resume writing tips 2023

How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good.

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume.

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional.
LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate.
Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

Your job title and years of experience.
A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary:

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with:

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
Generated leads through cold-calling
Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go!

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

Agile Methodology
SCRUM Framework
Waterfall Project Management
Microsoft Project
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Earned Value Management (EVM)
Risk Management

Soft Skills

Team Management
Conflict Resolution
Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
Strong organizational and time management skills.
Excellent communication skills.
Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money.

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture.

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking.

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

Administrative Assistant Resume
Bartender Resume
DevOps Engineer Resume
Executive Assistant Resume
Flight Attendant Resume
Graphic Designer Resume
Paralegal Resume
Pharmacist Resume
Recruiter Resume
Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible.

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template .

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should:

Open MS Word
Click “file” from the menu bar
Select “new”
Type “resume templates” in the search bar

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go!

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format.

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume?

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five.

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume?

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address.

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume.

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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What to Put on a Resume in 2023 [Checklist, Tips & Examples]

Tick-tock. You’re applying for what looks like a damn great opportunity and you’re spiraling — What should I put on my resume? Did I miss something? Am I including the right information? Do I really need the hobbies part?

No need to sound the alarms just yet, we’re sending help.

So here are the key elements to include in a resume (works for all career situations and jobs).

What to Include on a Resume Depending on the Format?

Depending on the resume format you pick, you’ll structure your resume a bit differently, but the key resume components you’ll need to include are pretty much the same. Here’s what needs to be on a resume in each of the three most popular formats:

Reverse-chronological resume format: standard sections

This is the most common resume format in which you focus on showcasing your work experience . The jobs you’ve done, courses you took, and degrees you obtained are all listed starting with the current or the most recent one first and working your way backward. In 90% of cases, hiring managers expect you to submit this kind of resume.

Its main elements are (from top to bottom):

Contact information
Resume summary or resume objective
Work experience
Additional sections (This is where you list your certifications, publications, awards, projects, conferences, volunteer work, etc.)

Functional resume format: standard sections

A common resume format for applicants with little or no relevant experience , the functional resume focuses on your skills and education rather than work experience.

Here’s what to include in it:

Skills summary

Combination (hybrid) resume format: standard sections

Finally (and pretty much self-explanatory), the combination resume combines the parts from the previous two types. This format is a good pick for candidates with a lot of relevant experience or experienced candidates targeting a very specific position . Potentially, this could also work for those of you who are going through a career change (but, again, only if you’re experienced).

And here are the resume components to include and in which order:

Summary of qualifications

Additional sections

Expert advice: If you’re not sure which format to choose, you can get more info and tips in this article on resume formats .

In this guide, we’ll focus on the most popular (reverse-chronological) resume format and its elements.

Sections to Put on a Resume

Contact information on the resume header.

This is easy — you’re adding basic contact details so that recruiters can get back to you and find out more. Make sure to include:

Your full name
Your email address
Your phone number (if applying internationally, don’t forget to add your country code)
The link to your LinkedIn profile*
The link to your portfolio or relevant social media profiles**

*Expert tip 1: LinkedIn is a big deal. It’s the largest global professional network and most hiring managers expect you to be there. Your LinkedIn profile is supposed to complement your resume, so it pays to take some time and add a professional photo and cover image, and make sure all the information is well-organized and up to date.

**Expert tip 2: The same goes for your social media profiles. Hiring managers will look you up online. Most of the time they’re just trying to verify the information and see how you’d fit into the company culture, but for some roles (think Social Media Manager or Customer Service), your online presence and personal branding are crucial aspects of the job.

And now the answer to that million-dollar question — Which social media profiles to include?

A single piece of advice here — only the ones most relevant to your work. So it might be Behance if you’re a graphic or interior designer, GitHub for devs, Twitter for an investment banker (if you tweet about finance), or Instagram for a landscaper (if you post your projects there).

And this is what a typical resume header with contact information looks like:

Resume summary or objective

A resume summary is a short paragraph placed right under your contact information. It’s an introduction where, in 3–4 sentences, you give an overview of your top skills and career achievements. Basically, this serves as a sales pitch (or “the greatest hits”) that shows the hiring team what they’ll get by hiring you.

You can learn how to write a compelling resume summary in this article: 40+ Resume Summary Examples [and How to Write One] .

A resume objective is an alternative to a resume summary, a bit more suited for candidates with little or no experience. It focuses on what you want to achieve in the new role and how you’d like to build your career in the future.

Get an example for your job and career situation and learn how to craft a good resume objective in this article: 60+ Resume Objective Examples (with Writing Guide and Tips) .

Here’s an example resume summary by a Data Entry Specialist looking for a new opportunity.

Together with the sharp resume summary, your work experience is where you should score some serious points. It’s really not that difficult — it’s not so much about what you did in your previous job but how well you can organize and present your accomplishments in the role.

So here’s what needs to be on a resume in your experience section:

Your position (this is typically written in bold for clarity and to attract attention)
Dates worked
Company name
A bullet-pointed list detailing 3–4 of your main duties and achievements

🔑 Key tip: Remember to list your jobs in reverse-chronological order. Start from your current (or most recent) job, then list the one before that, and so on.

If you’re experienced, include only relevant jobs (chances are your retail assistant job from 10 years ago doesn’t mean much for your application for Head of Marketing at a SaaS company) and limit yourself to the past 15 years.

Conversely, if you’re lacking in the experience department, absolutely include stuff like:

Internships
Volunteer work
Part-time jobs

🧙‍♂️ Wizard tip: You can structure your bullet points describing your experience like this: [Strong verb] + [Job duty] + [Impact] . It pays off to keep your bullet points as consistent as possible, and this approach will serve as guidance.

Let’s take a look at this well-crafted work experience section that gets a checkmark for all of the tips above:

Let’s run a quick quality assurance test to see why this works:

Format: The candidate lists their present position first, and places the previous one below Information placement: The must-have information for the work experience section is all there: the position, dates worked and the company name. Everything is clearly laid out and formatted appropriately. Consistent bullet points: The bullets all start with a strong verb (check out this ultimate list of 800+ power words to use in your resume) and focus on the candidate’s duties and accomplishments, often using numbers and tangible results to reinforce the examples.

All in all, a solid work experience section.

If you think this is easier said than done and need more help, check out this dedicated guide on How to Write the Work Experience Section (with 20+ examples) .

Place your education section right under your work history, and, again, use reverse-chronological order. Some basic rules here:

If you’re an experienced candidate , include just the basic information in the following order:

Your degree
University/school name
The year of graduation

If you’re very new to the workforce , it’s fine to add details such as your:

Relevant coursework
Academic achievements
Thesis/dissertation title

🔑 Key tip: If you have both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, absolutely include them both (just mind the reverse chronological order). If you have a university or college degree of any kind, there’s no need to include your high school (unless it’s super relevant to the role you’re applying for, or was a vocational high school that gave you skills specific to the role).

Here’s how our Data Entry candidate handled in it her resume:

Read this full guide on How to List Education on a Resume (with samples for all kinds of education scenarios).

Next, the Skills section. It’s a resume must-have and yet, so many people mess it up. How? They either end up with a list of generic skills not relevant to the position or (worse yet) go for meaningless buzzwords that show no real value.

Essentially, the Skills section is supposed to be the key supplement to your Summary and Work Experience. How can you best handle this?

Include a mix of soft and hard (technical) skills, ideally in two separate sub-sections. For certain jobs, your technical skills will mostly be software skills, so it’s okay to name that sub-section differently.
Focus on relevant skills only (the ones that matter in this particular job)
While there are a few ways you can format your Skills section, it’s crucial to choose one and stay consistent throughout the section: – List skills as single items (e.g. Detail-oriented, Attentive , etc.) – List skills alongside star or bar ratings (e.g. Italian: ★★★☆☆) – List skills with a short description of your proficiency level (e.g. Italian: Intermediate , or Microsoft Excel: Advanced ) – List skills and provide a bit of context (e.g. someone applying for the role of an Email Marketing Specialist could write something like this: Creating automated email campaign flows and providing reports in tools like Sendgrid, HubSpot, MailChimp, and AutoKlose )

And again, if this is giving you a headache, there’s a beast of a guide to help you write a kick-ass Skills section: Skills to Put on a Resume for Any Job (with post-covid examples!)

Now, to the fun part!

All of the sections above are considered standard. But are you going for standard or outstanding?

Having only the mandatory sections is totally fine, but remember that every single candidate will have them too. So if there’s anything else you can add to prove your value and stand out from the rest, then absolutely include it.

The optional (but recommended) resume sections can include:

Certifications
Publications
Foreign languages
Hobbies and interests

Now let’s see how each of these can add some slay vibes to your resume.

You’re certified, which means you made an effort, took a course, passed a test, and this adds tons of credibility. When I got my HubSpot certifications in Content Marketing and Inbound, I added them to my resume without much thought. You know what happened? Every single interviewer asked me about those certifications.

As usual, list only the certifications which are relevant to the job you’re applying for. If you’re not gonna be driving, then most definitely don’t include your driver’s license as a certification.

These are most common in academic settings, but if you’re applying for the position and have a relevant publication, then by all means, add it. Publications send strong signals that you’re an expert in your field and that you know the industry.

There are two super solid reasons why recruiters love seeing the volunteer section in a resume. One, it means you’re a purpose-driven (rather than money-driven) person who believes in a cause and is ready to support it. Two, your choice of volunteer work implicitly tells the hiring manager a lot about your interests, soft skills, where you’re passionate, etc. Adding it is a win-win.

🔑 Key tip: That being said, remember to only include your volunteer work as a separate section if you have a proper Work Experience section. If you’re a student or an entry-level candidate with no work experience, then your volunteer work goes in the experience section.

It’s not only about how proficient you are in a language. Sure, if you’re applying for the position of an Account Manager and know that your clients will be French, then your Advanced level of French is a guaranteed asset. But even if that’s not the case, foreign languages get included as they also show how you’re willing to learn something new and serve as proof that you can communicate and think interculturally (a really big deal in most companies).

You can add projects right under your Work Experience or Education section to highlight some experiences or initiatives that you’ve led or participated in that go beyond your day-to-day.

If a project was still in a way part of your day job, it’s best to include it in the Work Experience section, just give it more prominence (e.g. make it a subheading in a given entry).

If it’s a freelance project or something you otherwise did outside of your full-time employment, a separate section would make more sense.

I’ll just say it — hobbies on a resume are fine, but only if they’re really cool and specific . They’re typically there for the hiring team to check how you’d fit into the company culture. While some companies seem to prefer “the crazier, the better” (let’s just say there are crazy-good cyclists, cellists, sommeliers, actors, and hikers in this company), it’s not your hobbies that’ll get you the job, but your experience and skills.

There are two ways the Hobby section can come back to haunt you.

Number one, you do some gentle stalking and find out that your potential manager is an avid tennis player. Then you go and add tennis to your list of hobbies and skills. Then you end up in the interview clueless as to who’s topping the ATP list or how many basic strokes there are. Bottom line: don’t lie on your resume.

Number two, you write something horribly non-specific like “Travel”, “Music”, “Reading” or “Arts”. You’re not 6, you gotta do much better than that.

Will you be considered a freak if you don’t add a hobby? It may not be that big of a deal, actually. Check out this article on why (and why not) to include hobbies in your resume .

One Tip to Rule Them All: Customize Every Section

Even if you follow this advice and include all the mandatory and optional resume elements, your resume is going to be bland, bad, and botched if you create one general version and keep using it for all the job openings out there.

It’s like going on dates with five different people, dressing the same, and speaking a script you memorized. Needless to say, there’ll be no second dates.

The pros do it like this — you’ll need a separate resume for every job application because you’ll need to base your resume on the actual job ad.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not actually that difficult.

To align your resume with the job ad, you’ll need to break down the job description into actual skills the employer’s looking for and scan for important, eye-catching keywords.

If the requirements state that a new Product Manager needs to have “ experience using agile development methodologies with globally distributed teams ” and notes the “ ability to triage and manage backlog ”, then make sure to include your experience with Agile and provide specific results like “ Built, managed and grew an AWS-based product and an Agile team of 12 developers ”.

Also, look at the words they use to describe personality and adapt it to soft skills or strengths. If the ad says “ meticulous person with a high bar for quality ”, “ humble, be willing to learn ”, or “ you will not be here just to tell other people what to do ”, this tells a lot about the company culture and the personal qualities they’re looking for. Make sure to include these exact words — meticulous, humble, willing to learn — in your resume.

What Not to Include on a Resume

Now that you’ve learned what needs to be on a resume, let’s go over the elements that you should 100% omit.

Here’s what you don’t want to include in a resume:

Date of birth
Your brick-and-mortar address
Unprofessional email address
First person narrative
Buzzwords and jargon
Irrelevant information not tailored to the specific job application

And here’s why:

Date of birth: Since it’s illegal for the interviewer to ask about your age, having the info on your resume is like an invitation to be ageist. Your age tells nothing about your skills, and can create bias, so it’s best to just drop it.
Photo: There are anti-discriminatory laws and employment policies that make it illegal to discriminate against applicants based on race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, age (40 or older), and disability. Many hiring teams will simply reject applicants with photos in order to avoid being accused of bias or discrimination. Take this seriously if you’re applying for a job in the US, UK, or Canada.
Your brick-and-mortar address: Firstly, it’s 2023 and many companies are hiring remotely, which makes your street address unnecessary. Secondly, your street address is considered sensitive information — there are many other ways an employer can contact you.Finally, including your physical address can get you rejected if the job is advertised in another city or state. The employer may not be willing to provide a relocation bonus or they could be looking only locally. If you’re open to moving for the job, it’s best to omit the street address or include a line stating your intent to relocate.
Unprofessional email address: Let’s start with the email client — if you’re still using Hotmail or AOL, you’ll come across as old-fashioned and inflexible. Opt for something more current (and professional) like Gmail or Outlook.Next, if you’re still going by coolboy@ or millie98@ , ditch it for something more professional. A flirtatious, silly, or inappropriate email address is a red flag across the board and a rookie mistake that shows a lack of effort. A refined email address, on the other hand, signals to the hiring team that you’re taking work seriously and that you’re informed about the professional world.As a general rule, you want to use your first and last names and avoid numbers, if possible. If the classic name + surname option is taken ( [email protected] , try other options like: [email protected] , [email protected] , or [email protected] .
First-person narrative: This is a really simple tweak that makes a world of difference! Drop full sentences in your resume (all sections, not just the summary) and avoid both the first and third-person narrative. Employers value result-oriented writing and concise statements. Instead of using pronouns ( I generated 52 weekly SEO reports ), focus on the action (the verb) by excluding the subject ( Generated 52 weekly SEO reports ).
Buzzwords and jargon: If you read through your resume and you don’t remember anything, you may have fallen into the trap of using empty words or trendy buzzwords that have little actual meaning. Avoid cliches and overused phrases like “hard-working”, “team player”, “synergy” and “streamlined”. Instead, refer back to the job description and replace these empty words with keywords from the ad.
Irrelevant or general information: Let your common sense guide you. There’s no such thing as a general resume — you’ll lose points if your resume is not aligned with the actual job ad. Always ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Is it relevant to the job? You don’t need to add links to irrelevant social media profiles, your references (the employer will ask for references if they need them), or salary history.

If this still looks a bit complicated or if you aren’t sure how to organize your sections, you could try using an online tool like BigInterview’s Resume Builder.

This tool comes with a resume-writing course with 8 video lessons where our co-founder and an HR authority, Pamela Skillings , takes you through the resume sections and teaches you how to write and what to include in each. Simultaneously, you can work on your resume in the Resume Builder.

Once you’re in, the system will guide you through resume sections. You just need to provide your info and follow the instructions. The end result is a polished resume that you can complete in less than an hour.

Once done, you’ll be able to use the ResumeAI feature to assess your resume in terms of readability, credibility, and ATS-fit.

What to Put on a Resume: Checklist

Finally, here’s a quick checklist to guide you on what to put on a resume:

Mandatory sections to include:

Resume summary of resume objective

Optional sections to include:

Don’t include:

Street address
Irrelevant or general information

Pamela Skillings

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The 2023 Resume Writing Guide [+ Job Search Tips and Resume Examples]

Searching for a new job is one of the hardest things you'll have to do in your career and it's no easier this year. The Great Resignation, intense competition from other job seekers and remote work are making it one of the most exciting and challenging job markets we've seen in years.

That's why we decided to create our 2023 Resume Writing Guide with job search tips, resume examples and all the information you need to create the perfect resume or CV.

The right job is one of three things that contribute most to your happiness in life.

Which is why you need to do it right.

Besides you, your resume is your most important tool in a job search.

It is your first impression with employers.

It is the difference between an interview for your dream job or the recycle bin.

A great resume makes searching for a job easy, while an ineffective resume will leave you with nothing to show from hundreds of applications. Applying to a job without a good resume guide is a waste of time and can add months (or even years) to your job search, leaving you frustrated and demotivated. The following is a guide to creating a stand-out resume that gets you hired.

Before writing your resume

If you're unsure about your career objective or haven't quite settled on a goal, you'll find that writing a powerful and effective resume is extremely difficult.

Remember, your resume must present just the right mix of meaningful information relevant to your goal.

Without a goal, you don't know what information to include, what skills or successes to highlight, and what details to omit. You're forced to include everything, and the end result is usually a resume that does not capture interest because it's not focused.

Have a clear goal before writing your resume. Employers want to know what you want to do ; it's not their job to figure that out. Take the time to define a goal (or multiple goals) before writing your resume.

See our guide on How to get a better Job for more exercises and resources for deciding what you want from your career.

Once have a clear goal for your resume, move on to the next step.

Be Clear About Who You Are

In the context of your resume, "who you are" usually refers to a job title.

Are you a Software Engineer?

Corporate Finance Executive?

Customer Service Representative?

Be sure to include this critical information right up front, as a headline or in the first sentence of your introduction. Your goal is to immediately communicate to employers the essential information that creates the context for everything else they will read in your resume.

For example, if you define yourself as a "Sales Professional," employers will be looking for key qualifications such as sales results, communication skills, relationship-building abilities, territory management experience, and so forth.

If you define yourself as an "Accountant," they'll be looking for something entirely different accounting and finance experience, knowledge of accounting software, attention to detail, and strong analytical skills.

By defining yourself up front, you establish expectations and help readers better appreciate and absorb the information that follows.

Paint the picture of an ideal candidate

Study the job description and decipher what problems the employer wants solved. Employers don’t care about you. They care about solving their problems. This is the only reason why they are posting a job. Get into their heads, and try to understand their pain.

Why are they posting this job? Who is the ideal candidate for the job? Which skills does the ideal applicant have?

Write down a brief description of the ideal applicant in the third person, all the way down to what they’re wearing. This will help you decide how to represent yourself when creating your resume.

Having defined your "ideal self," consider what information you can place "front and center" on your resume to support your claim. What credentials, qualifications, experiences, knowledge, and accomplishments do you possess that will prove you are, in fact, an effective Marketing Management Professional?

Your goal is to create a "snapshot," a capsule portrait that conveys the most essential information to your readers. In essence, you want to quickly portray that you are an ideal candidate for the types of jobs you are pursuing.

Preparing Your Resume

In your job search, you will need to create a distinct resume for each job application . This enables you to do the following:

Tailor each resume to suit the job description
Optimize your resume keywords for applicant tracking systems
Choose a distinct style to suit the company

To make this easy, start by building a Master Resume to work from. This will be an ever-evolving resume that contains all your work history, accomplishments, and skills that you can tailor for each application.

Let's start building a Master Resume.

How to Create Your Resume, With Examples

The following section will outline the key components of a resume, and provide examples, tips and best practices for writing these components.

Standard fields

Summary/introduction
Work Experience

Optional Fields

Past Projects
Publications

Resume Example:

Your Resume Header

Your resume should first include the most important information - Your name! Your name should be the largest text on the page. The header also includes basic contact details and links to other relevant online profiles.

For a European CV, the header will also include a professional profile picture. Do not include a picture for a traditional North American application. For a web based North American resume, a picture is acceptable.

Your Resume Summary and Introduction: Examples of What You Should Include

An objective statement is no longer acceptable on your resume summary or resume introduction. Employers know your objective is to get the job. Instead, you have two options.

Write a summary or introduction that highlights your most valuable accomplishments and skills.
Do not include a summary or introduction.

The introduction goes after the header information, and should serve the following purposes:

Highlights your the most valuable aspects of your resume
Draws the reader in, and encourages them to read more

Resume Introduction Examples

Bad example: Experienced professional seeking employment in the financial services sector.

Good example: Experienced financial planner who has consistently generated above market returns for clients. Thrives in a team-oriented and high pressure environment.

Bad example: Passionate marketing manager and creative problem solver who loves to work with great people.

Good example: Results-driven marketing professional with over 10 years experience working with blue-chip clients including Nestle, Google, and Intel.

Remember, the introduction is not a necessary element. If you're going to use it, do so wisely. No introduction is better than a poor one.

Citing Your Work Experience

The most valuable section of your resume is the work experience section. It is usually the most important factor in getting a job. Highly relevant experience in a field is the first thing employers look for. Even for entry level jobs employers want to see relevant experience.

Ordering Your Work History

Most commonly, work experience is displayed in reverse chronological order, with your most recent job first. If you do have a highly relevant position, there is no rule against re-ordering your work history to put the most relevant job first.

Each work history entry should include:

Employer Name
Dates of Employment
Job Descriptions
Accomplishments

The most crucial aspect of your career history is to write accomplishments, not history. Your job title and regular duties don't matter - what matters is your most impressive achievements in those positions. Ensure your accomplishments are compelling. Accomplishments are best written in bullet-point format, underneath each job title held.

Resume Example Accomplishment Statements

Bad example: Promoted to senior account manager with full responsibility for the company’s #1 client.

Good example: Promoted to senior account manager to manage #1 client, growing the business from $3 million to $6 million in 2 years.

Bad example: Completed all projects under time and under budget.

Good example: Averaged 7% under budget while completing 100% of projects on schedule, 65% ahead of schedule.

Bad example: Managed a portfolio for blue-chip clients that generated high returns.

Good example: Responsible for $5 million in assets for high net worth clients that generated a return of over 12% in 2013.

Bad example: Kept customers happy.

Good example: Increased referral rates by 15% and maintained a customer satisfaction rate of over 95%.

Writing Effective Resume Accomplishment Statements

The following section is a series of questions designed to help you quantify your performance in a position to write better accomplishment statements. Spend an hour answering these questions in relation to each job you've held. This will give you "ammunition" to work with when writing your resume.

Questions to quantify performance

Did you make money for the company?
Did you increase market share?
Did you improve your ranking in comparison to other departments, branches, or competitors?
Did you suggest any ways to cut costs in your team, department, unit, branch, or company?
Did you regularly meet all your deadlines?
Did you improve the efficiency of your job, team, or department?
How did your performance compare to prior years?
How did you rank against the competition?
How did you rank against industry averages?
What were your performance goals? Did you meet them? Exceed them?
How did you contribute to the bottom line?

Questions to reveal success factors:

What are you most proud of?
What did supervisors compliment you for?
What do your performance evaluations say?
What are you known for?
What do you do that others can't or don't do?
What would "fall apart" or "slide downhill" if you weren't at your job for a week?
What do you have "bragging rights" about?
Where you the first, best or most effective in any particular function or organization?

Questions to create strong introductory statements

What is the most important thing I accomplished in that job?
What was I initially hired to do? Did I do it?
What major challenge was I presented with? Or what major challenge did my company or industry face, and how did I surmount that challenge?
What happened to my company or department as a result of my effort in that job?

Action words to use:

These are helpful verbs to use when writing your accomplishment statements. Always start your accomplishments with a verb.

Spearheaded
Accelerated
Coordinated

Sources: Career Bliss , The Muse

The majority of your resume writing time should be spent writing compelling accomplishment statements.

Pro tips for writing accomplishments

Focus on performance and results.
Use specific examples with real numbers.
Use Power words (not passive ones).
Citing Education on Your Resume

The education section contains some or all of the following:

Name of School
Degree Earned
Major Course(s) of Study
Academic Distinctions
Extracurricular and Leadership Activities
Training and Certification
Additional Professional Development

Keys for the education section:

The more senior your career, the fewer education details to include.
For younger professionals, add in distinguishing information such as achievements or leadership roles.
Don’t let your education shadow your experience, and never inflate your credentials.
Your Resume Skills Section

You should have a listing of your skills on your resume, that includes your level of competency of each skill. Skills are extremely important to match with the job description - it’s what employers are looking to hire.

Resume Extras and Information

Extras are additional facts and information that don't fit into one of the previous categories but might be important to include, such as:

Professional Affiliations and Industry Leadership
Presentations and Publications
Language Proficiencies
Technical Competencies
Community Activities and Leadership Positions
Personal Interests

Resume Outline

As you are gathering the material for your resume, organize it into these rough groups; but keep in mind that you don't have to follow a strict formula! You can create new sections, add in unusual information, or come up with creative ways to present your qualifications. The purpose of the resume is to tell your story and describe your capabilities in the way that is most beneficial to you and meaningful to employers.

The number one question to ask: How is your resume solving an employer's problem?

Resume design guide.

Which resume design should you use? It depends. Use your judgement to decide which resume design best suits the job you're applying for. For a creative job, a more creative resume is recommended. For an accounting job? Use a more classic design.

Once you've written the right content, pick a design that best shows off your unique capabilities and fits the position you're seeking.

Resume Versions

Having multiple version of your resume is essential for a successful job search. Here are the versions you should have:

A online resume (web based).
A master resume with lots of detail.
A custom resume for each job application.
Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes

How long should my resume be?

The standard North American Resume is 1-2 pages in length. A more detailed academic CV can be much longer. However, don't try to cram your resume into a shorter version just because of conventions. A well-laid out, efficient resume will perform better than a crammed 1 page resume.

Do I need a picture on my resume?

In North America, no. In fact, having a picture on your resume could limit your chances of landing an interview. For a web based resume, a picture is fine. However if you're applying in a traditional way, create a version of your resume that does not include a picture.

Do I need an objective on my resume?

No! Your objective is to get the job. Employers know that! Replace the objective with a summary of your skills and experience.

Should I include references?

No. As a general rule, including references (or "references available upon request" is redundant. Keep your limited space for selling yourself.

What format should I submit my application in?

PDF is your best option for submitting a resume to an employer or an ATS. You won't risk losing formatting from a Word Document, and it gives you the most control.

Should I customize my resume for each application?

Yes. Studies show that tailoring your resume for a specific position is much more effective than sending a generic application. It takes extra time, but is worth the effort.

Do you have resume guides for specific applications. For example a resume guide for teachers, it, architects, students, nursing, freshers, internships, designers, engineering, tour guide or no experience?

*No. However, we do have an amazing resume samples directory with resume examples for every occupation and career path. Check it out here

What to Do Next: Send It To Employers

Step by step, section by section, you've built your resume. Congratulations! Now it's time to get that dream job. We've got just the guide for you.

Looking for an easy way to create a multiple targeted resumes and track the results? We'd love for you to give VisualCV a try.

Madison Norton

VP Marketing & Resume Expert

Madison is the VP Marketing and General Manager at VisualCV . He's a seasoned marketing leader, resume writing and career marketing expert and now helping people grow their own career marketing strategies to build a career they love.

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Resume Writing Tips

10 resume writing tips for 2023.

Prepping your resume for a 2023 job search? If you want to make your resume stands out to hiring managers and recruiters, then following these 10 resume writing tips for 2023 will help you get noticed, so you get hired. In this article, I’m sharing my top 10 tips for writing a resume that conveys your accomplishments to employers so they’ll respond — because the current trend of apply + wait + get ghosted is no fun. Let’s dive in.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #1: Get Clear On Your Direction

It’s impossible to write a resume that will get interviews if you’re not clear on the industry, companies, and positions you’re targeting. Job seekers often ask me if they can use a general resume, and as much as I would like the answer to be yes because it would make things simpler, the answer is actually a resounding no .

Your resume must specifically address the industry or industries you’re targeting and the position(s) you want. Here are five questions to help you get clear before you start writing your resume:

What role am I targeting?

Your resume needs to be geared towards one specific position. Employers want to hire specialists, not generalists.

What companies am I targeting?

Knowing the company you are targeting helps you narrow down your research and be more specific in your writing. You can speak to the company’s pain points when you’ve researched them and know what they need.

What challenges are they facing?

Write resume bullets that show you’ve faced and overcome similar challenges. Include the results.

What skills are critical to success?

The answer to this question tells you exactly which keywords and hard skills you need to include on your resume. If you don’t know where to look, start by searching for the position on LinkedIn. LinkedIn will give you the top 15 skills/keywords needed for the role.

How do I add value?

Your resume must show how you can add value in a way that means something to the employer. Focus on accomplishments that resonate with your target company and meet their needs.

Once you’re clear, there are two crucial things you must do:

Include the target job title at the top of your resume so there is no question in the recruiter’s mind about which role you want.
Include the industry you’re targeting in your career snapshot/summary section. This can be easily changed as you apply to different industries, but it lets the hiring manager know you’re targeting their industry.

Now let’s talk about how you can stand out to hiring managers.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #2: Uncover Your Personal Brand

When we work with job seekers, we don’t set out to create their personal brand. We work to uncover it. Your personal brand is already there. It’s already part of who you are and the work you complete. All you need to do is look for it.

The best place to start is by listing what you have in common with your peers. It’s usually easier to identify the similarities. Once that list is complete, make a second one with how you stand out from your peers. What’s different about you from other similarly qualified candidates?

The four foundational pieces of your personal brand

Next, we work on four foundational pieces to your personal brand: vision, values, purpose, and passion.

Vision: What companies and roles do you want to target?

Values: What are your personal values, and what values are you searching for in your target company?

Purpose: What interests you? What brings you satisfaction and fulfillment in your work?

Passions: What motivates you? What makes you feel alive or like you’re hardly working at all?

Your unique promise of value

What makes you unique? This one is at the top when it comes to finding your personal brand. If you’re not sure, email 10 people you know, and ask them for five words that describe you. Then, compare the words to see what themes emerge. What about your LinkedIn recommendations and past performance reviews? Read through them to identify any themes as well. You’ll start seeing a picture emerge of what makes you different from others in your field.

What’s your promise? Your promise is how you work, why you work, and what you do over and over again no matter where you work. Again, you’re looking for themes carried through each role you’ve held. What do people come to you for? What can you do well no matter who you’re working for? How do you do what you do? Why do you do what you do?

What’s your value? Value is defined by the results and achievements that you deliver. Every position adds value to a company in some way. How is your role evaluated? How is your work reviewed? What makes you compelling? What makes you relevant to your target employers? The answers to these questions are how you define your value.

Once you’ve taken the time to document your vision, values, purpose, passion, and unique promise of value, you have the raw material for your personal brand. Now it’s time to communicate it on your resume.

Gather career stories

Stories are what give our results and achievements context. That context is what helps us stand out from our competitors. To write a successful career story, you need three things:

You need to share stories specific to the employer’s problems.
You need to share the results.
You need to go beyond results and share the context of the situation or challenge.

I use career stories to help my clients stand out from other applicants. Too many resumes have language that could be copied, pasted, and applied to any other job seeker in the same role. If you can take a bullet from your resume and put it on someone else’s resume, it isn’t specific enough to you.

Here are two examples of branded resume bullets:

Launched shared-screen technology to allow designers to make client-facing presentations that better articulate offerings to prospects and help them make informed decisions, cutting designers’ time 20% and reducing customer cost.
Increased projects 35% by estimating client’s budget and price range upfront based on historical data from similar projects, documenting everything, and sharing data with client, also cutting contract length 50%.

In these two bullets, you get the context of the career story. You see the challenge, a comparison, the transformation, or a before/after picture.

When you set out to write your resume bullets, avoid adjectives and adverbs. They add fluff to your resume and dampen its impact. Trade adjectives for accomplishments. Instead of saying successful at, demonstrated success in, proven track record of, or results-driven , replace it with quantifiable accomplishments. Be specific about how you add value. Make sure what you’re writing can’t be copied and pasted.

The next piece is choosing the right stories. Look for consistency. You don’t want to be redundant, but you want to show a consistent picture of the value you can deliver. Maybe it’s that everywhere you’ve worked, you’ve cut costs or generated revenue. Show your repeatable achievements — these are part of your personal brand.

Now that you’ve identified your personal brand and thought about how to convey it through stories, you can choose three different resume formats to show off your credentials. Here’s an overview of each option, as well as the pros and cons to explain when they work best:

2023 Resume Writing Tip #3: Choose the Right Format for You

You can choose three different resume formats to show off your credentials. here’s an overview of each option and the pros and cons of each:, the chronological resume format.

The chronological resume format showcases your work history in chronological order. It’s organized by the dates you worked at your previous roles with a short description of what you did at each one.

Most chronological resumes list your current role or the most recent role at the top and follow with each previous job in reverse chronological order.

Pros of a chronological resume:

Straightforward style .
Organized paragraphs and visuals .
Rewards those with impeccable work history .

Cons of a chronological resume:

Not exciting or modern .
Doesn’t bode well for job-hoppers or people with large gaps in work history .

If you’ve always used a chronological format in the past, you should keep reading to see if another resume format might work better.

The Functional Resume Format

A functional resume showcases your skills, accomplishments, and career highlights instead of only focusing on when you worked somewhere.

To create a functional resume, you’ll first list your most relevant abilities and achievements as they pertain to the job you’re applying for. This will take up the majority of the page. You’ll get to your job history on a much smaller scale later .

Pros of a functional resume:

Spotlights your transferable skills .
Draws attention to the value you’ll bring a company .

Cons of a functional resume:

Sends red flags to hiring managers that you’re trying to hide something . Most recruiters assume if you do not include employment dates, there is an issue or reason why.

A Hybrid Resume Format

A hybrid resume format is a healthy mix of chronological and functional resume formats.

This option gives you the best of both worlds: it allows you to showcase the skills and accomplishments you’ve achieved at the top of your resume while also mentioning your chronological work history in the latter part.

Pros of a hybrid resume:

Showcases your value, qualifications, and stellar career history .

Cons of a hybrid resume:

There are a few other steps you can take to ensure your resume gets noticed and captures the attention of whoever reads it, such as:

Make it enticing and visually appealing . Add some white space between sections, use a mix of paragraphs and bullet points, and include visual elements (such as charts or graphs) to help improve your resume’s readability. These are more appealing to the eye than straight walls of text.
Make sure your resume format reflects your brand . Try adding one color to your resume. Recent studies show that adding one single color to your resume engages the reader and holds their attention for longer — which means they’ll spend more time reading your resume.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #4: Make the Most Of Your Contact Section

If you’re working with one of our resume templates , the contact section is already set up for you. You’ll notice your name is in larger font, followed by your city, state, and zip code. It’s no longer necessary to include your street address. Most location-based searches that recruiters perform are based on just your city, state, or postal code.

If you’re not using one of our resume templates, here are a few tips for the contact section:

Put your name in a larger font. Employers’ eyes are drawn there first.
Follow with your city, state, and zip code. Street address is optional and not required.
Add a link to your LinkedIn profile URL and hyperlink it so all they need to do is click.
Include your email and phone number.
Add a line to break up the text and separate this section from the remainder of your resume.

One important inclusion is your LinkedIn profile URL. You want to ensure you include your custom link on your profile because 90% of employers will head to LinkedIn to find out more about you. It’s easier for them if you’ve already included a direct link. Plus, it eliminates the risk of them stumbling onto the profile of someone else whose name is similar to yours.

Once you’ve added your LinkedIn profile and your contact information, it’s time to move on to the objective/summary section.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #5: Create A Snapshot Instead of a Summary

This section of your resume is critical. Outside of your name, eye-tracking studies show this is the first place an employer’s eyes will scan. This is where important information must go.

Therefore, you need to start with your target job title. If you’re seeking a project manager role, put Project Manager at the top of the resume. If you’re a tech exec, write Chief Technology Officer or VP of Information Technology. Whatever your target job title is, you want to put that here.

It immediately communicates to the hiring manager that you are targeting that role. So there’s no chance for them to miss that. They’ll know exactly what position you’ve applied to.

If you’re targeting a role in an area where you have little to no experience — or if you’re a new grad, changing industries, or moving up — and are concerned that the title will not be accurate, state it like this:

TARGET JOB TITLE: PROJECT MANAGER

This clarifies the role you’re targeting but eliminates any confusion about whether you have previously held that role.

Underneath your target job title, we will add three high-priority keywords. These are keywords that are critical skills for the functioning of this role — ones that you possess and are required. You can find these in the job postings you see online.

Choose three that repeatedly appear in those job postings, and include them underneath the job title.

Next, you want to develop your personal branding statement. Think about the personal brand work you did from Resume Tip #2, and incorporate what you uncovered into a one-line statement that encapsulates your unique promise of value to your target employer for your target position.

Now, let’s talk about objectives. They’re outdated and unnecessary, so we’ll skip adding outdated statements like “To obtain a position that allows me to use my excellent communication skills and desire for growth to benefit the company.”

You also want to avoid generic, adjective-heavy summaries that sound like: “Dependable, energetic project manager with 7 years of experience managing projects…”

If it sounds like it could be copied and pasted to someone else’s resume, then skip it altogether.

Instead, we’re going to develop a career snapshot . It is similar to a summary — but instead, it’s branded, unique to you, and a lot more specific about the value you can deliver.

Your career snapshot will include 3 – 5 sentences unique to you. You must evaluate each sentence to ensure it can’t be said about any other candidate on the market.

In your lead-off sentence, you want to make sure you’re using the position title again or an alternate position title (for instance, if the role you’re targeting could have more than one title, you could use a different one here for increased searchability). Eliminate adjectives to make your writing more impactful. Even resume writers get out of hand when it comes to using too many adjectives, so we have to check ourselves.

Here’s a lead-off sample sentence:

HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE, NURSING LEADER, AND CERTIFIED CASE MANAGER who transforms underperforming programs, clinical operations, processes, and teams to unearth $700K+ cost savings.

Here’s another example:

Award-winning client relationship manager who develops trusted relationships in 3 minutes or less. Leverages CRM tools to optimize call plan, set meetings, close 6-figure deals, drive $3 million-dollar revenue growth , and increase market share 30%.

And another example:

Inspiring marketing executive who drives $3 billion-dollar growth through digital transformation, identifying and eliminating $35M operational inefficiencies, and incorporating data into delivery pipelines to save $60M in advertising costs.

Here’s an example of someone without a direct connection to revenue or cost savings:

Loyal receptionist who supports 1400+ clients annually as first point of contact, managing confidential communications, resulting in increased client satisfaction, repeat visits, and new referrals.

Alright, now it’s your turn.

Use an action verb to describe what you do.

Add a result that includes high-priority keywords/skills.

State something unique about you — a special recognition, an award, or a compelling quote that is on-brand.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #6: Noteworthy Accomplishments Get Priority

To help establish your personal brand and also give the employer a preview of some quick wins, add an accomplishments section in the top third of the resume. It’s easy to skim/scan (which hiring managers will do), but it also gives them a look at your unique promise of value.

You want to develop three achievement statements. As you review target job postings, identify three of the top requirements for the role. Based on those requirements, choose three important accomplishments.

If you’re struggling to think of three off the top of your head, think back on the career stories you gathered from Resume Tip #3. Do you have any career stories, results, or achievements that correlate to the main requirements for your target role?

If so, select the top three and include them in this section.

Remember that they don’t have to be revenue-based.

Every position adds value in a meaningful way. What were you hired to do? How is your role evaluated? How is your performance assessed? These give you clues to how you can articulate the value that you add. And numbers can come from all kinds of places, not just money.

I teach job seekers to look at comparisons, people, skills, teams, and so much more to find those value-added statements that make your resume stand out and increase your market value.

Try this free executive resume template. It helps you write your resume much faster and gives you all the guidance you need to write a resume that impresses employers.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #7: Optimize the Skills Section

The skills section is one of my favorites because it’s a great opportunity to fit those all-important keywords. I talk a lot about high-priority keywords, and I want to take a minute to explain what I mean.

High-priority keywords are the skills that employers require for the role. They’re also the terms recruiters use to find candidates that fit the role they’re looking to fill. These high-priority keywords are based on academic, technical, and professional skills. They are not soft skills, which are typically personality descriptors.

There’s a big difference because employers don’t use soft skills to search for candidates — they use hard skills.

Create a high-priority skills and keywords section in the top third of your resume after your career snapshot. You want to include 12-15 keywords that are the most important to your target role.

You can discover and gather these keywords in a couple of ways. One is to review job postings and highlight skills that the different roles have in common — especially the ones required for the role.

Another way to find relevant skills is to head to LinkedIn and review job postings. LinkedIn is great about alerting you if you have the required skills for the role, and if you have LinkedIn Premium, there are a whole host of other applicant insights that you can obtain.

An excellent hack for identifying ten high-priority skills is to use the build a resume feature on LinkedIn. Here are some simple instructions for using the hack. While on LinkedIn, feel free to follow me for more great job search and resume writing hacks.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #8: Conveying Experience That Shows Value

The work experience section is not where you talk about your responsibilities and duties. This is a pretty common mistake that job seekers make. Instead, include 1 – 2 sentences about the scope of your work; then, dive into how you added value.

Here are some ways you can make your experience section more impactful.

Start with strong verbs. Every single bullet needs to start with an action verb. Here’s a list of over 100 to choose from , and if you don’t like any of the ones in the list, you can use thesaurus.com to find alternatives.
When and where possible, quantify achievements. Incorporate numbers because they stand out and draw the eye in, ensuring the rest of the bullet gets read.
Write in implied first person. It’s a concise form of writing and the proper format for a resume. Never use pronouns or refer to yourself in the third person.
Be specific. Generalities weaken your resume and personal brand. Anything in your resume that is generic will only take away from you standing out to the employer.
Add context to give meaning to what you’re saying. This is also another strategy for personal branding. Context is a part of your personal brand. What was going on at the time? Was the market down? Was the industry hard-hit by COVID? Did you win back a major account or save a profitable relationship from falling apart? These details give context to the accomplishment and make it more powerful.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #9: Use Action-Packed Language

I could write an entire book about action-packed language on resumes. Too many job seekers fall back on passive writing.

An example: Responsibilities included processing payroll, managing collection accounts, and accounts payable.

This could be written more impactfully by starting with an action verb and adding in some numbers.

Processed payroll for 300+ employees. Cut the time needed to process payroll from 5 days to 2 days by switching payroll processors.
Decreased collection accounts 25%. Created new process for detecting potential accounts before they defaulted and worked with customers to secure payment plans that kept accounts up to date.

To write with more action-packed language, start with an action verb. Then, follow it with a result and the context for the result — maybe it was a challenge or situation you faced and you were able to make a change.

2023 Resume Writing Tip #10: Get Noticed So You’ll Get Hired

All of the previous tips are geared toward doing two things.

Making your resume discoverable in applicant tracking systems.
Standing out once your resume is in the hiring manager’s hand.

This last tip will offer you additional strategies for getting your resume noticed so you get interviews and get hired.

First, a great resume is only half the job search battle. You must also actively connect with employees and hiring managers at your target companies. Thanks to LinkedIn, this is relatively easy. In my popular LinkedIn Unlocked course, I teach job seekers exactly how to find the hiring manager, network with them, and get more interviews.

A quick way to do this is to look for the hiring team when applying to a job on LinkedIn. LinkedIn will now include a link to the profile of the person who is posting the job or responsible for hiring for the role. If you have LinkedIn Premium, you can send them an InMail message. If you don’t, you can see if you’re a second-degree connection, in which case you can message them.

I advise that you send them a note after you apply to the role, letting them know you applied and why you believe it’s a good fit. Focus on experience and values, and keep the message short.

Not every hiring manager will respond. It’s a 20 – 40% response rate, but it sure beats the apply + wait + get ghosted stuff that’s happening all the time in today’s market.

While doing that, you can also come at your job search from another angle. Head to the company’s LinkedIn page, and check out their People tab to see employees. Look through the list and see if there’s anyone you’re already connected to — a fellow alum or someone else, like a group member with whom you share a connection. Then, request an informational interview.

Do not ask for a job or a referral. Your goal is to gather information and advice. If a referral comes of your conversation, GREAT! But your goal is to gather more information to see if the company/industry/role fits you and to get advice from someone in the industry/company on how they found success.

You will be surprised how many people are willing to help when you ask for a favor, and once you get to know each other, how many are willing to offer names of others you can speak to or who might give a referral for an open role. I go over this in more detail in LinkedIn Unlocked .

One last tip: Find and follow your target company’s page on LinkedIn. Then, engage with what they post — whether that’s an ad, content, or something else. LinkedIn spotlights you as a candidate when you apply to a job if you’re engaged with that company on the site. It alerts the hiring manager that you’re more likely to respond if they reach out to you about a role, which makes you stand out even more as an applicant.

I’ve covered a lot in this 2023 edition of my Resume Writing Tips article — everything from a clear direction and target role to connecting with the hiring manager and sending a follow-up note. Would you like to make your next career move much faster?

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Jessica hernandez, president, ceo & founder of great resumes fast.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

This is legit! Thank you for this content. Well-detailed and quite helpful.

Examine the list to see whether or not there is someone with whom you already have a relationship. This might be a fellow alum or someone else, such as a member of a group, with whom you already have a connection. After that, you should make a request for an informative interview.

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The 20 Best Resume Tips, Tricks and Hacks [Updated for 2024] [List with examples]

Over the past week, we reached out to a number of hiring managers, recruiters and career coaches to find out exactly what they're looking for when they skim through your resume. After reading this article, you'll know exactly what your future employers are looking for when they read your resume.

3 years ago • 12 min read

A recent study by Glassdoor indicated that 98 percent of applicants are rejected based on their resumes alone.

That's ridiculous. And quite frankly, unfair . How can a company evaluate all of your skills, achievements and experiences from one piece of paper?

That's why we wrote this article.

At Resume Worded, we believe that content is the most important element of your resume, so that’s the focus of these resume tips and tricks. If you're looking for a resume template that is ATS-compatible — in other words, readable by automated computer screeners — see our ATS resume templates .

If you want to confirm that your resume passes the ATS resume test, upload it to our resume scanner for a free ATS resume scan.

Resume Tip #1: Use short, succinct bullet points. Not paragraphs.

If a recruiter was to pick up your resume right now, how easy would it be for him/her to skim it in 30 seconds and get a sense of your experiences and accomplishments? This is what we call the '30 second skim', and your resume needs to be optimized for it. Short, succinct bullet points are key to your resume's readability. Blobs of text, that is bullets or paragraphs that are three lines or longer, are likely to not be read.

If you’re not sure if your resume’s content is the right length, upload it to the tool below — it’ll give you feedback on your resume length, and other key criteria recruiters and hiring managers care about.

Resume Tip #2: Ditch the objective section from your resume

All recruiters agree that an Objective is superfluous on a resume. The company already knows what you’re looking for because you applied for a specific position. Having an objective section may even exclude you from other similar positions that might be interesting to you.

Resume Tip #3: Only add a Summary section if you need one!

With a few exceptions, a Summary section generally does little for your resume apart from duplicating your achievements and wasting space.

Your resume is already meant to be a concise summary of your achievements.

There's no need to re-summarize it in a paragraph form. The only exception to this rule is if you need to add important information that is not already in another section on your resume. This is key — don't duplicate achievements on the rest of your resume into your summary!

For example, if you're looking to completely change your career & role (e.g. moving from software engineering to marketing), you could use 1-2 lines to direct a recruiter to the specific roles you are looking for. If you do decide to include a summary, ensure that it is not filled with fluffy, subjective buzzwords like "team player" or "hard worker".

If you decide you need a resume summary, check out the Resume Summary Generator for inspiration. If you are changing careers, read our guide on how to write a resume summary for career changers .

Resume Tip #4: Order your resume's sections based on job requirements

Recruiters skim your resume from top to bottom, so be smart about how you position your sections.

"You need to ask, is there anything that may automatically disqualify me from contention and either don’t include it or move it.

For example, if a specific degree is required, and you have another degree, or no degree move the Education section to the bottom of your resume."

This tip is from Dory Wilson, from Your Office Mom.

Related : Resume 101: The Correct Order for Resume Sections

Resume Tip #5: Tailor your resume to include relevant achievements

James Rice, from WikiJob, tells Resume Worded: "Never send in a generic resume for a job. Even if you are applying for multiple jobs in quick succession, it is well worth the time it takes to tailor your resume to each and every position you are applying for.

Don’t just include everything you have ever done; make sure all the space on your resume is spent telling the recruiter why you are perfect for that particular job. If you have education or skills that are not relevant to the position, then think about leaving them out or explain succinctly why they show relevant transferable skills."

Related : Top 12 Resume Boosters To Quickly Improve Your Resume

Resume Tip #6. Add keywords from the job description into your resume

When writing a resume that is being initially reviewed by an automated screening process, the absolutely most critical step you can take to make sure that you make it through the initial phase is to add keywords that are in the job description to your resume.

Why? The vast majority of these screening processes are not sophisticated and simply check your resume for keywords that are relevant to the job. If they’re found in sufficient quantity, your resume will be passed onto a human for further review. If not, you will be instantly rejected, regardless of whether you are qualified for the position. Thought this may seem like a sneaky move, I can assure you it will cause your success rate to skyrocket.

This tip is from Rich Franklin, Founder of KBC Staffing

You can evaluate whether your resume is well targeted to the job you're applying for by trying out Targeted Resume. It is an ATS resume keyword scanner that tests if your resume is well targeted to the job description.

You can also use the skills search tool below to get a list of skills and keywords relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Resume Tip #7: Achievement-oriented, not responsibility oriented

"Your resume should be achievement-based. Simply regurgitating your job description into multiple bullets is no longer effective. This strategy does nothing to show if you've even done your job well. It also doesn't provide employers with much context to how you can help them. I always recommend that my clients research pain points and appeal directly to those needs with relevant achievements. For example: A company may be looking for an administrative assistant with Instagram experience. Who would you be more likely to ask for an interview between these two?

Option 1: Run departmental social media pages.

Option 2: Increased Instagram following by 58% by developing engaging content, attending Instagram for Business online course, and staying up to date on emerging marketing trends."

This tip is from Brett Ellis, who runs Brett Ellis Career Marketing Services

Resume Tip #8: Quantify your resume!

"Rather than wording your resume to read like a job description (current or prior positions) use it as a guide to identify what’s most important relative to the role you are seeking. On those points, add keywords and details that reflect your success. All the performance metrics and KPIs are at play here.

If you had a hand in reducing, increasing, changing anything in your job, mention it. Don’t wait until the 5th bullet point to note you were instrumental in modifying a process that saved the company $50K, or you are 250% over quota.

Whatever it is, mention it to substantiate how you impact the bottom line. And, don’t be shy. If you were on a team that supported these efforts, you still had a hand in it. Too many people say, “well, I didn’t do it all by myself,” and don’t mention it, rather than stating they were part of a team that did. If you don’t know where to start, review your bullet points and ask the question “why is this important?” or “okay, so what?” to help you. Whether it’s your performance reviews or other documentation, review it to support your statements.

For more information on quantifying your resume, check out our blog post on how to use numbers and metrics to write effective resume bullet points .

Resume Tip #9: Use an easy to understand job title

"One of the first things I look at as a recruiter, is a candidates current job title. I then look at company, tenure and previous job titles. Education comes second."

"It is common to have inventive job titles, which make it unclear what someone is actually responsible for. Equally it is common to see someone’s title as their level, e.g. Vice President or Director. This doesn’t make what you do immediately apparent. It is important to be truthful, so don’t make up a title. However, if your job is a waitress , call yourself a waitress and not a customer satisfaction representative or a customer service specialist."

"Your resume is likely to get less than 30 seconds of attention and you probably have 5 seconds to make an impact. You need to make this really easy for someone. You do that by making it clear that you are relevant to the job you are applying to."

This tip is from Karla Reffold from BeecherMadden.

Resume Tip #10: Make sure your resume is readable by Applicant Tracking Systems

Companies get hundreds of applicants for each job. It's pretty unfeasible to expect a hiring manager to manually review each and every application, including those that may not have the right experience for the job.

This is why companies use ATS or Applicant Tracking Systems . They are automated software that electronically parse and process your resume, reducing the number of resumes hiring managers have to manually review. Go here if you need an ATS-ready resume template .

If you want to check if your resume can be read by ATS, try out our ATS resume checker here.

Erica McCurdy, from McCurdy Life Coach, stresses the importance of matching your resume to the job description: "If you are submitting your resume online, you will want to make sure you incorporate the major points and keywords from the job description in your resume and make sure you are using a format that is ATS optimized."

Steph, from Off The Clock Resumes, also had these 6 tips to add about how to make sure your resume is readable by ATS:

"ATS can’t read text placed in headers or footers.
ATS can’t read text placed in charts, tables, or text boxes.
ATS doesn’t care about bold, underlined, italicized, colored, or color-filled text.
ATS doesn’t see photos embedded in your resume (JPG or PNG files)
ATS scans the text from left-to-right so it may not read text formatted in columns correctly."

Make sure you also upload your resume to the following tools to confirm it is ATS compliant:

Resume Scanner : Upload your resume and get a free ATS resume scan
Targeted Resume : Add your job description and we'll evaluate whether it is well targeted to the resume.

Related : Resume Trends To Follow in 2024

Resume Tip #11: If you're a programmer, list online projects or your Github

"If you're a programmer, be sure to list skills, languages, and frameworks clearly for the benefit of recruiters and hiring managers. Including a link to your Github profile or specific projects you've worked on will also enable resume reviewers to see your talent in action.

Recruiters often look for precise skills tied to the role so listing your proficiencies will help separate you from other resumes. Your Github profile and projects will help for hiring managers to see what you've worked on clearly."

This tip is from Beth Cohen, a Senior Recruiter at Fundera.

If you're not a programmer, you can still include links to your projects, whether that is your blog or your online portfolio.

Resume Tip #12: Use a clean resume template

Keep your resume design clean without a lot of clutter, colors , different fonts , or graphs. These can be easily overdone and when you're a recruiter reading hundreds of resumes, it's just too much to look at so you move on.

This tip is from Becky, from Go Write2Hire.

Additionally, using fancy styles and fonts increases the chance that your resume will be processed incorrectly by ATS. If you're unsure if your resume will be processed correctly by ATS, upload it for a free ATS resume scan .

Resume Tip #13: Organize your sections effectively

"Use separation to create visual space. Break up your past work experiences into sections and sub-sections, with at least a blank line of uniform spacing between each. Use section headers as an organizational tool."

"You want the reader of your resume to be able to go down your list—from one past work experience to the next—without all of the details blending together. However, don't use text boxes to do this; they tend to look very tacky and are not compatible with company applicant tracking systems . You don’t want your resume to end up in the hiring manager’s trash file because of a formatting error."

This tip is from Jan Hudson from Surf Search.

You can find resume templates which are compatible with ATS here.

Resume Tip #14: Use a meaningful file name

Use FirstName-LastName.pdf (or similar) as the filename . Recruiters often save resumes in the same folder and you'll be surprised at how often resumes get lost because they're saved as "Resume.pdf"!

Resume Tip #15: Use the active voice, not the passive voice

Using the active voice not only ensures your resume is less wordy and more concise, it also makes it more impactful.

Stacy Caprio also had this example to add regarding using the active voice:

"Use active voice and not passive when writing your resume bullet points . This means saying things such as "I increased revenue by X, when I set up campaign X" and not "Campaign revenue increased by X when the campaign was set up".

The first active voice example makes it clear you were the one who initiated the action and got the results, which is key to standing out with your resume."

Editor's note : Resume Worded's free resume checker scans your resume for the active voice. Try it out here .

Resume Tip #16: Proofread your resume. No spelling or grammar errors!

Obvious stuff here, but you’d be surprised at how many resumes we’ve seen that have spelling or grammar mistakes. Ask a friend to review your resume!

James Rice from WikiJob also had this to add : It is absolutely essential that you proofread your resume. Many recruiters will throw away resumes that have typos or other errors. Don’t rely on spell-check to spot all errors, as many typos will not show up. Read over the document slowly and concentrate on every word; it is also a good idea to show it to a friend or tutor and ask them to have a read through. Make sure you send in a resume to be proud of.

Tip #17. Follow up after you apply for a role!

"Don’t 'submit and forget,' take the time to follow up and inquire on the status of your submission. Include a link to your LinkedIn and ensure it is current. Bonus points if you have some recent LinkedIn recommendations. And extra bonus points if you already follow the hiring company on LinkedIn."

This tip is from Stephanie Mahnken, who leads the hiring process at Directom.

Go to this link if you need sample follow up networking emails !

Tip #18: Cover letters are important too!

Karen Elkins Cohen is a Director of Human Resources, and she stresses the importance of a cover letter, in addition to your resume.

"It's not just your resume, but your cover letter. Your resume may not detail where you meet every qualification, so a well-written cover letter is what will get you in the door. If you use a template you see online, use the structure, but not the exact words!

"I'm seeing the same wording on multiple letters, "Thank you for the opportunity to apply for the position available at your company. Given the requirements in the job description, I am certain that I have the necessary skills to successfully do the job adeptly and perform above expectations." It's terrible.

"Instead, in your cover letter , tell me exactly how your experience meets my qualifications. If I'm asking for a year of supervisory experience and you've never been a supervisor, that's okay -- tell me about how your leadership experience (volunteer? college? church ?) makes you a good supervisor .

Resume Tip #19: Ensure your resume is consistent with your online profiles (e.g. LinkedIn )

“Ensure that your resume matches up with your experience, education and qualification information that might be found on your online profiles. If a hiring manager spots any inconsistencies between the two, it may imply that you have something to hide.

It can also suggest that you haven’t put the care and attention in that’s expected when applying for a role and that you’re unaware of how to manage your personal online brand effectively – something which would be a red flag for those in commercial roles."

This tip is from Lars Herrem, from Nigel Wright Group.

Resume Tip #20: Avoid unnecessary industry jargon and acronyms

Keep the wording of your resume as simple as possible. Industry jargon and trade buzzwords are too niche, and you don't want to jeopardize your interview chances because the first HR staff member failed to understand it.

However, if the job ad calls for a particular acronym or buzzword in their requirements or qualifications, use it, of course. These are resume keywords.

This tip is from Christian Eilers, a career advice writer at Zety.com

Resume Tip #21: Use the right tenses to describe your achievements

We've said this before and we'll say it again, your resume is supposed to be a concise overview of your achievements — things you've achieved — and not your responsibilities.

This means that most of your bullet points should be in the past tense . After all, it's hard for something you accomplished to be written in the present tense. Most bullet points written in the present tense are often just responsibilities, and not things you actually accomplished. That said, there are some bullet points which can use the present tense — for example, if you're currently managing a team, you can use the present tense 'Manage' when describing your current role.

That's it from Resume Worded today! Thank you to all the contributors.

We hope you found these resume tips, hacks and tricks useful.

If you need more resources:

Free resume review with Score My Resume
ATS resume keyword scanner with Targeted Resume
Free LinkedIn profile review with LinkedIn Review

If you have any questions, let us know! You can reach out to me directly on contact [at] resumeworded.com.

Founder, Resume Worded

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Top 12 Resume Writing Trends for 2023

Every trend in the world changes with the passage of time. Resume writing trends too!

With the significant growth in demand for precise talent and experience, employers now look for people who can genuinely make a difference.

In 2023, employers expect job seekers to make their resumes using a simple format in a logical and easy-to-read manner.

Using predefined resume templates may be an easy way of writing your resume, but they seldom impress employers nowadays.

As a matter of fact, resumes will need to be stronger than ever if you want to win more interviews in 2023.

Based on a detailed analysis of changing trends in resumes and employers’ preferences, we have created some resume trends that can be helpful for candidates applying for a job in 2023.

1. Make Your Resume Visually Appealing

Similar to any other document, visual appeal plays a crucial role in attracting employers.

Color may not be the essence of a resume, but the layout is.

It is vital to use the proper font (Arial, Comic Sans MS, or Verdana), and adequate spacing between sections and sides.

2. Keep Your Resume Short, Relevant and To-The-Point

Long resumes with irrelevant information are always less interesting. For this reason, it is imperative for you to make sure that your resume is to the point.

Remember that your resume should be relevant to the job description provided by the employer. If you put dull and non-relevant information, hiring managers will take less interest in your resume.

This means that if you have had experience in a different field, do not mention it in your resume.

You can save the employer’s time by keeping your resume short and to the point and using short yet meaningful bullet statements.

3. Use Simple Words and Keywords

Resumes are all about words and keywords. Simple words and relevant keywords will convey your enthusiasm in the best possible way.

Also, action verbs such as managed, volunteered, resolved, and influenced will go a long way in making your resume a good read.

4. Show Your Personality and Emotional Intelligence

Show the hiring manager that you are emotionally intelligent, and possess a strong personality which will be a great benefit to the company.

5. Choose a Plain Resume Format

The resume format must be friendly, and easy to navigate.

Generic, pre-built resume patterns, formats, and adaptable templates were the documents of the past.

For this reason, sell your candidacy by showing your uniqueness using a plain resume format.

6. Emphasize Your Achievements

Mention your accomplishments and achievements. Think about any results you attained in a similar role previously and write them in a separate section in your resume.

Add numbers and figures to attract hiring managers such as: “Increased sales by $40000 in 2021 by cold calling and upselling.”

7. Make ATS Friendly Resume

ATS or computer scanning software is not new, but it is very important to follow.

In order to make sure that your resume reaches a human after the automated tracking systems have approved it, you have to ensure that it includes keywords and phrases that are given in the job advertisement.

Select keywords from the advertisement and add them to the skills, core competencies, or areas of expertise section.

8. Start With the Objective or Summary

An objective or summary statement is a vital part of a resume in 2023. That is because employers do not want to see resumes that begin abruptly and without any direction.

You should start your resume with an objective statement if you have less or no experience in hand, or if the employer specifically demanded it.

If you have more than five years of experience in hand, you should include a professional profile or summary containing a snapshot of your experience, expertise, and achievements.

9. Avoid Grammatical and Spelling Mistakes

While grammatical and spelling errors were never encouraged previously, they are even more important to look out for now.

Hiring managers are usually less interested in a resume that has grammatical mistakes.

10. Make it Targeted

The most important resume trend is to target not only the position but also the audience.

It means that the resume which you once considered perfect is not nearly as accurate as you thought if you haven’t targeted it, especially to the person reading it.

Research both the position and the company before you create your resume.

11. Leave White Space

Hiring managers may have been kind enough to look at your resume, which was full of information making it messy. The lack of white space in a resume is considered a mistake.

If a hiring manager sees that a resume is difficult to navigate because of the lack of white space, they will most probably trash it.

12. Add a LinkedIn Link

Your resume should include your LinkedIn profile. This will make your job application more approachable and conversational.

Final Thought

In order to get more interviews and job offers in the year 2023, you have to put a little more effort into writing and customizing your resume.

It is crucial to remain knowledgeable about the current resume writing trends because the job market is becoming more and more competitive after the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you have already built your resume, it is highly advisable to update it.

In case you have not created a resume yet, then your first resume must be written very smartly by keeping these 10 resume writing trends in mind.

How to Write the Best Resume in 2024?
10 Common Resume Writing Mistakes to Avoid in 2023
10 Unique Resume Writing Ideas to Get Good Response
Top 10 Resume Writing Tips for 2024

40+ Resume Tips to Help You Land a Job in 2024

When you haven’t updated your resume in a while, it can be hard to know where to start. What experiences and accomplishments are relevant for the jobs you’ve got your eye on? What new resume rules and trends should you be following? And seriously, one page or two ?

Well, search no more: We’ve compiled all the resume tips you need into one place. Read on for advice and tricks that’ll help you craft a winning resume—and land your next job.

Maximize your chances by looking for more open jobs on The Muse »

Basic resume tips

Let's start with the basic do's and don'ts when putting your resume together. Listing your skills is not the only thing that matters—choosing the right format and sections is equally crucial. Here are some tips for writing a resume from scratch:

1. Don’t try to cram every skill and work experience onto your resume

Think of your resume not as a comprehensive list of your career history, but as a marketing document selling you as the perfect person for the role you’re applying to. For each resume you send out, you’ll want to highlight only the accomplishments and skills that are most relevant to the job at hand (even if that means you don’t include all of your experience ).

This is called tailoring your resume and it helps anyone who reads it see exactly why you’re a match for a specific position.

2. But keep a resume outline with a full list of your qualifications

Since you’ll be swapping different information in and out depending on the job you’re applying to, save a resume outline —or maybe our resume worksheet —on your computer with old positions, bullet points tailored for different applications, and special projects that only sometimes make sense to include. Think of this as your brag file. Then, when you’re crafting each resume, it’s just a matter of cutting and pasting relevant information together.

3. Ditch the objective statement

The only time an objective section makes sense is when you’re making a huge career change and need to explain from the get-go why your experience doesn’t match up with the position you’re applying to. In every other case, resume objectives just make you look old-fashioned or out of touch.

Read More: 3 Reasons You Should Ditch That Resume Objective—and 3 Things You Can Do Instead

4. Put the best, most relevant information first

In journalism speak, “above the fold” refers to what you see on the front half of a folded newspaper (or, in the digital age, before you scroll down on a website)—basically it’s your first impression of a document. In resume speak, it means you should make sure your most relevant qualifications are visible on the top third of your resume.

This top section is what the hiring manager is going to see first—and what will serve as a hook for someone to keep on reading. If your most recent position isn’t the most relevant piece of your candidacy, consider leading with a skills section (such as in a combination resume format ) or writing a resume summary .

5. Choose the right resume format for you

There are lots of different ways to organize the information on your resume—like the functional resume or combination resume. But the good old reverse chronological —where your most recent experience is listed first—is usually your best bet. Unless it’s absolutely necessary in your situation, skip the functional or skills-based resume—hiring managers might wonder what you’re hiding.

6. Keep it concise

The two-page resume is a hotly debated topic, but the bottom line is this—you want the information here to be as short as possible, and keeping it to one page forces you to prioritize what really matters. If you truly have enough relevant and important experience, training, and credentials to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for two. But if you can tell the same story in less space? Do it.

Read More: 6 Pro Tips for Cutting Your Resume Down to One Page

7. Include relevant links

Can’t figure out how to tell your whole story on one page, or want to be able to include some visual examples of your work? Instead of trying to have your resume cover everything, cover the most important details on that document. Then, include a link to your personal website , your online portfolio , examples of your work, or a relevant, professional social media profile , where you can dive more into what makes you the ideal candidate.

Just avoid hyperlinking over words that are key to understanding your resume, since it can throw off the tools employers use to store and parse resumes.

8. Be aware of the ATS

You may have heard that employers are using computers to “read” your resume and decide who to hire and reject. That’s not exactly true. But most employers do use software called an applicant tracking system—or ATS—to parse resumes and organize them so that recruiters and hiring managers can search for the most relevant applications.

You should assume your resume will pass through an ATS at some point during your job search, so understanding how it works will help make your hunt more efficient. (All of the tips for resume writing in this list keep ATSs in mind as well!)

Read More: Beat the Robots: How to Get Your Resume Past the System and Into Human Hands

Resume formatting tips

Your resume's format matters as much as the content it holds. Aim for a simple and minimalist layout, without overwhelming columns, colors, or graphic elements. Here are some key resume formatting tips to help you stand out:

9. Keep your resume format simple

We’ll talk about getting creative in order to stand out in a minute. But the most basic principle of good resume formatting and design? Keep it simple. Make your resume easy on hiring managers’ eyes by using a reasonably sized default font like Helvetica or Arial and leaving a healthy amount of white space on the page. Your main focus here should be on readability for the hiring manager (and that pesky ATS).

Read more: The Best Resume Font and Size (No More Agonizing!)

10. Stand out with ATS-friendly design elements

Really want your resume to stand out from the sea of Times New Roman? Yes, creative resumes —like infographics, videos, or presentations can set you apart, but you have to make sure they actually get read. If you’re uploading your resume to a job application site or online portal, use ATS-friendly formatting elements like:

Bold and italic text
Underlining (in headings or over hyperlinks)
Different text alignments
Columns that can be read straight across

11. Avoid design elements that can’t be “read” by computers

On the flip side, it’s best to avoid design elements that ATSs are known to have trouble with such as:

Logos and icons
Images and photos
Graphics, graphs, or other visuals
Headers and footers
Less common fonts
Columns that can only be read from top to bottom

12. Make your contact info prominent

You don’t need to include your address on your resume anymore (really!), but you do need to make sure to include a phone number and professional-sounding email address (but not one affiliated with another job!) as well as other places the hiring manager can find you on the web, like your LinkedIn profile, plus your pronouns if you’d like to.

Read More: Here's Exactly What Should Be Included in Your Resume's Header

13. Design your resume for skimmability

You’ve probably heard before that hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time on each individual resume. So help them get as much information as possible in as little time as possible, by making your resume easy to skim .

Work experience resume tips

Recruiters nowadays want to know more than a simple description of your responsibilities. They're looking for the results and impacts of your work, as well as the connection between your experience and the position you're applying for now.

That said, let's take a look at some resume writing tips for describing your work experience:

14. Keep your work experience recent and relevant

As a rule, you should only show the most recent 10-15 years of your career and only include the experiences that are relevant to the positions you’re applying to. Remember to allocate real estate on your resume according to importance. If there’s a choice between including one more college internship or going into more detail about your current role, always choose the latter (unless the internship was more relevant to the role you’re applying for).

15. Don’t forget your transferable skills and experiences

Don’t panic if you don’t have any professional experience that fits the bill. Focus your resume on your relevant and transferable skills along with any related side or academic projects , and then make sure to pair it with a strong cover letter telling the narrative of why you’re ideal for the job.

Read more: What to Put on Your Resume When You Have No Relevant Work Experience

16. Write strong, achievement-focused bullet points

The bullet points under each job entry are arguably the most important part of your resume. They tell whoever’s reading it what skills you have, how you’ve used them, and how you’ve helped your employers in the past.

So start with a strong action verb , include relevant skills from the job description , and frame your bullets around your achievements—don’t just list your job duties . Tell them how your work benefitted your boss or company so they know what they stand to gain by hiring you.

Here’s a simple formula to follow:

Compelling verb + job duty + key skills used = tangible result

So you might say: “ Developed an upgrade to the employee database, ensuring the smooth flow of critical operations, which led to a 35% increase in efficiency. ”

17. Curate your bullet points and experiences

No matter how long you’ve been in a job, or how much you’ve accomplished there, you shouldn’t have more than eight bullet points under it—and that’s only for your most recent and relevant job. Jobs further back should generally be limited to four to six bullets.

Read More: How Many Bullet Points Should Each Job on Your Resume Have?

18. Use as many numbers as you can

Use facts, figures, and numbers whenever possible in your bullet points. How many people were impacted by your work? By what percentage did you exceed your goals? Quantifying your accomplishments allows the hiring manager to picture the level of work or responsibility you needed to achieve them.

19. Don’t neglect non-traditional work

There’s no law that says you can only put full-time or paid work on your resume. So, if you’ve volunteered , worked part-time or as a temporary or contract worker , freelanced, or interned? Absolutely list these things as their own “jobs” within your career chronology—as long as they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for. The same goes for career breaks . Yes, really.

Read More: 4 Things You Didn't Know You Could Put on Your Resume

20. Use important keywords from the job description

Scan the job description, see what words are used most often, and make sure you’ve included them in your bullet points. For example, does the job description list “CRM” or “Salesforce”? Make sure your resume matches. Not only is this a self-check that you’re targeting your resume to the job, but it’ll also make it easier to search for your resume in an ATS.

Read More: How to Pick Resume Keywords That'll Get Your Job Application Past the ATS

Resume tips for including your education

Most hiring managers will want to know your education level, even if it's not necessarily relevant to the position you're going for. This section is especially important for those changing careers or applying for entry-level jobs—as your education can be an indicator of the skills you have.

Here's some resume tips and tricks for this section:

21. Put experience first, education later

Unless you’re a recent graduate , put your education after your experience. Chances are, your last couple of jobs are more important and relevant to you getting the job than where you went to college.

22. Also keep it in reverse chronological order

Generally, you should list your educational background with the most recent or advanced degree first, working in reverse chronological order. But if older coursework is more specific to the job, list that first to grab the reviewer’s attention.

23. Remove the dates from your education section once you’re a few years into your career

Unless you’re early in your career, don’t list your graduation dates. The reviewer cares more about whether or not you have the degree than when you earned it. And you don’t want to inadvertently open yourself up to age discrimination , which is an unfortunate reality in some job markets.

24. Highlight honors and achievements, not GPA

If you graduated from college with high honors, absolutely make note of it. Showcase that summa cum laude status, the fact that you were in the honors college at your university, a relevant project you completed, or an award you won. You don’t need to list your GPA —employers don’t care as much about GPA as they do what skills you gained in school.

Read More: How to (and How Not to) List Education on Your Resume

25. Include continuing or online education

Feel free to include continuing education, professional development coursework, or online courses in your education section, especially if your resume feels a little light on relevant experience.

Best resume tips for showing off your skills

You shouldn't wait until you get an interview to showcase your skills—your resume can and should have a specific section for them. You can also leverage other sections of the document to incorporate what's relevant for the position.

Here are our tips for making a resume that effectively highlights your skills:

26. Don’t forget your skills section

Be sure to add a section that lists all the relevant skills you have for a position—especially those mentioned in the job description. Include technical skills like software and project management tools or specific knowledge of how to perform relevant tasks. Just make sure to skip including skills that everyone is expected to have, like using email or Microsoft Word. Doing so will make you seem less technologically savvy.

27. But don’t only put your skills in your skills section

Your skills section is an easy way for anyone reading your resume to confirm that you have required qualifications, but that shouldn’t be the only place that your important skills appear. Any skill that’s vital to you being hired should also be in your bullet points—where you can show how you’ve used it in the past.

28. Divvy up your skills for readability

If you have lots of skills that would help you with a job but aren’t necessarily in the same category—say, foreign language, software, and leadership skills—try breaking up your skills sections. Below your “Skills” section, add a subsection titled “Language Skills” or “Software Skills,” for example. Again, we’re going for skimmability here!

29. Show—don’t tell—your soft skills

Describing soft skills on a resume often starts to sound like a list of meaningless buzzwords. But being a “strong leader” or an “effective communicator” are important characteristics you want to get across. Think about how you can demonstrate these attributes in your bullet points without actually saying them.

Read more: The Non-Boring Way to Show Off Your Soft Skills in Your Job Search

Other resume section tips

Resume sections are not fixed like stone-written texts; they can change according to the job position you're applying for or the requirements listed by the company. Here are some examples of sections you can add—and more tips on writing a resume that stand out:

30. Include relevant certifications and licenses

If you have a certification or license that proves you can do some aspect of the job you’re applying for, include it on your resume. This is especially important if that certification or license is legally required to do the job—for example, in nursing, teaching, or driving jobs.

31. Show some (relevant) personality

Feel free to include an “Interests” section on your resume, but only add those that are relevant to the job. Are you a guitar player with your eye on a music company? Definitely include it. But if you’re considering including your scrapbooking hobby for a software developer job at a healthcare company? Best to leave it out.

32. Beware of interests and activities that could be controversial

Maybe you help raise money for your church on the reg. Or perhaps you’re dedicated to canvassing during political campaigns. Yes, these experiences show a good amount of work ethic or possibly other relevant skills—but they could also open you up to be discriminated against by someone who disagrees with the cause. So weigh your decision to include them carefully.

33. Add awards and achievements—when they’re relevant

Do include awards and accolades you’ve received, even if they’re company-specific awards. Just state what you earned them for, e.g., “Earned Golden Salesperson Award for having the company’s top sales record four quarters in a row.” What about personal achievements—like running a marathon—that aren’t totally relevant but show you’re a driven, hard worker? Consider the best way to include them (and if you should).

Resume tips for navigating employment gaps and other sticky situations

If you're an experienced professional, you might have some tricky information to explain. Job hopping, career gap, and short term jobs are examples of things that can make an applicant feel insecure when drafting resumes.

Is that your situation? Check on these good resume tips to explain sticky situations without jeopardizing your chances to get an interview:

34. Cut the short-term jobs

If you stayed at a (non-temporary) job for only a matter of months, consider eliminating it from your resume to avoid looking like a job hopper. Leaving a particularly short-lived job or two off your resume shouldn’t hurt, as long as you’re honest about your experience if asked in an interview. But if the short-term job is super relevant to this job, consider including it anyway.

35. If you have shorter gaps, be strategic about how you list dates

If you have gaps of a few months in your work history, don’t list the usual start and end dates with months and years for each position. Use years only (2018–2020), or just the number of years or months you worked at each position. Just keep it consistent throughout your resume and don’t lie if asked about gaps during an interview.

Read more: How to Explain the Gap in Your Resume With Ease

36. Explain serial job hopping

If you’ve job-hopped frequently, you can include a succinct reason for leaving next to each position like “company closed,” “layoff due to downsizing,” or “relocated to a new city.” By addressing the gaps, you’ll proactively illustrate the reason for your frequent job movement and make it less of an issue.

37. Explain a long break in jobs

Re-entering the workforce after a long hiatus? This is the perfect opportunity for a summary statement at the top, outlining your best skills and accomplishments. Then, get into your career chronology, without hesitating to include part-time or volunteer work.

38. Be intentional about career gaps

While career gaps are becoming increasingly common, you should still frame them in a way that’s relevant to a future employer, by talking about skills you gained or any professional endeavors you took on. If you didn’t focus on professional development, that’s fine too! But not every employer will appreciate it if you get too cutesy about that section of your resume.

For example, if you took time out of the workforce to raise kids, you might not want to creatively describe this parenting experience on your resume, à la “adeptly managed the growing pile of laundry.” Instead state what you did plainly and include any professional skills you may have grown or activities you may have done.

Read More: Stay-at-Home Parent? How to Kill it on Your Comeback Resume

Tips on resume finishing touches

Writing a good resume alone isn't the only thing that matters. How you save and send it can also determine whether the recruiter will even take a look at it. To wrap things up, here are our resume formatting tips and other suggestions to boost your chances of getting noticed:

39. Ditch “References available upon request”

If a hiring manager is interested in you, they’ll ask you for references—and will assume that you have them. There’s no need to address the obvious (and doing so might even make you look a little out of touch!).

40. Proofread, proofread, proofread

It should go without saying, but fully edit your resume and make sure it’s free and clear of typos. And don’t rely on spell check and grammar check alone—step away for a few hours, then read your resume closely again, and ask family or friends to take a look at it for you.

41. Save it as a PDF or Word document

Unless a job posting specifically requests that you do otherwise, your resume should always be submitted as either a PDF or Word document (.docx not .doc). These are the formats that can be most easily opened and most easily parsed by an ATS.

The choice between the two is up to you (again, unless the company you’re applying to requests one format over the other). If you’re emailing your resume, however, PDFs are a bit more likely to maintain your formatting across different computers and programs.

42. Name your file clearly

Ready to save your resume and send it off? Save it as “Jane Smith Resume” instead of “Resume.” The hiring manager is going to have plenty of “Resumes” on their computer, so make it super easy for them to find what they’re looking for. You can even go a bit further and put the position title in your file name (e.g., “Jane Smith Marketing Analyst Resume).

Read More: The (Simple) Guidelines You Should Follow When Naming Your Resume and Cover Letter Files

43. Keep your resume outline fresh

Carve out some time every quarter or so to pull up your resume outline and make some updates. Have you taken on new responsibilities? Learned new skills? Add them. When your resume is updated on a regular basis, you’re always ready to pounce when opportunity presents itself. And even if you’re not job searching, there are plenty of good reasons to keep this document in tip-top shape.

Expert Resume Writing Tips for 2023

POSTED ON August 26, 2023
by Marcjean Yutuc

In 2023, writing a resume isn’t just about using templates you find in design tools. Technology has changed how employers hire, and this year brings some new things to know when creating your resume. Let’s talk about the latest resume writing tips for 2023 and how learning from career development courses plays a big role.

Your resume needs to tell a story about you. It’s not just a list of jobs and skills – it’s a way to show who you are and what you’ve achieved. Instead of following the same old patterns, experts suggest making your resume a unique reflection of your journey.

I reached out to experts for their insights, and they shared some valuable tips for resume writing in 2023. Let’s now uncover the best practices in writing a resume and understand how taking charge of your career path can make all the difference.

Resume Writing Tips That Will Help You Get Hired

Adding credibility with quantifiable achievements.

Incorporating quantifiable achievements adds a layer of credibility to your resume, showcasing your real impact. This approach resonates well with employers who are seeking tangible evidence of your capabilities and the value you can bring to their team.

Huzaifa Ghayas, Head of Marketing at Moneygeniustips, shares:

"To boost your credibility, back up your claims with quantifiable data that demonstrates your achievements. Utilize numbers and metrics to showcase the impact of your previous roles. For example, highlight revenue growth percentages, successful project numbers, or the size of teams you managed. Employers highly value tangible results, and this approach allows them to gain a better understanding of your abilities and the value you can bring to their organization." Huzaifa Ghayas, Head of Marketing at Moneygeniustips

For instance, consider stating that you led a marketing campaign that resulted in a 25% increase in website traffic or managed a team of 15 members during a successful product launch. These specifics communicate the scope and scale of your work, making it easier for potential employers to gauge your potential fit within their organization.

Here are some tips for adding quantifiable achievements to your resume:

Highlight specific achievements: Rather than just stating your responsibilities, emphasize key achievements that demonstrate your impact.
Tailor to the role: Customize your resume for each job application by focusing on achievements relevant to the position.
Quantify whenever possible: Whenever you can use numbers to illustrate your achievements, do so to make them more compelling.
Showgrowth: If applicable, showcase how you’ve grown in your career by mentioning promotions, new responsibilities, or skills acquired over time.

Strategically Listing Competencies

A modern approach involves highlighting your key skills in a dedicated section of your resume. This strategy serves a dual purpose: it helps both human recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) quickly identify your qualifications, ensuring you stand out as a suitable candidate.

Matthew Magnante, Content Writer & Strategist at FitnessVolt, shares his insights:

"Make sure to showcase your most relevant abilities in a separate part of your resume. Many organizations utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS), thus it's important to use keywords from the job description." Matthew Magnante, Content Writer & Strategist at FitnessVolt

ATS are computer programs that scan resumes for keywords that match the job description. One of the most common resume mistakes is not incorporating the right keywords or having formatting that ATS cannot recognize. If your resume doesn’t have the right keywords, it may not even be seen by a human recruiter.

That’s why it’s important to strategically list your competencies in a way that will be picked up by ATS. Here are a few tips:

Tailor your skills: Customize your list of competencies for each job application to reflect the role’s requirements.
Utilize keywords: Incorporate industry-specific keywords from the job description to increase your chances of passing through ATS filters.
Be concise: Keep your list of competencies focused on the most relevant skills, avoiding overwhelming the reader.
Show examples: When possible, provide examples of how you’ve applied these competencies in previous roles.
Prioritize relevance: Highlight skills that directly align with the job’s responsibilities to create a strong connection between your abilities and the role’s demands.

Optimize for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

In today’s digitally-driven job market, understanding how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) work is essential. An expert-approved modern approach involves optimizing your resume to pass through these systems efficiently.

Dr. Edna Skopljak, MD and Medical Advisor at Health Reporter, shares:

"I've seen how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can filter out resumes that are not formatted correctly. To ensure your resume gets through these systems, use a traditional, single-column format without graphics or logos. This will make your resume easier to read for both ATS and human recruiters." Dr. Edna Skopljak, MD and Medical Advisor at Health Reporter

An ATS-friendly format enhances the scanability of your resume, making it more likely to pass through automated filters. This formatting tactic eliminates potential barriers that could prevent your qualifications from reaching human eyes.

More Tips for Crafting an Effective Resume:

Prioritize text: Avoid using text boxes, tables, or complex formatting, as ATS might struggle to interpret them.
Use relevant keywords: Include industry-specific keywords that align with the job description.
Use standard fonts: Stick to commonly used fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri to ensure compatibility.
Avoid uncommon symbols: ATS might misinterpret symbols or special characters, so it’s best to stick to standard punctuation.

LinkedIn Integration

A modern approach suggests seamlessly integrating your LinkedIn profile into your resume. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows you to connect with other professionals in your field. It’s a great way to show potential employers that you’re active in your industry and that you’re connected with other people who can vouch for your skills and experience.

Charlie Bitson, Hiring Manager at allassignmenthelp.org, shares his perspective:

"Include a link to your well-maintained LinkedIn profile. A professional online presence can provide a more comprehensive view of your qualifications." Charlie Bitson, Hiring Manager at allassignmenthelp.org

Here are some tips for including a link to your LinkedIn profile in your resume:

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and accurate: Include your latest work experience, education, skills, and accomplishments.
Customize your LinkedIn URL: Personalize your LinkedIn URL to make it clean and professional (e.g., linkedin.com/in/YourName).
Highlight key achievements: Use your LinkedIn profile to expand on specific accomplishments mentioned in your resume.
Keep it professional: Ensure your LinkedIn profile aligns with your resume’s tone and portrays a consistent professional image.
Engage with the community: Actively participate in industry discussions on LinkedIn to exhibit your knowledge and commitment. Improve your online networking skills .

Showcase Your Tech Fluency

In the modern job market of 2023, a robust grasp of technology is an asset that transcends industries. A contemporary approach to resume writing involves showcasing your tech fluency. This proactive approach demonstrates your adaptability and eagerness to engage with the evolving digital landscape.

Danilo Godoy, Founder of Wahojobs, shares his insights:

"In 2023, an understanding of the digital landscape is almost universally valuable. List relevant tools and technologies you're comfortable with , even if they're not explicitly required for the job." Danilo Godoy, Founder of Wahojobs

For example, if you’re applying for a social media manager position that emphasizes expertise in platforms like Hootsuite and Facebook Insights, expand your toolkit. Highlight your familiarity with graphic design tools such as Canva or Adobe Spark, showcasing your capability to create engaging visuals for social media content. This comprehensive tech proficiency aligns well with the modern expectations for social media managers.

Here are some tips for listing tech fluency on your resume:

Be specific: Don’t just say “I’m familiar with Microsoft Office.” Instead, list specific programs and applications that you know how to use, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Be up-to-date: Don’t list technologies that are outdated or no longer in use. Make sure to list the latest and greatest technologies that are relevant to your field.
Be honest: List only the tech skills you’re genuinely comfortable using. Don’t exaggerate or misrepresent your abilities.

Showcase Your Remote Work Skills

Remote work has taken center stage. Given the prevalence of fully remote or hybrid work setups in many companies today, showcasing your readiness for remote work can be a game-changer.

Danilo Godoy, Founder of Wahojobs, again offers his insights:

"Highlighting remote work experience and skills, such as time management, self-discipline, and adaptability, can be a game-changer. Many companies are now fully remote or hybrid." Danilo Godoy, Founder of Wahojobs

Mention concrete examples of your ability to manage time effectively while working remotely, your practice of maintaining communication and productivity, and instances where you’ve demonstrated adaptability to changing remote work dynamics.

Here are some tips for highlighting remote work skills on your resume:

List your remote work experience prominently on your resume: This will show potential employers that you have experience working remotely and that you’re comfortable with the arrangement.
Describe your remote work skills in detail: Don’t just say that you’re a good time manager. Explain how you’ve used time management skills to succeed in your previous roles.
Get certified in remote work skills: There are many different certifications available that can demonstrate your skills and experience in remote work.

Add a Portfolio

A portfolio is important because it can help you stand out from the competition and show potential employers your skills and experience in a more visual and engaging way.

Shawna Tregunna, CEO and Chief Strategist at Acclivity Agency, shares:

"If I have to choose between a resume and a portfolio I’ll take a portfolio every time. Job seekers in knowledge-based or creative industries should strongly consider augmenting their resume with a portfolio (deck or website) or replacing their resume with a portfolio altogether." Shawna Tregunna, CEO and Chief Strategist at Acclivity Agency

If you’re applying for a graphic design or content creation role, consider crafting a portfolio that showcases your past projects. An accompanying personal website or a presentation deck can provide an in-depth look at your expertise and style.

If you’re considering including a portfolio in your resume, here are a few tips:

Make sure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate: Potential employers should be able to easily find the work that is most relevant to their needs.
Highlight your best work: Don’t include everything you’ve ever done. Only include your best work, and make sure it’s work that is relevant to the jobs you’re applying for.
Keep it concise: A portfolio should be no more than a few pages long. Potential employers don’t have time to read through a long portfolio.
Keep it updated: Regularly refresh your portfolio to reflect your most recent and relevant work.

Essential Soft Skills: What Employers Seek

In today’s job market, employers recognize that technical expertise is only part of the equation. Soft skills – those intangible qualities that shape how we interact, communicate, and problem-solve – hold immense value. While the specific soft skills in demand may vary based on the position or industry, certain traits consistently stand out as highly desirable. Tailoring your resume to highlight these soft skills in a specific and effective manner can significantly boost your candidacy.

The prominence of certain soft skills can vary based on the role and industry. It’s essential to research the specific skills most relevant to your desired position and weave them into your resume accordingly.

Emotional Intelligence

Employers value candidates who can understand and manage their emotions while navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. Showcasing emotional intelligence on your resume involves providing examples of how you’ve effectively communicated, resolved conflicts, and fostered positive relationships.

Leadership Skills

Even if you’re not applying for a leadership role, employers appreciate individuals who exhibit leadership qualities . Highlight instances where you’ve taken initiative, guided teams, or influenced positive outcomes, demonstrating your potential to lead and inspire.

Critical Thinking Skills

Problem-solving and analytical thinking are highly sought-after skills. Present scenarios on your resume where you’ve tackled challenges with a thoughtful and innovative approach, showcasing your ability to make informed decisions and adapt to changing circumstances.

Creativity and Innovation

In a rapidly evolving world, creativity and the ability to think outside the box are assets. Share instances where you’ve proposed fresh ideas, contributed to novel solutions, or helped drive innovation within projects or teams.

Project Management Skills

Effective project management involves proper initiation, implementation, and monitoring. If you possess this skill, present instances where you’ve successfully coordinated projects, met deadlines, and maintained a high level of organization.

Cultural Intelligence

In a globalized workforce, cultural sensitivity and adaptabilit y are essential. If you’ve worked in diverse teams or navigated cross-cultural environments, highlight these experiences to demonstrate your ability to collaborate across different backgrounds.

Communication Skills

Clear communication is vital in any role. Your resume should reflect your proficiency in articulating ideas, collaborating with others, and tailoring your communication style to various audiences.

Remember, while these soft skills are universally valued, their emphasis can differ based on the job. Research your desired role, industry, and company culture to tailor your resume effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions about Writing a Resume in 2023

What’s the biggest mistake to avoid on my resume.

Neglecting to tailor your resume to the specific job you’re applying for. Customize your resume to match the job description and highlight relevant skills and experiences.

How long should my resume be?

In most cases, aim for a concise one-page resume. However, if you have extensive experience, a two-page resume can be acceptable. Prioritize quality content over excessive length.

Should I include personal information like my address and marital status?

Modern resume trends lean towards omitting personal information like addresses and marital status. Focus on your professional qualifications and relevant skills instead.

Is it necessary to include references on my resume?

References are typically not included on a resume. Instead, create a separate reference list that you can provide when requested during the interview process.

How do I showcase remote work skills on my resume?

Highlight your proficiency in remote work tools, time management, self-discipline, and adaptability. Mention specific instances of successful remote work experiences.

Can I use a creative resume template?

While creative templates can catch the eye, ensure they don’t compromise readability. Many Applicant Tracking Systems struggle with complex formatting, so prioritize clarity.

Is it important to include a LinkedIn profile link?

Yes, integrating your LinkedIn profile is recommended. It adds credibility and offers employers a more comprehensive view of your professional background.

Can I list skills that aren’t directly related to the job?

It’s beneficial to include transferable skills that can enhance your candidacy. Emphasize skills that align with the job description or demonstrate your adaptability.

Should I include a cover letter with my resume?

While not always required, a well-crafted cover letter can provide additional insights into your qualifications and enthusiasm for the position. Use it to complement your resume.

Key Takeaways

Resume writing in 2023 is not like before. It’s changed, and we need to adapt. The experts in this article have shared valuable tips that can make your resume stand out.

Use their advice to your advantage. Pay attention to things like remote work skills, ATS formatting, soft skills, and creating a portfolio. These things matter in today’s job market.

And there’s more. You can learn even more with Skill Success All Access Pass . This gives you access to lots of courses, including ones about making great resumes, improving your LinkedIn profile, and acing job interviews. It’s a way to level up your skills and boost your chances of success.

Marcjean Yutuc

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More From Forbes

5 things to add to your resume in 2023.

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If you’re looking for a new job in 2023, you need a resume that is going to impress recruiters and grab their attention.

This might sound pretty straightforward, but with job growth expected to slow next year, you must do all you can to beat out the competition.

So, how do you go about crafting an impressive resume?

Well, it’s important that you stay up to date on the latest industry trends and adjust your resume accordingly. It’s also important to ensure you’ve added these five key elements to your resume.

After receiving a resume, the average hiring professional will spend just six to eight seconds scanning through it to determine whether or not the candidate is right for the role.

Therefore, it is your job to ensure they can quickly and easily find the information they need and determine if you tick all the right boxes. The structure and format will play a big role in this, but keywords are the quickest and most effective way for you to prove you’ve got what it takes.

Not only this, but as recruiters increasingly rely on Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to help them manage the hiring process, you need to make sure your resume is ATS-friendly. This means you need to optimize your resume with the right keywords to get it past the bots.

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In any case, it’s important that you revisit the job description and highlight any keywords relevant to your career. You can then pepper these throughout your application to help both recruiters and robots determine whether you’re a good fit for the job.

Links to social media

When it comes to inviting candidates in for an interview, the majority of employers no longer rely on a resume alone. In fact, 90% say they find social media important when evaluating a candidate.

This means that by including any relevant social media links on your resume, you invite them to find out more about you.

For example, you might wish to include the details of your LinkedIn and Instagram accounts alongside your contact information. Just make sure that whichever profiles you link to, you ensure these are up to date and that they don’t contain any inappropriate or unprofessional content.

If you have a side hustle or profile related to your passions and hobbies, it might be better to link to those accounts rather than simply give your personal accounts.

These 5 key elements are sure to increase your chances of being invited in for an interview.

More bullet points

It’s long been understood that bullet points are a helpful way to format information on a resume and make it easier for the recruiter to read and digest. However, one or two vague bullet points aren’t going to cut it in 2023.

Instead, you need to make better use of more bullet points in your experience section, ideally including between four to five points that showcase your skill set.

You should also use these bullet points to quantify your most relevant and impressive achievements related to each role.

Career accomplishments

As well as showing off your key skills, you want your resume to highlight your value. Quantifying your achievements in relation to your top skills is one way to do this, but it’s also a good idea to show off what makes you truly unique.

In order to do this, you should add any awards, certificates, or other accolades from previous employers that show why you were a valued employee. For example, were you voted ‘employee of the month’ on more than one occasion?

Perhaps you were the highest-earning sales professional the organization has ever seen. Or maybe you were nominated (and won) industry awards for your company?

Whatever the case may be, you need to treat your resume as a chance to showcase what it is that makes you so great without simply proving that you’ve got the skills to do the job.

Your passion

Of course, you need to show that you’re passionate about your industry on your resume, but in 2023 you need to take this one step further. You need to show that you’re a passionate professional on all levels.

After all, employers want candidates that are going to be creative, proactive, and ready to give their all.

As well as highlighting your accomplishments, it’s important to give details of your passion projects, especially if you have a side hustle relevant to the role you’re applying for.

If you have space on your resume, you could also give details of your hobbies and interests and how these influence your career. Just make sure these are relevant and can help to showcase your skills further.

By adding these five important elements to your resume , you can increase your chances of being invited in for an interview. Just remember to take your time and carefully craft your application, outlining your top achievements and results and using keywords where relevant.

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10 tips for writing a resume in English

Writing a resume can be challenging, especially if it’s not your first language! Grammar and spelling should be spot-on, plus cultural formatting preferences vary. For example, in the U.S., resumes never include photos, and are usually limited to a single page. Although style preferences vary, best practices are universal.

Let’s look at some dos and don’ts for writing a resume in English!

DOs for writing a resume in English

✅ 1. DO use bullet points and incomplete sentences. Incomplete sentences may seem unusual, but not in resumes! For example, an applicant for a lab research assistant might list prior experience as follows:

Implemented a research project
Developed a serum

💡 Tip: You can put periods after the bullets or leave them off, as long as you’re consistent.

✅ 2. DO ensure verb tenses are consistent. Resumes follow parallel structure , meaning the starting words are the same part of speech. They can be verb phrases (example 1), or noun phrases (example 2):

Organized data
Assisted with administrative tasks
Implementation of a research project
Organization of data
Assistance with administrative tasks

You can use either, as long as it’s consistent and easy to read!

✅ 3. DO only include relevant experience. It’s not necessary to list every experience or skill. You only have one page, but don’t worry, more will be covered in interview questions ! Focus on job listing requirements and highlight your most relevant skills and experience.

Example 1: For the lab assistant position, highlight relevant skills, especially those mentioned in the listing.

Skills: coding, chemistry, research
❌ Don’t include “cooking skills,” even if you have them!

Example 2: For a restaurant job, it would look different!

Skills: prepping, catering, customer service
❌ Don’t include “research skills.”

✅ 4. DO include all language skills, even your native language(s)! Language skills are helpful for ANY job: the more languages you know, the better! You can say you have "excellent written and verbal skills” wherever applicable, as both are incredibly valuable. You may think it’s a given, but it’s not! Employers will be glad to know that you’d never send an email saying “heres the doc 4 u,” or use other unprofessional-sounding language.

You can also consider listing the CEFR level of your languages or using other standardized measures, like your Duolingo English Test score, and breaking down your proficiency by speaking, reading, writing, and listening , especially if relevant for the position.

✅ 5. DO include commonly relevant skills you have. Think about skills broadly: What are tools and technology you know how to use? What are things you do well, and what do your colleagues come to you for help with? Your skills might include things like software, including Microsoft Excel, Google Docs, and task-management platforms, or your abilities, like time-management skills.

💡 Tip: You can say “proficient” for more than just languages! For example, you can also say “ proficient in Microsoft Excel” to mean that you know how to use it really well. Again, just make sure the list is consistent:

Microsoft Excel
Time management
Proficient in Microsoft Excel
Excellent at time management

Now that we have the basics for a great resume, let’s highlight common pitfalls.

DON’Ts for writing a resume in English

The “don’t”s for a resume go hand-in-hand with the “do”s:

❌ 1. DON’T use “I.” This is unnecessary, as the employer knows you’re referring to yourself.

❌ “I implemented a research project. I formulated a serum.”

❌ 2. DON’T write full sentences for job titles. This takes up room, leaving less space for other experiences and skills.

❌ Job title: “I completed an internship at Duolingo Laboratories.” Instead, your title could be “Intern, Duolingo Laboratories."

❌ 3. DON’T use inconsistent tenses. This is easy to miss, and can make a resume look disorganized.

❌ Implemented a research project
❌ Organization of data
❌ Report writer

💡 Tip: Say each bullet point aloud to check for consistency. If you’re using verbs to start each bullet, you can say them as “I” statements to ensure they match: “ I implemented, I organization? Wait, it should be… I implemented, I organized…” Or for noun phrases, try “Implementation of a research project… (is what I did). Organization of data… (is good).”

❌ 4. DON’T use specialized language unless applicable. A recruiter or employer should understand what you’re talking about. You don’t want them to do extra work interpreting your resume, especially when they have a pile to sift through! If there’s specific vocabulary related to your previous experience, list synonyms:

❌ Monolingual exercise writer for Duolingo
✅ Content writer for Duolingo

❌ 5. DON’T use uncommon abbreviations. While YOU may know what they mean, an employer or recruiter may not. Stick to universal abbreviations and try to avoid jargon :

✅ PhD, Feb., CEO
❌ L&C, OSI, KR

💡 Tip: Consistency is key on a resume, and this also applies to abbreviations for dates! Don’t write “Feb-Oct” on one line and “July-January” on another.

Now that we’ve reviewed the dos and don’ts, let’s put it all together and see a sample resume section! Here’s how that former research intern might format their experience on their resume, and how they might format their “Skills” section: