Recruiters get hundreds of applicants for each position, which is why many of them use software to sift through candidates. So, in reality, most resumes never even reach the hiring manager!
For this reason, you need to make a good resume that is both ATS-friendly and shows off your best professional qualities.
Not sure how to do it? Well, a modern resume follows a clear five-part structure: header, summary, experience, education, skills. In this article, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of creating an effective resume that will maximize your chances of landing your dream job.
Key Takeaways
Use the reverse-chronological resume format to make your resume organized and show your career progression.
Write a compelling resume statement to capture the recruiter’s attention and get them to take a closer look at your resume.
Focus on your work experience section, highlight your key achievements, and leave your education section brief.
List your hard and soft skills separately and use additional sections, such as languages and publications, to make your resume stand out.
Write an effective cover letter to complement your resume and convince the recruiter that you’re the perfect match for the job.
How to Make an Effective Resume in 10 Easy Steps
Here are 10 steps you need to take to make a job-winning resume:
Step | What to Do? | Why Does It Matter? |
---|---|---|
#1. Choose the right resume format | Pick reverse-chronological, functional, or combination depending on experience. | Ensures your resume is easy to scan and emphasizes your strengths. In 99% of cases, your best option is the reverse-chronological resume format. |
#2. Structure the layout | Use consistent fonts, 1-inch margins, readable sizes, and white space. | Creates a clean, professional appearance and improves readability. |
#3. Add contact info | Include name, phone, email, location, and LinkedIn. Exclude photos and full addresses. | It lets recruiters contact you easily while maintaining privacy and professionalism. |
#4. Write a summary or objective | Use a summary if experienced; an objective if new to the workforce or changing careers. | Captures recruiter attention in seconds with a clear pitch. |
#5. List work experience | Include job titles, company names, dates, responsibilities, and quantified achievements. | Highlights your career progression and impact. |
#6. Add your education | List degrees, schools, and dates. Optionally add GPA, honors, or relevant coursework. | Shows you meet educational requirements and adds credibility. If you have a college education, skip your high school diploma. |
#7. Highlight skills | Divide into hard and soft skills. Add proficiency levels for technical skills. | Proves you have the right tools and traits for the job. |
#8. Add optional sections | Include certifications, languages, volunteer work, hobbies, or personal projects. | Differentiates you from other candidates with relevant extras. |
#9. Write a tailored cover letter | Explain why you’re a great fit and express interest in the company. | Adds a human touch and shows motivation. |
#10. Proofread & save as PDF | Double-check everything and export in PDF format. | Prevents errors and formatting issues that could hurt your chances. |
Which Is the Best Resume Format?

In most cases, your best option is the reverse-chronological resume format. Besides being the most popular resume format, it’s also ATS-friendly, easy to make, and favored by recruiters!
Besides the reverse-chronological resume format, you can choose either the functional or combination resume format depending on your professional background.
Resume Format | Best for | What Does It Emphasize? | Why Use It? |
---|---|---|---|
Reverse-chronological | Professionals with consistent work history and 1+ years of experience | Work experience and career growth | It highlights recent roles first, making it easy for recruiters to track your progress. |
Functional | Students, recent grads, career changers, or candidates with gaps in employment | Skills over job history | Ideal when your skill set is strong but your experience is limited or unrelated to the role. |
Combination | Senior-level applicants or professionals with diverse experience and transferable skills | Balanced focus on skills and experience | Useful when applying for roles that require both a solid work history and specialized skill sets. |
What to Consider When Creating a Resume Layout?
Here’s what you need to consider before creating a resume layout:
Element | What to Do? | Why Does It Matter? |
---|---|---|
Resume length | Stick to a one-page resume unless you have 10+ years of experience. | A concise resume increases the chance that recruiters will read it. |
Font style | Use professional fonts like Helvetica, Arial, or Cambria. Avoid decorative fonts. | Clean fonts ensure readability and ATS compatibility. |
Font size | Use 11–12 pt for body text and 14–16 pt for section headers. | Proper sizing improves visual hierarchy and scanability. |
Spacing and margins | Set 1-inch margins on all sides and allow white space between sections. | Adequate spacing prevents clutter and improves readability. |
Consistency | Use the same fonts, sizes, and formatting throughout. | Uniformity makes your resume look polished and professional. |
When possible, list information using bullet points to help the recruiter quickly skim through your resume. They’ll appreciate it!
Take Advantage of Our Professional Resume Templates
Let’s be honest—making a resume from scratch can be a real hassle.
We’ve all been there: you make one little tweak, and it throws off your whole resume, causing it to spill over to page #2.
The truth is, you can spend hours tweaking your resume layout and making sure that it fits within one page, but you’ll still end up with a basic resume that looks just like the others.
What if there was an easy way to save time AND create a unique, eye-catching resume that stood out from the rest of the candidates?
Well, there is—just use our professional, ready-to-use resume templates!
Here’s what makes our resume templates your best option:
Why you Should Use Our Resume Templates
Easy to use. Choose a template, fill in your information, and you’re ready to send your resume and land that dream job!
Customizable. You can easily add and remove resume sections, change colors, font styles, and more to make your resume truly your own and match it to the position you’re applying for.
ATS-friendly. With our resume templates, you don’t have to worry about optimizing your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS)—we've already taken care of this for you!
Visually pleasing. Our resume templates look fresh and modern, so you can be confident your job application will stand out from the rest of the candidates.

Ready To Create Your Own Resume Now?
Choose Your Resume Template Here!Which Contact Information to Include in My Resume?
First things first, make sure to add the correct contact information and double-check it before sending out your resume.
Here are the main contact details you need to include in this section:
What to Include
Your first and last name. To look professional, leave your nickname for your friends and family—the potential employer needs your full name. If you have a middle name, you can include it as well.
Phone number. In the event that the company you’re applying to is based in another state or country, make sure to add the correct area code.
Email address. Use a professional email address (e.g. name.lastname@example.com).
Location. Only mention your city and state instead of your full address.
LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, mention it on your resume.
That said, there are some things you should leave off of your resume. These include:
What Not To Include
Photo. In most cases (and countries, including the United States), you don’t need to include a photo on your resume. Your resume should speak for itself.
Private information. Unless asked otherwise, don’t include private information such as your date of birth, marital status, and such.
Additionally, depending on the position you’re applying for, you can add the following optional information to your resume:
Optional Information
Job title
Social media, if it’s relevant to the job (e.g. GitHub, if you’re a software developer)
Personal website/blog
Here’s an example of what your contact information section should look like on your resume:
Contact Information Example
Dale Barrett Dental Assistant 012-345-6789 dalebarrett@gmail.com Salt Lake City, Utah linkedin.com/in/dalebarrett73
Should I Use a Resume Summary or Objective?

You should include one or the other to grab and secure the recruiter’s attention.
Recruiters are very busy people—for each open position, they receive around 250 applications —so they need a way to determine whether you’re the perfect candidate for the position in just a few seconds. This is where the resume summary and objective come into play.
When & How to Write a Resume Summary
As you might’ve already gathered, the aim of a resume summary is to sum up your professional background in just a couple of sentences.
As a rule of thumb, you should always opt for a resume summary, unless you don’t have relevant work experience.
So, here’s a simple four-step formula that will help you write a powerful resume summary:
How to Write a Resume Summary
Start with one or two adjectives that describe you as a professional.
Mention your professional title and years of experience.
Add your professional skills.
Top it off with one or more of your biggest achievements.
Now, let’s see this in action—here’s an example of a resume summary that will instantly prove to the recruiter that your resume is worth taking a closer look at:
Resume Summary Example
Motivated and detail-oriented Technical Support Specialist with 4+ years in live chat technical support. Proficient in Freshdesk, LiveAgent, and Userlike. Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, and time management skills. Handled up to 3 chats simultaneously and provided support for 120+ customers daily with a 97% average customer satisfaction rate.
And here’s an example of a resume summary that you shouldn’t follow:
Incorrect Example
I am an experienced technical support specialist. I am familiar with customer support software and can work quickly. I always get to the bottom of a problem and do my best to leave customers satisfied.
In short, the first resume summary is more specific, catchy, and impactful than the second one. Moreover, by including numbers, the first resume summary shows what the candidate is capable of in a quantifiable way, which is exactly what hiring managers want to know!
When & How to Write a Resume Objective
Now, what if you don’t have relevant work experience? Whether you’re looking for your first job or switching careers, worry not—that’s what the resume objective is for!
Simply put, a resume objective is a statement that shows your career motivation and intent. Its goal is the same as that of a resume summary—to convince the recruiter that you’re a viable candidate for the position.
So, here’s how to write a compelling resume objective step-by-step:
How to Write a Resume Objective
Introduce yourself
Mention any relevant skills and experience
State your motivation to work at this particular company
Here’s an example of a resume objective done right:
Resume Objective Example
Enthusiastic English Literature third-year student looking for a part-time front desk receptionist job. Looking to apply my strong customer service, communication, and collaboration skills gained through a summer job as a waitress at Restaurant X to provide an excellent guest experience at Hotel Y.
And here’s an example of a bad resume objective:
Incorrect Example
English Literature student looking for a part-time job at a hotel. I love working with and meeting new people from different countries. I want to learn and improve my customer service skills and advance my career.
The difference between these two summary objectives is stark, to say the least.
Besides being more detailed, the first resume objective also emphasizes what the candidate has to give to the company instead of focusing on personal gain. As such, it makes the candidate appear more valuable, motivated, and professional.
How to List Your Work Experience?

Generally speaking, your resume shouldn’t include jobs that you held more than 10-15 years ago, especially if they aren’t relevant to the position. So, for example, if you’re a mid- or senior-level candidate, feel free to skip any odd jobs you had in college and make better use of this space with some additional sections.
Now that that’s sorted, let’s go over all of the elements you need to effectively list your work experience:
Work Experience Elements
Job title. Your job title shows the recruiter whether you have relevant work experience, so make sure that it accurately describes the role you played in the company. So, even if the company calls you a “social media rockstar,” you want to list yourself as a “social media manager” instead.
Company details. These typically include the company’s name and location (city and state), but you can also add a brief description of the company.
Employment period. To make your resume easy to understand for both recruiters and ATS, list your date of employment using the mm/yyyy format.
Key responsibilities and achievements. List these to show the recruiter not only what you did in your previous role but also how well you did it.
5 Tips to Make Your Work Experience Stand Out
To stand out among hundreds of other candidates, you need to take your work experience section to the next level.
Here are five tried-and-tested tips that will help you do it:
Work Experience Tips
List your work experience in reverse-chronological order. To maintain consistency throughout your resume, list your most recent jobs first and then go back in time.
Focus on your achievements. Recruiters typically know what your responsibilities are, so listing your duties won’t impress them. To make your resume stand out from the others and show what you can do for the company, try and include at least one or two key achievements in each work experience entry.
Take advantage of the numbers. Whenever possible, use numbers to give context to your responsibilities and prove your achievements. For example, “Spearheaded a team of 12 IT specialists,” “Exceeded sales quota by 40% in three consecutive months,” and so on.
Use action words to list your responsibilities and achievements. Most resumes will have the usual “Responsible for…” in each entry. To make yours stand out, use action words to describe what you did in the company (e.g. managed, supported, guided, instructed, streamlined, optimized, etc.)
Include keywords to tailor your resume for the position. Instead of sending a generic resume, you want to tailor it for the job. The best way to do this is to read the job listing, pick out some keywords from it, and mention them throughout your resume, including your work experience section. This increases your chances of passing the ATS scan, which means that your resume will reach the recruiter.
What’s a Good Example of an Effective Work Experience Section
Here’s a great example of a work experience section:
Work Experience Example
Work Experience Accountant Company X Newark, Delaware 05/2019 - 03/2022
Identified and fixed accounting and bookkeeping errors, saving $327,000.
Streamlined record-keeping and tax report operations, which saved 240 hours annually.
Prepared and managed month-end reports, tax returns, and other financial reports with ideal accuracy.
Initiated and supported the company’s switch from manual accounting to computerized accounting.
Ensured compliance with accounting principles, federal laws and company regulations.
And here’s an example of a work experience section that could use some improvement:
Incorrect Example
Work Experience Accountant Company X Newark, Delaware 05/2019 - 03/2022
Responsible for all accounting-related transactions and operations
Responsible for preparing and submitting financial statements and reports
Responsible for recommending and implementing best practices to improve accounting procedures and help the company save money
In a nutshell, here’s what the first example does right:
Uses active voice and action words (e.g. prepared, identified, managed, etc.) to make the resume stand out from all the “Responsible for…” resumes
Highlights achievements to show off the candidate’s competence
Includes numbers to prove the candidate’s achievements in a quantifiable manner
Which Education Details to Add to Your Resume?

In general, you want to keep your education section brief. Unless you don’t have work experience or the job requires specific education, there’s no need to go beyond the essentials.
Here’s what you need to mention in your education section:
What To Include
Degree, such as BA in Marketing
University, college, or another institution, e.g. The University of Arizona
Attendance years. Use the mm/yyyy format (e.g. 09/2017 - 07/2021)
Optionally, you can also include the following details:
Optional Details
Program location
GPA
Minor
Honors
Academic achievements
Relevant courses
Once you’re done with the basics, here are some tips to make your education section stand out:
Education Section Tips
List your education in reverse-chronological format to maintain consistency throughout your resume
If you have a higher education, don’t mention your high school diploma
Only mention your GPA if you’ve recently graduated with a GPA of 3.5 or higher
If you haven’t graduated yet, list any completed courses
And here’s an example of how the education section should look on your resume:
Education Section Example
MA in Clinical Psychology California State University 10/2020 - 07/2022 GPA 3.9, Dean’s List (all semesters) BA in Psychology Azusa Pacific University 08/2016 - 06/2020
Which Skills to Highlight in Your Resume?

There are two types of skills:
2 Types of Skills
Soft skills. Also known as common skills, soft skills can be applied in a variety of positions. They include your personality traits (e.g: creativity), interpersonal skills (e.g: leadership), and communication skills (e.g. active listening), among others.
Hard skills. Sometimes called technical skills, these are learned abilities that you need to perform a specific job. Unlike soft skills, hard skills can be measured. Some examples of hard skills include programming languages, bookkeeping, product knowledge, and troubleshooting.
All jobs—from customer service to engineering—require you to have a set of both soft and hard skills. As such, to make a good resume, you want to include both in your resume.
How to Correctly List Skills on Your Resume?
Here’s how you should list your skills to make this section of your resume pop:
Skills Section Tips
Include only relevant skills. You might think that adding all of your skills will help you appear as a well-rounded person. Yet, the point of a resume is to prove that you’re the right candidate for the specific position. So, make sure to only mention skills that are important to the job you’re applying for.
Do your research. To make sure you mention all the necessary skills, research the most in-demand skills for that particular position. If you have them, add them to your resume. Make sure to also carefully read the job listing and note any mentioned skills that apply to you.
List soft and hard skills separately. You want your resume to be structured well so that the recruiter can easily find what they’re looking for. For this reason, always list your hard skills separately from your soft skills.
Include proficiency levels for your hard skills. Besides each hard skill, make sure to mention your proficiency level (e.g: beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc.). This will give the recruiter an idea of how good you are at each skill.
Additional Tip
Be honest about your skills and proficiency levels. While you can trick the recruiter into scheduling a job interview with you, the truth will eventually come out during the interview, trial task, probation period, or later. Ultimately, lying on your resume can do more harm than good.
Here’s a good example of a skills section:
Skills Section Example
Skills Soft Skills Teamwork Time management Resilience Attention to detail Active listening Hard Skills WordPress—Expert Adobe Creative Cloud—Advanced JavaScript—Advanced Python—Intermediate Debugging—Intermediate
How to Make Use of Additional Sections in Your Resume?

Additional sections are optional and not nearly as important as, for example, your work experience section.
Still, if you have some white space on your resume, you might want to take advantage and include some extra details about your career. Done right, additional sections can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates and show off your unique professional experience.
Languages
Put simply, languages are valuable in virtually any position—even if they aren’t required for the job, you never know when they can come in handy. So, if you speak any languages besides your native one, make sure to list them on your resume!
As with hard skills, make sure to also include your language proficiency level, such as:
Language Proficiency Levels
Elementary proficiency
Limited working proficiency
Professional working proficiency
Full professional working proficiency
Native or bilingual proficiency
Certifications and Licenses
While some jobs require you to hold a certification or a license (e.g: CNA), it’s always good practice to list any field-related certifications and licenses. You can do it even if they aren’t mentioned in the job ad.
What you should do is start with your latest certification or license and list the following:
Certificates & Licences
Name of certification/license
Name of certifying body
Year of obtainment
Expiration date (if applicable)
If you haven’t obtained a certificate or license just yet, but you are in the process of obtaining it, you can still include it on your resume. Just make sure to indicate that it’s still in progress!
Awards and Honors
Whether you’ve been awarded Employee of the Year or received a community award, feel free to mention any relevant achievements on your resume.
Here are some types of achievements you should consider adding to your resume:
Awards & Honors
Education awards
Industry awards
Company awards
Other awards (community, contest, leadership, athletic, etc.)
You can either include your awards and honors in your work experience or education sections or, alternatively, you can add them in a dedicated section.
Associations and Professional Organizations
Are you a member of any industry-related associations or professional organizations? Perfect! Including any professional affiliations on your resume will show your dedication to the field.
As with the rest of the elements of your resume, you want to include your membership in associations and professional organizations in reverse-chronological order.
Here’s what you should mention:
Associations & Professional Organizations
Name of the organization
Date of membership
Role
If your role isn’t clear, you can also add a few sentences explaining your responsibilities.
Publications
Have you written any pieces that have been published online, in academic journals, magazines, or anywhere else?
If they’re related to the position you’re applying for, you definitely want to include them on your resume to show off your expertise!
Not to mention, listing your publications won’t take you more than a few minutes. Here’s what you need to mention:
Publications
Publication title
Name of the website, journal, book, etc.
Date or year of publishing
Of course, to keep your publications well-organized (especially if you’re listing a few of them), you want to start with your most recent publication and add each following publication as a new bullet point.
Personal Projects
If you have any personal projects related to the job you’re applying for, it’s only right to include them on your resume.
This shows that you’re passionate and interested in the field, and not just during your working hours!
On top of that, your personal projects can also show that you have the skills and knowledge needed for the job.
For example, if you run a marketing blog, make sure to mention it on your resume if you’re looking for a job in content writing, marketing, or other similar fields—especially if you have a larger following!
Volunteering Experience
If you have any kind of volunteer experience, it’s a good idea to mention it in your resume.
Besides showing that you are a selfless person, your volunteering experience can also attest to your skills and convince the hiring manager that you’re the right candidate for the position.
Not to mention, your volunteering experience is especially important if you don’t have much or any work experience.
Hobbies and Interests
While hobbies and interests aren’t exactly the things that will get you hired, they can help you show more of your personality and thus set you apart from other candidates.
This is especially true if your hobbies and interests are related to the job you’re applying for (e.g. a gaming hobby can be very helpful if you’re applying for a position at a startup that develops games).
Not to mention, if you’re competing against a candidate with a similar professional background, the hiring manager might favor you if you share the same hobbies and interests!
So, now that you know which additional sections you can include on your resume, here’s an example of how these sections could look on your resume:
Additional Sections Example
Languages English—Native or bilingual proficiency Spanish—Limited working proficiency Portuguese—Elementary proficiency Professional Certifications Certified Technical Professional (2020-2023) The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering Hobbies & Interests
Machine learning
Artificial intelligence
Board games
How to Craft a Compelling Cover Letter?
An impactful cover letter is an essential part of your job application, and although it isn’t a part of your resume, it goes hand-in-hand with your resume. It shows the hiring manager that you’re the perfect fit for the position and the company, and gives you a chance to mention anything you couldn’t in your resume.
Here’s how to make a cover letter for a resume in 6 simple steps:
6 Steps When Writing A Cover Letter
Start with the header. At the top of your cover letter, include your contact information (name, last name, phone number, email address, etc.).
Greet the hiring manager. Research and mention the hiring manager’s name—this also shows that you’re willing to go one step further than expected of you!
Introduce yourself. In the opening paragraph, tell the recruiter who you are. Briefly mention your professional background and list a couple of your top achievements.
Go in-depth. Next, explain why you’re the perfect match for the position and give more details on your work experience, skills, etc.
Convince the employer that you’re a cultural match for the company. Explain why you want to work for this particular company and why you’d be a great asset to their team.
Close your cover letter right. Before signing off, include a call to action to increase your chances of getting an interview.
Here’s an example of a job-landing cover letter:

Ready to Create a Compelling Cover Letter?
Pick Your Cover Letter Template Here!Best Practices in Revising Your Resume and Cover Letter
Make sure to proofread your resume and cover letter for any errors. After all, you want them to be nothing short of perfect!
Pro Tip
Have a friend or a family member review your resume and cover letter. A fresh pair of eyes might notice something you might’ve missed!
To make this easier on you and ensure you mention everything you’re supposed to mention in your resume, we’ve created a free resume checklist for you. Let’s dig in!
Resume Checklist
If you’ve answered “Yes” to all of the above-mentioned questions, you can rightfully call yourself an expert on how to make a resume and submit your job application!
Pro Tip
After double-checking your resume, save it as a PDF file. This way, you can ensure that your resume will look as intended on any operating system and device.
Example of a Job-Winning Resume

What Follows After You’ve Perfected Your Resume?
Now that you’ve perfected your resume and cover letter, it’s time to prepare for the job interview to secure your dream job.
Let’s be fair—no one really likes job interviews, but doing a bit of prep can help you minimize the stress. So, here are some tips that will help you nail the job interview:
Job Interview Tips
Do your research. Before your interview, make sure to research the company and the position you’re applying for. Read the job listing once again to make note of what the company is looking for.
Practice your answers. Research the most common job interview questions and rehearse your answers. To leave a good impression, make sure to focus as much as possible on what you can give to the company. Additionally, you might want to prepare some answers for STAR questions, which let the recruiter assess your behavior.
Pick an outfit for the interview. To avoid stressing out the morning of the interview, pick an outfit in advance. Even if you have an online interview, don’t forget to look neat and professional.
Prepare a few questions. During the interview, you’re expected not only to answer questions but also to ask some. So, make sure to prepare some questions for the interviewer about the company and position to show your interest in the job.
Final Thoughts
Making the perfect resume might seem daunting, but with the right tools, guidance, and a little creativity, it becomes a powerful opportunity to tell your story. This guide provides you with everything you need: the structure, the strategy, and insider tips to make your resume stand out in any industry!
Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned pro refreshing your resume, remember that your resume is more than a document; it’s your personal brand.
FAQs About How to Make a Resume
#1. How to make a good resume that stands out from other candidates?
To make a good resume, write a compelling resume statement, tailor your resume with job-specific keywords, and highlight key achievements to stand out from similar candidates.
#2. How to make a resume in Word?
If you want to make a resume in Word, you have two options: using a Word resume template or starting from a blank page. However, Word templates aren't optimized for ATS and often look outdated. For best results, use a tool specifically designed for resumes.
#3. What do employers look for in a resume?
Employers primarily look for relevant work experience, soft and hard skills, professional achievements, and other similar information that proves that you have what it takes to be successful in the role.
#4. Is it okay to have a gap in your resume?
Having an employment gap on your resume is okay as long as you properly address it. Make sure to mention your employment gap(s) in a separate entry. There, add the dates and explain the reason behind the gap (e.g. medical reasons).
#5. What's the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV)?
The difference between a resume and a CV is that a resume is used in the United States, whereas in Europe it’s called a “CV.” Still, both of them are documents that summarize and present your professional background.
#6. What should you name your resume file?
You want to include your name, last name, and the position you’re applying for when naming your resume file, for example, “Alan-Hendricks-IT-Specialist-Resume.” Make sure to use dashes or underscores between words to make your resume file name ATS-friendly. Also, unless asked to do otherwise, save your resume as a PDF file.