Your resume is the single most important tool in your job search toolkit. Without a compelling resume, you’ll have almost no chance of getting the right kind of attention from employers. As you begin to think about how to write your own resume, it’s critical to understand the steps, strategies, and processes to take that will help you make a great first impression.

Grab something to drink, make yourself comfortable, and get ready to learn everything you need to know about crafting a truly compelling resume.

Why it’s important to know how to make a resume

It’s difficult to overstate the important role a powerful resume plays in your job search. Put simply, your resume offers your best chance to effectively introduce yourself to potential employers. When you know how to make a resume that properly highlights your skills, experience, and achievements, you can improve your odds of landing the interviews you need to secure a great job.

The job market is tough and highly competitive. To compete, you need to figure out how to stand out in a sea of qualified candidates by creating a compelling narrative that conveys your value as an employee. That’s where your resume comes into play by:

Introducing you to a new company
Demonstrating how your experiences and education are relevant to the job you’re seeking
Showcasing how your skills and competencies will benefit the new company
Helping you to secure job interviews

Understanding resume fundamentals

As you would expect, there are some important resume fundamentals you should know, including how long your resume should be, the difference between a resume and a CV, and how to choose the right structure for your resume.

How many pages should you use in your resume?

There is a common misconception that entry-level resumes should look dramatically different from executive resumes. In reality, the only difference is the amount of content you’ll need to include.

If you have little or no experience, you’ll be able to get away with a short resume – generally one page. Most of that page will be devoted to your summary, skills, and education, with only a small section covering work or volunteer experience.
If you’ve been in the workforce for several years at several jobs you’ll typically need two pages to cover your career history. That extra page will provide the space you need to detail your job history, including quantifiable achievements that prove your value as employees.

It’s important to note, however, that the length of your resume shouldn’t go past two pages. You don’t get to use a three- or four-page resume simply because you have twenty or thirty years of work experience. In most instances, you should only include work experience from the last ten or fifteen years.

As you learn how to make a resume, remember this simple rule: Resumes should be no more than one or two pages long. The only exceptions are when your desired job role requires you to highlight career extras like projects, publications, research papers, patents, or public speaking engagements.

Resume or CV? What’s the difference?

Some job seekers may confuse these two job search tools or even use the words interchangeably. The fact is that these are two different types of documents, and each has its own unique purpose for job seekers.

Your “resume” is a job search document that provides a summarized view of your relevant skills, work experience, achievements, and education. It is not supposed to be a comprehensive, all-inclusive review of your entire life. Instead, its purpose is to introduce you to employers and highlight all of your most relevant qualifications for a given job.

A “Curriculum Vitae (CV),” on the other hand, takes a much more comprehensive approach. The Latin words Curriculum Vitae translate as “course of life” – and that should give you a hint about just how in-depth a CV can be. A typical CV will cover everything you find in a resume, but in even greater detail. In addition, it can include things like research experience, publications, awards, and even personal interests.

A resume is a career summary that is usually no longer than one or two pages in length. A CV is a career biography with a page count that can swell well beyond those limits, with some amounting to eight pages or more. Most job seekers will need to rely on resumes for their job search needs. In the U.S., CVs are usually reserved for academics and similar job roles.

What structure should you use for your resume?

As you learn how to make a resume, you’ll quickly discover how important it is to organize your career information. The right structure can make it easier for employers to quickly skim your resume document and locate the details they’re looking for.

Here’s the thing: the average hiring manager will only spend a few brief seconds scanning any given resume. Very few will ever read every resume that hits their desk and will instead skim each document and set aside any resumes that fail to catch their attention. Obviously, poorly organized documents are unlikely to capture their interest.

To maximize your odds of getting noticed, you should focus on organizing similar types of information into distinct sections within your resume structure. These sections should include:

Contact details
Resume heading
Resume summary statement
Core competencies or skills
Work experience
Education
Various optional sections, as needed

That simple structure works well with the most popular resume formats and is flexible enough to meet any job seeker’s needs.

Some sections – like skills, work experience, and education – can be rearranged to help you highlight your strengths. For example, If you’re a recent graduate, you may need to move your work experience to the end of your resume so you can focus attention on your education and skills.

How to make a professional resume: step-by-step guide

To help you learn how to make a resume, we’ve created the following step-by-step guide. In it, you’ll find important tips that will help you to craft a winning resume narrative that’s sure to catch any employer’s eye.

1. Gather your information

Before you begin to write your resume, it’s helpful to gather all the information you’ll need for each section. Start by creating a list of all the companies you worked for over the course of the last decade. Include details about your job titles, employment dates, and duties.

With that information in hand, focus on creating four or five measurable results you achieved in each role. Use real numbers to quantify those achievements and include action verbs to help describe your activities.

You should also create a list of your most relevant skills. If there is a particular job you’re seeking, focus on the skills needed for that position. You’ll need roughly nine to twelve skills for your core competencies section.

Finally, gather details about your education, certifications, and other training that you’ll need to include in your education section.

2. Choose the right resume format

Once you’ve gathered all of your relevant information, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll present those qualifications in your resume. The first choice you need to make involves the selection of a resume format. There are three main options here: the reverse chronological, functional, and combination resume format.

Reverse chronological resume format

The reverse-chronological is the most popular, traditional, and well-known resume format. It provides a chronological overview of your employment history and focuses on your main achievements. To use it, you need to list your jobs in reverse order starting with your current or most recent job and working backward 10-15 years.

Employers prefer this type of resume because it provides an easily accessible overview of your career history. 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 frequent job changes, or if you're seeking your first job, this may not be the best format to use.

Functional resume format

The functional resume is sometimes used by job seekers who have lengthy employment gaps or frequent job changes. This resume format focuses attention on your skills and achievements rather than your work history. Its goal is to emphasize your knowledge and how you’ve applied your skills, while minimizing specific details about your employment.

Unfortunately, this format carries a bit of a stigma since employers know some job seekers use it as a way to hide their job-hopping. As a result, most resume experts recommend that candidates avoid this resume format wherever possible.

Combination resume format

The third type of resume format is a hybrid mix of the reverse chronological and functional options: the combination resume format. This format is often used by people who are switching careers or who have special skills and a notable track record of achievements.

3. Add your contact information

Your contact information should be the very first thing on the page. Make sure you put this information at the top of the page, but don’t bury it in the footer or even set it as a header. ATS scans struggle to parse information from a header or footer. Try to format it so that it looks like this:

First and Last Name

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

Name: Make sure that your name is listed the same way across all of your professional documents and online pages. That includes your resume, cover letter, thank you emails, and LinkedIn profile page.
Location: Don’t include your full address. Instead, just list your City, State, and Zip Code. The Zip Code could come in handy if hiring managers decide to have their ATS screen for certain Zip Codes, so make sure that you don’t omit that information.
Phone: You’ll want to include a working phone number that is consistently answered. The last thing you want is for the employer to struggle to reach you if they want to schedule an interview or offer you a position.
Email: Include a valid email address that you check on a regular basis. Also, make sure you’re using an email address that sounds professional. Don’t use silly email addresses like badcat@email.com. If you don’t have a professional email, create a Gmail account that includes some form of your name.
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 in case hiring managers review it.
Portfolio: If you're applying for a position like Graphic Designer or Software Developer, you may have a portfolio of work you want to make available to someone reviewing your application for employment. Include a hyperlink to the portfolio in your contact information.

You do not need to include a photo of yourself in your resume. In fact, including a photo could get your resume rejected by hiring managers who want to avoid any potential discrimination problems. The only exceptions are jobs that require headshots, like modeling, acting, and real estate gigs.

4. Create a resume headline with job title

Your resume headline goes right below the contact information and includes your job title. 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 number of words will help it jump off the page and attract a hiring manager’s attention

Also, make sure the title on your resume mirrors the title on the job description that you're applying to, but add some other descriptive language 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.

5. Craft a resume summary

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 easier than you might think!

A resume summary is just a three to five sentence statement that summarizes you as a potential employee. It quickly highlights the major points in your career, key skills you can offer, and an achievement or two that demonstrates your value.

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:

Objective:

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 for 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 will be able to offer their team.

6. Add your skill or core competencies section

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

It should contain between nine and twelve ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that align with the keywords in the job description. Moreover, this is a fluid section that will need to be tailored to every job that you apply to.

You should 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 seeking
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

7. Create a compelling work experience section

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 work 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.

Achievements

Remove the words “responsible for” from your resume-writing vocabulary. Instead, talk about what you achieved. 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 on the company. You can take it a step further and talk about things like problem-solving skills and how you overcame challenges to fuel your team’s 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 duties did you perform 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

8. Include an education section

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 hugely 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
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:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Relevant coursework: Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting, Corporate Finance
Capstone project: Let a team of 4 that completed 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 also include awards, volunteer work, research, and relevant projects that show that you have the skills and traits that the employer is looking for in their ideal candidate.

Using resume templates and builders

One question that many job seekers often ask is whether they should use resume templates, resume builders, or resume writing services. Each can be useful in its own way, but only one option can provide a truly professional looking resume. Let’s review:

Resume templates. These templates are basically outlines that you can populate with your unique employment information. Obviously, you still need to do all the writing to create the document, but the forms can be a useful way to ensure that you have the right sections and structure for your resume.
Resume builders. These builders are offered by a variety of online companies. They’re quick to complete and provide basic resumes that include all of the major sections you need. However, they’re typically very generic and generally ineffective at capturing your personality and unique value proposition.
Resume writing services. Professional resume services like TopResume can put you in touch with experienced resume writers who know your industry and understand what employers want to see in a winning resume. They provide a personalized touch that will help your resume deliver a compelling narrative that can grab any employer’s attention.

Free Resume Review

Ensure your resume aligns with what employers are actually searching for.

Optimizing your resume for the ATS

We mentioned applicant tracking systems earlier, but they’re important enough to warrant a more in-depth discussion. An ATS is a computer program that scans your resume in search of pre-selected keywords that the employer wants to see in your resume. By some estimates, roughly 90% of companies rely on ATS scans to screen applicant resume submissions.

Since employers often need to review hundreds of resumes, they use ATS scans to reject applicants whose resumes lack the required qualifications. If your resume doesn’t contain the required keywords, these machines will deny your application – which means that it never gets reviewed by a human decision-maker!

To avoid that rejection, you should always review the job description and identify all the relevant skill and task-related keywords that the employer listed as necessary qualifications. Then make sure that you add those keywords – using the exact terms you found in the job posting – in your resume summary, skills, and work experience sections.

Pitfalls you need to avoid

There are also some common pitfalls that you need to avoid as you’re learning how to make a resume that makes a great impression on employers. For example:

Make sure that there are no typos, spelling mistakes, or grammar errors in your document. Proofread the entire resume multiple times and try to get a friend or relative to review it.
Avoid generic language. Don’t use terms like “good” or “great” or similar words that are open to interpretation. Instead, use specific words that describe your skill levels, experience, and results. For ideas, check out our guide to the best words for a resume.
Don’t include irrelevant information. Make sure that you’re focused on delivering a tight, focused message about your qualifications, achievements, and value.

Knowing how to make a resume can help fuel your job search success!

Learning how to make a resume can be one of the best ways to boost your odds of career success. When you know how to craft a truly compelling professional resume narrative, you can make the right impression on prospective employers and stand out from even the most crowded field of competitors!

Need more help learning how to make a resume, or simply want to see if your existing resume has what it takes to land you an interview? Get your free resume review from our team of experts today!

This article was originally written by Marsha Hebert. It has been updated by Ken Chase.