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How to Make a Resume
Every resume should include five sections to show your skills, achievements and education. This information gives a hiring manager a good idea of your abilities and suitability for a job.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Contact information
- Mandatory information so hiring managers can easily reach out.
Professional summary
- An introduction that promotes one skill or achievement to pique the reader’s interest.
Skills
- A simplified list that helps you market additional job-related skills to potential employers.
Work experience
- This section will highlight your previous responsibilities or accomplishments, depending on the format.
Education
- Helps hiring managers track your formal training and practical experience.
1. Gather Your Information
Before making your resume, create a list of your career skills and accomplishments. Don’t worry — you won’t add all this information to your resume. But a detailed list makes it easier to pick and pull relevant experience.
2. Pick the Right Resume Format
Choosing the right resume format for your experience level helps you make a good resume. Three main resume formats feature unique pros and cons to help you frame your skills and accomplishments in the best light.
- Chronological: A timeline-based resume linking key skills and accomplishments to previous jobs. Best for job seekers with 10+ years of experience or frequent promotions.
- Functional: A skills-based resume. Best for candidates with less than three years of experience, frequent job changes, recent relocation or freelancing history. Avoid if you have consistent jobs in one industry.
- Combination: This hybrid format borrows from the other two resumes to give your skills and experience equal weight. Use this if you have three-to-nine years of experience. Avoid it if you’re a first-time job seeker.
3. Ready Your Contact Information
Every resume starts with your name and contact information like phone number, email address and relevant professional websites. Double-check your voicemail recording to ensure it’s professional and respectful. Consider creating a dedicated job search email so you don’t miss important follow-up messages.
Good contact information example:
Andrew Bernard
555-555-5555
hello.andy.bernard@email.com
LinkedIn Profile
This contact information uses a dedicated, professional email handle to manage multiple applications. This job seeker also adds a link to their professional social media profiles.
Poor contact information example:
Andy “Big Tuna” Bernard
555-555-5555
drew.dog@email.com
Here Comes Treble Playlist
This job seeker uses two nicknames, a personal email address inspired by a third nickname, and links to an unrelated playlist of their song covers. This information is informal and comes across as unprofessional.
4. Add a Professional Summary
Since hiring managers have limited time to review your resume, you want to lure them in with a two- to three-sentence introduction. There are two types of intros: a professional summary that prioritizes the immediate needs of the open job or a resume objective that addresses your needs and potential within the job. Follow these tips to write your summary:
Strategize: Prioritize your most marketable accomplishments, work experiences or skills that align with the role.
Customize: Remember to double-check the job description and match this information to the employer’s needs and required skills.
Be brief: Highlight your best selling points in two to four sentences.
Summary statement example:
“Experienced forklift operator with 5+ years of experience optimizing loads to ensure operational efficiency, streamlining organization and logistics. Proficiency in operating maintenance machinery, including camber jacks, altimeters and RF scanners. My mathematical aptitude and strong organizational skills are the foundations of my career success.”
Not only does this job seeker describe general logistical skills such as operation awareness and organizational structure, but they highlight technical skills related to routine forklift maintenance. This helps hiring managers measure how much or little training they’ll need before starting their responsibilities.
Poor summary statement example:
“Looking to drive a forklift. Operated one a few times and am looking for the professional opportunity to handle one again.”
This example needs to be more specific. This job seeker has minimal experience driving a forklift. To answer “how to make a resume stand out,” they can improve this statement by adding forklift operating certifications and operational safety training they completed or describing their knowledge of proper warehouse procedures.
PRO TIP:
Most hiring managers like summary statements because they address the immediate needs of the open jobs. But if you’re a first-time worker, changing careers, relocating or re-entering the workforce, use a resume objective. These introductions explain your needs and how you can fit into the open role.
5. Describe Your Work History
List your work history in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent job first. Doing so will help employers track your skill development and accomplishments to determine your suitability for a job. Each work experience entry should include your job title, company location and dates of employment.
Start with your most recent job: Employers want to see your experience to ensure your matching skills and knowledge are fresh and quickly adaptable to the open position.
Label each job entry: Label each job with your job title, former employer, location and dates of employment to help hiring managers measure your history.
Use bullet points: Your work history is the most informative but dense part of your resume. Short bullet points help hiring managers scan your accomplishments and quickly register your info.
Use numbers or data: Quantify your accomplishments with numbers or metrics to create credibility and enhance your candidacy.
Be active: Use active verbs or power words to help illustrate your accomplishments and hold the reader’s attention.
Good work history example:
Event Producer | Corporate Events Producer
Denver, CO | 08/2016 – 08/2019
- Successfully produced events for audiences of between 1,200-7,500 attendees.
- Worked with over 100 vendors in design, production and staging.
- Managed 15 breakout productions, experiential activations and event logistics every month.
Event Producer | TED Conference
Monterey, CA | 08/2013 – 04/2016
- Assisted with contracting over 50 approved vendors, including negotiation, contracting and invoicing.
- Tracked, maintained, reported and reconciled budgets of vendor contracts quarterly.
- Ensured accuracy and quality control for logistics and inventory daily.
This job seeker wrote an effective work history section and used quantifiable data to describe their accomplishments.
Poor work history example:
Event Producer | Corporate Events Producer
Denver, CO | 08/2016 – 08/2019
- Worked with clients to execute this event.
- Handled logistics.
- Helped set up events as needed.
Event Producer | TED Conference
Monterey, CA | 08/2013 – 04/2016
- Arranged food service.
- Partnered with suppliers to rent adequate space and furniture.
This candidate must be more specific and paint a clearer picture of their skills and contributions.
6. Add Skills
Your skills are the secret to how to make a resume stand out. A simple skills section allows you to showcase six to eight more resume skills. You can mix and match your soft, hard and technical skills.
Here’s a starter list of 15 skills to help boost your resume:
Soft skills
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Analytical
- Adaptable
- Time management
Hard skills
- Research
- Presentation
- Data engineering
- Project management
- Sales funnel management
Technical skills
- CRM platforms
- Google Analytics
- Coding languages
- Project management tools
- Office suite software knowledge
Double-Check Your Resume
Zoom in: Magnify the text of your document so it’s easier to spot typos.
Use editing tools: Run your resume through a spell-check or editor tool like Grammarly and JobHero’s Resume Builder.
Read the resume out loud: Read your resume out loud to hear the flow and phrases. You’ll know to edit if you stumble on the sentence structure.
PRO TIP:
After writing and reading your resume a few times, ask a friend to spot awkward phrases and typos that your brain refused to register.
Make a Professional Resume
To make a professional resume fast, try using our expert tool. Our Resume Builder was designed by HR professionals, certified resume writers and designers to help you race through the resume-writing process. Sign up to access:
- Dozens of customizable resume templates.
- Pre-written resume sections.
- Section-by-section questionnaire to tailor your resume.
- Custom-selected skills and experience based on your answers.
- Matching cover letter templates and drafts.
See Professional Resume Examples
See how fellow job seekers make their resumes using our examples and writing advice.
See all professional resume examples.
How to Make a Resume FAQ
How do I make a resume?
- From scratch: Pair this article with our resume samples to help you write tailored resumes for each job application.
- Try a pre-built template: Start with one of our professional resume templates. They’re easy to follow — simply fill in the blanks with your information.
- Use online support: Our Resume Builder is designed for job seekers of every skill level to help you write a great professional resume.
How to make a resume with no work experience.
Visit our no-experience resume article for more advice on how to make a resume for your first job. Start by reviewing the job description. Then, list your skills that match those listed in the job ad. By doing this, you are tailoring your skills and qualifying for an entry-level position.
Next, you will organize your skills, education and any extracurricular activities. Use a functional resume format because it focuses on your skills rather than work experience.
How long should a resume be?
Your resume can range from one to two pages, but we strongly recommend limiting your resume layout to one page with one-inch margins. Use this space to prioritize relevant experience — you can expand on additional experiences once you land an interview.
How far back should a resume go?
Try to limit your resume to the last 10 or 15 years. Anything further may be outdated or irrelevant to the new job. The only exception to this rule is applicants to leadership positions.
How to make a reference page for a resume?
You should always have your reference page ready, but do not add it to your resume. Hiring managers won’t look at it until they’re close to making a final decision. They’ll request this information once you're a final candidate.