages?

Did you volunteer for an organization?

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

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

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

How long does it take to make a resume?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You must proofread your resume!

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

How to make your resume seem more professional

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

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

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

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

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

Theory in practice – 10 resume examples

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

1. Software Engineer resume example

Click here for an example of a Software Engineer resume.

2. Data Scientist resume example

Click here for an example of a Data Scientist resume.

3. Cybersecurity resume example

Click here for an example of a cybersecurity resume.

4. Digital Marketing Manager resume example

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

5. Nurse Practitioner resume example

Click here for an example of a Nurse Practitioner resume. 

6. Finance Director resume example

Click here for an example of a Finance Director resume. 

7. Attorney resume example

Click here for an example of a Attorney resume.

8. Administrative Office Assistant resume example

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

9. Information Technology Expert resume example

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

10. Chief Executive Officer resume example

Click here for an example of a CEO resume. 

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

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

Know what you want to do – be specific

Make your resume with the right format 

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

Use action words to make your resume stand out

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

Tailor your new resume to each job

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

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

Recommended reading: 

Resume Tricks That Don't Work

What Does Your Resume Really Say About You?

Bad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

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

See how your resume stacks up.

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How To Write A Resume In 7 Steps (With Examples)

• How To Write A Resume
• Resume Skills Section
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• Resume Summary Example
• Resume Interests Section
• Address On Resume
• Relevant Work Experience
• Anticipated Graduation Date On Resume
• Education Section On Resume
• Contact Information On Resume
• Statement Of Qualifications
• How To List Publications On Resume
• Accomplishments On Resumes
• Awards On Resume
• Dean's List On Resume
• Study Abroad On Resume

Resumes are still the most important document in your job search . Generating a professional and interesting resume isn’t easy, but there is a standard set of guidelines that you can follow. As hiring managers usually only spend a short time looking over each resume, you want to make sure that yours has a reason for them to keep reading.

If you’re looking to write a resume, rewrite a resume you already have, or are just curious about resume format, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will go through the steps to writing an excellent resume, as well as offering examples for what sections of the resume should look like.

Key Takeaways:

A resume is a short document that details your professional history in a way that tailors your experience and skill set for the particular job you’re applying for.

Resumes follow a few standard formatting practices, which hiring managers and recruiters expect to see.

Highlighting your work experience, skills, and educational background with relevant keywords can help you get past applicant tracking systems and into more interviews.

How to write a resume

Writing a resume involves using the proper formatting, writing an introduction, and adding your work experience and education. Stuffing your entire professional life into a single page resume can feel overwhelming, but remember that you’re distilling the relevant parts of your professional experience in order to catch the eye of the recruiter .

Formatting your resume. To start, use a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google docs. Standard resume formatting calls for:

1 inch margins

10-12 point font

A professional, commonly-used font

Additionally, there are three resume formats that are commonly used. Most people should stick with a chronological resume format , but the combination resume format and functional resume format can be effective for more advanced workers or those who have significant gaps in their resume.

Write a resume header . It doesn’t matter if you have the best resume in the world if the hiring manager can’t contact you. Every single resume should include the following contact information:

Your full name. First and last.

Your phone number. Use a personal phone number, and make sure your voicemail is set up properly.

Your email address. Nothing inappropriate — [email protected] is a safe choice.

Location. City, State, Zip Code is fine, but you can include your full mailing address if you think it’s appropriate.

Your social media (optional). LinkedIn is the obvious one you’d want to include, but make sure your profile looks good. If you have an online portfolio , either on a personal blog/website or on a site like Journo Portfolio , feel free to include that here as well.

Your job title. Also optional, but can be useful for applicant tracking systems.

Resume introduction. You have four options for your resume introduction: a resume objective, summary statement, resume profile, or qualifications summary. For most job-seekers, a resume summary statement is the best choice. Regardless of which resume introduction you choose, avoid first-person pronouns (I/me/my).

Resume objective. A resume objective is the goal of your resume. Since the objective of every resume is to land a job, this is not the most original or impressive opener you can have.

On the other hand, it’s a good choice for an entry-level applicant or someone who is changing career paths . This should be a 1-3 sentence summary of why you’re motivated to get the position you’re applying for.

Who should use a resume objective: Entry-level applicants, career-changers, and recent college graduates.

Resume summary. This is the best opener for most job-seekers. As the name suggests, a resume summary highlights the most salient aspects of your resume.

It should include your current position, how many years of experience you have, some of your biggest achievements, and possibly your career goals. This should be a 1-3 sentence spiel and should include some quantifiable experiences.

Who should use a resume summary: Most job seekers; anyone with quantifiable accomplishments to emphasize and a broad range of skills.

Qualifications summary. A bullet point list (4-6 points is the sweet spot) of your qualifications for the position. It’s best used by applicants going for jobs that require a fixed skill set. It’s not a great choice for entry-level applicants who lack quantifiable achievements.

You’ll notice that a qualifications summary takes up more space than a resume objective or summary, but it can actually save the hiring manager time if you provide a bunch of valuable information right off the top.

Who should use a qualifications summary: Those applying to a job with requirements for certain skills and job-seekers who have a lot of experience in their industry and/or field.

Resume profile. A resume profile is similar to a resume summary, but goes into more detail about your accomplishments at your current or former job, while also telling the reader about your career goals. Think of a resume profile as a section that pulls all the best parts of your work experience section into one place.

Who should use a resume profile: Anyone with significant accomplishments under their belt, expertise in a niche field, or applying to a job in the same industry that they have lots of experience in.

Resume headline. Resume headlines aren’t necessary, but you can include one alongside any of the four types of resume introduction listed above. A resume headline comes between your contact information and the resume introduction of your choice.

Headlines can be used by entry-level applicants and experienced job-seekers alike. The important point is that your headline should be short and to the point. Additionally, you should use title case when writing your resume headline (capitalize words as you would for a book title).

Who should use a resume headline: Any job-seeker who wants to showcase their experience or unique value right off the bat.

Work experience. Your work experience section is the place to let hiring managers know that you have relevant experience that would allow you to handle the job you’re applying for.

If you’re using the chronological resume format, your work experience section would come after your resume summary/objective. In a funcitonal reumse, it would follow your skills section. Either way, work experience should be listed in reverse-chronological order (most recent experience at the top).

When listing your work experience, you should include all of the following information:

Job title. Start by stating the position you held at the company. These are easy cue for the hiring manager to look at and determine whether your past positions would help you succeed at their company.

Company Info. Include the name of the employer, the location where you worked, and perhaps a brief description of the company, if it isn’t a well-known name.

Dates Employed: Use the mm/yyyy format if you want to be sure that most applicant tracking systems (ATS) will pick it up. Whatever format you use for dates, be consistent, or your resume will look sloppy.

Job Description. Don’t just list your job’s responsibilities; hiring managers and recruiters already have an idea of your duties based on the job title. Instead, list your most important and impressive responsibilities/achievements at the job with bullet points. Determine which of these are most relevant for your new role based on the job description.

Ideally, each bullet should be no longer than a single line. However, two lines is acceptable, if used sparingly.

Always start with a strong action verb, followed by a quantifiable achievement and a specific duty. For example: “Developed ad campaigns for clients, increasing sales by an average of 27%.” Each job title should include 3-5 bullet points.

The order that you include this information can be changed around, as long as you are consistent throughout your resume. However, the bullet points detailing your job’s achievements should always be the last item for each entry.

It’s important that you tailor your resume’s work experience section to the job you’re applying for. We recommend reading the job description carefully and highlighting the action verbs in one color and the skills, adjectives, and job-specific nouns in a different color.

Educational background. In almost all cases, your education section should come after your professional history. If you’re a recent college graduate with limited work experience, you may choose to put your educational achievements first.

Like the section on your professional history, educational experiences should come in reverse-chronological order, with your highest level of education at the top. If you have a college degree, you don’t need to add any information about your high school experience. If you didn’t finish college, it’s okay to give a list of what credits you did complete.

Each educational experience can be listed in the following format:

Degree/Program Name College/University Name Dates attended

You don’t need to add anything else, especially if your resume is already impressive enough. But if you’re struggling to fill up the page, or you feel that aspects of your educational experience will help make you a standout, you may consider also including:

Minor. If you think it rounds out your not-exactly-relevant-to-the-job major nicely.

GPA. Only if it was 3.5 or higher. Otherwise, it’s not going to do you any favors to include this.

Honors. Dean’s List, Cum Laude, etc.

Achievements. If you wrote a killer thesis/dissertation that showcases intimate knowledge relevant to the job to which you’re applying, you can include its title and a very brief description.

Extracurricular activities. Only include if they’re relevant. For example, if you’re applying for a management position and you were president of your student government.

Certifications/Licenses. If the job you’re applying for requires/likes to see certain certifications or licenses that you have, you may include them in this section as well.

Skills section. Your impressive skills should be scattered logistically throughout your professional history section, but you should also include a section solely dedicated to highlighting your skill set . Skills can be broken down into two categories:

Hard skills are skills you learn through training and indicate expertise with a technical ability or job-specific responsibility.

Soft skills are your personality traits, interpersonal abilities, and intangible qualities that make you more effective at your job.

Your resume should have a healthy mix of hard and soft skills, as both are essential to job performance. However, since soft skills are harder to prove in the context of a resume, we recommend leaning more toward hard skills. Additionally, whenever you list a soft skill, make sure that it has a correlating item in your work experience section.

For example, if you say you are skilled in collaboration, you should mention a time when a team project was a major success somewhere in your work experience section.

Optional sections. If you still have space left or there’s more you want to show off that doesn’t quite fit in any of the above sections, you may consider adding an additional section covering one or more of the below categories:

Language . Being bilingual is always impressive, and can be included on a resume for any company. Highlight this more if your position involves liaising with international distributors and/or clients. Don’t lie about your proficiency level.

It may be best to not mention it if you’re not particularly proficient speaker . Such as if you took courses in school, or haven’t really managed to gain fluency. It can end up looking like an attempt to inflate your credentials, which you want to avoid.

Volunteer experience . Always a good thing to include. It shows you’re a team player who behaves in a way that promotes the greater good, without thought of personal gain. Especially good for entry-level candidates and those applying for jobs at a non-profit. If you have gaps in your work history, you can also consider including volunteer experiences in your work history section instead.

Personal projects. A personal blog, published works, or a portfolio of your past projects are all good things to include. They show you take initiative, enjoy and take pride in your work, and that you can handle the responsibilities of the job, if relevant.

Certifications/licenses. If you didn’t include these in your education section, this is another good place to list relevant certifications or licenses that you have.

Interests . This is largely just a space filler if your resume is light in other areas. However, if your hobbies are directly related to the job that you’re applying for, it’s not a bad idea to include them. And it might draw a recruiter’s attention if you end up sharing some of the same interests as they do.

If you have several seemingly random items that are valuable, but don’t warrant creating a whole separate section for, you can also make a section called “Additional Experience.” Here you can include all of the above categories in one place. Just make sure that each item is clear and easy for readers to understand.

Resume samples

Now that we have a good idea of how to write a resume, let’s take a look at some example resumes:

Jack Pilgrim Washington , DC 14015 – (555) 444-3333 – [email protected] – www.linkedin.com/jpilgrim Resume Summary Graphic designer with 3+ years of experience creating and implementing promotional materials and social media graphics. Worked with sales and marketing teams to increase inbound calls by 23% YoY through compelling digital media. Adept at planning, managing, and prioritizing multiple deadlines at once, and thrives in fast-paced work environment. Work Experience Creative Designs | Washington, DC Lead Graphic Designer | June 2018-Present Worked with sales and marketing teams to create landing pages, sales proposals, and supporting media elements to drive sales by over $250,000 per quarter Trained, managed, and mentored team of 4 junior designers to fulfill 40+ project orders on a weekly basis Conducted UX research through surveys, usability testing, and data analysis to plan content marketing strategy, driving organic search traffic by 12% Presented proposals, results, and status updates to set of 4-7 clients, ensuring customer satisfaction at or above 95% for 3 years straight Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Junior Graphic Designer | July 2016-May 2018 Translated client needs and branding strategies into design and content strategy, increasing client retention by 22% Reduced project turnaround time by 8% by Utilizing web-based ticket system for completing and archiving finalized pieces Posted digital artwork to network IPTV using web interface to produce high-end info-graphics and other materials Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Marketing Intern | September 2015-July 2016 Assisted marketing team with data collection, analysis, and presentation using Google Analytics Drew up storyboards for new marketing campaigns alongside sales team, increasing brand awareness through social media Wrote 500-1000 word articles to pair with graphical elements on page, leading to a 40% boost in engagement on company website Education Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, Georgia May 2016 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Skills Adobe Creative Suite Typography HTML/CSS WordPress Collaboration Organization

Allison Neederly Chicago, Illinois , 60007 | (333) 222-1111 | [email protected] | www.linkedin.com/allison.neederly Resume Summary Dedicated customer service representative with 4+ years experience resolving customers’ needs in-person, online, and over the phone. Top achiever at XYZ Inc. with a 100% customer satisfaction rate for Q1 of 2020. Friendly personable, and knowledgable about company’s products and services. Relevant Skills Customer Service Responded to upwards of 200 customer queries daily with XYZ Inc., reducing the average wait time by 56% and increasing customer satisfaction rates by 13% Ability to resolve conflict and create a positive atmosphere for shopping for both new and existing customers through technical proficiency Expert product knowledge and communication skills, and experience training and mentoring new customer service staff Web Chat and Phone Skilled in 3 web chat platforms for helping online customers resolve their queries quickly and accurately Achieved fastest call resolution rate at XYZ Inc., with an average resolution time of under 5 minutes per customer Performed outbound calls for customer satisfaction surveys, as well as writing web-based surveys for 10,000+ customers Troubleshooting Detailed product knowledge allowed for customer technical issues to be resolved at rate within top 5% of all customer service associates at XYZ Inc. Created manual for step-by-step directions for troubleshooting that was implemented for team of 100+ customer service reps Positive attitude took average tech-related negative response from 1/5 stars to 4/5 stars, increasing trust in brands and services Work Experience XYZ Inc. | Philadelphia, PA Customer Service Associate New Look Global | Burlington, VT Junior Customer Service Representative L.L. Bean | Burlington, VT Sales Associate Education University of Vermont | Burlington, VT May 2012 Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

Priya Laghari New York, NY | (222) 111-0000 | [email protected] | www.priyabizdev.com Resume Profile Strategy Development: Grew John Deere’s international sales by 13% by tapping into undeserved countries in Southeast Asia Management: Oversaw a team of managers representing marketing, sales, and product teams. Streamlined collaborative, cross-functional communications through agile and scrum management system CRM: Developed, customized, and implemented new customer relationship management database for accounts totaling over $10M in value Work Experience Business Development Manager 01/2015-Present Microsoft | Redmond, WA Developed product strategies and roadmap for Google AdWords, increasing inbound traffic by 26% YoY Reduced time training on new software by 50% for new and existing employees by implement e-learning programs Spearheaded digital marketing campaign worth $1M that saw a return of 200% in first year by qualifying leads earlier in the sales funnel Regional Sales Manager 11/2012-01/2015 Big Things Inc. | St. Louis, MO Managed territory encompassing 29 regional locations with an annual revenue of approx. $55M Worked with C-level executives to plan business strategies, resulting in 20% reduction in overhead costs Increased client retention by 12% in first year by implementing a CRM approach based on account profiling and elevating levels of relationship selling Account Manager 02/2009-11/2012 Solutions Corp. | Chicago, IL Implemented and developed CRM strategic plans, increasing retention of long-term clients by 22% Maintained 50+ accounts totaling over $35M in value Generated leads through one-on-one consultation via phone inquiries, online check-ins, and meeting office walk-ins Relevant Skills CRM: Proficient with Salesforce, Zoho, and HubSpot; some experience with Keap. Used various CRM software over a decade to successfully manage customer relations and quick to adapt to new software and tools that aid in quality of customer experience. Salesmanship: Negotiated and closed over several deals worth $1M+ and skilled in upselling and cross-selling. Adept at working closely with marketing and product teams to maximize the efficiency of the sales funnel for both inbound and outbound traffic. Presentation: Represented Microsoft Northwest Region at quarterly board meetings, ensuring all stakeholders were kept abreast of new developments and opportunities. Also deliver monthly presentations to big clients and vendors to maintain positive relationship. Data analytics. Expert at integrating data from various analytics platforms, including Google, Microsoft Power BI, and SAP BusinessObjects Education Colgate University | May 2008 MBA Fordham University | May 2006 Bachelor’s Degree in Business

For more resume examples and templates:

Resume examples by job

Google docs resume template

Resume templates

Resume builder

Resume Headers Samples:

Tip : Never put your contact info in the header of your document; some applicant tracking systems might miss it.

For more on how to write a resume header:

Resume Header

Resume Titles

Resume introduction examples

Entry-Level Resume Objective.

Recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Virginia seeking an entry-level role in content marketing. Excellent copywriter with 2+ years experience editing content as a member of the UVa Writing Center.

Career Change Resume Objective.

Eager to apply 7+ years of experience with customer success management to make successful outbound B2B calls, deliver customized business solutions to new and existing customers, and provide expert product knowledge in the role of Account Manager for XYZ Inc.

Example Resume Summary Statement.

Accountant with over 8 years of experience in the medical industry. Adept at advising on management of cash deficits, reconciling departmental accounts, and creating new accounts and codes. Coordinated invoice preparation system for ABC that reduced contractor overhead by 19% YoY.

English teacher with a love of language and 6 years of experience teaching high school students. Developed new curriculum that boosted freshman reading comprehension scores by 12% and created after school book club for AP Lit class, resulting in 100% of participating students achieving a 5 on the AP Lit test.

Example Qualifications Summary.

Executive assistant with 5+ years experience helping maintain efficiency in an office of 25 employees Communicated directly with internal and external stakeholders, helping Senior Vice President manage projects worth $5M+ Proactively managed office schedules, identifying and prioritizing changes to ensure client satisfaction Recognized in a company of 500 for “Outstanding Achiever” in May 2019

Example Resume Profile.

Detail-oriented IT Specialist with 4 years of experience overseeing and improving the infrastructure of IT systems. Adept at building and running troubleshooting systems and testing services. Decreased security risk by 47% through continual optimization, while also improving the speed of client portal by 22%. Excellent communicator both internally and for client-facing discussions. Achieved 98%+ customer satisfaction ratings through weekly and monthly check-ins with accounts valued cumulatively at $500,000.

Entry-Level Resume Headline.

Bilingual College Graduate with 80 WPM Typing Speed and Tutoring Experience

Experienced Resume Headline.

Business Development Specialist with 6+ Years Experience Scaling Start-Up Tech Teams

For more on resume introductions:

Resume objective statement

Resume summary statement

Resume summary statement examples

Qualifications summary

Sample resume work experience sections

Work Experience XYZ Industries | Seattle, WA Marketing Associate | May 2019-Present Delivered weekly presentations to client-base to communicate brand messaging, increasing client retention by 11% Served as liaison between marketing and product teams, resulting in projects finishing 2 weeks early, on average Leveraged Excel skills to create and maintain spreadsheet to track consumer insights, emergent trends, and inform decisions of marketing team through competitive analysis Managed team of 5 contractors to juggle multiple priority projects simultaneously, never missing a deadline Initiated an affiliate referral program that PR team went on to turn into a revenue-generating stream valued at $30,000 annually ABC Corp | Seattle, WA Marketing Intern | September 2018-May 2019 Developed, maintained, and processed 20+ digital consent forms and distributor forms Worked collaboratively with a team of 10 marketing professionals, closely aligning our goals with the PR team Provided data analysis using Google Analytics and performed keyword research to increase blog traffic by 56% over six months Answered up to 50 customer queries by phone and email each week

For more on building the perfect resume work experience section:

Resume work experience section

First resume (no experience)

Examples Of Education Resume Sections

Graduated recently from a 4-year program.

Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois May 2020 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology | Minor in Psychology 3.95 GPA magna cum laude Dean’s List all semesters

Two degrees.

Fordham University | Bronx, New York April 2016 Master of Chemical Engineering Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York April 2014 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Anticipated graduation date (not yet graduated).

DePaul Univeristy | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Arts in History – Degree anticipated May 2021 Current GPA: 3.8

Older job seeker (graduated 10+ years ago).

University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Business Administration

High school graduate (no college degree).

Johnston High School 2016-2020 Head of Computer Club

More on crafting the perfect resume education section:

Education resume section

GPA on resume

Dean’s list

Magna cum laude

Examples Of Skills For Resume

Examples of hard skills include:

Examples of soft skills include:

Here’s more information on how to incorporate skills into your resume:

Resume skills section

Hard skills

Soft skills

Top skills for professionals

Skills-based resume

Resume writing FAQ

What is a resume?

A resume is a one to two-page document that focuses on professional experience, past achievements, education and certifications, and specific skills tailored to the job you’re applying for.

Almost every job application requires a resume, and hiring managers use them as a first impression in determining which applicants get a shot at an interview.

Whether you’re fresh out of college or have 30 years of professional experience, this guide should help craft a resume that stands out from the crowd and get you one step closer to landing your dream job.

What is the format for writing a good resume?

Most people will want to use a chronological or reverse-chronological resume format. This format is compatible with most applicant tracking systems (ATS) and is easy for employers to read. Additionally it helps highlight your experience, which helps prove your qualifications.

How far back should a resume go?

A resume should go back no further than 10 to 15 years. However, it is important that all your information is relevant. Therefore, do not include job experience that is irrelevant to your application, even if it’s fewer than 10 years old. Save that information for later discussions.

Should you personalize your resume for each job?

Yes, you should personalize your resume for each job you apply to. Many recruiters use ATS now, which will search for keywords in a resume and reject those that don’t have them. That means that the skills you choose to highlight as well as your opening, such as your resume summary, should be altered to suit each job you apply to.

You don’t need to rewrite the entire resume for each job, but it does show attention to detail and initiative to make sure that your resume is customized. It also makes it more likely that you’ll get past the first step of the process.

State of New York Department of Labor – Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications

Harvard University – Create a Resume/CV or Cover Letter

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Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.

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Resume Examples

Need help writing a standout resume? Get tips and inspiration from our library of sample resumes. We’ve got example resumes for different industries, jobs, and experience levels. Plus, find advice on exactly what information and skills you should be including on your resume—so you’ll land an interview for the job of your dreams.

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• Resume Examples
• Resume Samples
• Resume Templates

How to write an effective resume

During your job hunt, creating a well-rounded and well-stated resume is like possessing a weapon. Now put on your cape and fly upwards at high - speed and use your tool to move up the recruiting chain. In this post on how to write a resume, we will discuss some resume writing tips that will highlight one of the core aspects for specifically building an outstanding curriculum vitae.

• Essential principles of writing resume
• Principles of composing and layout selection
• How to write a personal statement / resume objective
• Creating the segment for work experience
• Include unique abilities on your resume
• Discuss and highlight your education
• Additional information 
• Feature relevant references

Review and proofread your resume

• Entry-level or student resume writing tips
• Resume structure and format styles
• Resume do's and don't 
• Sample resumes
• Re-structure your resume
• Adding hobbies and interest
• Resume references

To create the final draft of your resume, do not use simple text editors. There are a lot of additional issues with MS Word and related systems that can obstruct you before you even begin. The pitfalls of using such applications are;

• A challenging and cumbersome procedure for resume formatting
• Header and footer data is not readable by applications
• Generic graphical designs that, amongst other resumes, get stuck
• The layout appears different in some software. 

For presenting most resumes, the approved norm is the PDF file format. The advantages are clear, uniform formatting that doesn't alter irrespective of wherever you approach it and is easily readable in different systems. 

Online resume builders are the optimum tools for creating tidy, informative, and stylish resumes in PDF format. For visually compelling, functionally usable, and content-optimized resumes, these software solutions are the ultimate platform. You conserve lots of time and prevent underlying problems by using a service that is developed specifically for resumes and curriculum vitae.

Here is a guide on the best fonts for resume and cover letter .

Resume layout and resume design: graphics and illustrations

Aesthetics, uniformity, and representations are still reliant on our first experiences. For an interview with consideration, we pick our outfits, so why not bring a similar commitment to the presentation of your resume? It's our sole envoy before the initial physical interview. An employer reviews a resume for not more than 7 seconds. An implicit judgment happens during this brief period relying on the appearance of your resume. The recruiter is likely to value it for a while if it is clean and elegant. If you're a skilled artist, you may develop your designs, but it might be better to focus on tried and tested templates. The design templates represent a personality, tone, focus on imagination, reliability, precision, and other virtues. During such a short time, an implicit decision is produced based on your resume's visual appeal. Hipcv features are centered and built on these philosophies, which is a better match for certain professions, industries, or the background of the work vacancy.

Resume format

Since we have discussed the appearance of a resume, let's proceed with the design and structure aspects. The underlying region of text in the resume is a relevant content format;

• Reverse-Chronological order - The reverse-chronological format is the most common and usually accepted among prospective employers and companies. The main advantage of this format style is simple, easy to follow, and sequential composition. It conveys your present and prior work experience from latest to oldest. It works well when you have a consistent job record to display, and you can demonstrate some recent positions. And if you're a new graduate or have a void in your work experience, then the functional and hybrid formats come into play. 

Structure of reverse-chronological format

• Name and contact details
• Title – job title
• Profile - an overview of stating relevant experience to the job posting
• Skills - technical and interpersonal skills
• Experience – title, dates, contributions, responsibilities, company
• Education – Formal or industry certifications
• Optional – company membership, volunteer work

Advantages of reverse-chronological order

• For employers, the style is natural, so it is simple for them to read and comprehend.
• Incorporating this format is like a piece of cake as there are several example resumes and templates available online.
• It indicates contributions made to former employers, which might be what an employer is seeking.
• This demonstrates acquaintance with other businesses in the field, which represents your relationships and understanding of industry challenges and opportunities.
• With rising experience, duties, and commitments, it tells the tale of professional advancement.

Disadvantages of reverse-chronological format

• Distinguishing yourself from the pool of applicants when everyone uses this format is challenging.  
• It can reveal gaps in jobs. These may be genuine, but in a resume, they are impossible to articulate.
• It can highlight job switching while evaluating you, which causes the recruiter to halt.

If you writing a cover letter for your job application, then here is a guide on how to write a cover letter , how to format a cover letter .

A reverse-chronological structure has the advantage of creating an eye-catching resume by first revealing the newest and impressive roles.

• Functional - As its primary focal point, this format relies on interpersonal and technical skills. You can use this style if you are an entry-level job hunter or are in the transition of switching to a new field. By listing past ventures, social programs, experience in other domains, you can indeed make the resume more comprehensive.

Structure of a functional resume

• Name and contact details  
• Title- job title 
• Profile - Description of relevant skills and any professional experience for those specified in the job advertisement.
• Hard and soft skills - These are the abilities specifically associated with the work, while interpersonal capabilities that suit the job.
• Education-Formal, technical and corresponding training in particular competencies.
• Experience-a short-list of companies, dates, and job titles.
• Field-related certification - Certifications associated with the field
• Volunteering work

Advantages of functional resume

• Your experience is complex and does not lead to a centered career trajectory.
• You want to step into a radically different area from the one where the bulk of your expertise lies.
• In your job history, you have wide gaps when you were not working.
• If you have switched the number of jobs in a limited time and you do not want to give the impression that you are a job hopper.
• You are new to college and want to highlight your skills rather than your job experience.

Disadvantages of functional resume

• Some employment boards do not recognize them, like monster.com.
• Recruiters do not appear to acknowledge them.
• Questionable recruiting managers may suspect that job applicants who use functional resumes want to conceal something.
• Only mentioning it as a skill for an employer might indicate you read it online about it.
• Hybrid - Consider a hybrid resume format just like the Goldilocks zone. A hybrid format puts an explicit focus on skills and professional experience and is thus ideal for many careers in the technical field.

Structure of a Hybrid resume

• Profile statement
• Employment 

Advantages of hybrid resume

• It emphasizes skills and achievements
• Tends to take off the burden of the background of work and gaps
• The highest level-loaded style first reveals the most useful knowledge to recruiting managers.
• The inclusive format corresponds to conventional and non-traditional recruitment executives.

Disadvantages of hybrid resume

• If you were not working for more than six months and fewer than five years old in your job history. It indicates a gap in your career record.
• If you are a recent graduate or student with no experience, then this format is not useful.
• If you have changed companies in less than two years, it doesn't display an impressive image of you. 
• If you lack the necessary abilities for the job position, this style is not helpful.

To attract the attention of the hiring manager, here are some guidelines to follow while designing your hybrid resume:

• Assimilate your core abilities into your segment of employment records. Although it is beneficial to only list one or two keywords in your resume skills section, adding it into your experience will help managers specifically connect your attributes to a business context. It will also make them understand how your talents have made your last company worthwhile.
• As listed in the job requirements, emphasize any qualities that the recruiter outlines. Make them as transparent and easy to identify as possible if there are any credentials, qualifications, or other accreditations stated as necessary in the job posting. 
• If you are switching occupations or sectors, integrate transferable skills. If you are making a job or business transition, transferable skills can be especially useful for managers. These are typically interpersonal skills that are of use to all sorts of prospective employers.

Accountant Tried and tested resume example for your next job in 2024. Get a jump-start, by editing this Accountant resume example. Just update this example with your details, download and launch your career to new heights today!

Resume segments

There's always a lot of doubt about what bits to feature in your resume.

It is not unusual because depending on your occupation, industry, and the quality of your experience, their significance will differ. We will break section types into mandatory and optional ones. Since the reverse-chronological style is one of the commonly used layouts, so here is a list of things to consider when creating your resume sections;

Mandatory items

• Contact information
• Profile Summary or Objective
• Employment history
• Achievements and successes

Optional items

• Social projects and volunteer work
• Accolades, certificates
• Hobbies and interests

Even so, these are not stringent laws. Based on the tasks itself, often, some parts alter their relevance.

Avoid adding information to the resume.

When writing your resume steer-clear-of these things;   

• Do not include personal information like age, gender, race. Placing these could reject you from being interviewed because of discrimination-related issues.
• The modern resumes do not contain references or even a declaration like references available upon request.

If you don't know how a CV and resume is different from one another, then here is a resource on difference between CV and resume .

Profile summary versus objective statement

Resume Profile summary

Most resumes sound flat or devoid of personality because of the essential requirement of making your resume brief. Your best opportunity to apply some style, life, and character to your resume is the profile overview. It shows your commitment, optimistic attitude, and carries dry information with some feeling. The summary consists of approximately four lines of text. If your sentence is a bit long, it's not doomsday, but try to remain within the approximate ballpark. That is, your statement should add a unique touch to your resume, and it does not matter if you eliminate it. And besides, in your job application, you involve nearly the same details, in which you clarify what renders you a suitable fit for the job at hand. As a means of accounting for the systematic existence of your curriculum vitae, it is acceptable to follow a somewhat more personal approach.

The essential elements of description should include:

• Title, feature, or specialist category (such as Committed and dynamic media assistant )
• Outstanding successes and statistics
• Interpersonal and technical abilities
• Work-specific pitch or expert training ideal for the specific job

With the help of keywords and descriptive sentences, efficiently convey the synopsis. Stop long sentences that are factually complex. It makes the contributions and details pop out. A profile overview is a more comprehensive and consistent instrument. In some contexts, for instance, when you have no work experience, then the resume objective may have its place. A profile summary is a descriptive outline of your career skills- it is a responsive cover letter. It could include priorities, relevant experience, training, required skills, or relevant projects. The profile is somewhat longer than the objective and can convey clearly to an employer why you are a suitable candidate for the role.

Many companies prefer a description over an objective as they can usually discover more about the history of the applicant.

Interacting Professional customer service rep in a fast-paced corporate office setting with 5 + years of experience. Competent in translating input from customers into actionable information that boost sales, raise loyalty to customers, and enhance processes.

Resume objective

A resume objective is a concise declaration of one or two sentences that expresses your professional goals. It also indicates the kind of work or business you are aspiring for or the particular skill set you want to develop. For one who recognizes the specific job and field in which they want to be, and also whether that work or market is lucrative, an objective might be a reasonable option.  By explicitly stating it on your resume, it can be helpful for executives to precisely recognize what you want in a profession.

Enthusiastic project coordinator pursuing a mid-level role in higher education with the opportunity to continue to complete projects effectively.

Another alternative is to leave the profile and objective off and go directly into your associated expertise or necessary skills. Remember the level of competence and type of work you are applying for when making your decision, and what detail your employer may like to know beforehand. If you want to add a summary along with an objective statement, note that the longer your overview, the less possible it is for recruiters to read it in detail. 

A profile summary is a more integrative description of the skills and experiences that consider you the right candidate for the job, and a resume objective is a simple declaration of purpose for employers to know what you are seeking.

Job experience listing

If you have picked the reverse-chronological format, then this segment is the cornerstone of your successful resume. It is not only the spot where you display your quite incredible previous jobs, but by presenting essential facts, accomplishments, and numbers that define you as an excellent professional, you can also expand on each role.

It's not necessary to provide your whole record of jobs. Customize your career descriptions so that for a particular job post, you inspire your potential employer with the most appropriate job experience. It makes your resume brief, tidy, and precise as well.

If you want more information for writing an employment section of the resume, then check out this post on how to write relevant experience on a resume .

If you can identify figures, stats, or particular tasks that in previous jobs show your effectiveness, include it in your experience section. For instance, increased revenue after the launch of a referral incentive scheme by 15 percent. Hiring managers are considerate of descriptive statistics.

If you are an entry level job seeker with no work experience, then don't worry we have some great tips for you in this post on how to write a resume with no work experience.

It is useful to establish each role in the following format:

• Title of work, name of the business, place of employment
• Employment start and end date   
• Describe the outcomes and job position in the prior companies by using bullet points.

It is a better idea to keep a proper file or list of your progress, successes, tasks, and figures to consider. You will have a collection of insightful details available to incorporate into your resume.

If you are thinking of switching careers and don't know how to write a resume, then this resource covers everything you need to know on how to write a resume for changing careers .

Resume Skills

The expertise is your technical description, your building blocks, or skills.

That's where you undergo the proficiency check. This segment is more concrete than the summary, as hiring managers and computer systems will review the credentials based on a checklist. Also, there are a few valuable skills that are considered essential for a job.  So here are two vital bits of information: evaluate and examine the job requirements on what to include. Space is limited, and there can be many skills that you can mention in your resume skills segment. Ensure that those you define are at the top, and they are as per the requirements of the job.

Hard and soft resume skills are often misunderstood by even the experienced experts, as the distinction is a blur in some work areas. The golden rule is that interpersonal relationships, emotional intelligence, etc. are soft skills. Technical abilities are strategic qualities that are also criteria for finding work easier. Given the tactical acts, they refer to regular duties.

Here is a full guide on resume writing tips to include hard skills , list of organizational skills , time management skills, soft skills to add to a resume.

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Resume Education

Based on the occupation and business, the education segment varies in significance. There is no one size fits all solution to educational sections, as with many other cases. Professions such as lawyers, surgeons, and positions in hard sciences would have a heavy focus on formal qualifications. For some of these, in your education section or a different category, you may want to incorporate academic or related journals in your resume.

It is useful to remember that in the present times of digital information and technology, you can mention electronic certificates, boot camps, workshops, or services to your education segment.

In reverse-chronological order, highlight your new and unique academic achievements in your education segment.

Electronic and automated tracking systems

In writing a career-winning, eye-catching resume, we have covered a lot of the significant aspects you need to know. Yet, there are two vital components to making a proper technical key for your resume. Understanding the candidate monitoring systems and discovering how a hiring manager evaluates your resume. In several advanced nations, Applicant tracking software has become commonplace for large and medium-sized employers. With the number of applicants and prospective employees coming in every month, it is not always possible for personnel experts to maintain the pace.

So, so rather than extending recruiting teams to extreme levels, employers use electronic systems to assist with recruiting. An ATS has the purpose of analyzing, filtering, and rating your resume based on specific keywords. The fact that tracking software is always static is among the primary reasons for using online applications rather than text editors. Relevant to a particular framework, they analyze your resume. A significant proportion of resumes are filtering out irrespective of their technical material due to design glitches, photos, charts, disturbed header information, etc. That is why it is so crucial to use proven instruments that deliver a perfect resume without secret layout drawbacks. Industry information is dependent on your qualifications and analysis. You may depend on your experience or job-related lead.  It is, therefore, always an excellent idea to study the company's website. In choosing ATS terminology for your resume pages, the job role is your most valuable support. The core qualifications and interpersonal skills for the position are also present in job postings. Be ready to identify and include these in the content of your resume. Don't forget, if the job specification is too wordy, there is a useful resource for making sense of it: Tag clouds. For example, using wordle or tag crowd, you can easily copy-paste a job posting text and get a visual display of its words. 

Shifting on to the human element of recruiting: note two main points about how a hiring manager perceives your resume. First of all, consider the number of applications filed. For some businesses, the fact is hundreds of resumes. Stop being uninteresting, low-energy. Do not overdo it, but you should evaluate if your document is too low-key or an exaggerated resume.

Never use technical terms to confuse hiring managers. The vocabulary and 'internal jargon' of all occupations, but not all headhunters know. Present the technical knowledge, but ensure they are stretched out, and the interpersonal skills and strengths sound understandable and rational.

Country-related resumes

Lastly, remember the regional complexities of recruiting if you're trying to move or find another job overseas. When it comes to quality resumes, every area or even nation has cultural, ethical, and technological complexities. In some ways, Asia, Europe, and the United States can be radically distinct.  It's a better idea to do your study on the country and region-specific industry also. To extend your expertise, discover foreign communities, communication events, and reference materials.

If you submit to a different nation, you need to be specific about your ethnicity, visa status, and communication skills on your resume. It is essential information for global resumes. Here is a complete resource on resume writing tips for an international job .

List of things to know when writing a resume

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Job Description Keyword Search

The best strategy when planning to write a resume is to research the job listings that attract you. You should review every job requirement for phrases that indicate what the recruiter is searching for in a suitable candidate when you apply for various jobs. Where appropriate, incorporate those keyword phrases in your resume. 

Analyze and consider industry-specific resume example 

You should review resume examples from your field for guidance and industry standards while tailoring your resume. Although there are several ways in which you can view a sample resume, you should search for these main points;

• The resume example that we have developed is direct and clear, as there is a minimum period for hr managers to assess your resume, so legibility is useful. It also means selecting a professional, spotless font.
• In our sample resume, there are the overview and experience details in every segment of the resume sample, and it is brief and well-defined. Using only the appropriate and applicable data ensures that hiring managers can collect more knowledge about you and evaluate your competence for the job fast.
• Your experience segment might also have facts and figures. Statistics make it easier for them to appreciate the advantage that you can add to the organization.

Note that do not mirror these example resume when using resume samples. So, these example resumes are beneficial in your field and job title as illustrations of top-quality resumes.

Professional font

It should be straightforward and easily readable, as recruiters have only a limited time to examine your resume. You can use a simple, formal-looking font such as Times New Roman, Calibri, or Helvetica. If your resume font size is between 10-12 points, it will make your resume look more presentable by using a simple, readable font. Since the purpose of selecting a font should be clarity, you want to eliminate small or light fonts, as they can be hard to decipher on a screen.

You should also check that any unnecessary whitespace is negligible or deleted. Too much blank space may make your resume appear incomplete, confusing the reader, and maybe raise a valid concern. By reducing additional white space, you can make it convenient for the resume reviewer to dwell only on the substance of the curriculum vitae rather than the white space. By raising your font size to 12 points and probably adding an extra section like skills or achievements, you may minimize white space.

Position relevant information first.

Though you may have significant work or academic education, despite missing out on essential points, it is vital to keep your resume as concise as possible. The employers do not invest a great deal of time reading each resume. Studies have shown that recruiters invest just 7 seconds per resume. It can deviate from important information if your resume contains old or insignificant records, for instance, details related to your 10-year-old work experience or minor studies and accomplishments.

Aim to select only the most valuable job experience, accomplishments, qualifications, and skills as per the recruiter's requirements.  By reviewing the career description, you will identify the optimal attributes. To catch attention to specific experience and qualifications, you should give extra importance to crucial details on your resume.

Include action verbs and language

Terms that represent an action are action verbs. Action verbs are used in a resume to showcase your abilities, experience, and achievements. They are descriptive, explain your accomplishments, and carry your resume to a positive tone. Implementing specific and precise action verbs will improve the chances of catching an employer's interest and progressing to the next stage in the recruitment process.

You have a minimum time to capture their interest as the hiring managers skim through thousands of resumes. It's necessary to prevent weak and passive verbs when writing a resume, keep clear from business terminology or clichés, and look out for redundant terms and phrases.  Poor sentence construction will undermine the consistency and effectiveness of your resume. Alternatively, use strong action verbs to prevent overusing the exact words.

Listing important Accomplishments

Instead of describing your job duties under the experience segment, pick your top three or four overall valuable accomplishments in each position.   If appropriate, provide statistics for the specific successes to measure your progress. To explicitly outline valid achievements in your education, employment, voluntary work, or other experiences, you may also mention adding a dedicated Accomplishments or Skills portion.

Add appropriate headings and sections.

You will discover there are a few segments you do not require if you are using a resume template or building your own. For instance, you may want a resume overview or a resume objective, but you should not add both.

Don't include a blank work history segment if you are only graduating from college or school and have not yet taken a professional job. But, you may substitute related assignments, academic accomplishments, and other activities such as work placements or extra-curricular activities, projects for the experience category. If you have trouble filling a section, then you may find it functional to merge them.

Entry-level or Student Resume writing tips.

The main phase in the career of every young student is writing your initial resume. It is your chance to demonstrate why you are an exceptional applicant and how you have equipped yourself to excel in your first job. As you reach the job market and create a resume with no job experience, you want to reflect on other opportunities that have helped you build a specific skill set, discuss your best attributes and showcase your education. 

The majority of your resume will overflow with your job experience section after you have worked as a professional for many years. Before then, you must demonstrate how you develop skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for and showcase insights that reflect your skillset.

Experience: In each position, be sure to highlight the skills you have, especially those listed in the job application. Here you can also list any accomplishments you are glad of, including progress that you have made over time or unique objectives that you have completed. You can include the experience section with these;

• Part-time or temp jobs like babysitting or mowing lawns
• Extra-curricular activities
• Internships
• Volunteer work

Skills: The purpose of an initial job resume is to convey your potential as an applicant and reveal to hiring managers why their business will profit from hiring you. The foremost thing to do is research the job requirements and mention any particular abilities you have or criteria you may meet.

Note that companies are looking for a blend of soft and hard skills. Soft skills apply to almost any job, like team leadership or verbal communication. Usually, skills that you grasp through advanced schooling or on-the-job training, such as technical proficiency or fluency in a foreign language, are acquired abilities. When recruiting for entry-level jobs, since interpersonal skills are not easy to teach, and so many recruiters appreciate soft skills over hard skills.

Make sure that you only provide the details that are most useful to the job role. If you apply for a position as an administrative assistant, for instance, you don't need to explain how your work as a lawnmower helped develop your mowing skills. But you may share how the experience assisted you in developing time management skills and the capabilities to manage various tasks at once. You have to make sure the recruiter can see how your qualifications match with their preferences by modifying your resume for each position you apply. The core relevant skills for a student or entry-level applicant are;

• Time management
• Organizational skills
• Problem-solving
• Customer service
• Active listening
• Microsoft Excel

Education:  It's necessary to accentuate your academic success when you're designing your first resume. It will convince recruiters that you can resolve obstacles, adhere to your responsibilities, and discover new things. You may also use this platform to present coursework that is relevant to the position that you have taken. 

Things to consider while creating a student resume or an entry-level resume;

• By reviewing your resume for typing errors, grammatical mistakes, and contradictions, display your eye for detail. Before you send it to an organization, try asking a friend or mentor to read through the job application. Always give it another analysis every time you configure your resume.
• Hiring managers want to recognize that you are confident about your successes and abilities. Ensure this flows through by emphasizing all the primary and most successful qualities and attainments in the resume.
• Hiring managers have many resumes to evaluate and may scan your resume for a few seconds. Your resume needs to be impressive but concise. For the employer, it should be simple to discover how your background and expertise fit with the position they offer.

It is an exciting opportunity as a new graduate to write your initial resume. It's a chance to show hiring managers how you have trained yourself for the working environment and how you can add value to their company.  You can build on that by formulating a convincing resume today as you enhance your knowledge and experience during your career. Try our HipCV resume maker and create an impressive student resume now!

Select suitable margins 

You should usually use a one-inch margin size with single spaces between the rows on both sides of your resume. If you have white space, then consider having the lines spaced by 1.15.  If you notice it is tough to complete your CV, you can also raise your margins, but they should be within two inches. 

You should conduct multiple iterations of proofreading before submitting your application to verify there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes. Although there are many proofreading services and resources that you can use, asking reliable friends or colleagues to evaluate your resume is also useful. For an impartial third party, it is worthwhile to check your resume to find ways to address an error or strengthen it. 

Unique Resume for job roles

You must see for yourself whether you can make it easy for the recruiter to see your worth for a job position.  Maybe you need another edition of your resume to explain your credentials if you are applying for a work that has specific requirements. Determine on a case-by-case scenario, as different work positions require a definite type of resume.

The first move to securing an interview with a company is always your resume. Make sure that you focus on providing the crucial details, arrange it, emphasize, and search for mistakes. It should facilitate you to get more job offers, interviews once your resume is streamlined and completed.

Listing references on your resume

In the appropriate circumstances, citing references on a resume is not suitable these days, but can give you a competitive advantage. When expressly asked to do so, the approach to having an interview may be highlighting references on a resume. In their job description, managers also provide unique criteria to indicate that candidates spend quality time going through their advertisement. If the job listing calls for that same amount of credentials to be present on a resume, this is a reasonable chance to integrate them on your resume. The choice is affected by a strong network, so you ought to make the content as available as possible.

Don't highlight your network on your resume if the job ad doesn't request for references and you're new to the field. Moving into a new company or joining in after school might mean you have an underdeveloped group in the sector of well-known individuals. Over time, a network will arrive, but if the references on your resumes are not in link to the business or an impressive name from the industry, reserve them until necessary.

• Use practical designs and tools as per the requirements of employers and ensure it is acceptable with tracking software.
• Use suitable and tested technologies for content, cognition, and visual perception.
• Provide the essential elements showing your work experience and as it can inspire the recruiter.   
• Scrutinize the portions beneficial for your field. 
• Consider writing an overview to align into your synopsis as a professional with some personality, inspirational phrasing, keywords, and skills.   
• Keep out long formal structures so that the description is short, but pop out at the reader with your strengths and accomplishments.
• To determine what talents or other things to identify, evaluate the job posting.
• Use web formatting software to stop being left out.
• Do intrinsic studies on the company before applying for the job.
• Save PDF document file format. 
• Ensure an easily readable and accessible resume by an employer and electronic system.
• Do internet research on the country of employment you want to apply. 
• Link with individuals who share your dialect in the local industry.  
• Take into account different cultures and overall presentation style.
• Browse for contexts of regional resumes.
• Do not use old-school editing software that operates for hours and is mostly unreliable with the application of the employer.
• Do not Invest hours designing from scratch the ideal design, only to find it has technical glitches.
• Do not include every possible portion, increasing your resume to full capacity.
• Do not include party photos from your social media accounts.  
• Do not name every milestone or experience, regardless of space available.
• Do not write a review in the context of a long first-perspective narrative that is bland or incoherent.
• Don't forget to list the essential attributes and accomplishments.
• Do not overlook analytical procedures, like ATS and recommendations for the format.
• Do not use simple text filters that an ATS will block you out.
• Don't Send a standard resume to every employer without taking into consideration the details of the business.
• Do not introduce too many phrases unnecessarily, making a resume unreadable.
• For each employment region, don't employ a similar resume.
• Do not disregard the legal and moral practices of local culture and perspective.
• Do not presume that design and resume sizes are the same everywhere.

Here are a few additional ways to restructure your resume:

• Consider excluding terms with fillers such as like, and that.
• Choose 2-3 main contributions you have made in those positions rather than stating each feature of any job you have held.
• Incorporate various short statements into one if you have two similar lines.
• Only include your recent 10 years of experience.
• Rather than sentences, use brief bullet points.

Guide on how to include hobbies and interest on a resume

Most job hunters are unclear if their applications can contain hobbies or interests. You may not be sure what to integrate if you plan to insert your interests and hobbies. We will examine in this post when and how to include hobbies in a resume and examples of what kinds are suitable to add. 

The general opinion, at one point, was that it was irrelevant to include hobbies and interests on a resume. Nowadays, although many businesses are searching for employees that can blend in with the environment of the organization, and one approach to do this is to have a clear understanding of hobbies and interests. You want to be sure they render you an even more appealing work prospect if you're going to have hobbies and interests on your resume. Any form of connection to the work you are interested in is the ideal interest for resume and display to the employer that you are a suitable candidate for the position. Examples of successful hobbies and interests entail:

• Creative hobbies like painting, drawing, and writing indicate that you have creative thinking and can focus on issues from an imaginative viewpoint.
• Team sports like volleyball and football prove that you can function well with individuals, have skills and attributes, and can coordinate.
• Endurance sports example involves marathon swimming or running that highlights your persistence and motivation.
• Individual sports such as yoga and archery show you are patient and centered.
• Thought hobbies such as chess, playing a musical instrument illustrate that you are tactical thinking and showcasing analytical and creative abilities.
• Community engagement demonstrates that you function with others and care about serving your society.
• Social hobbies involve books or garden clubs. They prove that you have the experience of working and engaging in local projects with others.
• Collecting rare books or stamps on your resume is something you can incorporate. Maintaining your selection reveals an enthusiasm for your interest and perseverance to specifics.

The main rules you want to keep in account when you are placing together your hobbies and interests checklist for a resume.

All across your overall resume, you should always be genuine, so this covers your hobbies and interests segment. Before preparing your resume, you may have to do some research when specifically writing any hobbies or interests. This way, if you have anything in common with the prospective recruiter, you can incorporate that interest to get the attention of the employer. You can also be descriptive, along with being truthful. As most people travel, citing travel as leisure isn't exceptional. After all, it will help make your resume stand out by stating that you traveled to New York for a conference on global assistance.

You want your resume to be unforgettable. It's distinctive to say you're playing a bocce ball game on the holidays, and it suggests you can interact with members of the team. 

Full Guide on How to put hobbies and interests on a resume .

Resume Builder / Resume Maker

The global change has led to a Digital Revolution, and all facets of the internet play a prominent role. As well as businesses and recruiters seeking their potential applicants, the technology has transformed the way people look for jobs. Specialists in resume writing claim that conventional resumes are obsolete. 

Can you guess how many recruiters around the world use an applicant tracking software to filter inappropriate resume format on automated systems?

Don't know: 75% yes, it is a lot. That's where a resume builder comes in. Many resume builder sites, templates, and applications for resume builders are accessible. Online Resume Builders enables job hunters to build virtual resumes, and even specialized online job sites allow applicants to generate and upload resumes in a viewable template.

HipCV resume builder is a useful resource that can assist you via the process of developing one or offer you tips for your resume. The use of a resume builder has advantages, and you will benefit from one as a job seeker.

Benefits of HipCV resume builder / resume maker / resume creator

• HipCV resume builder helps you develop an up-to-date professional and stylish resume.
• Since your resume is appealing and responsive, you'll make a compelling initial impression on a prospective employer.
• Our HipCV resume maker can either direct you via the data input process or provide you with a template that you can enter in. And if you ever have an experience where you don't know where to start and what to write. Then this problem is entirely solved by a resume generator.
• A resume builder can save time, mainly if you are not familiar with using programs for design or if you don't have a lot of resume development experience. You don't need to try to find out how to insert a section or border, as it is already built-in.
• You can pick the templates that best suit your personality and features that apply to your application. Resume creators give you options like to mix and match components of the resume implies that it is possible to tailor the final product instead of a generic format.
• A resume builder advises you to enter all of your contact details, as well as prior employer lists, work dates, and other typical information. That can help to ensure you're not missing out on anything valuable. Templates and samples by browsing can also offer you with latest and fresh ideas.
• HipCV Resume Maker makes it easy to customize a resume and share data. To adjust the details to various employers, you can somewhat tweak a resume. For instance, you may want to highlight your organizational experience in one resume. But if you apply for an accounting job, you may build another version to showcase your accounting knowledge.
• Usually, depending on the positions they are working in, the applicants will produce several iterations of their resume. Once the resume is ready, then you can save it in PDF format. And no need to think about the technology development of managing or maintaining the web.

Here is a blog post on resume builder tools and guide on what is the best resume builder?

What are the red flags in a resume

Recruiters and hiring managers pay close attention to tricky signs on resumes that you might forget while writing one. To avoid being turned down for jobs, it's important to know how to avoid these signs that make hiring managers concerned. Here are some common warning signs to steer clear of;

Using AI-generated Content:  Instead of quickly making a resume with ChatGPT, which is a tool that helps generate text, take the time to add specific details. While AI can be useful for getting ideas or creating a basic structure, it might make your resume seem unclear and lack personality. If your resume doesn't match the job ad or lacks details about your experience, it could suggest to employers that you're in a hurry and not very interested in the job.

• Having Long Employment Gaps:  Big unexplained breaks in your career can make employers worry about your commitment. If your resume shows years without work, employers might think you'll struggle to adapt to changes in the industry or need extra training to catch up. To address this, fill in these gaps with activities that show your involvement in the field, like freelance work, volunteering, or taking professional development courses. Mention these courses on your resume or provide a link to an online portfolio. This way, you can demonstrate to employers that you used your time away from a regular job to gain skills and experiences that are relevant to the job you want.
• Excessive job hopping : Seeing a lot of jobs in a short period can make employers wary. If you’ve had multiple jobs in the past few years or have a history of leaving positions quickly, you might look guilty of “job hopping.” Employers view it as a significant risk to commit time, money, and effort to a candidate who may take the next opportunity immediately. To avoid this red flag, try to stay at each job for at least a year or two before moving on. If you have a good reason for leaving a job early, such as a layoff or a company closure, be sure to explain it on your resume.
• Typos and grammatical errors : Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can make you look unprofessional and careless. Always proofread your resume carefully, and ask a friend or family member to read it over as well. You can also use online tools like Grammarly to help you catch any errors you might have missed.
• Lack of relevant experience : If your resume doesn’t show that you have the skills and experience needed for the job you’re applying for, it’s unlikely that you’ll get an interview. Make sure your resume highlights your most relevant experience and skills, and tailor it to each job you apply for.
• Unprofessional email address : If your email address is something like “[email protected]” or “[email protected],” it’s time to create a new one. It's important that your email address must be both unique and appropriate. Try to use your name or initials, and avoid using numbers or special characters.

What is the golden triangle of a resume

The "Golden Triangle" of a resume refers to the top portion of a resume where the reader's attention is typically focused. It's called the "Golden Triangle" because, when you draw an imaginary triangle on the top of the resume, the key information falls within this area. This is crucial because recruiters and hiring managers often spend only a brief amount of time initially scanning a resume. The three points of the Golden Triangle are usually;

• Name and Contact Information:  This is typically at the top of the resume and includes your full name, phone number, email address, and sometimes your LinkedIn profile.
• Professional Summary or Objective Statement:  A concise statement that summarizes your key qualifications and career goals. This should give a quick snapshot of who you are as a professional.
• Key Skills:  A list of relevant skills that you possess, usually tailored to the specific job you are applying for. This can include both hard and soft skills.

The goal is to make sure that this top section of your resume quickly communicates essential information about you, making it easy for the reader to understand your qualifications and decide whether to continue reading. It's important to customize this section for each job application to highlight the most relevant information for the specific role.

How do I make my resume not look like a job hopper

If you’re worried about your resume making you look like a job hopper, there are some strategies you can use to demonstrate that you are a valuable employee—even if you have had some short stints at several jobs. Here are some tips to consider;

• Be strategic with your dates of employment : One of the easiest and most basic strategies to downplay the appearance of job hopping is to remove the months from the dates of your work experience.
• Keep the current position short and sweet : If you’ve been at your current job for less than a year, consider leaving it off your resume altogether.
• Use your cover letter strategically : Use your cover letter to explain why you left previous jobs and why you’re interested in the position you’re applying for.
• Consider a hybrid functional resume / chronological resume : This type of resume highlights your skills and accomplishments first and then lists your work history in chronological order. 

Why does my resume keep getting rejected

Your resume might be rejected for a number of reasons. These are a few possible explanations for resume rejection;

• Not tailoring your resume : If you’re applying for different jobs, it’s important to tailor your resume to the specific job you’re applying for. This entails emphasizing the qualifications and experiences that are most applicable to the position.
• Listing only responsibilities : Instead of listing only your responsibilities under your work experience section, focus on your achievements. This will help showcase the skills that could set you apart from other applicants and land you an interview.
• Using the same resume for every job : Using the same resume for every job can cause your resume to never reach the hands of the HR manager because it might not even pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
• Formatting issues : Typos, formatting issues, or unwanted additions can disqualify many resumes at a glance.
• Applying for the wrong jobs : Applying for jobs that you’re not qualified for can also lead to rejection.

Do you put your address on a CV

Traditionally, employers tend to reply to submitted applications through physical mail, hence it was customary to include an address on a resume. However, today, most communication about the hiring process takes place online. For that reason, it's not always required to include the entire address. Also, you might want to withhold your physical address from potential employers until you've built rapport with them. In this case, it’s often acceptable to leave your full address off your resume. If you do decide to include your address, it’s recommended to include only the town and county rather than a full address. If you are applying for a very desirable job, you may consider relocating for it. In this case, you can mention your willingness to relocate in place of your current address.

How many references do you need on a CV

The number of references you should include on your CV depends on the role and the company. According to Indeed, three is the minimum number of references to include on your job application. However, some employers may require you to list six or seven references with your application, especially for senior positions in government agencies.

It’s best to contemplate individuals in your professional network who know you well as an employee and list at least three you can contact for your job search. The best candidates for your reference sheet are individuals who know a lot about your professional background, excluding family members and close friends. Here are some examples of contacts you can ask to be your reference;

• Past Employer : Ask them to be referred by the boss who assessed the standard of your work. They can talk about how they handled you as an employee and how well you carried out directions. 
• Previous coworker : Consider requesting a coworker to serve as your reference if you would like someone you don't work for to vouch for your work ethic. They can talk about your ability to work well with people and handle obstacles at work, which will leave an impression on the hiring manager. 
• Teacher : If you're new to the sector, it could be helpful to list an instructor or past teacher as a reference.

References must to be put on your resume if the hiring manager specifically requests them, if you are a student looking for your initial job, or if there is a blank spot at the end that has to be completed in for your resume to be considered complete.

Do you put your address on a resume

When it comes to including your address on a resume, there are a few options to consider. You can choose to include your full address, only the city and state, or no address at all. If you decide to include your full address, it’s best to list it near the top of your resume. However, it’s important to note that including your address is not mandatory, and many job seekers opt to leave it off their resumes. The decision to include your address on your resume may depend on the company and the position you’re applying for. Some companies may prefer to recruit employees from the same area as the workplace, while others may respect the privacy of candidates who prefer to send resumes without their addresses. In summary, whether or not to include your address on your resume is a personal choice. If you do choose to include it, make sure to list it near the top of your resume and ensure that it’s accurate and up-to-date.

How do I make my resume stand out

To make your resume more noticeable, follow these tips;

1.  Understand what the employer wants : Before creating your resume, check the job posting and company website. Choose carefully what to include, considering the company's culture, important words, and the role's expectations.

2.  Customize it for your field and the job : Highlight work experience that shows relevant skills. For example, if you're applying for a newspaper reporter job, focus on your experience as a college reporter rather than unrelated roles.

3.  Add a header and summary : Help your resume stand out by including a header with your name at the top. If there's space, use a slightly larger font. Include your contact information for easy reach.

4.  Make it visually appealing : Use a clean and easy-to-read format. Avoid too many colors or fonts. Use bullet points to emphasize key details. Organize your resume well to make it easy to read.

5.  Show your achievements with numbers : Instead of general statements, use numbers and statistics to highlight accomplishments. For example, say "Increased sales by 20% in Q1 2023" rather than just "Increased sales."

6.  Proofread : Ensure your resume is error-free. Ask a friend or family member to review it too. Fresh eyes can catch mistakes you might have overlooked.

7.  Use keywords : Companies often use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan resumes for keywords. Include relevant keywords in your resume to increase the chances of being noticed.

Which font is best for a resume

Choosing the right font for your resume is important as it can impact the readability and overall impression of your application. The best fonts for a resume are those that are simple, clean, and easy to read. Here are some of the most recommended fonts for resumes;

• Avenir Next

Times New Roman

It’s important to note that the font size should be between  10-12 points . Additionally, it’s best to avoid using fonts that are too intricate or overly stylized as they can make your resume difficult to read.

Should I put my age on my resume

It is best to leave your age off your resume as it can put you at a disadvantage by leaving recruiters and hiring managers with the opportunity to discriminate against you based on your age. It is not legal for employers to request your date of birth, so it’s best to avoid listing your age or date of birth on your resume.

Should I put my phone number on my resume

It is essential to include your phone number on your resume as it provides a quick and direct line of communication between you and a potential employer. Answering a phone call saves a lot of time and adds convenience for scheduling interviews. It is best to use your personal cell phone number so you can be contacted directly. The format and presentation of your phone number should be clear and concise. You can use one of the following formats or something similar: 555-555-5555 or (555) 555-5555.

What are employers looking for in a resume

Employers generally look for specific qualities and information in a resume to assess whether a candidate is a good fit for a job. Here are some key aspects employers often seek;

• Relevant Skills:  Employers want to see that you possess the skills required for the job. This includes both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (communication, teamwork).
• Experience:  Your work history should demonstrate relevant experience. Highlight accomplishments and responsibilities that align with the job you're applying for.
• Achievements:  Employers value measurable achievements. Use quantifiable metrics to showcase your contributions, such as increasing sales, improving efficiency, or leading successful projects.
• Tailoring to the Job:  Customize your resume for each job application. Align your skills and experiences with the specific requirements of the position.
• Education:  Include your educational background, especially if it's directly relevant to the job. Mention any relevant certifications or training.
• Clear Format:  Use a clean and organized format. Employers appreciate resumes that are easy to read and quickly convey important information.
• Summary or Objective:  A brief summary or objective statement at the beginning of your resume can provide employers with a quick overview of your career goals and qualifications.
• Contact Information:  Ensure your contact details are up-to-date and easy to find.
• Relevance to Industry:  Highlight experiences and skills that are particularly relevant to the industry in which you're applying.
• Keywords:  Use keywords from the job description to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and demonstrate that your resume is tailored to the specific job.

Remember, employers often receive numerous resumes for a single position, so it's crucial to make your resume stand out by showcasing your strengths and aligning with the employer's needs.

What makes an unbeatable resume

A good resume is crucial for job candidates searching for a new job. It helps you differentiate yourself from competing candidates and puts you in a better position to secure an interview with the hiring manager. Here are some characteristics of a good resume;

• Power words : Action verbs that provide a brief and effective context of your experience and the value you bring to an organization. To assist the hiring manager identify your resume, use action verbs carefully throughout it. 
• Keywords : Depending on the employer, your resume may benefit from including a varied collection of keywords. For the position you're looking for, you can search the job title for relevant keywords. 
• Relevant skills : Convey the skills that make you a qualified candidate and make you worthy of proceeding to the next step of the interview process.
• Confidence : Use confident language to describe your achievements and responsibilities.
• Clarity and quantitative units : Use clear and concise language to describe your work experience. Use quantitative units to describe your achievements.
• White space : Empty space on your resume, known as white space, are vital. They make your resume look good and help people read it easily.
• Free of errors : Proofread your resume to ensure it is free of errors.
• Consistent information : Ensure that the information in your resume is consistent throughout.

Remember, a good resume is not only about substance but also about presentation. While it might be tempting to dress up your resume with fancy fonts and graphics, it’s much more compelling to have a clean, fuss-free design and layout.

What does an unprofessional resume look like

An unprofessional resume can be a major turn-off for potential employers. Here are some common mistakes that can make a resume look unprofessional;

• Spelling and grammar errors : These mistakes can make a resume look sloppy and unprofessional. It’s important to proofread your resume carefully and have someone else review it as well.
• Inappropriate graphics : Graphics on a resume can be distracting and make it look unprofessional. It’s best to keep graphics to a minimum and only use them if they add value to the resume.
• Lack of achievements : A resume that only lists job responsibilities without any achievements can make it look unprofessional. It’s important to highlight your accomplishments and show how you added value to your previous roles.
• Irrelevant information : Including irrelevant information on a resume can make it look unprofessional and cluttered. Provide only details that are related to the position you are seeking.
• Poor formatting : A resume that is difficult to read or poorly formatted can make it look unprofessional. Use a clean and simple format that is easy to read.
• Lack of attention to detail : A resume that shows a lack of attention to detail can make it look unprofessional. Make sure your resume is error-free and that all information is accurate.
• Using the same resume for every job : Using the same resume for every job can make it look unprofessional. Modify your resume to each job you apply for to show that you’re a good fit for the role.

Note that your resume often acts as a prospective employer's initial perception of you. Make sure it’s professional and error-free to increase your chances of landing an interview.

Why is it so hard to write a resume

Writing a resume can be challenging for many reasons. According to a Forbes article, one of the reasons is that it’s difficult to convey your work story in a compelling and concise manner. Another reason is that it’s challenging to create a resume that defeats the applicant tracking system that most companies employ on LinkedIn and elsewhere to sort you out. Additionally, it can be tough to know where to start, what to include, what to leave out, and how to structure your resume for maximum impact. However, by taking the time for introspection and self-reflection, you can gain a better understanding of your strengths, experiences, and career goals.

What is the hardest part of resume

The hardest part of writing a resume varies from person to person. However, some common challenges that people face while writing a resume include;

• Identifying the right keywords : It’s important to use the right keywords in your resume to make it more discoverable by recruiters and hiring managers. However, identifying the right keywords can be challenging.
• Keeping it concise : A resume should be concise and to the point. However, it can be difficult to summarize your entire career in a few bullet points.
• Writing about achievements : Many people struggle with writing about their achievements. It’s important to highlight your accomplishments in your resume to show your value to potential employers.
• Formatting : Formatting your resume can be a challenge, especially if you’re not familiar with the latest trends and best practices.
• Optimizing your resume : Tailoring your resume to the job you’re applying for is important to increase your chances of getting hired. However, it can be time-consuming and challenging to customize your resume for each job application. 

How do I know if my resume is good enough

There are several ways to determine if your resume is good enough. Here are some guidelines to assist you in reviewing your CV;

• Use an ATS resume checker : An ATS resume checker can help you identify common resume problems and ensure that your resume is free of errors.
• Compare your resume to the job description : Review the job description and compare it to your resume. Check that that the qualifications and skills you have that are applicable to the position are highlighted in your resume.
• Get feedback from others : Ask a friend, family member, or mentor to review your resume and provide feedback. They may be able to identify areas for improvement that you may have missed.
• Check your resume for typos and grammatical errors : Typos and grammatical errors can make your resume look unprofessional. When sending your CV, take the time that you thoroughly proofread it.
• Ensure that your resume is well-formatted : A well-formatted resume is easy to read and visually appealing. Make sure that your resume is well-organized and uses consistent formatting throughout.
• Tweak your resume : Customize your resume for each job application to increase your chances of getting hired. Make sure that your resume highlights the skills and experiences that are relevant to the job.

What is the most liked resume format

The "most liked" resume format can vary based on industry, job level, and personal preferences of recruiters and hiring managers. Although the two most popular and generally recognized resume forms are the following;

Chronological Resume

• This format lists your work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job.
• It emphasizes your employment history and progression in your career.
• Suitable for those with a strong, consistent work history and when applying for positions within the same or a related field.

Functional (or Skills-Based) Resume

• Emphasizes your credentials and capabilities over your employment background.
• Highlights specific skills and achievements relevant to the job, which can be useful for those with employment gaps or changing careers.
• Provides a different approach to organizing information, allowing you to showcase your capabilities prominently.

In recent years, a combination of these formats, known as the "Combination Resume" or "Hybrid Resume," has gained popularity. It incorporates elements of both chronological and functional formats, allowing you to highlight skills while also presenting a chronological work history.

What resumes do employers prefer

Employers' preferences for resume formats can vary based on factors such as the industry, the specific job, and individual hiring managers. However, some general guidelines suggest that many employers appreciate certain qualities in a resume. Here are a few considerations;

• Clarity and Readability:  Employers prefer resumes that are easy to read and quickly convey important information. Make use of bullet points and appropriate headings to create a neat, structured arrangement.
• Relevance to the Job:  Tailor your resume to the specific job by highlighting relevant skills, experiences, and achievements. Employers appreciate seeing how your qualifications align with the requirements of the position.
• Chronological Order:  The chronological resume format, which lists work experience in reverse chronological order, is often preferred. It offers a concise professional advancement timeline.
• Quantifiable Achievements:  Employers value measurable achievements. Use numbers and metrics to highlight your accomplishments, such as increased sales percentages or successful project outcomes.
• Appropriate Length:  While there's no strict rule, a resume that is concise and to the point is generally preferred. Aim for a length that effectively communicates your qualifications without overwhelming the reader.
• Professional Appearance:  Ensure that your resume looks professional. Use a clean and modern layout, avoid excessive graphics, and proofread for errors.
• Customization:  Customize your resume for each job application. Employers appreciate candidates who take the time to align their resumes with the specific needs of the position.
• Skills Section:  Include a skills section that highlights both technical and soft skills relevant to the job. This section gives you a brief overview of your skills.

It's necessary to research the norms within your industry and consider the preferences of the specific company or hiring manager. Additionally, pay attention to any specific instructions or requirements outlined in the job posting.

What's the best font for a resume

When choosing a font for your resume, it's to prioritize readability and professionalism. Here are some widely accepted and commonly recommended fonts for resumes;

• Clean, modern, and widely used.
• Easy to read, making it a safe choice for various industries.
• Modern and clean, with a slightly wider appearance.
• Readable on both print and digital formats.
• Simple, classic, and easy to read.
• Provides a professional and polished look.
• Traditional and widely used in professional documents.
• Serif font that may be considered more conservative.
• Elegant and easy to read.
• A font with serifs that offers a sense of enhancement
• Classic and elegant, with a bit more character.
• A serif font suitable for traditional industries.
• Modern and easy to read, especially in smaller sizes.
• Sans-serif font that works well for online applications.

It's generally recommended to stick to standard, professional fonts to ensure your resume is easily readable by both humans and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Additionally, use a consistent font throughout your resume for a polished and cohesive appearance. Keep in mind that the font size should be legible (usually 10-12 points), and you can use bold or italic formatting for emphasis when needed. 

How many skills should I put in my resume

The number of skills you include in your resume should strike a balance between showcasing your strengths and maintaining clarity. Here are some guidelines to help you determine how many skills to include;

• Relevance to the Job:  Focus on skills that are directly relevant to the job you're applying for. Modify your skills section to highlight those most essential to the position.
• Key Strengths:  Highlight your key strengths and areas of expertise. These should align with the requirements and qualifications mentioned in the job description.
• Quality Over Quantity:  Prioritize quality over quantity. Include skills that truly set you apart and are significant to the role.
• Balance Technical and Soft Skills:  Include a mix of technical skills (job-specific abilities) and soft skills (communication, teamwork). This gives you a more complete picture of your skill set.
• Customization:  Customize your skills section for each job application. Some skills may be more relevant to certain positions, so tailor your list accordingly.
• Clarity and Readability:  Ensure that your resume remains clear and readable. Avoid overwhelming the reader with an extensive list of skills. Aim for a concise and well-organized presentation.
• Highlight Core Competencies:  Consider creating a separate section for "Core Competencies" or "Key Skills" at the top of your resume. This allows you to highlight a select set of skills that immediately grab the employer's attention.

As a general guideline, having 5 to 10 key skills is often sufficient. This range allows you to showcase your strengths without making the skills section too lengthy or diluting the impact of your most important qualifications. Remember that the goal is to provide a snapshot of your capabilities, enticing the employer to learn more about you in the interview.

What are the 7 basic steps to write the perfect resume

Crafting a perfect resume takes effort, but following these 7 steps will get you well on your way;

• Gather Your Info:  Before you dive in, collect all your employment details, educational background, certifications, and skills (both technical and soft) relevant to the jobs you're targeting.
• Choose a Format:  Decide on a resume format that showcases your strengths. There are a few popular options, such as chronological (highlights work experience), functional (focuses on skills), or a combination of both.
• Build Your Contact Section:  This is your first impression, so make sure it's clear and easy to find. Your resume contains your name, mobile number, formal email address, and a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile.
• Craft a Summary or Objective:  A compelling summary statement at the top can grab the reader's attention. Emphasize your qualifications and experience while adjusting it to the particular position you're looking for. 
• Detail Your Work Experience:  List your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. For each role, use bullet points to showcase your achievements and quantify your results whenever possible.
• Showcase Your Skills:  Create a dedicated skills section where you list your most relevant abilities. Make sure the ATS sees your resume by including phrases from the job specification. 
• Highlight Your Education:  List your educational background, including the name of the institution, degree earned, and graduation year. Include relevant coursework or academic achievements if they strengthen your candidacy.

What are the 5 tips for writing a resume

Here are five tips for writing a resume;

• Tailor it to the job : Customize your resume for each position you apply for. Highlight skills, experiences, and achievements that are most relevant to the job description. This shows employers that you understand their needs and are a good fit for the role.
• Keep it concise and organized : Employers typically spend only a few seconds scanning a resume, so make sure yours is easy to read and navigate. Use clear headings, bullet points, and concise language to convey your qualifications. Try to keep your CV to one page, unless you have a lot of experience related to the role. 
• Highlight achievements, not just duties : Instead of simply listing your job responsibilities, focus on your accomplishments and how they contributed to the success of your previous roles. To show your influence, define your accomplishments using figures or numbers. 
• Use a professional format and design : Choose a clean, professional-looking template that is easy to read and ATS-friendly (Applicant Tracking System). Use a standard font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and avoid using overly stylized fonts or graphics that could distract from your qualifications.
• Proofread and edit : Spelling or grammatical errors can make a negative impression on employers, so be sure to proofread your resume carefully. Consider asking a friend, family member, or mentor to review it as well, as they may catch mistakes or provide valuable feedback. Additionally, double-check that your contact information is up-to-date and accurate.

What is the most effective resume style

The best format depends on your background and the job you're applying for. However, here's a breakdown of the most common styles to help you choose;

• Reverse-Chronological Resume (Most Popular):  This is the go-to format for most job seekers with clear work experience. It lists your experience in reverse chronological order, with your most recent job first. It works well because it's easy for recruiters to understand and skim through, highlighting your career progression.
• Functional Resume:  This format is a good option if you're changing careers, have gaps in your work history, or want to emphasize your skills over experience. Here, you focus on your key skills and achievements grouped by category (e.g., communication, problem-solving) rather than listing work experience chronologically.
• Combination Resume:  This blends elements of both chronological and functional formats. It allows you to showcase relevant skills upfront while still providing a clear work history.

Here's a quick guide to help you decide;

• Reverse-Chronological:  If you have a strong work history in your target field and want to highlight your career progression.
• Functional:  If you're changing careers, have gaps in your work history, or your skills are more relevant than experience for the job.
• Combination:  If you want to showcase both strong skills and relevant work experience.

How far back should a resume go

Experts recommend keeping your resume focused on the most recent 10-15 years of work experience. There are several reasons for this;

• Combats Age Discrimination:  Age bias is a reality in the job market, and including extensive experience history might reveal your age. Keeping it recent helps focus on your most relevant skills and qualifications.
• Keeps Information Relevant:  Skills and technologies evolve quickly. Highlighting older experiences might not showcase what you can offer in today's job market. Focus on demonstrating how your recent experiences align with the requirements.
• Improves Readability:  Hiring managers don't have much time to go through resumes. A concise one- to two-page document showcasing recent achievements is easier to scan and digest.
• Avoids Clutter:  Listing too many jobs, especially older ones, can lead to a cluttered resume with small fonts and tight margins. This can make it visually unappealing and difficult to read.

However, there are some exceptions to this 10-15 year rule;

• New Graduates & Entry-Level Candidates:  If you have a limited work history, you can include relevant coursework, projects, or volunteer work to fill out your resume.
• Significant Career Gaps:  If you have a large gap in your employment, you can briefly explain it in your resume or cover letter.
• Highly Relevant Older Experience:  For very specialized fields, highly relevant experience from further back may be valuable. Consider listing it with minimal details, focusing more on recent accomplishments.

Here's a quick takeaway;

• For most professionals:  10-15 years of recent experience is ideal.
• New Graduates:  Include relevant projects, coursework, or volunteer work.
• Consider explaining gaps  in your cover letter if significant.
• Highly specialized fields:  Include very relevant older experience with minimal details.

What should not be mentioned in a resume

Here are a few things that you should omit from your resume to ensure it remains professional and focused. Here's what to avoid including;

• Irrelevant Personal Details : Such as your birthdate, marital status, religious affiliation, political views, or social security number. Most employers can't ask for this information, and it's not pertinent to your qualifications.
• Excessive Contact Information : Stick to essentials like your name, phone number, and professional email address. Skip including your home address or unprofessional email addresses like "[email protected]".
• "References Available Upon Request" : This is redundant and takes up valuable space. Employers understand you'll provide references if requested.
• Objective Statement : Generic objectives like "seeking a chance to utilize my skills" are overused and don't offer much insight. Unless you can craft a tailored objective statement for a particular job, it's best to omit it.
• Salary History : Unless explicitly requested, leave out your salary history. Instead, focus on highlighting the value you can bring to the company.
• Unrelated Skills or Experience : Keep your resume targeted to the job you're applying for. Avoid listing every skill or job you've ever had; prioritize those most relevant to the position.
• Passive Voice and Clichés : Opt for strong action verbs and specific accomplishments to showcase your abilities. Avoid using general terms such as "results-oriented" or "team player." 
• Avoid Lies or Exaggerations : Tempting as it may be to embellish your experience, it's not worth it. Employers can fact-check, and dishonesty could harm your prospects.
• Negative Information : Refrain from speaking ill of former employers or colleagues. Focus on highlighting positive aspects of your experience instead.

What are the 3 C's of a resume

The 3 C's of a resume refer to the following;

• Clarity (Categorization):  This emphasizes the importance of structuring your resume in a clear and organized way. Resumes should be categorized into well-defined sections such as contact information, work experience, education, and skills. Having a clear structure allows recruiters to find the information they're looking for quickly and easily.
• Conciseness:  Recruiters and hiring managers often have limited time to screen resumes. So keeping your resume concise, ideally one to two pages, is crucial. Focus on highlighting your most impactful achievements and relevant skills, and avoid unnecessary fluff or irrelevant details.
• Compelling:  Your resume should capture the reader's attention and convince them that you're the ideal candidate for the job. Use strong action verbs, specific achievements, and quantifiable results to showcase your value. Tailor your resume to each position you apply for, emphasizing the skills and experiences most relevant to the job description.

What are the 4 C's of resume writing

The 4 C's of resume writing are;

• Clarity : Make sure that your resume is straightforward and readily comprehensible. Use concise language, bullet points, and organized sections to present your information in a straightforward manner. Avoid jargon or overly complicated sentences that could confuse the reader.
• Conciseness : Keep your resume concise and focused on the most relevant information. Aim for a one-page resume and prioritize the most important details such as your skills, experience, and achievements. Avoid including unnecessary or irrelevant information that could clutter your resume.
• Customization : Customize your resume to match the requirements of the particular job you are seeking. Customize your qualifications, skills, and experiences to match the requirements of the job specification. Highlight relevant achievements and use keywords from the job posting to demonstrate your fit for the position.
• Consistency : Maintain consistency in formatting, style, and presentation throughout your resume. Use the same font, font size, and formatting for headers and bullet points. Ensure that dates and job titles are consistent and accurately reflect your work history. Consistency helps create a professional and polished impression.

Which word should never appear in a resume

There isn't a single word that's universally forbidden on a resume. However, several words are recommended to avoid because they come across as weak, cliche, or unnecessary. Here are some of the top offenders;

• "Responsible For"  - A vague phrase that doesn't tell the reader anything specific about your accomplishments. Instead, use strong action verbs and quantifiable results to showcase what you achieved in your previous roles.
• "Hard Worker"  - This is another cliche that doesn't set you apart. Most candidates are hard workers, and employers expect that. Instead, use specific examples to demonstrate your work ethic and achievements.
• "Honest" & "Punctual"  - These are basic professional expectations, and mentioning them is unnecessary. Focus on highlighting skills and qualities that are more specific to the job you're applying for.
• "Utilized"  - This is a weak verb that can be replaced with more powerful action verbs that showcase the impact you made.
• "Assisted"  - While helping others is valuable, focus on achievements where you took initiative and ownership.
• "Proactive"  & "Results-Oriented"** - These are buzzwords that have become overused and lack meaning on their own. Demonstrate these qualities through specific examples in your work experience.
• "I"  - Resumes should focus on the value you bring to the employer, not on yourself. Use strong action verbs and focus on your achievements.

The goal of your resume is to make a strong impression and convince the employer you're the perfect candidate.

How many jobs should be on a resume

There's no strict rule regarding the number of jobs you should include on a resume. However, as a general guideline, it's often recommended to include your most relevant and recent work experiences.

For most professionals, including the last 10 to 15 years of work history is sufficient. This amounts to about 3 to 5 positions, depending on the length of time you've spent at each job and how relevant they are to the position you're applying for.

If you have more extensive work experience, you can choose to include additional positions, but be mindful of keeping your resume concise and focused on the most pertinent information. You may also consider listing earlier positions in a separate section titled "Previous Experience" or "Additional Experience" to avoid overcrowding your main work history section.

Should I have color on my resume

Deciding whether to incorporate color into your resume hinges on various factors. Here's an analysis of the advantages and drawbacks to aid in your decision-making;

Pros of using color on resumes

• Stand Out : Introducing color can make your resume visually distinctive amidst a stack of monochrome applications, particularly advantageous in creative domains like design or marketing.
• Highlight Information : Strategically employing color can direct attention to critical sections such as contact details or key skills.
• Showcase Personality : Thoughtfully selecting a color palette can subtly convey your personality and personal brand.

Cons of using color on resumes

• Perceived Unprofessionalism : In certain conservative work settings, color may be viewed as unprofessional.
• Readability Challenges : Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background colors is crucial for readability. Since resumes may be printed in black and white, it's essential to ensure readability regardless of color.
• ATS Compatibility : Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) utilized by many firms might not interpret colors accurately, potentially impeding your resume's visibility to human reviewers.

Here are some general principles for integrating color into your resume;

• Use Sparingly : Employ color judiciously to avoid overwhelming the reader.
• Opt for Professional Colors : Stick to muted tones or hues associated with your industry to maintain a polished appearance.
• Ensure High Contrast : Guarantee that text remains easily legible against the background color.
• Test Printability : Verify that your resume maintains its clarity and impact when printed in black and white.

Alternatives to color

• Bolding and Italics : Employ bold or italic formatting to emphasize critical sections or keywords.
• Font Variations : Consider utilizing different professional fonts for headings and body text to add visual appeal.
• Bullets and Whitespace : Effectively utilize bullet points and whitespace to create a structured and easy-to-follow layout.

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20 Actions How to Write a Good Resume

• May 16, 2021
• In Resumes & Cover Letters

You’ve got 10 seconds – how do you ensure that you’re presenting a professional resume, it meets the employer’s requirements and that you’re one of the five percent of applicants invited to an interview? It seems like a daunting job, but obviously, some candidates do get selected, so why not you too?

When you’ve produced the first draft for what you think is a good resume , use our list of 20 specific actions to transform it into a  great resume example.

Aim at the perfect resume

Don’t view writing a resume as a challenge, see it as a process that increases your chances of selection with every step you take. Always remember, the recruiter or line manager simply wants to solve a problem and, if you understand what they want, you can be their solution.

• Meet the main requirements.  If you can’t do this, why are you even applying? If you can, check through your resume and tick them all off one by one, because that’s exactly what the reader will be doing. Check you haven’t missed any.
• Use the right keywords.  Check the ad, job description, and person spec for role-specific words used and ensure your resume includes as many of those keywords as possible. For example, if the Ad mentions they need someone with SQL skills, make sure to say something like, “I have SQL skills which ….”. The keyword ‘SQL skills’ is what will jump out.
• Tell a great story.  Make your resume tell the story of your career to show this next role is perfect for both you and the employer. The first paragraph in your profile section should show, “You want a widget manager, I am a widget manager and I could do a great job because …” and then hit them with 3 to 5 bullet points. How can they not want to read on?
• Use context and scale.  For an advertised role of customer services manager, there’s a big difference between a candidate who’s been responsible for one small DIY store and a candidate who has handled a national chain of 125 stores. Check what the employer actually wants and make it crystal clear you have that scale of experience.
• Show your added value.  So, you have the right qualifications, great skills, and relevant experience? Great, meet the other 99 applicants. Show some added value that makes them pick you for an interview. Offer examples of extra skills that suggest you might be able to do a better job than the other candidates.

Use a resume format for readability

Busy recruiters and line managers with 100 professional resumes on their desk want information fast and they don’t have time to fully read them all. Your job is to create a resume that is quickly scannable for the main requirements, keywords, headline experience, and added value.

• Use a logical structure.  The order of your crafted resume will depend upon the role and industry you’re applying to, but within that, present information in the order expected so that it’s quick and efficient to scan.
• Use titling and white space .  The more white space, the better, it focuses a reader’s attention where you want to put it. Clear bold titles for sections (profile, current role, previous work experience, qualifications, etc.) and for roles/employers leaves no doubt what’s to be found whereby a busy reviewer.
• Get to the point.  Cut any verbose description, go for the facts, although do make sure your resume is still readable. For each section or employer, use a very short paragraph to set the scene and follow that up with 3 to 5 one-line bullet points.
• Write 2 pages maximum.  One page is acceptable for school leavers and recent graduates and several pages would be the norm for many scientific or academic roles, but otherwise, two pages are the norm.

If you’re struggling, take a look at our article How to Write a Great Resume

Style like professional resume writers do

Style is subjective, but a great resume style delivers the right information fast, and in the correct order. Never get creative, just for the sake of it, as your efforts won’t be appreciated. For example, no one cares what color a nuclear missile is, they only care if it will do the job. That missile has a payload on the front, control gear in the middle, and an engine on the back. Anything else would be weird, and the same is true when presenting your resume.

• Write for the reader.  Who are they? What do they want? You’re selling yourself so use the opportunity to show your personality. You’re aiming to connect on an emotional or subconscious level with the reader, so write in the first person.
• Use a professional resume template.  That could be either a plain black-on-white ‘standard’ resume that you construct yourself, or it could be a professionally crafted document that additionally uses layout, color, and formatting to direct attention and influence impression. Choose what’s appropriate for your industry and role type. Check out our article on How to Choose the Right Resume Template  and then take a look at our selection of templates .
• Be selective.  Don’t describe every last step and detail of your career, show that you’re someone who recognizes the point and gets straight to it. Present only what’s relevant and important, but don’t get caught out hiding things. If you’re finding this balance hard to get right and missing opportunities, use our professional resume writing service  to try and land your next job faster.

Reality-check your resume ideas

More than anything else, this requires your discipline and full attention. When you think you’ve finally arrived at a great resume after many hours, it really is hard to go through it yet one more time, but why risk accidental rejection now?

• Check spelling, grammar, phraseology, and punctuation.  Boring, boring, boring BUT absolutely 100% essential. In a competitive marketplace with dozens of applicants a recruiter may  forgive the odd small error, but not two. Basic errors show you up as slapdash, and who wants another loose cannon on board?
• Look at the overview.  What does the employer really want? Does your carefully crafted resume demonstrate that’s you? Does it do so simply and directly, or are your talents diffused throughout a mish-mash of previous roles? If so, re-do your starting profile summary. Aim for an in-your-face introduction, not an Agatha Christie mystery.
• Check your dates.  Nothing causes more anxiety for a recruiter than finding gaps or unexplained overlaps within a career history. If you have a gap, fill it with something – anything, but do so in a positive way.
• Think about your personality.  What personal characteristics does the role call for? A thoughtful, measured, analytical and conservative person? Is that how you look or are your words suggesting a different personality? Re-work your resume to avoid hyperbole and demonstrate the characteristics required, even if they’re not explicitly asked for.

Resume tips for submission

When you’ve finally perfected your professional resume, your job isn’t finished yet. Make absolutely sure it gets to the right person, that it’s in the correct format and that it will be well received.

• Submit your resume to a named person. If you don’t have a name, try ringing HR and ask who you should address your submission to. If at all possible, speak with that person, perhaps on the pretext of having a query.
• Add a cover letter or email note.  Try not to repeat what’s in your resume, instead of stressing what makes your application interesting for them. Use three bullet points in the middle of your introduction to lead them into opening your resume with genuine enthusiasm. Our article How to Write a Great Cover Letter in 6 Steps  shows you how to do this.
• Leave out references.  Only supply these if you’re specifically asked for them and make sure you’ve spoken to those people beforehand. Load the bullets for them.
• Put your name in the filename. You’d be amazed by how many PDF and DOC resume files are submitted with the filename ‘resume.pdf’. Don’t make your hard to find or they may just open someone else’s file by mistake and like what they see.

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Jon Gregory

Jon Gregory is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse range of expertise in the career development field.  As a respected and sought-after expert, he serves as a career adviser at Resumeway, a National Careers Week Ambassador, and a Careers Expert Member for The Guardian.

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17 Resume Summary Examples and How to Write Them

Do you feel like your resume will be or has been struggling to stand out from the crowd? It’s normal if you’re asking yourself “What is a good resume summary?”, “Is it really all that important?”

While writing a resume is not always an easy task, it’s critical to get it right as it’s usually the first thing that grabs an employer’s attention.

Within this article we will tell you:

• What the purpose of a summary is 
• How to write a resume summary 
• Key details to include

There are also 17 different examples that will inspire you to finally craft your own professional summary.

The information below and our innovative resume builder can provide you with everything you need to elevate your application . 

This article includes:

What is a Summary on a Resume?

The summary portion of a resume goes above all the other sections (e.g., experience, education, and skills) and best describes you professionally in a couple of sentences.

Your resume summary is crucial because it is the first thing that your hiring manager will read before moving on to your other qualifications .

A summary will lay out:

• Your professional title 
• Achievements
• Motivation as a professional

With your professional statement, you need to catch a recruiter’s interest and quickly show them that you can handle the responsibilities of the position.

How to Write a Resume Summary

The power of a well-crafted resume summary shouldn’t be underestimated. However, you’ll need to tailor your summary to the role you’re applying for.

To show off your qualities, experience, and skills, follow the steps below to write a statement that won’t be overlooked.

• Start off with a power word , like “driven” or “responsible” 
• Mention your years of experience
• Explain your accomplishments (with quantifiable data if possible) and what you’ll bring to the new job
• State the skills you have that are most relevant to the position

Describe what you will bring to the company. 

By following these steps you’ll be able to catch a hiring manager’s attention.

Keep your resume summary to 3-4 sentences maximum, it shouldn’t tell your whole life story.

Study the example below to see how a textbook summary should look:

High-performing software salesperson with 10 years of experience selling cybersecurity software and services. As Lead Salesperson, sold $1 million in the last fiscal year and was awarded the Top Sales Bonus. Will bring passion, teamwork skills, and work ethic to XYZ Tech and help to boost sales in the Cybersecurity department.

As you can see, the summary describes this person’s character (passion, teamwork skills and work ethic), describes their current work (selling cybersecurity software), and it   showcases how they’ve been successful (Top Sales Bonus and $1 million sold).

In addition, they even say how they’ll help this new company they are applying to, which shows the hiring manager that they’ve taken the time to tailor their resume to the new job.

What If you Have No Experience?

Even if you have very little experience in the field you are applying to (or no experience to speak of), you can still write an effective resume summary .

If you are still in school, you can state accomplishments from academia and how what you are studying will help you succeed in this new role. Check out our complete guide on how to write a resume with no experience for more tips.

Here is an example that you could customize to your own industry/studies.

Detail-oriented, tech-savvy CAD technician, currently completing a certificate and specializing in mechanical design. Seeking opportunities to aid mechanical engineering departments with their drafting and 3D CAD design, using my CAD skills in SolidWords, Catia, and NX. Won design competitions each year using my meticulous design skills, imagination, and creativity

This example is a great entry-level example of a resume summary as it focuses on where the candidate wants to go (the new job) rather than forcing information about irrelevant past roles.

Top Resume Summary Examples (For Different Jobs)

If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for your summary statement, studying resume examples that relate to your professional profile can help. Each job will require different skills that need to be highlighted appropriately. 

For example, an accountant’s resume will need to highlight different skills than a doctor’s to succeed. Skip down to the heading that most closely describes the industry you are looking to land a job in and get your creative juices flowing.

Then, tailor that summary to your own experience and future job. You’ll save a lot of time, compared to starting from a blank page.

IT Resume Summary Examples

Here are two different summaries for the IT industry, but for different positions: a front-end developer and a data analyst.

Creative, customer-focused front-end developer with 5 years’ experience working freelance designing websites for tech start-ups. Skilled with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but also very quick to pick up other programming languages. Seeking employment with a diverse IT team, where I can work on longer-term projects, highlighting my attention to detail and design to continually grow and improve.

This manages to touch on all the important information that an opening statement needs. Having knowledge of different software tools is also critical which is why putting skills first was a good choice.

Hard-working data analyst with 7 years of experience, from finance to tech to ecommerce. Successfully analyzed, post-processed, and reported on business insights to the C suite, contributing to over 30 successful investments.

Administrative Job Resume Summary Examples

Administrative jobs can be anything from receptionist to executive assistant positions. Let’s look at two resume summary examples within this industry.

Proven track record of exceptional service to executives over the last 25 years, with multiple Employee Service Awards. Currently serving as Executive Assistant to the COO of a large financial institution and seeking to work alongside a CEO in the finance industry, where giving back plays a large part of corporate policy.

Mentioning awards will grab an employer’s attention as it shows that you have been productive in the past and can be an asset for your future company.

Organized receptionist with a decade of experience in a small-town manufacturing plant, greeting customers, taking calls, and placing orders for office staff. Upon relocating to Georgetown, looking to work in a fast-paced environment and to help XYZ Manufacturing present a professional and friendly face to the world.

Mentioning your previous tasks like “greeting customers, taking calls, and placing orders” can ensure you use the best resume keywords .

Business and Management Resume Summary Examples

Within the business and management category, let’s review a couple of different manager summaries and a business development officer.

Ambitious designer, with 10 years of drafting experience, working on large teams, and learning how to work with diverse personalities. Combine technical skills with teamwork, leadership, and communication gifts will be the best fit for a Design Manager.

Using a power word like “ambitious” can almost guarantee that your resume won’t be overlooked when being reviewed.

Experienced development officer with 13 years at YF Design. Fostered strategic partnerships and secured pivotal sales through authentic leadership. Eager to apply these proven business development skills as the Business Development Officer at Blue Township, aiming to enhance its mission of fostering culture and inclusion.

Highlighting your desire to bring your expertise, as is done in this example, is almost never a bad strategy.

Finance and Accounting Resume Summary Examples

Accounting and finance positions require specific knowledge and analytical skills that should be highlighted within a summary for a resume.

Determined staff account with over a decade of accounting experience. Managed financial records for 5+ major clients, consistently ensuring accuracy and compliance. Seeking a Staff Accountant position at ABC Financial to leverage my expertise and contribute to an industry leader’s growth.

Including information such as keeping financial records for over 5 major clients shows that the candidate is capable of taking on the role’s responsibilities.

Well established accounts payable clerk with over 15 years of experience in accounts payable and receivable, demonstrated expertise in maintaining meticulous records and identifying discrepancies. Played a pivotal role in a recent audit, which resulted in zero errors, with systems earning commendation from auditors. Positioned to enhance financial accuracy and efficiency at Bright Automotive.

When looking at these resume summary statement examples, you can see that experience is highlighted but also how productive they were, and you can see how their accounting skills played a huge part in their success.

Education Resume Summary Examples

Those who work in educating others could be employed at public schools, universities, or private corporations that specialize in education.

Here are a couple of resume summary examples for education professionals.

Determined elementary school teacher with over 10 years of distinguished teaching experience at Edgar Elementary. Recognized for elevating literacy rates by 10% in my classes. Eager to contribute to Waldorf School as a 2nd Grade Teacher, leveraging expertise in individualized instruction to optimize learning outcomes in smaller classroom settings.

As a teacher showing that you have elevated the levels of your students and want to continue doing so are huge positives in the eyes of a hiring manager.

Experienced and dedicated professor seeking a new tenured position. Previously spearheaded a cross-departmental research initiative on Biomechanics Technology that secured $2 million in grant funding over three years. Contributed to three patented innovations in the biomechanics field, and consistently received student lecture ratings of 95% or above.

If you are a professor your summary should be a bit different. You’ll want to touch on funding you’ve secured and your innovative work.

Medical Resume Summary Examples

Education is quite important within a highly regulated profession like those who are in the medical industry, so take a look at how these resume summaries detail specific training.

Experienced surgical nurse with 10 years at Chicago General, working within the General Surgery department. Worked with over 40 doctors and nurses, spending additional time training new surgical staff on standards and procedures. Seeking a new challenge at Mercy Hospital, where attention-to-detail, teamwork skills, and surgical experience will add to the institution’s strengths.

Now that you’ve seen an experienced statement in the medical field, you may be wondering “what is an example of a professional summary for a fresh graduate?” Let’s have a look:

Graduated from Jersey College with a certificate in Phlebotomy, and seeking employment with Life Labs, where a real difference can be made in patient’s lives. Bringing a kind heart, excellent interpersonal skills, and organization to the team, where new processes and specific instructions will be quickly learned.

This does an excellent job of what the candidate learned and that they are eager to learn and improve their craft.

Looking for more tips for your Phlebotomist Resume ? Check out our complete guide with real examples.

Graphic Design Resume Summary Example

Graphic designers could use this resume summary example to think about how to craft their own, depending on their strengths.

Talented, efficient graphic designer with a knack for nailing technical presentations and content. Will bring energy, knowledge, software skills, and cutting-edge designs to the Tech Company’s content creation, amping up their already stellar communications by working closely with marketing to understand and deliver on their vision.

Remember you can include a link to your portfolio in your resume in PDF or digital version.

Other Resume Summary Examples

Finally, let’s look at two more examples of resume summaries where the candidate has limited job experience. The first is an engineering grad looking for their first technical role, and the second is a person looking to make a change from customer service to programming.

Prodigious engineering student, currently studying civil engineering (GPA 3.8) and set to graduate with honors in 2024. Studies focused on infrastructure and sustainable engineering, in the hopes of working for the State to bring an environmental perspective to structural engineering.

As a student, you lack experience, but you can make up for it by mentioning relevant studies and a high GPA .

Experienced customer service professional with a proven track record of 7+ years, now transitioning into programming with certifications in Java, C++, and Python. Demonstrated exceptional verbal communication skills and a rich online portfolio of projects. Eager to leverage these skills in a technical team environment.

When changing fields, it’s essential to focus on any transferable skills you may have in your summary statement like the example above.

If you’re trying to ensure your resume gets a real look by an employer the tips in this guide will be a huge help .

It’s essential to keep in mind :

• Highlight your experience or skills and motivation if you’re an entry-level candidate. 
• Use resume power words to ensure your qualities further stand out.
• Mention any transferable skills if you are changing professions .
• Include quantifiable data.
• Keep your statement brief. 

Do not forget to use tools, like our handy templates , to give your resume the ideal structure . Apply these changes and ensure your application stands out from the pack. 

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How to Write an Effective Resume

September 14, 2020

Download this guide in PDF format

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

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

Focus on what’s important to the employer

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

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

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

Tailor your resume to a role

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

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

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

Different Types of Job Seekers

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

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

Career changers

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

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

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

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

Adopt the terminology of your new industry. 

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

New Professionals

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

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

Templates and Layouts

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

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

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

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

Resume Sections

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

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

Individual Resume Sections

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Professional Experience Section

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

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

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

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

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

Example 

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

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

Education Section

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

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

Finalize Your Resume

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

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

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

Keep reading

• Enhance your resume with ChatGPT
• Blueprint for success: Lisa’s degree story began with two certificates from HEC Paris
• Top skill alert: Open doors with spreadsheets

How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Resume: Simple, Fast, Effective

3 key takeaways

• How to use ChatGPT to write your resume
• Using ChatGPT to update your existing resume
• A faster way to write your resume with ChatGPT technology using Teal's  AI Resume Builder

Everyone on the internet seems to be talking about artificial intelligence (AI) lately—and especially a tool called ChatGPT.

But what's ChatGPT exactly? And how do you access it? Here's everything you need to know about how the platform works, and how you can leverage it for your resume or CV.

What is ChatGPT and how does it work?

You may be more familiar with artificial intelligence than you think.

If you've ever used AI-enabled assistants like Siri and Alexa, where you can ask questions and get an immediate response in return, you've experienced firsthand how artificial intelligence can integrate with your day-to-day life to provide real-time answers.

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer—ChatGPT for short—is a powerful new artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI, one of the world’s most ambitious AI labs, that uses natural language processing (NLP) technology to help people communicate with computers more naturally and intuitively.

Can I use ChatGPT to write my resume?

Now that you’ve gained some insight into ChatGPT let’s talk about using AI tools like ChatGPT to write your resume. So … can you?

Yes, of course, you can. And you should. (But only if you follow the process below!)

Creating a resume requires a lot of effort; AI tools like ChatGPT make this easier by…

• Saving time: Quickly generate the content of your resume based on the prompts and information you provide.
• Customizing your resume : Match the details to the job you're applying for.
• Identifying strengths : Suggest skills or experiences that you may have overlooked but are relevant to the job.
• Increasing your chances of success : Create a well-written, accurate, and amazing resume that showcases your skills and experience in the best light.

So, let's get started by going over how you can start using ChatGPT to not only write your resume, but also to update, enhance, and review your resume to help you hit your career goals.

How to use ChatGPT for resume writing

So you've decided to try out artificial intelligence to help speed up your process. When it comes to AI and ChatGPT, the use cases are seemingly endless, but here are four ways to start to leverage ChatGPT for your resume.

1. Use ChatGPT to write resume achievements and tailor your resume to a job description

You've heard it's important to tailor your resume to the job description to show that you're a qualified candidate for the role—but how can you ensure your bullet points reflect that? In addition to using the free Achievement Assistant tool within the AI Resume Builder , try leveraging ChatGPT for this part of the process:

• Log into Teal and go to "Matching Mode" in your Resume Builder, then select one of the jobs from your Job Application Tracker to focus on.
• Go to the "Job Description" tab and scroll to the "Responsibilities" section.
• Copy the responsibilities and paste them into ChatGPT. Enter this prompt: "Write resume achievements with metrics based on these job responsibilities."
• Watch the magic happen!
• Copy the output from ChatGPT and, one at a time, paste them into your Teal Resume Builder as achievements.
• Make sure to carefully proofread and edit the bullet point achievement, tweaking it as needed using the Achievement Assistant tool. Remember: AI tools are intelligent, but they're not foolproof. You want to ensure you actually have the experience that AI says you do, and you want to double-check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity.
• Turn on and off the achievements that make sense for the job you're applying to.

Use Teal's new AI functionality to create tailored achievements

Alternatively, you can skip these steps and just use Teal's AI functionality to create custom resume achievements.

Not only will these assets be created quickly and easily to speed up your resume workflow, but they’ll also be crafted using your previous work experience and the job description of the target role, to make your achievements increasingly relevant.

Try it yourself for free.

2. Use ChatGPT to write a professional summary

Professional summaries are another hot topic. Some recruiters and hiring managers say they're helpful as they speak to a candidate's career in aggregate and highlight their key accomplishments. Others argue it's a waste of space and job seekers should dive right into their skills and achievements.

We're fans of the professional summary, especially if you have multiple years of work experience or are pivoting to a new career or industry.

Here's how to use ChatGPT to write a professional summary for your resume:

• Once you've tailored your resume in the Teal AI Resume Builder , copy the text.
• For the ChatGPT prompt, say: "Write a professional summary using my resume."
• Press "Shift" + "Enter."
• Paste your resume into ChatGPT.
• When you get your result, click "try again" to generate two more versions.
• Pull your favorite phrases from each option and create a cohesive, reflective, customized, and eye-catching resume summary.
• Paste the final summary into the tailored resume you plan to use.

Write your resume summary with AI

Again, you can use Teal's AI functionality to handle this for you and create professional summaries in seconds. And with the combo of Teal's Resume Builder and Job Application Tracker , it's easy to save all your job search assets in one place. This eliminates the need to keep multiple documents and go back and forth between ChatGPT, job descriptions, and your resume. 

@teal_hq Your professional summary is your opportunity to talk about your career as a whole. Not sure what to write there? Use the AI feature in your Resume Builder to do the summarizing for you. SAVE. YOURSELF. TIME. #chatgpt #chatgpt3 #jobsearch #resumetips #careertok #resume #jobseeker ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依

3. Use ChatGPT to write a cover letter

And now, the most controversial topic: cover letters.

Spend five minutes on LinkedIn or TikTok and you'll see heated debates over the value and importance of cover letters, whether recruiters and hiring managers even read them, and whether they're an outdated part of the job search in 2023.

But still, many jobs you apply for may request a customized cover letter that speaks specifically to the company and position.

Much like tailored resumes, cover letters should highlight what you’ve accomplished relevant to the role while persuading those hiring that you’re the best fit for the job. It might sound complicated, but it doesn’t have to be— ChatGPT can help you write your cover letter seamlessly.

How to do it:

• Once you've used "Matching Mode" to create a resume tailored to a particular role in your Teal Job Application Tracker, go ahead and copy the text from that resume and paste it into ChatGPT.
• Head back to your Job Application Tracker and go to the job description for this role. Copy and paste the requirements and responsibilities into ChatGPT alongside your resume.
• For the prompt, write, "Write a cover letter using my resume and a job description."
• Edit your new cover letter in Google Docs as needed before saving and sending it.

Cover letters are another area where the AI Resume Builder can help you skip the middle man, quickly generating a cover letter relevant to the role you're applying for and your work history. 

4. Use ChatGPT to update and improve your existing resume

In addition to using ChatGPT to create or write your resume from scratch, another powerful use case is leveraging it to make key revisions to your existing resume. Here are four examples of how you can utilize ChatGPT to make improvements:

• Rewriting your work experience with more impactful language:  One effective way you can enhance your resume with ChatGPT is by asking it to help you incorporate fresh language, power words into your work experience to better articulate your successes and make your achievements stand out.
• Personalize your professional summary for a specific job:  It can't be understated how crucial it is to align your resume with the particular role that you're applying for. Use ChatGPT to modify your existing summary so that it's more aligned with the responsibilities and requirements of the position. For every new job you apply for, ChatGPT can help you make the necessary adjustments to your resume to ensure you position yourself as an ideal fit.
• Provide relevant content ideas for your skills, experiences, and achievements:  When you're hitting a wall on a resume refresh, ChatGPT can be an excellent resource to replace or revamp the existing information included in your work experience or skills sections. To ensure you get the best recommendations from ChatGPT, be sure to share both the text from your resume, and from the job description to help ChatGPT identify gaps or improvements.
• Review your resume for punctuation and grammar errors:  Another recommended use of ChatGPT is to have it review your current resume for any grammar mistakes, typos, or awkward sentences you might miss in your proofreading. Think of it like a second pair of eyes available 24/7 and never tired.

‍ Looking for more inspiration for your resume? Check out 1,200+ resume examples for various job titles, experience levels, and get cover letter templates for each role.

The best ChatGPT resume prompts for job seekers

Since we’ve been using ChatGPT for resume writing, cover letters, LinkedIn content, and more, we’ve come across some tips that we’d love to share—and we've rounded up a list of over 20 ChatGPT resume prompts for your resume here.

First, we suggest including a tone or style of writing. This could be “conversational,” but it could also be a framework like Storybrand. This will allow ChatGPT to write in a way that feels natural and close to your style.

Additionally, we suggest including a word or page count and asking ChatGPT to review additional materials that are pasted below the prompt. 

The prompts below follow this specific structure. 

• Write four resume achievements with metrics based on the job responsibilities below.
• Draft five persuasive resume achievements based on my resume below.
• Create a compelling professional summary for a job application using my resume and the job description below as a reference in 150 words or less. 
• Write an executive-level professional summary using my resume and the job description below as a reference in 150 words or less. 
• Using the resume and job description below, please showcase eight relevant skills I should highlight.

With Teal's AI Resume Builder, all of this information will be stored in your account, which makes AI resume creation effective.

Here's what happened when we asked ChatGPT to write us a resume—and what we needed to fix before we'd submit it.

@teal_hq We asked ChatGPT to write us a resume and it was pretty solid—but here are the 3 things we’d change before submitting it for a job application. #chatgpt #chatgpt3 #careertok #jobsearchtips #jobsearchstruggles #jobsearchhelp #resumetips #resumetok #chatgptai ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

5 best practices on using ChatGPT for resumes

Can ChatGPT really help with your resume? Yes, it absolutely can. However, successfully using ChatGPT requires more than a simple command, you'll need to use your best judgement and be thoughtful about the inputs that you provide, to ensure a quality output.

To help you leverage it most effectively, here are five best practices to keep in mind:

• Be specific and provide detailed prompts to ChatGPT . Some may argue that the AI space is oversaturated and that everyone will get the same outputs if they enter the same inputs. Although your AI-generated response may not be 100% unique, it can be modified once the foundation's in place. Writing effective prompts is the key to getting the most out of ChatGPT's capabilities.
• Provide relevant assets to help ensure personalization. In each section above, we asked ChatGPT to review a specific job role, and/or a resume to help it craft a more personalized answer. We highly suggest when using ChatGPT that you provide it with all the resources it needs to create an answer that's crafted specifically for you.
• Review and edit the output from ChatGPT to ensure it's accurate and professional. Again, we don't condone lying about your experience (with our without AI!) Use in this capacity is meant to assist job seekers, not to fabricate career histories that can't be backed up with truthful examples.
• Proofread and double-check for errors before sending any materials generated by ChatGPT. Though artificial intelligence is sophisticated, it's not always 100% spot-on. (And neither are we as humans.) We always like to recommend a tool like Grammarly for a grammar and spell check.
• Ask for human feedback before submitting . Whether you ask a mentor, friend, or career coach for input before submitting, it's a good idea to get a second set of eyes on your resume before submitting it to keep a human eye out for any potential problems.

Start leveraging ChatGPT to write a more effective resume

Your resume is more than just a list of your qualifications and experiences; it's the ticket to your dream job. With the help of tools like ChatGPT, a job seeker like you can create a well-written, targeted, and accurate resume that showcases your strengths and experience in the best possible light.

Using the steps above, you can leverage the power of AI to take your resume to the next level, but Teal can streamline this process even further, helping you work smarter and more efficiently.

Teal's AI functionality is already integrated with ChatGPT, offering a range of tools to optimize your resume, including summary and achievement generation, cover letter composition, and more—without toggling between screens and programs. Say goodbye to tedious manual work and hello to quick and easy resume building.

Ready to take control of your career?

More ChatGPT resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn tips:

• 21 Great ChatGPT Prompts for Your Resume
• How to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Cover Letter
• The Ultimate Guide to Using AI & ChatGPT for Job Applications ‍
• 4 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile (with Prompts)
• 7 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Prepare for a Job Interview

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! You can use ChatGPT to help write your resume by providing information about your skills, experience, and the job you're applying for and then prompting it to use those details to create your resume.

How do I ask ChatGPT to improve my resume?

To ask ChatGPT to improve your resume, share your current resume content and specify areas you'd like to improve or ask for general suggestions. The more specific your prompts, the better the output will be.

How do I get AI to write my resume?

You can try a program like ChatGPT or opt for the Teal  AI Resume Builder  instead. With Teal, you can write and optimize your resume and cover letter with AI in one central location—no more toggling between programs or juggling multiple documents.

Should I use ChatGPT for resume writing?

Yes, you should use ChatGPT for resume writing if you struggle to articulate your experiences and skills. AI can be a very helpful tool for being the blank page and providing a starting point. Just remember to review and customize all AI-generated content to ensure it accurately reflects your experience.

How can I ask ChatGPT to tailor my resume?

To ask ChatGPT to tailor your resume, provide specific details about your experience, skills, and the job description of the position you're applying for. Then try a prompt like. "Using my resume and the job description below, please tailor my [specific resume section] to this position." Giving ChatGPT context means the output will be more personalized to you and a unique job.

Lia Zneimer

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How to Write an Effective Résumé

AJN, American Journal of Nursing

April 2023, Volume 123 Number 4 , p 34 - 45

Earn 2 Contact Hours

curriculum vitae , interview , job application , qualifications , resume , resume writing

• Welton, Robert H. MSN, MDE
• Moody, Laurel MS, MSN, RN, CNE

ABSTRACT: In today's health care job market, nursing students are aggressively recruited for jobs even before graduation. Employers want to see accurate, informative resumes that efficiently and honestly convey an applicant's education and skills and how they match up with the employer's needs. Although resumes remain essential tools for job seekers, in recent years requirements have changed: nursing students and new graduate nurses need to develop an employer-focused resume geared toward a specific job. This article can assist these nurses in developing resumes that accommodate these latest trends.

Article Content

Our nation faces an urgent need for nurses. Between 2021 and 2031, job vacancies for nurses in all health care settings are expected to increase by 6%, with approximately 200,000 new opportunities each year. 1 Many health care agencies are recruiting nursing students even before graduation. These employers are looking for accurate, organized, and informative resumes that efficiently and effectively convey the background and skills needed for their entry-level nursing jobs. According to the employment website Monster, for employers, a resume is second only to an in-person interview in determining whether a candidate is a good fit. 2

Although resumes remain an essential tool for job seekers, in recent years they have changed. An effective resume now

* is more focused on posted job requirements for a specific job opening.

* is tailored for successful automated scanning by applicant appraisal and tracking systems.

* includes COVID-19 vaccination status (if you are vaccinated).

* uses metrics or numbers instead of words (for example, the number 15 instead of the word fifteen ). Readers interpret numbers easier and faster than words, and numbers have more impact than words. 3

* contains keywords from the job posting in relevant resume sections whenever possible.

* is customized to each position you are applying for. 4 For example, if the position is in cardiovascular care, include specific experience such as, "helped manage care for over 10 post-op heart valve replacement patients," as opposed to just "experience with cardiac patients."

Although the employment market is wide open for nursing students and recent graduates, an effective resume is still key. This step-by-step guide is aimed at making sure your resume gives you the best chance at getting that new job.

PLANNING THE RESUME

Focus your resume on the prospective employer's needs-not your own . Traditionally, resumes have been developed with the candidate's job needs in mind, but this is the wrong approach. The purpose of a resume is not to get you a job, it's to get you an interview for a job.

The traditional resume is fine in many cases, such as graduate school applications, proposals to speak at a conference, or attachments to letters of introduction. But for a resume to be effective in a job search, prospective employers must be able to see that you can do the work they need done-which they usually describe in the job posting or ad. This approach to developing a resume uses the time-tested rule in writing of knowing your audience and writing for that audience. The audience for nursing students' and new graduate nurses' resumes is recruiters, hiring managers, and senior staff nurses; your resume should be based on what this audience wants to know.

Frequently the resume becomes the agenda for the interview. When that time comes, make sure you can talk in detail about your skills and experience.

Choose the most appropriate format . A resume (French for "summary") is a brief description of a candidate's educational and professional achievements. Those achievements can be organized in one of two basic formats: functional or chronological (or a combination of the two).

Functional resumes organize skills and work history according to skill sets, such as clinical work, project management, certificates, and leadership. These terms may in fact become subheadings in the functional resume. Previous employers' names, dates of employment, and job titles are deemphasized or even omitted. Functional resumes are rarely used in health care, though, except by very experienced individuals or consultants, and they are not the best format for nursing students, new graduates, or entry-level nurses.

Chronological resumes are the most used and readily accepted resumes in health care, particularly for nursing students, new graduates, or entry-level nurses. Most hiring managers and interviewers are familiar and comfortable with this format. In a chronological resume, the candidate's education, work, and other experiences are listed in inverse chronological order, with the most recent experiences first.

Curriculum vitae (Latin for the "course of one's life"), also known as a "vitae" or CV, is another type of resume. When applying for teaching or research positions at colleges, universities, or research institutions, candidates with master's or doctoral degrees are usually required to submit a CV. This is typically a longer document (frequently two pages or more) that provides a description of a candidate's educational background and professional accomplishments in considerably more detail than a resume. The inverse chronological format in resumes is also used in all CVs, regardless of a candidate's profession, discipline, or industry, which makes converting resumes to CVs less time consuming.

Over time and with more experience, like many nurses in academia and scientific disciplines, you will want to convert your early resumes to CVs, so keeping detailed records of your work and related experiences is useful.

Choose the right length . Resume length varies across disciplines, and it can generate big debates, as there are lots of opinions on the subject. Although some may suggest that there are rules regarding length, in reality there are only norms or conventions that vary among disciplines. For example, one-page-only resumes are common in journalism, whereas people with more than 10 years' experience in management will often have two-page resumes. Senior executives' resumes typically run to three pages or more.

In health care, though, the "keep your resume to two pages" rule is now a myth and can be bad advice. Many hiring managers don't care about length. Moreover, a one- or two-page resume may be fine for a young professional, but it can shortchange an experienced and accomplished candidate and fail to fully explain their past work. A resume should be as long as it needs to be to convince an employer that your qualifications make you a good fit for an open position.

Find the right template . Many word processing programs have resume templates that use fixed formatting styles to organize and outline the content. However, these templates may limit your ability to alter the layout and look of the resume. The best practice is to use these templates only if they allow customization.

The quality, clarity, and accuracy of the content in a professional resume are critical. Several important elements can improve the resume's overall look and appeal. For example, use white or off-white paper and black ink. Set one-inch margins on all sides; this adds white space to improve the look of the resume and provides space for employers to make notes during interviews. Left-justify your text and write the resume in an 11- or 12-point serif font, such as Times New Roman, which is considered easy to read. 5 You may be tempted to use fancy fonts or lots of bold, italics, all caps, or underlining-but these can make text look dense and hard to read.

A modest header or footer with your name and page number in a small font is a good idea as it can help keep the pages in order if they are faxed or dropped.

What not to include . It is illegal for an employer to ask your height, weight, birth date, or physical health-and it's not relevant to the job in any case, so leave this information off your resume. 6 Same for your marital status and number and ages of children. Keep your social security number and nursing license confidential until you are hired. And save salary requirements for the interview unless the employer has asked for it, in which case you can include it in the cover letter.

WRITING THE RESUME

Begin with a contact header . Entry-level job candidates must make a good first impression. A well-worded header at the top of the resume guides the hiring manager or tracking system to find your information. A resume header should include your name, degree, related credentials, and preferred contact information. For example, a nursing student's resume might have a header like this:

Jane Smith, CNA

123 Main Street - Owings Mills, Maryland 21117

410-999-9999 - mailto: [email protected]

COVID-19 Fully Vaccinated

A new graduate nurse might add "BSN" to their credentials.

You can add home phone or mobile phone numbers as well. Avoid using your student email address, which is often inactive after graduation. Be professional right from the start: don't use an email address such as mailto: [email protected] ; instead, open a new account with a more professional-sounding address.

Correctly labeling and positioning resume headers sends a professional message. The header can be centered or left justified. Using 1.5-line spacing can add eye-appealing white space and improve readability. The contact header is the only section of the resume where the font size for the name or the entire header can be slightly larger, such as 14 point, and printed in boldface. The remainder of the resume should be 11 or 12 point. However, subheadings such as Education and Work Experience can also be bold.

Vaccination status . Note that the sample header above includes information about COVID-19 vaccination. Since the pandemic, most employers prefer to hire vaccinated candidates. 7, 8 In an August 2021 http://ResumeBuilder.com survey of 1,250 hiring managers, 63% said they preferred to see a candidate's vaccination status. 9 In fact, one-third of respondents said they automatically eliminate resumes that don't include this status. According to Maurer, "Some experts are beginning to say that vaccination status is a must-have line item on resumes and LinkedIn profiles as employers prepare for regulations that limit hiring to people who have been vaccinated." 10 As Jeremy Worthington of Worthington Careers and Buckeye Resumes told us in an email, "Our main priority is that the client uses the hiring process to stand out to hiring professionals. When an applicant includes [their] vaccine status on [their] resume, the need for recruiters to ask a difficult and sometimes sensitive question is eliminated."

List your credentials . The header is the first resume section where prospective employers see your credentials. Credentials include academic degree(s), accreditation, certification, or licensure, but they can reflect other achievements or competencies as well. The American Nurses Credentialing Center's preferred order of credentials is as follows 11 :

* highest degree

* licensure

* state designations

* national certifications

* awards and honors

Education degrees are always the first credential listed because they are considered a "permanent" credential: they cannot be taken away except under extreme circumstances. 12 Only the highest academic degree is listed: if you list your BSN and in future go on to earn an MSN, you should delete the BSN and just list MSN after your name.

Never include a degree, certification, or license in your credentials until it is awarded. To do otherwise would be fraudulent, even though for the soon-to-be graduating or certified nursing student, the degree or certification may be only a few months away. Senior students close to graduation, however, can include their academic degree with the notation that this degree is anticipated at a specified date.

Nursing students with a second degree in another field-a degree in the physical or social sciences, such as biology or psychology, for example-should include this credential in their resume header, as it may be relevant to the nursing job they are seeking.

After your education degrees, list your licensure and certifications, such as certified nursing assistant (CNA), followed by any honors or awards. Use commas to separate each credential. Do not use periods in the credential abbreviations. For example, you would write Jane Smith, CNA, not Jane Smith, C.N.A. Do not use unapproved or unfamiliar abbreviations without clarifying them in the resume. When you have your license, delete the CNA credential, and list RN.

Skip an objective statement and go with a summary of qualifications . For decades, an "Objective" section followed the resume header. Typically a one-sentence statement describing the type of job a candidate was looking for, these objective statements were often uninformative, trite, and in some cases a waste of the reader's time. 13 And, according to the Glassdoor Team, candidates who include a resume objective instead of a summary tend to have little to no professional experience. 14

New graduates or nurses who are soon to graduate are not without qualifications, they just need to communicate what they can do at this stage of their career in a convincing manner. Most candidates should include a "career summary" or "profile of qualifications" (or whatever name they choose) that lists relevant competencies, required skills, and what they think they can accomplish for the prospective employer.

Instead of going line by line through each resume, many hiring managers will look for the career summary to determine whether they should keep reading. In our experience, it typically takes readers one to two minutes to scan resumes. A good summary can quickly give a hiring manager an overall idea of your current and evolving strengths and how your past experiences have helped you develop into a well-qualified candidate. A summary section typically includes

* a brief paragraph (three to five sentences or three to five bulleted points).

* content that functions similarly to an abstract in a journal article.

* keywords from the job posting.

* a concise overview of critical skills and competencies that match those required in the targeted job.

You may need to rewrite the summary section to address a new position every time you submit your resume. When keywords from the job posting are used in the summary, it can be compelling (see Example of a Qualifications Summary ).

Qualifications summaries can be difficult to write, and it usually takes several drafts to develop the final text. Some nursing students and new graduates find it easier to write this section last-after they have finished writing the rest of the resume. That way, the student can cut and paste and then edit the salient parts of each section into a summary rather than develop this section from scratch.

Use keywords and action verbs throughout your resume . To be most effective, your resume should include keywords and action verbs. Action verbs (such as executed , initiated , and attained ) show what you have done and can do if hired. (The Muse website lists some action verbs you can use in your resume: http://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awes .)

Keywords, in this context, are nouns that reflect the skills and experience sought by a potential employer. You can find them by reviewing the job postings and job descriptions for the position you want and taking note of the terms that routinely pop up on these job listings.

Ask yourself these questions:

* How does the employer define the position and its responsibilities?

* What specific language do they use to describe the core competencies for the role?

* Do I have these same skills, competencies, and experience?

If you've done this type of work before or possess those qualifications, describe them in your resume using similar keywords. However, do not duplicate or cut and paste portions of the job posting: a CareerBuilder survey found that 44% of 650 hiring managers would "automatically dismiss" a resume or cover letter that appeared to duplicate the job posting. 15 "Nobody likes to see their work plagiarized," the survey report says, "including human resource professionals."

Place keywords throughout your resume in the work experience section and wherever else they appropriately fit. If you're unsure which keywords to use, Amanda Augustine at TopResume offers some advice: "Start by collecting three to five job descriptions that represent the type of position you're pursuing. Then, copy and paste the job description into a free word and phrase frequency tool like http://Online-Utility.org 's Text Analyzer to identify the terms that are regularly used throughout your desired positions." 16

Establish your education background . The education section immediately follows the qualifications summary. Although resumes outside of health care may begin with the work experience section, health care employers want to see a candidate's educational achievements first. Don't include high school education. It's assumed if you are currently enrolled in college or newly graduated, you've completed high school. Include all college work in the appropriate inverse chronological sequence.

List both nursing and nonnursing degrees and education, beginning with the most recent. Include the graduation year and list the degree-granting institutions, including city and state (no street addresses). If you're currently enrolled in a program, indicate the anticipated degrees, date of graduation, and institution:

Candidates should include coursework at any two-year institutions they attended before earning a four-year degree, not only for completeness but also to avoid surprising prospective employers who may see the two-year degree on a college transcript. Some nursing applicants may think that a degree in a nonnursing major or another field is not relevant and omit it from their resumes. But, in fact, a background in another field may have some relevance to the targeted new job. Also, it can distinguish you from other candidates with less education.

If candidates have unfinished college work that may be of interest to the desired job, a mention of this can be included in the education section with a statement as to why the degree wasn't earned, as in this example:

When to add your GPA . Including your grade point average (GPA) on your resume can either help or hurt your chances of getting an interview. There are no specific rules on GPAs, but here are some general guidelines. Including your GPA is always optional unless the employer asks for it. But if the employer hasn't asked for it, how do you decide when to provide it? Here are two instances when you could add your GPA to your resume 17, 18 :

* when you are a recent graduate, or a student approaching graduation, with little or no work experience

* if your GPA is 3.5 or higher

The only appropriate time to include a GPA on your resume is when you're applying for your first job. GPAs have short half-lives; after a year or more their value diminishes rapidly. If you've been out of school for at least a year and working, you should remove it, because your work experience will be more relevant than your grades.

Your GPA is a metric of your education, but your hands-on, practical experience is almost always more persuasive to a prospective employer than your GPA. 19 "Employers know that it's an imperfect gauge," says career consultant and former manager Alison Green. "Lots of people with high GPAs end up doing mediocre work, and lots of people with unimpressive GPAs end up excelling in their careers." 20

Not including your GPA won't shut doors that were meant to be open. Just make sure your resume highlights your skills and experience in a way that shows you're an achiever and don't worry about not including it. If the employer hasn't asked for it-and they rarely do-then they will not miss it.

If you decide to list your GPA on your resume, it could look like this:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing -GPA 3.9

Anticipated Graduation, May 2023

Display your work experience . This section covers your work experiences in inverse chronological order, including nursing-related jobs such as student intern, extern, or nursing assistant, as well as nonnursing jobs. These work experiences can detail the development of skills that candidates will continue to master as RNs. For example:

* Taught (with preceptor) 3 patients how to self-administer their subcutaneous insulin

* On 3 occasions (with preceptor) presented patient condition updates during morning multidisciplinary rounds

* Co-conducted (with preceptor) 2 family conferences

* On 2 occasions gave family members reports on patients' conditions over the phone (with preceptor listening in)

Including metrics or numbers on your resume adds concrete information and sends a signal to a recruiter or manager that you may be a good fit for their job opening. 21 For example, when talking about your clinical experience, instead of saying you "performed urinary catheterizations," you could say you "performed urinary catheterizations on 15 male patients," which is more impressive to readers. http://Monster.com has some useful tips on how to quantify your measurable achievements at http://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/use-numbers-to-make-your-resume-see .

Include other nonnursing jobs, even outside of health care, that showcase skills such as communication, conflict resolution, educating the public, and more. 22 For example:

* Conducted staff development training seminars on management, fundraising, and communication skills

* Coordinated leadership training in 7 national Clean Water Action offices, including San Francisco, Austin, Denver, and Providence

* Recorded and made nightly cash deposits

These early job listings and competencies can be eliminated or replaced in subsequent resume revisions once you've gained more clinically focused experience.

If you are an older new graduate nurse with a lengthy work history, it can be difficult to decide how many years of past work to include. Most online recruitment and resume-writing experts follow the standard rule to keep work experience to 10 to 15 years. 23-26 Yet applicants' work histories can vary widely, as can perspectives on this standard rule. Tomas Ondrejka, resume expert at LinkedIn, suggests that older applicants should consider how long they've been in the workforce, how aligned their experience is with their target job, and their other qualifications when deciding what past work to include. 27 And CareerBuilder advises that "if some of your earlier jobs are able to effectively communicate the strengths and abilities that you want to emphasize to your future employer, then by all means include them." 23

Include your internships . Citing your internships is an excellent way to expand the work experience section of your resume and increase the likelihood of an invitation for an interview. Many hiring managers and recruiters view internships as valuable real-world work experiences. Internships allow students to increase their social and professional skills, 28 put into practice the theoretical knowledge they've learned in class, 29 and acquire more general skills such as time management. 30 Additionally, potential future employers may perceive students who participate in internships as highly motivated, hardworking, and ambitious. 31

Nunley and colleagues found that job seekers who had industry-relevant internship experience while completing their college degree had interview rates approximately 14% higher than those without internship experience. 32 The positive effects of internship experience were greater for those who obtained nonbusiness degrees and indicated a high GPA on their resumes. Similarly, Baert and colleagues found that applicants with internship experience had, on average, a 12.6% higher probability of being invited to a job interview. 33

You can add your internship experience to the work section of your resume or create a dedicated internship section. Include the title of your internship, the dates it began and ended, who sponsored it, and where it occurred. Also list your responsibilities and achievements during the internship. Emphasize the experiences that are relevant to the position you're applying for.

Here's an example of how to list an internship experience in the work experience section (again, use concrete numbers where possible):

June-August 2020. Student Nurse Internship, Critical Care Unit, Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Worked alongside an RN preceptor for 350+ hours in the critical care unit:

* Managed IV infusion and IV bolus medication administration on over 30 patients

* Completed physical assessments under supervision on over 30 patients

* Performed complex wound care and dressing changes on 10 patients

* Participated in interdisciplinary rounds and bedside change of shift reporting on over 30 patients

* Assisted patients with their activities of daily living

* Obtained ECGs on 10 patients

* Collected blood, urine, fecal, and sputum specimens on over 8 patients

* Reported stat lab results to health care team as necessary on over 20 patients

Display related experience . Pitch your presentations . List significant and relevant presentations you've given, such as poster sessions or health education talks at school or outside programs. (This section should not include workshops or conferences where you were an attendee and not a presenter.) Here's an example of how such an entry could be worded:

2022. "The Effects of Compassion Fatigue on Pediatric Nurses Caring for Medically Complex Patients." Senior Clinical Practicum Poster Presentation, Sandra R. Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions, Stevenson University, Owings Mills, MD.

Presentations to lay audiences can also reveal essential patient teaching experiences. The following example shows how these experiences can be summarized:

2022. "Recognizing Early Warning Signs of a Stroke." Presented to the Senior Citizens Club of Towson, MD.

List certifications, certificates of completion, and licensure . Next, list professional certificates of completion and certifications, spelling out any credentials that may not be familiar to the reader. List the name of the agency that provided the certification, the year obtained, and expiration if applicable. For example:

To prevent identity theft, never include certification or social security numbers. Your documents are handled by and accessible to a wide range of agency staff during the recruitment and onboarding process.

List memberships in professional groups and organizations . Use the association's full name the first time it's mentioned, followed by its abbreviation or acronym thereafter. Include the years of membership:

If you belong to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, use terms that will let the system identify you to employers trying to diversify their workforces and become more inclusive. 34 For example:

Share software and language skills . Nursing plays a vital role in electronic health record (EHR) use in the clinical setting. If you have experience with this information technology, include it among your other proficiencies. Cite your language skills or level of ability (fluency) in any language other than English and include mastery of American Sign Language or Braille. For example:

Software Skills:

2022-EpicCare EHR

2021-Cerner Ambulatory EHR

Language Skills:

Spanish-reading proficiency only

American Sign Language

Document research activities . Not all nursing students or new nurse graduates have conducted research. However, some students may have been involved in an evidence-based practice (EBP) initiative, introductory research, or a quality improvement project under the supervision of a faculty member or preceptor. These experiences can be impressive on novice nurses' resumes. Beginning research experiences, such as searching for, reviewing, and appraising the literature on a specific clinical question; helping develop data collection tools; assisting in data collection; and managing or interviewing subjects or respondents, can show basic research competencies, as well as the ability to understand statistical terms and the language used in research articles (see Example of a Nursing Research Listing ).

Include EBP experience . EBP initiatives are rapidly becoming the norm in most medical centers nationwide. EBP is a core competency of baccalaureate education. 12 Showing evidence of basic EBP capabilities can be advantageous, particularly if you're considering a job in an academic medical center. However, numerous reports, including from nurses, suggest that nurses are not properly trained to apply EBP and do not use it often enough. 35-41

If you are properly trained in EBP, you should list this information on your resume. Include experiences such as assisting with the critical thinking required to formulate valid clinical questions and skills such as knowing what strong evidence looks like and how to search for it. These experiences can also include assisting with searching electronic databases for relevant evidence, critically appraising that evidence, and assisting in the difficult process of translating findings into practice changes.

REVIEWING AND SUBMITTING THE RESUME

Write for the robot . After you have drafted your resume, edit it for scanning by an applicant tracking system (ATS). Many nurses think their resumes are personally read by human eyes after they submit them to a job site. This was true-up until about 1999, when job searches first went online. 42 Nowadays, most employers use automated resume scanning software, such as an ATS, to sort through multitudes of applicants. An ATS uses artificial intelligence to scan for relevant keywords, assess and screen candidates, and rank those that make it through the initial screening. 43, 44 Most resumes pass through an ATS before they get to a human-and an estimated 75% are never seen by a human at all. 45, 46

Eye-catching fonts, unique styling, and formatting used to help a resume stand out and appeal to human reviewers. Now, a resume should be designed using the simplest, most generic resume template you can find so it can be readily scanned, read, and "understood" by the ATS. 42 Writing for these robots is not hard, though-it just requires attention to detail so your resume will deliver what the ATS has been programmed to find. See How to Tailor Your Resume for Scanning . 4, 34, 42, 46-49

Proofread, then proofread again . A recent study found that "applicants with error-laden resumes were less likely to be interviewed [and] hired [and were] offered lower starting salaries and rated lower on job-related traits than applicants with error-free resumes." 50 Allow enough time for a thorough review of your completed resume. Proofread it for layout consistency and check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Bear in mind that it's very easy to miss errors in a document you've been working on repeatedly. And don't rely on your computer's spelling or grammar tools, which can miss mistakes such as misspelled uncommon words that aren't in the program's database. Ask someone else to proofread the resume too. And last, avoid using the same words over and over. It suggests a lack of attention to detail. 51

Be honest . This should go without saying, but truth matters. Avoid embellishments in your education section, make sure all your dates are accurate, and don't exaggerate your skills and accomplishments.

A 2020 survey study of 400 applicants and 400 hiring professionals found that as many as 78% of applicants misrepresented themselves on their resumes and in interviews. 52 Moreover, about 44% of applicants reported they had faked or would fake references. 53 This is unwise, as lies can be easily exposed through routine background checks, or soon after starting work when you cannot meet job expectations. 54

Always send a cover letter . In response to a CareerBuilder survey, 40% of hiring managers said that the presence of a cover letter was more likely to get a resume noticed. 55 A cover letter is usually a one-page letter addressed to the hiring manager briefly describing your interests, credentials, and qualifications for the available job. 55 A cover letter can significantly boost your application if it's well written or sink it if it's poorly written. Job search expert Alison Doyle offers some useful tips on writing cover letters for students and recent graduates at http://www.liveabout.com/student-cover-letter-samples-2063664 . For example, she suggests mentioning "soft skills-interpersonal 'people' skills like creative thinking, communication, teamwork, or time management that will help you to adapt easily to the people and clients or customers you will be working with." 56 Specific references can be given during the interview rather than in a cover letter, but you can end your resume with "References on Request."

Stay in touch with prospective employers . Stay on top of communications with prospective employers. Try to respond to all requests from employers as soon as you can. And check your spam folder often: the automatic email responses frequently sent by ATSs may be read by your email provider as spam.

Bring a copy of your resume to the interview . A good rule to follow is to always have a printed hard copy to share with nurse recruiters and nurse managers at the in-person interview. Although nurse recruiters and managers have the ATS version you submitted, many prefer to read and take notes on a hard copy. They also like to use these hard copies as a guide or blueprint for the interview. What's more, bringing a hard copy with you is your opportunity to adapt the initial resume to include more details and appear more attractive than the ATS version. For an example of a final resume, see Sample of New Graduate Nurse Resume .

Make sure your resume reflects your progress . Throughout your career, you'll need to revise the resume as you apply for new positions. Although showcasing student work can be useful in a first-time job search, once you graduate and begin your first professional job, prospective employers may see some of these student entries as inappropriate or irrelevant. These entries should now be removed to make room for new professional accomplishments that show a progression in clinical and scholarly contributions, responsibility, authority, and leadership.

Remove items like anticipated date of graduation, school projects and papers, GPA, student clinical rotations, and part-time student jobs (such as babysitting or lawn mowing). However, any nonnursing jobs involving working with people, meeting deadlines, and essential responsibilities can remain for a few years before eventually being deleted.

It's a good idea to save a copy of your resume that contains this older information. It serves as historical evidence of your past work and other achievements and could be useful at a future date. In fact, you should maintain a thorough, detailed master copy of your resume, as well as a collection of all your old resumes. When you apply for a new position, you can pull from this database and use only those items that are relevant to the targeted new job.

An entree into employment . Your resume is your ambassador. It goes before you, introducing you to prospective employers and giving them a good first impression of you and your abilities. Highlighting your competencies by using keywords and metrics, formatting your content for an automated reviewer, and remembering to be employer focused can help push your resume to the top of the stack. Writing an effective resume can be challenging and time consuming. It requires research, editing, proofing by another reader, and rewrites. However, all that work can pay off-generating a prospective employer's interest and resulting in that sought-after in-person job interview.

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