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How to Write a Resume

Having a perfectly honed and well-written resume is like having a superpower during your job search. 

While most people walk up the hiring ladder, you put on your crimson cape and soar upwards at supersonic speed. This guide on how to write a resume outlines the most important building blocks for creating exactly this type of amazing resume.

There are the 10 important resume writing steps we will cover in this blog:

A note about the authors: Resume.io's job-winning resume templates have helped 5 million job seekers around the world write a great resume . Our team is dedicated to empowering you in your quest for an amazing career... as well as making this journey easy and enjoyable!

Imagine two great professionals with awesome credentials, talents, and expertise. Except that one gets ignored by potential employers and stumped by automated application systems. While the other gets several interview calls each week from industry leaders.

What’s the difference between the two people? It could be connections or circumstances. But often, the difference is a great resume that “hacks” hiring situations. Marketing is just as important for professionals as it is for businesses. Present yourself as the obvious choice for the role.

It’s often the little things in life that matter the most.

The vital starting point: where to write your resume?

We’ll go straight to the golden rule, no beating around the bush. 

Do not use basic text editors to write the final version of your resume. You can use them to craft your initial thoughts if you feel comfortable with them, but MS Word, Excel, and similar programs have a host of potential problems that may hinder you.

These may include:

• A difficult and time-consuming formatting process
• Header/footer information not readable by other systems
• Poor and bland visual designs that get lost among other resumes
• Formatting that looks different in other programs
• Lost or corrupted files and so on

So, what’s the solution? 

The accepted standard for submitting most resumes is the PDF file format. The benefits are clear in most cases: universal formatting that doesn’t change regardless of where you view it and readability by most software systems. 

Use professionally designed layouts and tools that have been tested with hiring managers and applicant systems.

Use old-school text editors that take hours of work and are often incompatible with the employer's software.

The ideal tools to produce clean, concise, and beautiful resumes in PDF format are online builders . These web and/or software solutions are specifically made to be the perfect instrument for visually striking, technically functional, and content-optimized resumes. 

By using a service/platform that is designed specifically for resumes, you save lots of time and avoid hidden problems. With an online resume builder , what you see is what the hiring manager will see.

Visual character, templates, and first impressions

We’re all visual creatures. Our first impressions are always based on aesthetics, symmetry, and images.

We choose our clothes for an interview with care, why shouldn’t we put the same effort into the appearance of our resume? It’s our primary ambassador before any sort of physical meeting, a first impression that will live long in the hiring manager's memory.

According to a study done by TheLadders, recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds glancing at a resume before moving on to another one (as we mentioned in our profession-specific guides and examples ). During this short time, a subconscious decision is often made based on the “looks” of your resume. If it’s clean and beautiful, the hiring manager will infer a number of positive traits about your personality.

By adding icons to your resume, you can draw attention to particular sections and stand out from the crowd. 

You can create your own templates, but unless you’re a professional designer, it may be best to rely on field-tested visuals. Templates project a certain character and mood with their design: they can emphasize creativity, dependability, discipline, and other qualities.

Use professional designs and templates that have been optimized for content, psychology and visual perception.

Spend hours or days creating the perfect design/layout from scratch, only to discover it has technical issues.

Resume.io templates are divided and developed based on these identities, which can be better aligned with certain professions, industries, or simply the circumstances of the job opening.

Here’s an example of our diverse lineup of tested and professionally designed templates:

Resume formats: defining structure

Now that we’re done with the visuals, let’s move on to the magic of text. The most fundamental division of text in resumes is based on content format: 

• Reverse Chronological
• Combined (Combination resume).

The Reverse Chronological format is not only the most common one but also the most widely accepted among various employers and industries. The biggest benefit of a reverse chronological resume is its straightforward, easy-to-understand, and linear structure. 

It displays your professional experience and past work experience from most recent to oldest. Your most recent roles are most relevant to your application. This is great when you have a continuous history of work, and you can showcase some important recent positions. But what should you do if you’re a fresh graduate or have a sizable gap in your employment history? This is where the Functional and Combination formats come in.

A Reverse Chronological order also takes advantage of short attention spans and busy schedules of recruiters by demonstrating your most recent and impressive positions first. Take advantage of those 6-7 seconds of “eye time”!

Is your resume bad? Probably not. Could it be better? Well, maybe. Have a look at our bad resume examples and see if you recognize anything that you could improve.

The Functional resume format leans on soft and hard skills as its main focus point. If you lack experience as an entry-level job seeker due to recently graduating college or are in the process of moving to a new industry, the Functional format is one you might consider. You can also make the resume more robust by mentioning past projects, social initiatives, experience in other fields, and so on.

A Combination format places equal emphasis on skills and relevant work experience, and is therefore appropriate for many technical and technological professions (though not exclusive to them). Many modern resumes have an expanded skills section at the top of the document before the reverse-chronological employment history, so they might be considered combination format resumes.

For visual emphasis, check out a strong example of how resumes can be structured:

To take a deeper dive into how you should arrange the structure of your resume, check out our dedicated Resume Formats guide , as well as our articles on Functional and Chronological resumes !

Resume sections: your professional feature list

There’s often a lot of confusion as to which sections to include in your resume. 

This isn’t surprising, since their importance can vary depending on your profession, industry, and nature of your experience. We can divide section types into necessary and optional ones. Let’s assume for the time being that you’re using the Reverse Chronological format (as it’s used in more than 90% of resumes nowadays).

Necessary sections often include:

• Contact information and basic personal information
• Summary (Personal statement, Objective )
• Employment history

Optional sections can include:

• Achievements and milestones (often this is included in the Summary and Social projects and volunteer work)
• Awards, certificates and organizations
• Hobbies and interests
• Include the most important sections that showcase your professional experience and are likely to impress your employer.
• Analyze which sections are important to your profession. Only then - use the free white available (if any) for optional categories.
• Include every section possible, expanding your resume to maximum capacity.
• Include your social media profiles if they contain party pictures. Keep it to your basic contact information such as email, phone number and Linkedin profile.
• List every single life milestone or activity, regardless of available space (high school education, all hobbies and personal interests etc.)
• Only include cum laude or GPA on a resume if an employer explicitly asks for it or if you are applying for an entry-level job.

These are not iron-clad rules, however. Sometimes certain sections change their importance depending on the job itself. For example, in our Nurse resume guide , we highlight the fact that belonging to professional organizations is much more important than usual. Some questions to ask yourself when deciding to include or resize sections are: 

• Will this increase my chances of getting hired?
• Will this provide a positive impression on the employer?
• Is it appropriate for the job description?

Your resume may be Chronological, but your decisions should be functional and pragmatic!

The professional summary: your highlight, your story

The vital necessity of keeping your resume concise often makes some resumes feel bland or emotionless. The Professional Summary is your biggest chance to add some color, life, and personality to your resume.  It demonstrates your determination, and positive outlook and brings some emotion to dry facts.

• Write a Summary that has some character, energetic phrasing, action verbs and soft/hard skills integrated into your description as a professional.
• Leave out lengthy grammar constructions so that the Summary is concise but your qualities and achievements "jump out" at the viewer.
• Compose a Summary that is too dry or too rambling (in the form of a lengthy first-perspective narrative).
• Forget to mention important qualities and achievements right at the beginning, quantifying with numbers and context where appropriate.

The Summary should be energetically written to capture attention. Use action verbs and strong descriptive terms. Avoid lengthy, grammatically complicated sentences. This lets the achievements and facts stand out. 

There are some resume action verbs you may want to use in your resume:

Some guides favor the Resume Objective, yet we believe that the Summary is a more robust and universal tool. 

The Objective can have its role in certain circumstances (for example, when you lack work experience or wish to make a career change). You can also include an objective as a part of the summary but it would be rare to call this section "objective." The hiring manager understands that your objective is to get the job, otherwise, why would you apply?

For a look at the specifics, check out our dedicated article on Personal Statements in the resume (Summaries and Objectives alike).

Ever wondered what Elon Musk’s resume looks like? Ponder no more! We’ve created a simple one-page resume sample that shares the entrepreneur’s accolades, education, and many, many titles.

Work experience: professional experience

If you’ve chosen the Reverse Chronological format (and in 9 out of 10 professions - you probably should), then this section is the backbone of your effective resume.

This is not only the place where you list your most impressive past employment, but you may also elaborate on each position by giving important facts, achievements, and figures that describe you as a great professional. It’s not necessary to include your entire employment history . Tailor your job mentions so that you impress your future employer with the most relevant work experiences for this specific job ad. This also keeps your resume short, clean, and concise.

If you can name percentages, numbers or specific projects that prove your productivity in past jobs - do so. Did you help save your company money? Did you participate in a company-wide initiative? Did you lead a design team? Maybe you increased the score of user reviews for an online service. Recruiters appreciate specific data.

Each position should be outlined in the following approximate format:

• Job title , company name, location of employment
• Month and year started and left the position
• Between three and six bullet points briefly outlining your results and role at the company

It’s a great idea to keep a separate file or list with what you can consider to be your milestones, achievements, projects, and numbers. That way, you always have an arsenal of illustrative facts ready to go. Take a deeper dive and learn more about this important section in our dedicated Work Experience guide.

Did you recently receive a promotion? Don't forget to show your promotion on your resume! 

The skills section: competencies and superpowers

The skills section is your professional feature list, your superpowers, and your abilities. 

This is where you pass your first “competency test”. This part is more pragmatic than the Summary because recruiters and automated systems will be appraising your skills based on a certain checklist. If something is missing from a hiring manager's wish list, you can be sure they will quiz you on your suitability during an interview.

Moreover, there are certain hard skills (and sometimes - even soft skills, once again, check out our Nurse or teacher guides as an example) that are absolutely necessary for a position. So here are two important pieces of advice: prioritize what you include and analyze the job description! Use the same words to describe your skills that the employer uses in the literature about the role.

Space is finite and you may have many skills. Make sure the ones you describe (especially at the top) are the ones that fit the job listing.

Even the most seasoned professionals often confuse hard and soft skills, as in certain job areas, the line can be blurry. The rule of thumb is that soft skills mostly relate to interpersonal interactions, emotional intelligence, organization and leadership.

Hard skills are pragmatic and often technical competencies that are often requirements for getting a certain dream job. For example, a certain programming language in a developer position. Or using a certain type of software for an office administrator job. They relate to your everyday duties in terms of pragmatic actions.

Need more input on how to write an amazing skills section? Here’s our specific guide on describing Skills !

Education: a story of growth and intelligence

The education section varies in importance depending on your profession and industry. 

For example, in our Web Developer guide , we emphasize the fact that formal education isn’t a make-it-or-break-it factor. Many developers are self-taught to a certain extent. However, no good resume is complete without some sort of education section, and many employers strongly value a formal degree.

Like in many other situations, there is no “one size fits all” approach to education sections. Professions like lawyers, doctors and hard-sciences positions (chemist, biologist, etc.) will have a very strong emphasis on formal education. You may even want to include scientific or similar publications in your resume for some of these (in your Education section or in a separate category). Academic CVs will likely contain a long list of academic publications.

Reverse Chronological doesn’t only apply to your Employment History. Your education should also showcase the most recent and impressive academic achievements first.

It’s important to note that in our era of accessible information and technology, your education listing can include things like online certificates, bootcamps, specialized seminars or courses and so on. To understand how high to prioritize this section, check out our dedicated Education guide or take a deeper look at our Profession Guides and Examples.

An effective resume in 2024 needs to be long enough to cover all the necessary information, yet not so long that it will dilute your story. Find that perfect balance.

Technology and psychology: ATS checks and recruiters

We’ve covered a large portion of the important fundamentals you need to understand when composing a job-winning, attention-grabbing resume.

But there are still two vitally important aspects to making your resume that perfect professional key: interacting with Applicant Tracking Systems and understanding how a recruiter views your resume.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) has become ubiquitous for large and medium-sized employers in most developed countries around the globe. With the amount of applications and potential employees coming in each month, human specialists can’t always keep up.

So, instead of expanding recruiting departments to ludicrous sizes, employers are using automated systems to help with hiring. The task of an ATS is to analyze, filter (and sometimes score) your resume based on keywords. It may even morph your resume into a different format for the hiring manager.

A study by Preptel shows that, in general, 75% of resumes (U.S. data) are never seen by human eyes. Automated filters can become a resume black hole. So, understanding how the ATS works is important.

One of the big reasons for using online tools instead of text editors is that ATSs are often inflexible. They process your resume based on a specific algorithm. A huge percentage of resumes get filtered out regardless of their professional content due to formatting errors, images, margins , graphs, bugged-out header information, etc. This is why using tested tools that produce a clean resume without hidden formatting pitfalls is so critically important.

But how does an ATS filter and score your resume? The answer is simple: based on keywords defined by the potential employer, hiring manager, or job-specific system parameters.

There are three methods to picking out keywords: industry knowledge, manually analyzing the job description, and using word clouds.

• Analyze the job listing to understand what skills or other aspects to prioritize
• Use online tools for formatting to avoid getting filtered out
• Do basic research on the employer
• Use industry knowledge
• Favor the PDF format
• Make your resume readable by both humans and automated systems
• Ignore technological tests such as the ATS and formatting guidelines
• Use basic text editors that may get you filtered out by an ATS
• Submit a one-size-fits-all resume to every employer, without considering the company specifics
• Artificially insert too many keywords, making the resume unreadable by a real person

A resume headline can be your ticket to the interview you desire. But what exactly is a resume headline and how do you best take advantage of it? This blog will show you everything you need to know.

Industry knowledge is based on your own expertise and research. You can rely on your experience or refer to job-specific guides. For example, in our Web Developer resume guide, we emphasize what relevant skills, programming languages, and interests that have been trending in the last couple of years. In our Nurse resume guide we mention the two statistically most common job skills requested by employers for this position.

Researching the employer’s website is also always a great idea. It can hint at what the company values, what kind of language they use and so forth. Such knowledge can be the necessary “ace up your sleeve” and it demonstrates that you have taken the time to tailor your application. Generic resumes are worryingly common.

The job description is your most important ally in picking ATS keywords for your resume sections. Job descriptions often outline the vital requirements and soft skills for the position. Make sure to find these and include them in your resume text.

If the job description is too vague or too wordy, don’t worry, there’s a handy tool to make sense of it: Word Clouds. These are useful instruments (easily found through Google, like Wordle or Worditout.com) where you can simply copy-paste the text of a job description and get a visualization of its terminology.

Moving on to the human side of hiring: consider two main points on how a potential employer views your resume. First of all, understand the volume of submitted applications. Hundreds of resumes are the reality for some companies. Avoid being bland, generic, or low-energy. No need to overdo it (hiring managers have a keen eye for "artificially hyped" resumes) and don't use adjectives that you can't back up with a fact. 

You should certainly consider whether your text is too low-key - cultivate a warm conversational tone where possible.

Make sure your resume tells a story, shows you as a human being, and hits all the important professional highlights. Also - understand that a potential employer will be viewing you from the standpoint of "how will this person adapt to the company?". Consider your statements in the light of a future productive employee.

Second, don't overload recruiters with technical terminology. All professions have their jargon and "inside lingo", but not all recruiters are equally knowledgeable. Highlight your technical skills , but make sure to space them out (especially in the Summary) and mention soft skills and qualities to feel relatable and human.

The best resume ATS checker: Read our full guide and beat the Applicant Tracking Systems with our ATS-friendly resume builder.

Should you include resume references?

While every resume should include a summary, work experience, education, and skills sections, whether you should include references from previous employers is far less clear-cut. Let’s explore this in more detail .

If the job description requests references on a resume, then follow it to the letter, but if references are not requested it doesn’t mean that they may not contribute to your application when you write it.

As you should seek to use your resume space to create the optimal impact, here are a few tips about when including references might be appropriate:

• If the job description specifically requests references.
• If your references are industry leaders / high profile.
• If they show your breadth of business development contacts.
• If you have less experience and extra space on the resume
• If you are new to the field or your references are not relevant.
• If you haven’t managed to ask permission from your referees.
• If you have already listed your references in an online form.
• If you are more comfortable writing “references on request.”

Do you still need a mailing address on your resume in the digital age? The answer is yes, no, and maybe. Here are the pros and cons to consider about telling employers where you live.

How to write a cover letter alongside a resume

As you consider how to write a resume, you should not forget to consider the advantages of pairing it with a well-written cover letter . 

In actual fact, employers will request a cover letter the vast majority of the time. For good reason: there are certain aspects of a cover letter that make the content very different (and highly complementary) to a resume.

For a start, a cover letter is a free-form piece of writing that allows an applicant to outline the finer details of their application. It is a personal pitch to the hiring manager, it can be closely tailored to the role in question and its arguments should form the core of a future interview process.

Every sentence in your cover letter should explore the essence of your job search “why.” While your resume offers the logic of why you should be hired, the cover letter offers a more emotional and personal take.

A great resume can clear the path to transforming your career. Investing in a resume writer is common. But who can you trust to do you justice?

The format of a cover letter should follow the structure of any persuasive argument: the introduction sets the scene; the body of the cover letter contains the key arguments; and the conclusion ends on a high note and includes a call to action. Differentiate yourself with your story, not by breaking this widely accepted structure.

The cover letter distills your career story into 300-400 words of compelling and relevant copy. Your potential future boss should be able to read it and create a mental picture of how you will fit into their future plans. Everyone likes a good story, especially if they feel that it could become their story too. If you were them, what would you want to read?

The most important aspect to consider when writing a cover letter is whether every sentence makes an impact. How you go about outlining your accomplishments can make all the difference:

Here are some different scenarios for cover letter accomplishments:

• Increase sales or profit margins
• Financial cost savings / improved bottom line
• Increased productivity and solutions to problems
• Innovations and ideas that led to a step-change
• Process improved and procedures developed
• Impact on the development of your colleagues

Cover letters help to explain complex career issues, in a way that resumes could never manage. There has to be some degree of repetition of the core achievements, but in a cover letter, you can add so much more personality and emotion to nudge your future boss in the right direction.

The art of proofreading a resume

Once you have sent your resume in to a potential employer, there is no “edit” button. Multiple people will read it over the course of the interview process, and they will assume what you write reflects the best of what is on offer.

When you are considering how to write a resume, it is vital to check for careless mistakes and lazy language choices, which tend to slip in all too easily in your excitement to send the application.

Proofreading a section of text requires a slow-motion thought process that is forensic in its approach. Every word counts and you have to consider how they will be received by the reader rather than how they sound in your head.

We have written a comprehensive expert guide to proofreading your resume. Doing it right could make all the difference. Here are three of the tips that far from every candidate will consider:

Read your resume out loud. Although it is impossible to achieve a conversational flow due to the fractured structure of a resume, it is nonetheless important to read each sentence and bullet point out loud to sense check that it “sounds” like you. 

Sleep on it. Creativity is often enhanced after we have walked away from a task for a while. It is tempting to send off that application immediately, but it is often worth taking a break and considering it with a fresh mindset. Potential improvements will leap off the page.

Print it out. Maybe we are so used to skimming text on a screen, but somehow we tend to read text on paper that little bit slower. Print out your resume – reading it slowly with a coffee offers a new perspective.

It has long been a job search rule that experienced professionals should not put hobbies and interests on resumes. However, as work/life boundaries shift, employers are increasingly interested in the broader aspects of a candidate’s personality. Time for a rethink.

International vs. country-specific resumes

Last but not least, if you're looking to relocate or find a job abroad, consider the geographical specifics of hiring.

Every region or even country has cultural, ethical, and technical nuances when it comes to good resumes. Asia, Europe, and the United States may be drastically different in some aspects. It's a great idea to do your research on the country in general and your specific local industry too. Find expat communities, networking events, and online resources to expand your knowledge.

• Do online research on the chosen country of employment
• Connect (online or offline) with people who speak your language in the local industry
• Find out whether you need a CV or a resume format
• Consider cultural differences and style of presentation
• Look for examples of local resumes
• Use the same resume for every country of employment
• Ignore local culture and view of ethical and professional norms
• Assume that formatting and resume length (CV vs. resume, for example) are the same everywhere

Generally speaking, the "geographical" resume types that often come up are:

• The international resume
• The US resume
• The British CV
• The Spanish resume
• The Asian resume
• The Russian resume

More than any other resume, if you’re applying to a foreign country you need to be clear on your resume about your nationality, visa status, and language abilities. Whereas this isn’t important if you’re applying in your own country, this is critical information for international resumes.

If you're interested in the career expert tips for writing a resume for a certain geography, check out our guide on regional resume types : it includes all the categories listed above, as well as resume tips on how to write a resume as a non-native English speaker. 

While we’ve provided you with the most fundamental and important information needed to create a resume that secures amazing opportunities, our useful resources don’t end here!

You can check out our guides on additional sections and topics, once you feel like you need to polish up these areas.

Here is exactly how you can write a cover letter that will stand out from the crowd, and help you land that interview.

And don’t forget to take a look at all the amazing functionality of the resume.io builder tool. It’s likely to save you time and effort and take your resume to the next level! 

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• How to Make a Resume:...

How to Make a Resume: Beginner's Writing Guide with Examples

30 min read · Updated on May 22, 2024

Your dream job is one resume away!

Your resume is arguably the most important financial document you'll ever own. And before you think, “Yeah – right” let's consider for a moment. Without a resume, you don't get the job, so you can't pay bills, support a family, go to the big game, have that weekend trip, or plan for retirement. Your resume is the doorway to your future, so let's make sure it's perfect.

Part of making it perfect is remembering that it's a targeted career marketing document – not a chronicle of your life. So, how do you write a resume? In this beginner's writing guide, we'll show you how to make a resume and provide examples of what each section should look like. 

Grab a cup of coffee and strap in, because you're about to learn everything you need to know about how to make a new resume!

Table of contents:

The purpose of a resume

Avoid rejection by the ATS

What is your career target?

Build your personal brand, what should your resume look like, how to make a resume – the layout.

How long does it take to put together a resume?

A major resume no-no: typos

How to make your resume more professional

Theory in practice – resume examples

The most basic purpose of a resume is to sell your skills , achievements , and qualifications to prospective employers. This one document can financially make or break you. Let's take a quick look at what being unemployed costs you per day (assuming a five-day workweek):

If you make $40,000 per year, you lose about $155 every day that you're out of work

If you make $50,000 per year, you lose about $190 every day that you're out of work

If you make $75,000 per year, you lose about $288 every day that you're out of work

If you make $100,000 per year, you lose about $385 every day that you're out of work

Clearly, finding out how to make a resume for a job is critical so that you can properly sell your skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements to prospective employers. 

The job market is tough and highly competitive; you have to stand out in a sea of qualified candidates by creating a compelling narrative that tells a story of value, keeping in mind that your resume is supposed to do a few things for you:

Introduce you to a new company

Underscore how your experiences and education are relevant

Showcase how your skills and competencies will benefit the new company's team

Win interviews

Avoid rejection by the ATS 

What do you know about applicant tracking systems? Job seeking can be compared to throwing your resume into a black hole. You can go through 100 listings on any job search website and complete the online application with zero results. 

Ever had that happen? It's okay, it happens to everyone at some point or another! 

The problem is that you're probably not putting the correct keywords into your resume. When you hit “Submit” on an online application, it isn't magically emailed to the hiring manager. 

Oh, no! 

It goes through a computer system that scans your resume for specific keywords that can be found in the job description posted by the company. And, just so you know, approximately 90% of companies use ATS scans , including everything from mom-and-pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. 

The companies use these programs because they just don't have time for a human to go through all the resumes they receive. Depending on the job opening, a company can get between  250 and 500 applicants . Can you imagine being the person who has to sift through all those resumes? 

Here is where the ATS steps in. It's designed to weed through candidates to narrow the applicant pool, so that the human hiring manager has a more reasonable resume load to go through. It ranks the remaining candidates in order based on how much of a match they are for the position that's open. 

Being overlooked by the ATS is one of the number one reasons job seekers get ghosted by companies.

Once your resume makes it through the ATS and gets into the hands of a hiring manager, don't think they're going to sit down and read each one. Who has that kind of time? You should expect that the first round of resume sorting will consist of them flipping through the stack to pick the ones that stand out within about 6 seconds of glancing at them. 

PRO TIP: Put your resume on a table, stand up, and look at it from a little distance. Is it eye-catching? Can you tell the position you're seeking just by glancing at it? Set a timer if you have to, but no more than 10 seconds.

Speaking of eye-catching, don't make the same mistake as a lot of your rival job seekers by being too generic with your resume. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being non-specific will open doors to more opportunities. The problem is that the hiring manager won't be able to tell exactly where you'll fit within their organization. 

The first step in winning an interview is being sure that your resume actually makes it into the hands of a human being at the company you apply to. Start by defining what you want to do.

So the first, and most important, step in crafting the perfect resume is to narrow down your target career path. The more specific you are with this first step, the more response you'll receive from hiring managers because they'll be able to tell exactly how you fit within their organization. There are four areas to focus on as you begin to chart your career path:

Industry: Do you want to work in private sector, nonprofit, government, or public roles?

Geography: This one is more in-depth than choosing rural vs urban. It also includes whether you want to work in a dynamic or static environment.

Company size: You may not think it, but having an idea about whether you want to work in a small company or one with thousands of employees is important. 

Role: Saving the best for last, you have to know what position you want.

On the surface, it may seem like these things are only important for the job search aspect of landing a new position, but you have to know what voice to write your resume in, too. Part of that is knowing your audience. When you understand your audience, you can build a personal brand that resonates with what they're looking for in a new staff member.

Now that you've gotten your target career path nailed down, the next step is to brand you. Think of yourself as a product and your resume is the packaging. Companies spend a lot of time on their branding and packaging - you have to do the same thing.

The best place to start is with a  career assessment . Taking one of these tests can help you to identify your strengths, what sets you apart from others, and key themes of your professional identity. Just like Nike and Coca-Cola have timeless taglines and catchphrases that succinctly define what they have to offer to consumers, your personal brand has to tell a concise, yet compelling, story. This is where your resume comes in.

Your resume isn't just a piece of paper you give to a hiring manager or upload to a website that says, “I'm interested in this job.” Your resume is a personal marketing tool. You shape that tool with words that describe your experiences and achievements, to impress and grab the attention of the hiring manager. 

Unlike Nike's “Just Do It” phrase, your personal brand isn't something you build and forget. It is fluid and should be revisited and refined as you gain new skills, experiences, and achievements. Weave the elements of your brand into every section of your resume.

There is a common misconception that entry-level resumes look different than executive resumes. The reality is that the only difference is how much content is available to write about. 

Obviously, someone who has little to no experience will have a  short resume  – generally one page. 

When you start to get up to 10 years of experience, then you've earned the second page, so go ahead and use it. 

It's not incremental though

Just because you have 20 years of experience doesn't mean you can have a three-page resume. As you work through how to make a resume, remember that a three-page resume should be avoided, unless you have a lot of career extras like publications, research, patents, publications, or public speaking engagements to talk about. 

Other than the number of pages, your resume should use the same format and layout no matter if you're applying to a job as someone fresh out of college or seeking to be the CEO of a company. 

Chronological resume 

The  reverse-chronological  is the most popular, traditional, and well-known resume format. Its focus is placed on achievements from your career history and is defined by listing your work history starting with your current or most recent job and working backward 10-15 years. 

Employers like this type of resume because it tells them what, when, and where you worked. It's best to use this if your work history is steady and shows growth and development. If you're looking to make a career change, have had frequent job changes, or if you're seeking your first job, this may not be the best format to use.

Pro Tip: You could also get lost in the ATS if your  resume is over-designed . Many resume writers will tell you that you need to stand out in the sea of sameness by adding some personality to your resume through design. While that's true, you need to avoid heavily formatted resumes which are often rejected by computer scanners as being illegible.

Functional resume 

This resume type focuses more on skills and experiences rather than on your work history. It's more of a “what you know and how you apply that knowledge” than a simple list of where you got the knowledge. It plays down gaps in work history and makes frequent job changes less noticeable. If it isn't done properly, though, it can be confusing for the hiring manager to read and understand. There's also a bit of a stigma behind it, because employers know that job seekers use this style to downplay job-hopping. So, the first thing they do when they get a functional resume is check employment dates. If you can avoid using this style, it's best to do so.

Combination resume 

There is another resume format that focuses on skills first and then experience last. It's the combination resume, which is sometimes called a hybrid resume. This is the most complex resume type and the best resume for mid-career professionals who are transitioning into another career or for people who have special skills and a strong track record of accomplishments. These types of resumes do take a long time to read and some hiring managers won't take the time unless they're looking to fill a hard-to-fill position.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae (CV) is Latin and means “course of life.” It's a little different from a resume, but some positions require a CV over a resume. The first thing you would notice is that a CV is significantly longer than a resume.  A resume is a self-branding document meant to portray your experience and achievements in a concise and easy-to-read format. A CV goes much further into the depth of your education and accomplishments (think publications, awards, and honors) and even has a section for you to include "Areas of Interest."

The best way to describe a CV is that it's a career biography. The biggest significant difference is that a CV is arranged chronologically in a way that gives a complete overview of your full working career. It also doesn't change based on the career or position for which you're applying.

Layout 

To make things easier for the hiring manager to digest the content of your resume, it should be laid out in a specific way to ensure that the right information is in the right place. 

Hiring managers don't  READ  resumes. They skim through until they find something that piques their interest and then they stop to read

Contact information

Title 

Professional summary , core competencies, experience , education and credentials , awards, certificates, and volunteer work .

Since the reverse-chronological resume is the one that the majority of people will use to apply for jobs, and because it's the format that hiring managers want to see, we'll focus this article on showing you how to make a resume using that style. 

Current contact information 

Location | Phone | Email | LinkedIn | Portfolio (if applicable)

You can be creative and use bold font in your  contact information  and even put a border under it to separate it from the body of your resume. 

• Name: Be sure to list your name the same across all professional documents (e.g., resume, cover letter, thank you note, LinkedIn profile). Don't get hung up with whether to use your legal name (i.e. the name on your birth certificate or driver's license). Write your name in the manner you want people to address you. Also, if you use any abbreviated credentials after your name (e.g. Jane Smith, MD), remember to include them on all professional documents.  You can also include any shortened versions of your name in quotations (e.g. Christopher "Chris" Smith). Just make sure to list it the same way everywhere you put your name.
• Address: It is no longer customary to include your full address on your resume. There have been instances of discrimination against job seekers based on their address. As far as your address is concerned, all you need is the City, State, and Zip Code. A lot of people leave off the Zip Code; however, hiring managers can query the ATS for all resumes within a radius of a Zip Code. If you exclude the Zip Code or put something like, "Greater New York Metro Area," your resume won't be included in the query.
• Phone and email: Put the telephone number and email address where you can easily be reached. Also, be sure that your email address is professional. Using something like [email protected] just won't cut it. The best idea is to use some form of your name. If you're paranoid about having your name in your email address, then you can use some form of the type of position you seek, like [email protected].
• LinkedIn URL: You don't have to spell out the entire URL on the contact line. You can put the words “LinkedIn URL” and hyperlink those words. Before you include your LinkedIn URL, be sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized for the career you want - because you can bet if they have access to it, the hiring manager will look at it. 
• Portfolio: If you're applying for a position like Graphic Designer or Software Designer, you may have a portfolio of work that you want to make available to someone reviewing your application for employment. Include a hyperlink to the portfolio in your contact information. 
• Headshot / photo: There is no reason to include a  headshot on your resume . Actually, it's seen as taboo and could be the thing that gets your resume rejected, because the hiring manager might assume you think you can get the job based on your looks. However, there are some exceptions, like if you're applying to be a model or actor. 

Do you want a hiring manager to be able to tell immediately what type of candidate you are? Put a title at the top of your resume. Center the text on the line, put it in bold font, and put a blank space above and below. The white space and the small amount of words will help it to jump off the page and immediately be noticed. It will also be the first step in helping you stand out in the sea of sameness.

Also, be sure the title on your resume mirrors the title on the job description that you're applying to, but add a bit of panache to it so that it's not too boring. For example, instead of writing “Financial Services Associate,” write “Client-Centric Financial Services Associate Dedicated to Customer Engagement and Revenue Growth.” Just remember to keep it on one line. 

The very next thing on the page should always be your Professional Summary. But how do you write a summary for a resume?

It's a three to five-sentence statement about you. Where you've been in your career, where you're going, and how you'll use your experience to get there. 

While the professional summary is sometimes referred to as the resume objective , you must remember that the days of writing a  resume objective are dead . Never, ever include an objective on your resume. They are a waste of space and don't relay any information that markets you as the best candidate for an open position. 

Let's take a look at an example of each:

Sales Representative seeking a challenging position that will use my skills and provide opportunities for growth in a dynamic and rewarding company. 

As you can see, the objective is very inward-facing and only talks about what you want out of your career. It provides no value to the hiring manager and eliminates any possibility for them to be able to tell what you bring to the table for them. 

Professional Summary:

Ambitious sales professional offering 10+ years' experience in customer retention and aggressive revenue growth. Conquers goals and quotas through a keen awareness of the human buying motive that allows for quickly overcoming objections. Used historical data and consumer trends to reach new customers and grow territory by 24%. Innate ability to work independently or as a member of a cross-functional team.

The best use of resume space is to write a summary of your career. The effectiveness of this summary comes from the fusing of three things:

Relevant keywords – customer retention, revenue growth, and quotas 

Hard and soft skills – overcoming objections and working independently

An achievement – 24% territory growth

With this professional summary, the hiring manager will be able to tell in an instant what you have to offer their team. 

Even though the skills section of your resume is small, it packs a powerful punch! The skills you list in this section highlight your key abilities and show potential employers what you bring to the table. 

It should contain approximately 12 ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that align with the keywords in the job description. Meaning, this is a fluid section that will need to be  tailored to every job  that you apply to. Technically speaking, your entire resume should be customized to align with each job description. That's one thing that will help you get past the ATS. 

Be sure to include a good mix of  hard and soft skills  because prospective employers not only want to know that you can perform the tasks related to your job (hard skills), but they also want to gain a clear understanding of how you'll fit within the culture of the company (soft skills). 

Tips for building your Core Competencies section:

Include skills that are relevant to the job that you're applying to

Avoid creating a laundry list of everything you know how to do – be selective so that the section is more impactful

Group similar competencies together using categories – technical skills, soft skills, and languages

Prioritize your top skills based on their relevance to the job you want

Update frequently

Be consistent with the formatting

Here is a sample Core Competencies list that contains both hard and soft skills:

Core Competencies

Project Management | Data Analysis | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Digital Marketing Strategy | Python Programming | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Negotiation | Team Leadership | Business Development | Financial Modeling | Articulate Communication

This section is meant to show how your career history lends itself to the skills you have that make you the perfect candidate for a given job. There are some general rules of thumb on how to make a resume with a great professional experience section:

Don't go further back than 10 to 15 years

Use no more than 3 to 5 bullets per work listing

Incorporate at least 5 measurable achievements per 10 years of experience (the more the better)

Use stacking for companies where you held more than one role

10-15 Years

The 10-15 years of experience is the most relevant – you can list more than that, but avoid using bullet points for roles over 10 years old. Begin by listing your most recent position first and work your way backward to your oldest position, within that 10-15-year range. If you have 30 years of experience, you can use achievements or skills you learned during that time as talking points during the interview. Listing those older experiences on your resume will only dilute the content.

As you write out your bullet points, keep two words in mind: “so what?” The hiring manager is going to be thinking it, you might as well be thinking it, too. Every time you write something on your resume, think, “So what? Why am I writing this? What value will it bring to my new employer? Will this be THE THING that lands me an interview?"

Achievements

Remove “Responsible for…” from your resume-writing vocabulary. That's because it's crucial that you talk about what you achieved, instead of just what your responsibilities were. Let's face it, there are a lot of things that people are “responsible for” that never get done. So, be sure to talk about things you actually accomplished, as that will be the proof the hiring manager needs to take the next step and call you for an interview.

1. Use numbers whenever possible

The best way to call attention to your career accomplishments is to use numbers. Numbers add credibility to your claims and provide a clear picture of what you bring to the table. 

Don't write this:

• Conducted cold calls to expand client base

Write this instead:

• Increased sales by 15% by making approximately 20 cold calls per day to expand the client base

The latter makes an unmistakable assertion that you had a positive impact, not only in your role but on the company as a whole. You can take it a step further and talk about things like problem-solving skills and how you addressed challenges to lead to team success. These types of  soft skills are highly valued by employers  and could be the thing that lands you an interview.

PRO TIP: Use the  CAR method  for building achievement statements into your resume.

2. Use action words to convey accomplishment

A lot of people make the mistake of copying bullet points from the job descriptions of the roles they've held. This practice makes you sound detached from achievements and focuses more on responsibilities. Using passive language is too generic and doesn't allow a hiring manager to see what you'll be able to accomplish in the new role. 

It's better to use action language to show that you're an achiever rather than a doer. Here are some examples of action words you can use on your resume: 

Worked with others: Advised, Aided, Assisted, Chaired, Coached, Collaborated with, Consulted with, Helped, Instructed, Interacted with, Mentored, Motivated, Supported

Communicated: Addressed, Advertised, Answered, Briefed, Corresponded with, Debated, Explained, Facilitated, Informed, Interpreted, Interviewed, Persuaded, Responded to

Analyzed data: Assessed, Appraised, Audited, Calculated, Computed, Estimated, Evaluated, Forecast, Inspected, Measured, Researched, Surveyed, Tested

Operated equipment: Installed, Maintained, Programmed, Ran, Serviced, Used

Worked with money or contracts: Administered, Appropriated, Authorized, Balanced, Controlled, Directed, Enforced, Financed, Funded, Governed, Invested, Monitored, Oversaw, Purchased

Organized something: Arranged, Assembled, Catalogued, Compiled, Coordinated, Itemized, Routed, Scheduled, Stocked, Tracked

Created: Composed, Customized, Designed, Directed, Established, Founded, Illustrated, Originated, Shaped

Researched: Analyzed, Collected, Criticized, Detected, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Tested

How to make your professional experience section: The formula

There's a formula for writing your professional experience section in a way that focuses on achievements. You'll start by asking yourself these questions about every job you've had:

What was the name of the company?

What was the title of your role?

What dates were you employed? (*Hint: use the MM/YYYY format for your dates)

What did you do every day? (*Example: Leveraged management skills to direct operations of 5 separate but concurrent projects by delegating tasks to staff based on employee acumen and monitoring / controlling budgets)

What is one thing you did at the company that you're really proud of?

What is another thing you're really proud of?

What is one more thing you did that you're really proud of?

When you put all of that together, it should look like this:

Company Name | MM/YYYY to Present

Position Title

Balanced competing priorities on multiple and concurrent projects and program management initiatives using data-driven strategies in Agile environments. Managed key accounts, onboarded new accounts, and oversaw organizational process adoption for nursing facilities, emergency departments, and pharmacies.

Developed $2M Provider Incentive Program that increased community provider partnerships

Saved $800K by using Six Sigma skills to implement DMAIC approach

Coached and mentored 2 direct reports, creating an open environment of communication that facilitated future-facing decision-making

Many people will create separate sections for education history and certifications. That's not necessary. You can include all of it in one section. You can also include extras like  relevant coursework , projects, and achievements. These extras can be truly beneficial for your application if you have little to no work experience. 

There are some general rules of thumb for the education section: 

Spell out acronyms (BS, MS, PhD) and school abbreviations

It is no longer customary to include graduation dates unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year

Never include high school, unless you're still in high school - listing high school doesn't say “ I finished high school, ” it says, “ I didn't go to college .” 

List your degree first and then your school, unless you've obtained multiple degrees at the same institution. 

Here's what a regular education section looks like:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | XYZ University

Six Sigma Black Belt | Council for Six Sigma Certification

If you don't have a lot of experience and need to include some relevant coursework or major projects to inject relevant keywords into your resume, then this is what that would look like:

Relevant coursework:  Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting, Corporate Finance

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program. 

You can include educational information about a degree program even if it's still in progress. Here's what that would look like:

Expected completion:  05/2024

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program.

It is important to list what you do outside of work and school. It helps to demonstrate that you're a well-rounded person. 

Were you the president of a fraternity or sorority? 

Did you get involved with showing new students around campus? 

Have you headed a sales team that produced top awards? 

Were you an employee of the month? 

Do you speak multiple languages?

Did you volunteer for an organization?

Did you perform some major research that ended up being published?

All of these extras allow prospective employers a sneak peek into your life outside of work. They can also go a long way to breaking the ice during an interview, especially if something you do outside work is important or interesting to the hiring manager. 

Keep in mind to list only those volunteer positions, projects, or affiliations that are related to your career goals. 

How long does it take to make a resume?

If you're going to use the resume wizard that MS Word has, you can slap your information together in a day or two. It will get to employers. The bad thing is that it probably won't get a whole lot of attention. 

The "just right resume" can take weeks, because of how much background work goes into it. You'll write it, rewrite it, and write it again, and may even have multiple versions. Ultimately, the exact amount of time that goes into putting your resume together depends on your level of experience, how complex your history is, and the specificity of the job you're applying to. 

Entry-level resumes take the least amount of time, simply because there's less information to include

Mid-level resumes take a few days because of the amount of detail in your work history

Executive resumes, or those for specialized positions, can take weeks - especially if you have to do some digging to come up with accomplishments from your previous positions

Updating an existing resume that's well-maintained can be done in just a few hours

While the time spent can seem like a lot, if you're truly marketing yourself for that “just right” position, do you want your resume to say “This was thrown together in a couple of hours using a template” OR do you want it to say “I know this document is important and a significant amount of time was spent on it to make it perfect?”

The first and foremost thing that will get your resume tossed in the garbage can are typos. The number of resumes with errors that are turned in every day to employers across the globe is so astounding that it bears discussing. 

You must proofread your resume!

The major problem with typos and grammatical boo-boos is that your eyes will read what you intended to type. So, after you've read through your resume a few times and think it's perfect, get a friend to read it. Make sure the friend is one of those brutally honest types. It's better to get it back marked all over with bright red ink so you can fix it before you send it out, than to send it out and then realize there's a mistake in it.

How to make your resume seem more professional

Lazy words: Do you see words like "etc" or “other duties as required” on your resume? Delete them immediately. If you take shortcuts in the language of your resume, hiring managers will wonder if you'll be taking shortcuts at work. 

Cookie cutter resumes: Your resume has to stand out. Because of that, you should avoid throwing something together that you find a sample of online. Make it yours, make it represent you. Many people rely on the resume wizard that comes loaded with MS Word and, while that is a good tool to use to help you remember the sections to include, it shouldn't be the end-all-and-be-all of your resume design. 

Specificity: You've had three jobs in the last 10 years and you've listed every detail of everything you've done during your tenure at those jobs. That makes you a Jack (or Jackie) of all trades, but a master of nothing. You have to be specific to the job for which you're applying. What value do you bring to that employer for that job? What achievements can you highlight?

Tailoring: Considering the rampant use of ATS by companies big and small, you have to take the time to customize your resume so that it gets past those scanners. Remember to use relevant keywords from the job descriptions throughout your resume. 

PRO TIP: You can check to see how to make your resume better! Have it checked against an ATS and get a free, personalized, and  professional resume review . 

Theory in practice – 10 resume examples

It's one thing to have someone tell you how to make a resume, it's another thing to see an example – proof that all of this information can come together in a practical way that makes sense. 

1. Software Engineer resume example

Click here for an example of a Software Engineer resume.

2. Data Scientist resume example

Click here for an example of a Data Scientist resume.

3. Cybersecurity resume example

Click here for an example of a cybersecurity resume.

4. Digital Marketing Manager resume example

Click here for an example of a Digital Marketing Manager resume.

5. Nurse Practitioner resume example

Click here for an example of a Nurse Practitioner resume. 

6. Finance Director resume example

Click here for an example of a Finance Director resume. 

7. Attorney resume example

Click here for an example of a Attorney resume.

8. Administrative Office Assistant resume example

Click here for an example of an Administrative Office Assistant resume. 

9. Information Technology Expert resume example

Click here for an example of an Information Technology Expert resume. 

10. Chief Executive Officer resume example

Click here for an example of a CEO resume. 

Now you know how to make a resume for your next job!

It may seem like it takes a lot of work to make a good resume, but if you've followed along this far there are a few things that should be ingrained in you that will help you write a professional resume:

Know what you want to do – be specific

Make your resume with the right format 

Use a standard layout, whether you are writing your first resume or 50th

Use action words to make your resume stand out

Quantify your achievements to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a new role

Tailor your new resume to each job

Double and triple-check for errors, typos, and grammar mistakes

If you're still unsure how to make a perfect resume, TopResume has you covered. Our team of  professional resume writers  has the know-how and experience to write a resume for you that will win interviews.

Recommended reading: 

Resume Tricks That Don't Work

What Does Your Resume Really Say About You?

Bad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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RESUME in a Sentence Examples: 21 Ways to Use Resume

A resume is a document that provides a summary of an individual’s skills, experiences, and qualifications relevant to a job application. It serves as a snapshot of a person’s professional background and can make a significant impact on the hiring process.

Table of Contents

7 Examples Of Resume Used In a Sentence For Kids

14 sentences with resume examples, how to use resume in sentences.

To use the word “ Resume ” correctly in a sentence, follow these simple steps:

Choose the right context : Make sure you are using the word “ resume ” in the correct context. It can refer to either a summary of your work experience or the act of continuing an activity after a pause.

Check for proper grammar : Ensure that the sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense when using the word “ resume .”

Practice : The best way to improve your usage of the word “ resume ” is to practice writing sentences that incorporate it naturally. Consider using different tenses and forms of the word to become more comfortable with its usage.

By following these steps, you can effectively use the word “ resume ” in a sentence with confidence and accuracy. Remember to pay attention to context, grammar, and sentence structure to ensure clear communication in your writing.

In conclusion, crafting compelling sentences and bullet points on your resume is crucial for showcasing your skills and experiences effectively to potential employers. Your resume serves as a snapshot of your professional background, making it essential to use clear, concise, and impactful sentences to highlight key achievements and qualifications. Each sentence on your resume should be purposeful and tailored to the job you’re applying for, demonstrating your value as a candidate.

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30+ Resume Objective Examples (Plus, Tips on How to Write Yours)

Resume objectives are a bit controversial. Some career experts see them as outdated, while others believe job seekers can still use them to their advantage. Although resume objective statements have slowly been replaced by resume summaries, they remain useful in certain situations—and that's why you should know how to write one, just in case.

For instance, if you're changing careers and your previous work experience doesn't quite match the new role you're after, an objective statement could help communicate your professional goals to the hiring manager. Likewise, if you're a recent graduate or looking to relocate, you could use this section of your resume to highlight these intentions.

We've gathered 32 resume objective examples—plus, some tips on how to craft one that grabs the hiring manager's attention.

What is a resume objective

A resume objective is a brief statement outlining your short-term career goals, usually one to two sentences long. It should be tailored to the specific job or industry you're pursuing and is placed at the top of your resume, just below the header.

What is a good objective for a resume, and when are they welcomed? That's what we'll show you in a moment.

When you should use a resume objective

Resume objectives aren't quite the norm these days, so they should be only used when you need to clarify why you're applying for that particular role or company. Here are three situations where using an objective statement is a good idea:

• If you're doing a career pivot: A resume objective can guide recruiters on your career goals and prevent you from being disqualified when transitioning to a new field.
• If you're changing locations: Applying for jobs outside your current state or city can leave recruiters uncertain about your location; a resume objective can clearly express your willingness to relocate.
• If you're a recent graduate: Since you likely have little to no work experience to show, a resume objective can give a glimpse into who you are and what you aim to achieve.
• If you've worked in a variety of roles: When your work history is all over the place, a resume objective statement can be a helpful tool to highlight your most relevant skills, experiences, and what you're looking for in your next role .

Resume objective vs. resume summary

A resume objective outlines your career goals and what you aim to achieve in a position, while a resume summary focuses on skills, accomplishments, education, and relevant experiences for the role.

“Think of the resume objective as your career aspiration and the summary as your professional snapshot,” says Angela Tait, People Operations Specialist and Founder of Tait Consulting . “The objective sets your sights forward, while the summary looks at your past and present achievements.”

How to write a resume objective

If you decide to write a resume objective, it'll be the first thing recruiters see on your resume, right after your name and contact information. This means their first impression will be based on how well-written your objective statement is. Here are key tips to do it right:

1. Mention your area of expertise

“Start by mentioning your area of expertise and the role you are applying for,” Tait says. This way, you let the employer know right away about your background and what you want to achieve professionally.

2. Show how you can add value to the company

Your objective statement—and your whole resume, actually—should be tailored to each job opening. “Personalize your resume objective by stating how you can add value to the company you're applying to,” Tait says. “For instance, ‘ Seeking to leverage my expertise in digital marketing to drive brand growth and engagement at XYZ Corp.’”

3. Highlight skills relevant to the role

Once again, to write an effective resume objective, keep in mind the role you're going for. “Focus on how your skills and interests align with that specific job opportunity,” says Conor Hughes, certified in Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and HR Consultant at SMB Guide .

For example, for a software developer, skills in programming with languages like Java, C++, and Python are pretty important. Meanwhile, a graphic designer should highlight technical skills in creating and editing visual projects using tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma.

4. Optimize your statement for ATS machines

These days, most resumes get scanned by an ATS robot before reaching human recruiters. So, it's crucial to optimize your objective statement for these ATS machines. How? “Use keywords from the job description to show you have the relevant abilities they're looking for,” Hughes says.

If a job posting specifies “experience in copywriting” and “SEO optimization” as requirements, you should incorporate these exact keywords in your objective statement—and wherever else they fit on your resume. Using just “SEO” or only “copywriting” might not be enough; precision is key.

Need some help? Here's how to read the job description the right way —so you can stop sending resumes into the void.

5. Make it as concise as possible

Recruiters go through resumes really fast—that's one of the reasons two-page resumes aren't usually recommended. When writing your resume objective, keep it concise. “To one or two sentences max,” Hughes says. Remember, the goal is to give enough information about why you're applying for that role, not to share your whole life history.

32 resume objective examples to guide you

Now that we've covered the basics, here are 32 good examples of objectives for resumes categorized by job title and different professional situations, like career pivoting and entry-level positions. Use these examples as a guide, and don't forget to inject your own personality and core information.

General resume objectives examples

1. career change.

Copywriter with five years of experience, now transitioning into the UX Writing field, looking to leverage my writing and content creation skills to create digital experiences that drive business growth. Strong background in content strategy and data-driven decision making.

Find UX writer jobs on The Muse »

2. Relocation

Experienced customer service representative relocating to New York in July, seeking employment with an established customer support agency. I bring my strong communication skills , conflict resolution and customer retention ability developed in seven years working in the industry.

Find customer service jobs on The Muse »

3. Entry-level

Creative marketing graduate seeking a social media assistant entry-level position at a fast-growing marketing agency. My goal is to apply my strong storytelling and creative writing skills to create impactful content for clients and foster professional development.

Find marketing jobs on The Muse »

Compassionate and enthusiastic elementary school teacher with four years of experience teaching young students. Seeking to leverage my creative ideas, multitasking and organizational skills to create a safe and stimulating environment where children can play and learn.

Find teacher jobs on The Muse »

Registered nurse with three years of experience in patient care , currently specializing in pediatric nursing. Seeking to join the Grey Hospital nursing team and bring my knowledge of patient care and my critical thinking skills to foster a safe and empathic environment for patients.

Find registered nurse jobs on The Muse »

6. Journalist

Seasoned journalist seeking a News Reporter position at the USPN channel. I bring my five years of experience working on live television, interviewing sources, gathering and reporting information in fast-paced environments.

Find journalist jobs on The Muse »

Seeking a litigation paralegal position at The Law Group. I bring my three years of experience in conducting legal research, processing legal documents, and witness preparation for deposition and trial.

Find lawyer jobs on The Muse »

8. Architect

Experienced architect relocating to Houston, Texas in August. In my 10 years of experience in the architecture industry I was able to work both in industrial and residential projects, holding high proficiency in AutoCAD and Photoshop.

Find architect jobs on The Muse »

9. Real estate specialist

Passionate and proactive real estate specialist with solid experience in lease negotiation and facility management. Looking for a similar role to manage a real estate portfolio, implementing strategies to improve profitability and cost effectiveness.

Find real estate jobs on The Muse »

10. Waiter/Waitress

Seeking a waitress position at a local, family-led restaurant where my two years of experience in customer service and hospitality industry would contribute to create an exceptional experience to customers, guests, and clients.

Find waiter/waitress jobs on The Muse »

Resume objective examples for tech professionals

11. software engineer.

Software engineer with 5 years of experience in the banking industry, pivoting to the customer service industry to foster professional growth. Deep knowledge of object oriented programming, experienced with Java, C++, C#, Ruby, Python, and relational database schema design.

Find software engineer jobs on The Muse »

12. Software developer

Computer science graduate seeking an entry-level position as software developer. I bring my experience with Git, Java, and Python, as well as strong documentation abilities and communication skills .

Find software developer jobs on The Muse »

13. Data scientist

Experienced data scientist, seeking a senior position in the e-commerce industry. My goal is to leverage my ability to write complex and efficient SQL queries to extract data and translate business needs into analytical frameworks.

Find data scientist jobs on The Muse »

14. SEO analyst

SEO analyst, passionate about SEO and digital audience growth. 7 years of experience with site migrations, SEO analytics tools (Google Search Console, Chartbeat, Google Analytics, and SEMRush), reporting and sharing data insights, and making data-driven decisions.

Find SEO analyst jobs on The Muse »

15. UI/UX Designer

Mid level UI/UX Designer, seeking employment in a fast-growing tech startup. Solid experience with user-centered design principles, knowledge of responsive design, strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Find UI/UX Designer jobs on The Muse »

Examples of resume objectives for creative jobs

16. content writer.

Results-driven content writer with two years of experience writing for blogs and websites. Skilled in SEO, creative copywriting, and storytelling, looking forward to applying my skills and creative ideas to help XYZ build an engaged audience.

Find content writer jobs on The Muse »

17. Graphic designer

Creative graphic designer seeking an entry level-position in the education industry. Proficient with InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma, and After Effects, quick learner with strong time management skills.

Find graphic designer jobs on The Muse »

18. Video editor

Outcome-oriented video editor, proficient with Final Cut, After Effects, Adobe Premiere, and Photoshop. Seeking employment in the entertainment industry where I intend to apply my extensive experience in storytelling and project management to create engaging stories.

Find video editor jobs on The Muse »

19. Social media manager

Experienced social media professional, seeking a manager position at a high-growth company. I bring my in-depth knowledge of social media strategy and five years of agency experience creating content that is engaging and exciting to the community.

Find social media manager jobs on The Muse »

Resume objective examples for administrative roles

20. front desk.

Highly energetic tourism and hospitality graduate, looking for a front desk clerk position. 1.5 years of experience in customer service. Strong time management and organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to learn quick and adapt in fast paced environments.

Find front desk jobs on The Muse »

21. Receptionist

Looking for a receptionist position in the real estate industry. Three years experience in customer-facing roles, communication and leadership skills, ability to work with tight deadlines focusing on all aspects of a task or project.

Find receptionist jobs on The Muse »

22. Administrative assistant

Seeking an administrative assistant role in the healthcare industry. I bring five years of experience in customer service, advanced Excel skills, and ability to multitask to perform my duties in a timely and efficient manner.

Find administrative assistant jobs on The Muse »

23. Human resources

Human resources graduate, looking for an entry level human resources generalist position with ABC company to apply my strong verbal and written communication skills , analytical abilities, and proficiency in Microsoft applications to provide hands-on assistance to the HR team.

Find human resources jobs on The Muse »

24. Logistics

Logistics supervisor seeking a manager position at AABB company. I bring my extensive experience in global logistics operations and project management to enhance supply chain and logistics efficiency and achieve cost-effectiveness.

Find logistics jobs on The Muse »

25. Executive assistant

Seeking an executive assistant role at XYZ company. I'm an experienced professional with strong interpersonal skills, ability to multitask, and attention to detail to provide timely and high quality administrative office support to senior level leaders.

Find executive assistant jobs on The Muse »

26. Office manager

Experienced administrative assistant seeking an office manager position in a fast-paced work environment to apply my written communication skills, time management, prioritization, and planning abilities and provide exceptional service and foster professional growth.

Find office manager jobs on The Muse »

Resume objective examples for sales jobs

27. sales assistant.

Problem solver and team player sales professional, seeking a sales assistant position in a challenging work environment. I bring my experience supporting high acquisition organizations, willingness to learn, and winning team spirit to support sales teams.

Find sales assistant jobs on The Muse »

28. Sales manager

Dynamic sales manager seeking employment in the pharmaceutical industry to develop strategic sales plans and achieve revenue and market share objectives. Two years of experience in pharmaceutical sales plus three years of experience in general sales, excellent communication and leadership skills.

Find sales manager jobs on The Muse »

29. Cashier

Recent high school graduate looking for a cashier position at a company with a culture of recognition and excellence. One year of experience in retail sales, strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills to represent the company in a professional manner.

Find cashier jobs on The Muse »

Examples of resume objectives for finance careers

30. banking.

Seasoned relationship banker looking to secure an investment banking analyst position at Bank of America. 15 years of experience in the banking industry, advanced knowledge of banking transactions, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to develop and expand relationships with stakeholders.

Find banking jobs on The Muse »

31. Accounting

B.S. graduate in accounting seeking an entry-level accounting associate position to use my growth mindset, desire to learn, and organizational skills to ensure financial goals are achieved and foster professional development.

Find accounting jobs on The Muse »

32. Financial analyst

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) looking to secure a senior position in a competitive and results-driven work environment. 10 years of experience in financial analysis in banking and technology industries, advanced Excel and SQL skills, and ability to articulate analysis outcomes and relevant insights.

Find financial analyst jobs on The Muse »

Key takeaways

Resume objectives aren't the favorite of most recruiters, but they still serve a purpose. If you're career pivoting, relocating, applying for your first job, or have a diverse professional background, an objective statement can help the hiring manager understand your career goals and how they align with the job opportunity.

However, in other circumstances, using a resume summary might be more appropriate. (Here are 20 resume summary examples to make writing your own easier .)

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US judge sentences Germine Joly, former leader of a powerful gang in Haiti, to 35 years in prison

Dánica Coto

Associated Press

SAN JUAN – A man who once described himself as “king” of a notoriously violent gang in Haiti and is linked to the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens was sentenced to 35 years in prison Monday in a federal court in Washington, D.C.

Germine Joly, best known as “Yonyon,” had pleaded guilty in late January to weapons smuggling and the laundering of ransoms related to the U.S. citizens kidnapped in October 2021 , bringing his trial to a halt.

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The case against Joly is part of an ongoing push by U.S. authorities to stem the smuggling of weapons from the U.S. to Haiti, where gangs control 80% of the capital and have left more than 580,000 people homeless as they continue to pillage neighborhoods in a quest to seize more territory. U.S. officials also are trying to crack down on the kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Haiti, whose ransoms finance the purchase of illegal arms and ammunition.

“The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department," U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

Joly, 31, had asked the judge for leniency and forgiveness, with his attorneys requesting that he receive no more than 17.5 years in prison. The attorneys did not immediately return messages for comment.

Joly was co-leader of the 400 Mawozo, which translates roughly to “400 Simpletons,” one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs. It controls part of Croix-des-Bouquets, a neighborhood in the eastern region of the Port-au-Prince capital and surrounding areas. It also operates along a route that connects the capital with the border city of Jimaní in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The gang is known for its high record of kidnappings as well as trafficking of drugs and weapons, killings, rapes and armed robberies, among other things, according to a U.N. report.

“The 400 Mawazo gang not only wreaks havoc in its own communities but targets innocent Americans living and traveling in Haiti," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

Three shipments containing smuggled weapons and ammunition arrived in Haiti in 2021, shortly before the gang kidnapped 17 missionaries, including 16 U.S. citizens, the U.N. report noted. The weapons alone were estimated to cost roughly $28,000, it added.

“This single case indicates that 400 Mawozo is able to mobilize significant amounts of money to acquire firearms and ammunition,” the report stated.

The gang is still led by Joseph Wilson, best known as “Lanmò San Jou,” which means “Death has no date,” and it is an ally of G-Pep, a powerful gang federation.

Haitian authorities announced a warrant for Wilson in late 2020, but he has yet to be detained.

Meanwhile, Haitian police arrested Joly in 2014, and in 2018, a local judge sentenced him to life in prison, from where authorities said he still directed gang operations, including the October 2021 kidnapping of 12 adults and five minors after they visited an orphanage in the Croix-des-Bouquets area. The group included 16 Americans and one Canadian who worked with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries.

The organization said 12 of the captive missionaries escaped, with five others previously freed , although it’s unclear if any ransom was paid.

In 2022, the U.S. government extradited Joly.

Joly’s former girlfriend, Eliande Tunis of Pompano Beach, Florida, had been sentenced earlier this month to 12.5 years in prison. Tunis, 46, had pleaded guilty in late January to the same charges Joly faced.

U.S. federal prosecutors had accused Joly, Tunis and two other suspects of buying and supplying weapons to the 400 Mawozo gang from at least March through November 2021. The weapons included those designed for “military and close-quarters combat” such as AK-47s, AR-15s and a .50 caliber rifle, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The agency said that Joly, who was in prison in Haiti at the time, directed operations using unmonitored cell phones. He still faces separate charges in another case related to the kidnappings of the U.S. citizens.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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WEATHER ALERT

3 warnings in effect for 5 counties in the area

Houston serial rapist sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Michael Horton , Digital Content Producer , Houston, TX

HOUSTON – A man who was found guilty of sexual assault has been given a lengthy sentence behind bars.

Morris “Mack” Holton III, 39, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault earlier this week, a charge stemming from an attack in 2021. During the trial, jurors also heard from three of Holton’s other alleged victims.

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• SEE OUR FIRST REPORT: Houston police discuss arrest of serial sexual assault suspect, ask for possible victims to come forward

He received a maximum sentence of 99 years behind bars. He has also been ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

At the time of the 2021 assault, Holton was on parole after being sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2013 for tying up and sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint. He also had a long criminal record prior to that conviction.

Holton would primarily contact his victims through online advertisements and, while posing as a customer, would gain the victim’s trust and insist on meeting them in person. After meeting the victims, Holton would pull out a weapon, zip-tie the victim, rob them of their valuables and then sexually assault them.

Police said the suspect was identified by a victim after Holton had reached out to her on Instagram days after a sexual assault had happened.

Police also learned that Holton’s crimes were meticulously planned, and he kept images of his victims as deranged “trophies” of his crimes.

“This man is a true predator who planned, plotted and schemed to rob and rape women, and this prison sentence ensures that he will be behind bars for decades,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “We are so very proud of the victims who came forward in this case and in similar cases. It’s hard to do, but it’s so important.”

Hilton must serve at least 30 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.

Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Michael horton.

Michael is a Kingwood native who loves shooting hoops, visiting local breweries and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC family in the spring of 2024. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Careers at UW–Madison Extension

Extension is your opportunity to bring university resources to communities across Wisconsin. We bring research, solutions, guidance, and partnership to all areas of the state. Make a difference where you live by joining our team and supporting families, businesses, organizations, and more.

Application Information

Resume tips.

Before applying, be sure to update your resume to best reflect your experience and qualifications related to the job you are applying for.

• Include experience – include your work history and lived experience that is relevant to the position. Highlight roles and responsibilities that are related to the qualifications on the job announcement.
• Include relevant skills – provide a clear overview of your skills and how they fit the job.
• Include training/education – describe any coursework that matches the job requirements.
• Include any personal details in your resume that do not relate to the job. Examples include gender, ethnicity, photos, or political party.

Letter of Qualifications (cover letter)

A letter of qualifications is a document which highlights specific examples of your experience and/or training as they relate to each of the required and preferred qualifications listed in the position description.

Example: The job that you are applying for includes experience in planning and teaching educational programs and ability to work cooperatively with other agencies and community-based organizations. In your letter of qualifications, you would list these details:

• My experience in planning and teaching educational programs is….
• Examples of work I have performed that include planning and teaching educational programs are….
• My experience working cooperatively with community-based organizations is….
• Examples of work I have performed in cooperation with community-based organizations include….

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How To Start a Resume in 10 Easy Steps [Beginner’s Guide]

Sometimes, there’s nothing scarier than a blank page waiting to be filled - especially when it comes to figuring out how to start a resume. 

For every position that you apply for, you will need to stand out in a pile of applications through your professional experience, achievements, and education, to impress recruiters. 

Just thinking about all this may make starting your resume seem like a Herculean task. 

This is exactly why we’ve compiled this article.

• #1. Create Your Resume Outline
• #2. Fix Up The Formatting
• #3. Pick The Right Resume Format
• #4. Start Your Resume Contents With a Contact Information Section
• #5. Pick Between Resume Objective or Summary
• #6. List Your Past Work Experience
• #7. Move On To The Education Section
• #8. Spice Up Your Resume With Your Skills
• #9. Add These Optional Sections 
• #10. Start Applying 

Step #1. Create Your Resume Outline

So, how to start a resume? 

Deciding what to include and what to leave out when you start to write a resume can be tough, whether you’re a professional or a beginner. 

As a professional, you might struggle to choose among achievements and skills to include in your resume. Whereas as a beginner you might have issues filling up the gaps due to lack of work experience. 

Either way, figuring out what exactly to include when you start your resume isn’t easy.

That’s why we recommend starting your resume by creating a job-winning resume outline . A resume outline will help you by providing a clearly defined structure you can follow when you start to write your resume. 

The resume outline makes the process a lot easier by helping you decide on: 

• What resume format to use
• Which resume sections to include
• What information to select

Each of these elements will help you start your resume exactly according to your profile. For example, a professional with years of work experience would go for the reverse-chronological format, while a recent college graduate could opt for the skills-based resume format. 

Once you have decided on the format, knowing which sections to use and what information to select becomes considerably easier. 

A typical resume’s sections include:

• A contact information section 
• A resume summary or objective 
• Work, and relevant experience 
• Skill and certifications
• And additional sections - if you have space.

We will be going through all the main resume formats, sections, and other relevant information in detail below but first, rejoice - your resume skeleton is ready and you can now start writing your resume! 

Step #2. Fix Up The Formatting 

Before we jump into the technicalities, let’s talk style and appearance! 

Yes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but when it comes to resumes, sloppy-looking formatting can put you into a make-it-or-break-it kind of situation. The recruiter won’t be too at fault to think you won’t be suitable for the job if you haven’t taken the effort to adjust the margins or choose the best font for your resume. 

Not gonna lie - using a basic text editor to format your resume can be a hassle. One minor slip-up can make all the hours of hard work you invested in perfectly formatting your resume disappear in the blink of an eye.  

Well, there’s a solution for that too - using resume builders, such as Novorésumé. An online resume builder will completely take care of formatting your resume, thus making the process of starting a resume crazy fast. 

Step #3: Pick The Right Resume Format

There are three types of resume formats to choose from, and your choice will heavily depend on your level of experience and the type of industry you are applying for. 

That’s exactly why this step is particularly important when you start writing the resume. 

The three resume formats are: 

• Reverse Chronological resume format ; this is the most popular format among recruiters and the best fit for those who have a great deal of work experience - especially when it fits the job description you are applying for.
• Functional/skill-based resume format ; you should start writing your resume following this format if you are a student or recent graduate lacking any work experience , or if you are going through a career change and your previous working experiences are not relevant to the position.
• Combination resume format ; Do you have diverse skills or are you applying for a job that requires multi-expertise? The combination resume format is your chance to show that! A position as a Communications Expert, for example, might require you to be skilled in writing, social media, and public relations.

Out of the three, we suggest you choose the reverse-chronological resume format as the most common one among recruiters and HR managers. Nonetheless, what format you choose will eventually come down to your profile and experience. 

Due to its popularity, this article focuses on the reverse-chronological resume format. If you wish to go more in-depth into all three resume formats , follow the link! 

Step #4. Start Your Resume Contents With a Contact Information Section

This section may sound like a no-brainer, but you must get it right. Imagine being one of the HR manager’s top choices and missing out on your chance due to a spelling mistake in your email. 

For this reason, you must double-check that all the contact information you provide is correct and up-to-date. 

Now, the contact information section contains mandatory elements and optional ones. Here’s a snapshot: 

• First name/Last name
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Professional Title (it can be either your current or desired professional title/position)
• Date of birth (unless it is specifically required)
• Unprofessional email address (you know what we mean...any nicknames, wordplay, or variants that don’t include your first and last name are considered unprofessional and will cost you points in the eyes of the recruiter) 
• Headshot (in USA, UK & Ireland)

Optional elements:  

• LinkedIn Link/ Social Media (if these are up-to-date and add value to your application, there is no harm in including them in your contact information) 

Step #5. Pick Between Resume Objective or Summary

It’s science-backed: your CV has about 7 seconds to get a recruiter’s attention. This means that you better make a good first impression, and you better make it fast. 

This is where the resume summary, or objective, comes in handy. Placed at the top of your resume, close to the contact information section, a well-crafted resume objective/summary can work miracles in grabbing the HR agent’s attention for more than 7 seconds. 

The picture below is a good example:

But where does a resume summary differ from an objective, and when to use each? 

A resume summary is a short (2-3 sentences) overview of your career so far. The summary is used in 90% of resumes, except for students, recent graduates, or those switching careers. Here’s what you would need to mention: 

• Job and years of experience.
• One or two achievements. 
• Goal or passion for choosing this specific position.

And here’s an example of what this would look like on your resume: 

• Sports journalist with +10 years of experience in covering international tournaments. Successfully covered the 2004 Athens Olympics and the UEFA Euro 2016. Looking to expand my knowledge as a sports correspondent by reporting on a wider range of athletic activities.  

A resume objective , on the other hand, represents the goal of your resume. Through the objective, you can explain what motivates you to get into the field, as well as what you can offer. As mentioned above, the resume objective is perfect for those with little work experience or those who are changing careers. To compile it, we suggest using the following formula when you start writing your resume:

• Skill, education, or certification that is relevant to the position.
• Years/months of relevant experience for the position at the company.
• Types of responsibilities you will be able to help with.  

Here’s a concrete example for a recent graduate’s resume: 

• Motivated graduate with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Greenwich seeking an opportunity to engage in academic political research. 1-year internship at the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Public Diplomacy Department. Looking to expand my knowledge of international relations and practically assist with research, at the Centre for Defense and International Security Studies think-tank.

Step #6. List Your Past Work Experience

Listing your work experience is practically the most important part of a resume and mastering this section means you will be able to ‘sell’ yourself - your experiences, responsibilities, and achievements - in the most HR-friendly manner. 

Not sure how to do that? Several practices will help your resume stand out, but first, let’s go over the basics of the work experience section. 

The typical work experience section format goes like this:

• Job Title/Position - it serves the purpose of showing the recruiter evaluating your resume that you have previous experience.
• Company/Location/Description - give information about your previous/current employer, the place where you worked, and potentially a brief description of the company (if it is not well-known).  
• Achievements and Responsibilities - this is your chance to shine by showcasing your strengths and skills. As a rule of thumb, it is better to list achievements over responsibilities.
• Dates Employed - this is the time you spent working for each company. The Applicant Tracking System recognizes the mm/yyyy format, so we advise that you follow it.  

And here’s how that would look like in your resume: 

And remember: work experiences should always be listed in reverse-chronological order; start with the most recent one and go all the way back to the past - well, depending on your level of experience. 

Now that you know the basics, here are some tips on how to take your work experience to the next level in the eyes of the HR manager. 

List Achievements Over Responsibilities

Focus on showing the recruiter your achievements over your responsibilities, whenever you can. Here’s what that means. 

HR managers will probably have a general idea of the responsibilities you had in your past positions. If you were a sales manager, for example, some of your responsibilities probably were: 

• Reach out to potential clients and maintain relations with existing ones
• Track and report on leads on Customer Relationship Manager. 

Thing is, you don’t want your work experience section to look like any other ex-sale manager’s resume, but the fact is the majority of work responsibilities are similar, if not the same. 

So, instead, what you do to impress is list your achievements, which in this case would be to show how you helped the company grow, among others. 

• Generated $25,000 in sales for the company during my first month. 
• Exceeded company sales KPIs by 40% for six consecutive months. 
• Reached out to potential clients by email
• Tracked leads on CRM 

Of course, some jobs don’t provide many ways to distinguish yourself, and so there might not be that many achievements for you to mention. If, say, you worked in a supermarket, your day to day responsibilities probably involved: 

• Categorizing and packing products into shelves 
• Helping customers find products 
• Attaching price tags and description tags 

In cases like this, sticking to your responsibilities is fine. 

Tailor Your Resume to the Job 

So, there’s another thing standing between you and the recruiter - the Applicant Tracking System. The ATS helps companies scan through all the resumes they receive daily. So this is another thing to consider getting out of the way right as you start writing your resume. 

If you’re now thinking there’s no point in perfecting your resume if a software is going to evaluate it, we do have some good news: there are ways to pass the ATS if you tailor your work experience section to the job requirements. 

Let’s cover an example from a job ad as an Operations Assistant at the UN Women Organization, with the following requirements: 

• At least 3 years of experience in administration, finance, procurement, etc. 
• Experience in (MS Word, Excel, etc.)
• Fluency in English 
• Strong IT and web management skills 

If you have the required skills and experience, mention them in your resume and consider your resume tailored for the job. 

How Much Work Experience is Necessary? 

We mentioned this before - knowing what information to keep and what to leave out might be tricky. And considering the work experience section is the most important, getting this right matters. 

Well, the amount of information you mention will go hand in hand with your level of experience. So: 

Entry-level candidates should list all the work experiences up to the point of application. 

Mid-level professionals should only list work experience relevant to the position. 

Senior professionals should list a MAXIMUM of 15 years of relevant work experience. 

Step #7. Move On to the Education Section

Your resume's education section comes second per its importance. 

As with the other steps, let’s go over the basics of formatting and then some tips on how to make the best out of your academic skills. 

• Program Name: E.g. “B.A. in Computer Science”
• University Name: E.g. “University of Colorado”
• Period Attended: E.g. “08/1212 - 05/2016”
• (Optional) GPA: E.g. “3.8 GPA”
• (Optional) Honors: E.g. “Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude
• (Optional) Academic Achievements: E.g. Any publications you may have, or courses you have excelled in. 
• (Optional) Minor: E.g. “Minor in Information Systems” 

Here is an example: 

Step #8. Spice Up Your Resume With Your Skills

The ‘skills’ section is your chance to spice things up by showing the HR manager any additional advantage you may have that makes you perfect for the job. 

There are two types of skills you can list on your resume: 

Hard skills , or measurable abilities. These can range from coding in C++ to being an excellent Italian cuisine chef. 

Soft skills , or personal skills. These can be personality traits and social traits, career attributes, or communication skills. 

How to List Skills in Your Resume 

These are the top three steps to follow when listing skills in your resume : 

Step #1: Hard skills are measured with experience levels, meaning you want to mention your proficiency level for every hard skill you list. They are usually categorized into Beginner , Intermediate , Advanced and Expert levels . 

Step #2: Tailor your skills to your job. As with the work experience, try to tailor your skills in relevance to the position. A way to do this is by checking some of the must-have skills listed in the job ad and make sure to mention each and every skill for which you are qualified, with its relevant proficiency level. 

Step #3: Don’t forget to include some “universal” skills - namely, skills relevant to any kind of job out there. These can include both soft skills (leadership, teamwork, attention to detail) and hard skills (MS Office, Adobe Pack, etc). 

Take a look at how hard and soft skills are listed through the Novoresume online resume builder: 

Step #9. Add These Optional Sections

So far, we have basically covered all resume must-haves. 

The following optional sections won’t be a priority when you start to write your resume, however, they can turn out to be the cherry on top if you have them and if you have the space to list them. 

Here are some of them: 

Languages: The more, the merrier. If you speak two or more languages, don’t fail to put that in your resume. To list them, simply categorize your proficiency level into native , fluent , proficient , intermediate , or basic . 

Hobbies & Interests: Although more personal than the rest of the sections, it doesn’t hurt to show a bit of your personality if you have the additional space in your resume. With a bit of luck, you and the recruiter may even share a hobby .

Volunteering Experience: Studies show that volunteering experience actually raises your chances of getting hired . In addition to showing that you are an individual motivated by more than just money, volunteering experience can be particularly great if you have recently graduated and have otherwise little work experience, or if you have an employment gap. 

Certification & Awards: If you have awards that make you stand out in your field or certifications from experts and if they are relevant to your position, don’t hesitate to show them off! For example, if you’re an architect prized with the Global Award for Development Architecture - well, that’s definitely something you want to include in your resume. 

Step #10. Start Applying!

And just like that, we can officially congratulate you for successfully starting - and finishing - your resume.

Chances are, if you got these tips right, you will land any job you go for. So go ahead and start applying!  

Key Takeaways 

That’s a wrap! Here’s the brief version of what we covered in this article:

• Before starting your resume, create an outline. It will provide you a skeleton to make the process of filling up each section much easier! 
• A typical resume’s sections include a contact information section , a resume summary or objective , work and relevant experience , education , skills , and additional sections - if you have space.
• If possible, use the reverse-chronological order resume format. That is unless you’re a recent graduate or an entry-level professional - in that case, the functional or skill-based formats might be a better fit for you. 
• Your past work experience should also start with your latest job, while the education section with the latest education entry. As a rule of thumb, start with your latest relevant experiences and go back as far as it’s relevant to the recruiter and the position you are applying for! 

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• jimmy awards

Jimmy Awards 2024: 2 Chicago-area musical theatre students making Broadway debut Monday night

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Jimmy Awards will be presented in New York on Monday night, and two local teenagers are finalists for the high school musical theatre honors.

Finalists Jazmin Rhodes and George Spiegel have been in rehearsals all week, and ABC7's Hosea Sanders says they are ready for their debut on Broadway.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

"It's kind of scary thinking about the competition aspect of it," said Jazmin, a Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so that's what's kept me grounded in all of this."

George is a standout at Maine South in Park Ridge.

"If I'm going into performing, this is what I'll be doing for a job. I'm trying to prepare for it like something that I earned," George said.

Both were part of the Broadway in Chicago program and are now competing along with more than 100 students from across the country.

"Everybody has to start somewhere, and you're not always going to start off the bat being on Broadway and even to be able to perform is a blessing in itself," Jazmin said. "Each year that I've watched it and seen people who look like me on the stage, has made that dream of being there feel even more tangible."

J.R. Willard-Rose is a theater teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor.

"To have a student of her caliber and a student of color step out and take that kind of award, I think it breaks barriers," J.R. said.

"It is exciting when people are texting my parents and saying, 'I saw George on the news!'" George said.

Cindy and Tim Spiegel are proud parents.

"We're not stage parents - so him preparing, I don't know what he's supposed to do," Cindy said.

"The performing end of what everybody else see doesn't get to see all the hard work he does on the front end," Tim added.

Josh Groban is the host for the Jimmy Awards on Monday night. You can see them streaming free on Facebook and YouTube, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Related Topics

• ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
• JIMMY AWARDS
• BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
• U.S. & WORLD

Jimmy Awards

Almost Showtime! Broadway's future gears up for Jimmy Awards

North suburban teen to make Broadway debut

Homewood-Flossmoor HS grad prepares to head to NYC for Jimmy Awards

Past Jimmy Awards contestants take the stage at 54 Below

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