How to Write a Resume in 8 Simple Steps
There's more than one way to write a resume, but there are certain universal elements each one has in common. No matter your background, industry, or experience level, it's important for job seekers to learn how to execute these essential elements.
To be precise, there are five critical sections every resume should contain, regardless of how the page is put together. Below, we’ll explain which information each section needs and provide tips for choosing the right resume format and template.
Table of Contents
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Write your resume header
Write your resume header
What belongs in a resume header:
- Your name
- A professional-sounding email address
- Your phone number
- Links to LinkedIn, personal websites, or portfolios
Writing tips for resume headers:
- Make sure every piece of contact information is correct. You can’t predict how a recruiter will try to contact you, and if they can’t reach you, there’s no guarantee they’ll try again.
- Your email address should sound professional. Inappropriate addresses won’t impress hiring managers and may land your resume in the trash. Older email domains like AOL or Hotmail may also make you look outdated. If necessary, create a simple Gmail address based on your first and last names.
- Keep it short. When listing links to portfolios or other personal sites, limit yourself to one URL. Remember that your resume isn’t the only one a recruiter will review. When in doubt, simply list your LinkedIn URL, from which you can link to the rest of your body of work.
Write your professional summary
Write your professional summary
What belongs in a professional summary:
- A two-to-five sentence personal introduction
- Descriptions of your most relevant skills and training
- Brief mention of your most impressive accomplishments
Writing tips for professional summaries:
- Reference the job ad’s most critical qualifications. Since you’re presenting yourself as a perfect fit for the job, do your best to align your highlighted skills and experience to the most important qualifications, and requirements called for in the job ad. Immediately communicating that you fulfill the requirements of the role, even if only briefly, compels recruiters to read on to the next section.
- Save most specifics for later. While it’s important to grab readers’ attention by presenting yourself as the ideal candidate, remember to keep this section short. Don’t let it steal the rest of your resume’s thunder.
- Reflect the language of the job ad. Show employers you’re exactly what they’re looking for. If your qualifications directly match any of those asked for in the job description, use those precise terms and phrases when describing yourself.
Write your work experience section
Write your work experience section
What belongs in a work experience section:
- Your previous job titles and employers
- Beginning and end dates for each role
- The geographic location of each role
- A brief list of accomplishments or responsibilities (depending on format)
Writing tips for work experience sections:
- Follow the rules of your chosen resume format. The work experience section will be rendered differently depending on your choice of resume format. Chronological- and combination-style resumes list job responsibilities, while the functional format does not.
- Use quantifiable metrics. Don’t just tell recruiters what you were “responsible for” in your past role. Instead, show them exactly what you accomplished and contributed. Rather than simply saying you were “responsible for balancing the budget,” tell them you “proactively cut costs by 19% through efficient budget management.”
- Emphasize recent and relevant experience. If it seems like you have too many past roles to fit on one page, you just might. Focus your work experience section on past job titles that are relevant to the role you’re seeking now or that are recent enough to paint an accurate, up-to-date picture of your career.
- Use compelling language. Leave boring language behind and instead embrace attention-grabbing verbs like “established”, “achieved”, or “negotiated.” Make it clear that you positively contributed to past employers, and if possible, say this in a way that reflects the new job ad’s phrasing.
Write your skills section
Write your skills section
What belongs in a skills section:
- A list of abilities that relate to the job
- A mix of both hard and soft skills
Writing tips for skills sections:
- Strike the right balance of hard and soft skills. Recruiters are seeking applicants who have not only the technical skills to do the job but also the ability to work well with others. Make sure your resume shows off your hard skills, like programming languages if you’re an engineer, but remember to add soft skills, like communication and leadership. Even in highly technical roles, these qualities count in the hiring process.
- List key terms, not full sentences. In the interest of clarity and saving space, only include a bulleted list of at least six to eight skills. If you are a highly experienced candidate, your list can be longer. Pay attention to the job ad’s language and use the same phrasing whenever possible. (For example, if the job ad calls for “strong oral communication skills,” write that instead of “verbal communication skills.”
- Resist the temptation to exaggerate. If you’ve only ever edited a few lines of code while working on webpages, for example, don’t write that you possess a “mastery of HTML5.” Only include skills you truly have and be honest about your skill level, or you may find yourself in hot water when employers try to put your talents to use.
Write your education section
Write your education section
What belongs in an education section:
- The full name of each educational institution
- The exact type and title of your degrees and/or certifications
- Any education-related awards or distinguishing accomplishments
Writing tips for education sections:
- Only include your graduation year or GPA if you recently graduated. Unless you’re fresh out of school, indicating when you went to college may trigger age-related biases in your reader. As for your GPA, it’s not relevant unless it’s a recent (and very impressive) accomplishment. If you’ve yet to graduate, however, do include the year you anticipate graduating.
- Only mention high school if it’s your highest level of education. Similar to your work history, there’s no reason to include older educational milestones less relevant to your current career. However, if you didn’t pursue secondary education, include your high school information so as not to leave this section blank.
- List degrees and certifications in reverse-chronological order. Again, as with other accomplishments, employers first want to know what you’ve achieved most recently. This is especially important as one’s higher education becomes increasingly specialized.
- Do not lie. While it’s crucial to have an entirely truthful resume, school-related lies are easy to expose. While companies might close or change management, academic records are far more permanent. All it takes is one call to your alma mater to discover you didn’t actually have a “triple major.”
Choose your resume format
Next, choose the resume format that will show off your accomplishments in the best light. As referenced above, a resume’s “format” refers to how the document’s information is organized and which elements are emphasized. Your page’s format depends on several factors, including your skills and industry, but it is mostly dictated by your level of experience.
There are three widely used resume formats — chronological, functional, and combination. Here is a brief look at each:
Chronological
- The chronological resume format focuses on work history above all else.
- This format is best for applicants with consistent employment records who wish to show off an impressive career trajectory.
- This format will require detailed descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments in past roles.
Functional
- Combining the functional and chronological resume formats, this option emphasizes both transferable skills and work history in equal measure.
- This format still includes a full, chronological work experience section, though it now sits below one’s skills.
- The most versatile resume format, this is a great choice for a variety of job seekers.
Combination
- The functional format focuses on skills over work experience.
- This type of work experience section is placed lower on the page and no longer includes past job responsibilities, which are now listed in the skills section.
- This format works best for entry-level job seekers, those making a career change, or applicants with a spotty work history.
Pick a resume template
A resume’s template dictates the look and feel of the document. Your use of color, font, spacing, and more might all be determined by which style you choose. Before you start writing, here are some things to consider when choosing a resume template:
Is the industry to which you are applying conservative, creative, or somewhere in the middle? A whimsical design may not be received well at a law firm, for example, so consider your audience carefully.
Are you applying for the same job title across industries? If so, we recommend that you change your resume template accordingly. LiveCareer’s Resume Builder allows you to change your resume template as often as you like for no additional charge.
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Modern
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Professional
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Creative
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Traditional
Edit your document
There’s no such thing as being too careful during a job search. Take the extra time to complete these two steps before you apply for a job using your new resume:
- Fact-check the details. Double-check things like dates and the spelling of company or school names, and that all of your contact information is accurate and up to date.
- Proofread your resume. It won’t matter if you’re the most qualified candidate in the world if your resume is full of spelling and grammatical errors. Read the page from top to bottom before deeming it ready for recruiters. Whenever possible, send your document to a trusted friend for a fresh set of eyes.
FAQs on How to Write a Resume
- How long should it take to write a resume?
- How do I write a good resume?
- How do I write a resume with many short-term jobs?
- How do you write a resume when you are still in college?
- How do you write a resume when you haven’t worked in years?
How long should it take to write a resume?
It can take up to a couple of weeks to craft a resume worth sending to potential employers. Though writing a draft may take only hours, you still need to tweak it to perfection – after all, you only get one shot to make a great first impression. If you don’t have the time to master how to make a resume shine, use our Resume Builder, and get your resume in minutes.
How do I write a good resume?
Nail your professional summary, work history, and skills sections. Lead those three sections with what’s most important, and make it compelling and relevant.
The average recruiter or hiring manager spends six seconds reviewing a resume, scanning the document from the top down. If the summary, work history, and skills sections are off, the scanning will stop.
How do I write a resume with many short-term jobs?
Lead with a compelling summary statement that emphasizes both your length of experience and desire to find long-term, full-time employment. Consider leaving off very short-term stints that lasted only a few months. Use only the years with dates.
We recommend you use a functional or combination resume to draw attention to longer positions. Check out LiveCareer’s job-winning resume templates suitable for all experience levels.
How do you write a resume when you are still in college?
Start with a strong summary of your qualifications, emphasizing the value of your skillset and knowledge. If you have limited work experience, move your education section above the work history, listing any academic honors. Remember, you may have internships or volunteer experience to note on your resume.
Use LiveCareer’s resume templates and resume builder to ensure your one-page document contains the right keywords.
How do you write a resume when you haven’t worked in years?
Use a functional or hybrid format, leading with your most relevant skill set, including those developed outside of a formal profession. For instance, if you raised kids, you can emphasize your ability to multitask in high-stress environments. Do the same in your cover letter.
