For formal industries like law, finance, or politics, you should stick to a simple, traditional resume style. Clean lines, no graphics, and dark colors like navy blue or burgundy are most appropriate.
However, if you want a job in a more creative industry like tech or marketing, you should use a more modern resume design. Modern resume designs include brighter colors, sans-serif fonts, and graphic details like visual skill levels or sidebars.
2. Pick a resume layout
There are three main resume formats most job seekers use today. Each format is structured to help you lay out and emphasize different parts of your professional background.
The right format for you depends on your work history, the job you’re applying to, and your skillset.
Chronological format
The experience section (in red) is the biggest part of a chronological resume.
Most job seekers use the chronological resume format. This format is probably the best choice for you if you’re just starting your career, or have a consistent work history within a single industry and have no long employment gaps.
Chronological resumes place your work experience as the primary focus of your resume, and list each job according to when you held it (with your most recent position at the top).
Hiring managers want to be able to see how your career has progressed over time, and the chronological format communicates that information quickly and clearly.
Functional format
The skills section (in green) is the focus of a functional resume.
A functional resume (or “skills-based” resume) focuses on your relevant skills rather than each job you’ve held.
Instead of listing your work history, the functional resume format lists several broad skill categories. Bullet points under each category provide supporting examples that illustrate you actually have those skills.
Functional resumes are ideal if you want to draw attention away from your work history. This format is useful if you have large employment gaps or are writing a resume for a career change.
Combination format
On a combination resume, the skills and experience sections are about equal.
As its name suggests, the combination resume format (otherwise known as a hybrid resume) mixes the most significant features of both a chronological and functional resume.
Combination resumes include a long skills section with categories, similar to a functional resume. They also have a detailed chronological work experience section.
You may think all of these skills and experiences are a lot to fit on the page – and they are. Combination resumes were designed for candidates with a lot of experience and a well-developed, specialized skill set to showcase.
3. Add a resume header
You’ve landed on a style and format for your resume. Now it’s time to dive into what really makes your resume stand out: the written content.
Your resume should feature an eye-catching resume header at the top of the page to quickly highlight your contact details for hiring managers.
A resume header needs to include your:
name
email address (use a professional one like firstname.lastname@gmail.com)
phone number
You can also add these optional details:
an online portfolio or website (if relevant to the job)
a resume headline (a subtitle that describes your experience)
4. Start your resume with a summary or objective
Hiring managers, especially those at large companies, have many applications to review for each job opening. With so much competition, it can be tough to make sure your resume gets the attention it deserves.
To stand out to the hiring manager, your resume needs to communicate why you’re the right person for the job as quickly as possible. That’s where a convincing resume introduction comes into play.
Your resume introduction provides a quick snapshot of your experience, skills, and qualifications at the very top of your resume. It should be 3–5 sentences, and can be written in either sentence or bullet-point format.
In 2022, most job seekers use the following types of resume introductions:
1. Resume summary
A resume summary is an introduction that highlights your most impressive professional achievements and skills.
Resume summaries are ideal for candidates with:
several years of relevant work experience
accomplishments that can be tied to actual numbers (which give context to those accomplishments)
Here’s exactly how to structure a resume summary:
2. Resume objective
A resume objective focuses on your professional goals and career path, and how they match the company’s goals. For this reason, a resume objective is ideal for candidates who:
have just graduated from school and lack professional experience
Here’s the formula for putting together an effective resume objective:
5. Target your work experience to the job ad
Next is your resume’s work experience section, which many recruiters and employers are most interested in (so it’s important to get it right).
For each work experience entry, list the following basic information:
How to list work experience on your resume
Job title – Dates employed (year and month) Company name – Company location (city and state)
Three to five bullet points describing your achievements and responsibilities
Include hard numbers in your bullet points when possible
To make your work experience section shine, target each bullet point to the specific job you want. Look carefully at the skills mentioned in the description, and showcase any of those skills you have with clear examples.
To get an idea of how to find these relevant skills, here’s an example of a marketing specialist job ad (with orange underlines for verbs and yellow for nouns/skills) courtesy of Indeed.com:
6. Showcase your skills
Your key skills should be prominently displayed in your resume’s skills section to give employers an at-a-glance view of the hard and soft skills that qualify you for the role.
Hard skills are learned through specific training, workshops, work experience, or school and include the skills you need to operate equipment at work (like point-of-sale systems).
24 Hard Skills for Resumes
Accounting Tools (SAP, Oracle, etc.)
SEO & SEM
HTML / CSS
UX / UI Design
Bookkeeping
Java Development
Business Intelligence
Mac, Linux, and Unix Systems
Perl / Python / Ruby
Vulnerability Analysis
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Data Engineering and Data Warehousing
Adobe Creative Suite
Database Management and Software
Cloud Apps (JSON, Rest, etc.)
Automotive Services
Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
Public Speaking
Foreign Languages
Software Development
Software QA and User Testing
Data Presentation
Web Architecture
Technical Reporting
Soft skills relate to your personality, and you develop them by simply dealing with people and daily tasks while at work. Organizational skills like coordination and self-management are good examples of soft skills valued by employers.
24 Soft Skills for Resumes
Organization
Self-motivation
Discipline
Responsibility
Logical reasoning
Open-mindedness
Persistence
Decision making
Initiative
Integrity
Commitment
Professionalism
Teamwork
Time Management
Empathy
Stress management
Patience
Cultural intelligence
Diplomacy
Trust
Focus
Versatility
Self-starter
Critical observation
Include a mix of hard and soft skills on your resume to show employers you have a balance of technical savvy and the ability to work well with colleagues and clients.How to list education on your resume
Your degree name The name of the college or high school (and its location) – Your graduation date (if it’s within the last 15 years)
This is an example of a resume education section for a job seeker who graduated in 2020 (so it includes more details than you might see on an experienced professional’s resume):
9. Add any additional relevant resume sections
Depending on your experience and background, consider adding optional resume sections. For example, certifications and awards are great if they’re relevant to your chosen career, while hobbies and volunteer work are useful if you’re writing a resume with no experience.
Here are some common optional sections you can add to your resume to give hiring managers a more complete view of you as a candidate:
Hobbies and interests
Although they’re unlikely to sway an employer’s final hiring decision, adding hobbies and interests to your resume helps show off a bit of your personality and can make your resume stand out.
Additionally, mentioning your hobbies could show hiring managers that you’re a good culture fit for the job.
For example, if you’re applying for a job at a sporting company like REI, highlighting your passion for camping or fishing is a great way to show that you’d fit in with the other employees and are personally invested in the company’s mission.
Volunteer work
Passionate about volunteering? Putting volunteer work on your resume is a great way to show employers you’re engaged with your community and are interested in more than just a paycheck.
Also, volunteer work is a good addition to your resume if you lack work experience because it shows you have a strong work ethic and are able to commit your time to something.
If you’re a recent graduate or are just starting your career, be sure to include any volunteer experience you have on your resume.
Certifications
If you’re applying for jobs that require specific certifications to get hired, you should add a section to your resume clearly highlighting that you have them.
For example, if you work in education, construction, or engineering, you likely have more than one professional certification. In these fields, it’s a good idea to add a certifications section to your resume.
Awards and honors
Whether you’ve been named “Employee of the Month” or received formal recognition from a professional association, awards and honors make a great addition to your resume.
Awards show employers that you were highly successful in your previous role, and help you stand apart from other applicants.
Publications
If you work in academia, writing, or law, you’ve likely published some work under your name, either online or in an academic journal.
Adding a section for publications on your resume shows off some of your relevant work to employers and gives them a reference for the quality of your writing and research.
Languages
Do you speak three or more languages? Creating a dedicated section for languages on your resume is a good way to show off your skills as a polyglot.
Being able to speak foreign languages is helpful for many different careers, but you should only add a dedicated section for them if you’re applying for a job where speaking in different languages is highly relevant.
Personal projects
If you’re someone who’s worked on multiple personal projects, including them on your resume shows employers that you’re passionate about your work and able to motivate yourself.
For example, if you spent a year independently developing an app or game, including programming projects on your resume shows off your accomplishment to employers and helps explain any gaps in your work experience.
10. Proofread your application (several times)
Finished writing your resume? Don’t just fire it off straight away.
Spend some time reading through it at least a couple of times. You’d be surprised how easy it is to make a typo and how hard it is to spot them in your own writing.
You should also give your resume to a friend or relative to read through so they can help you cut down on common resume writing mistakes.
Software tools you can use to check your resume for grammar or spelling mistakes include:
When you’re sure your resume is finished and you’ve checked for errors, you can save it. The best option is to save your resume as a PDF. PDFs save your formatting even if you use fonts that aren’t installed on the hiring manager’s computer, so they’ll appear exactly as you want them to appear.
However, if the job ad specifically asks for your resume in Microsoft Word (DOCX) format or some other format, follow those instructions.
Entry-level candidate
This college student does a great job showing off the qualities that make them a valuable candidate on their entry-level resume:
Pair your resume with a convincing cover letter
Now that you’ve put the finishing touches on your resume, it’s time to start sending it off to employers, right? Not just yet.
No job application is complete without writing a cover letter first.
While your resume shows your work history and skills, your cover letter explains your passion for the job and how your experience makes you qualified for that specific role.
In other words, your cover letter is your opportunity to convince the hiring manager that you’re the ideal person for the job.
Without going into too much detail, here’s how to write a strong cover letter for your resume:
How to write a cover letter for your resume
Introduce yourself and explain how you found the job
Address the hiring manager by their name (if you can find it). Then, introduce yourself and how much experience you have, as well as where you found the job.
Open with an attention-getting introductory paragraph
Briefly explain what attracted you to the job ad and why you’re passionate about the opportunity. Your introduction is also a great place to summarize why you think you’re a good fit for the role.
Explain why you’re qualified for the job in your body paragraphs
In one or two body paragraph(s), highlight your previous experience and accomplishments. Only include experience that’s directly relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Connect your experience with the job requirements
After providing an overview of your previous achievements, add an additional paragraph connecting your experience to the needs of the company. This paragraph should make it clear what you can do for the new company if you’re hired.
End with a confident closing paragraph
Briefly recap why you think you’re qualified for the job. Then, state your availability and tell the hiring manager that you’re available for an interview.
Thank the hiring manager and politely sign off
Let the hiring manager know you appreciate their time, and then use a formal sign-off such as “Sincerely” and write your name.
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