A resume answers one question for a stranger in a hurry: can this person do the job? Everything on the page should help answer it. Work through these steps in order and you will finish with something you can send.
1. Pick one target job
Find two or three real job posts for the role you want. You will write toward them. A resume aimed at everything reads as aimed at nothing.
2. Choose the layout before you write
Use reverse chronological order, newest job first, in one column. It suits almost everyone and is what recruiters and parsers expect. The exceptions are career changers and people returning from a gap; see chronological vs functional resumes.
3. Write the header
Name, target job title, city and country, phone, email, and one link if you have a portfolio or LinkedIn. Skip a full street address. In the US, UK and Canada, skip the photo and date of birth too.
4. Write a two-line summary
Say what you do, for how long, and one result. "Accounts payable specialist with 5 years in manufacturing. Cut invoice processing time by a third after moving the team to e-invoicing." See resume summary examples for more, or draft one with the summary generator.
5. List your experience
For each job: title, employer, city, dates. Then three to five bullets for recent jobs and one or two for older ones. Start each bullet with a verb and end it with what changed. The bullet point guide has ten before-and-after fixes, and the bullet point generator rewrites a weak one for you.
6. Add education
Degree, school, year. Students and recent graduates put this above experience and can add relevant coursework or a strong grade. Everyone else keeps it short.
7. Write the skills section
Pull the tools and methods from the job posts you saved in step 1, and keep only the ones you can defend in an interview. Group them under two or three labels. The skills section examples show how.
8. Check, then save as PDF
- Read it aloud once. Typos hide from silent reading.
- Check the dates line up and use one format.
- Export as PDF, then select a line of text to confirm it is real text.
- Name the file with your name and the role: Priya-Sharma-Data-Analyst.pdf.
Questions people ask
- What should a resume include?
- A header with contact details, a short summary, work experience with results, education and skills. Add projects, certifications or languages when they matter for the job.
- How do I write a resume with no experience?
- Lead with education, then projects, internships, volunteering and part-time work. Treat each like a job: what you did and what came of it. Our guide to resume formats for freshers covers this in detail.
- Should I write my resume in first person?
- Write in implied first person: drop the "I" and start with the verb. "Led a team of 6", not "I led a team of 6".