How to make a resume

Creating a resume is the most essential element of a job search. A good resume improves your interview chances and impresses employers. It is the difference between landing your dream job and going months without hearing back from any companies. In this article you will learn:

- What is a resume

- Why a resume is important

- Some examples of resumes

- How to do a resume

- Tips and tricks for resume writing.

Reach out to our professional resume writing service to get a resume that gets you interviews for the jobs you want.

What Is a Resume?

A resume is a one- or two-page document that clearly states your relevant academic and work experience. A resume for job includes background information about your skills, past responsibilities, and duties, and highlights your strengths as a candidate. Learning how to create a resume will get you more job interviews and can help you get the job of your dreams. It is a must-have for new and old job seekers and should be updated and tailor-made for every job you apply for.

Why Is a Resume Important?

A job resume is a candidate's first impression to a hiring manager. Potential employers go over hundreds if not thousands of resumes every day so writing a good resume is essential to stand out for the role you are applying for. Resumes that are formatted incorrectly, are too messy, don't provide enough information, give irrelevant information, or have basic English mistakes are automatically rejected. This is why it is vitally important to learn how to do resume writing the right way.

Resume Examples

A professional resume almost always has a few sections but the importance of each section depends on the type of job applied for. For applicants to succeed In the hiring process it is important to know the differences.

- Contact information

- Summary

- Work experience

- Education

- Skills

Business Resume Example

A business resume for jobs should be focused on past work experience and the responsibilities and duties you had. Businesses want to know you can manage groups of people and deal with working in a team while providing value and maintaining deadlines. When you decide how to set up a resume, it is always better to give specific examples of how you improved things rather than general information.

ABC Incorporated

Sales associate, August 2017 - January 2021

Salesman of the year for 2018 and 2019

The highest cold call conversion rate of 20%

Brought in 1.2 million dollars worth of new sales

IT Resume Example

What does a resume look like for the IT industry? Similar to a business resume, a resume for a job in IT should focus on past work experience, but also can include notable achievements in education and hard skills in coding languages. IT companies tend to care more about deliverables and knowledge bases.

ABC computing

Web developer, March 2020 - Present

Developed over 15 websites for a variety of clients

Worked remotely within a team of 5

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Skills

Proficient in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and PHP

Management Resume Example

Resume writing for management should be focused on work experience in managing individuals or teams. You can also elaborate on the education section if you have graduated from a prestigious business university and have notable achievements. Always think about what qualities employers are looking for and tailor-make your resume to include them.

ABC Consulting

Project Leader, January 2019 - Present

Increased output off my team by 25%

Successfully pitched projects to 20 new clients

Managed a team of 10 with 0% turnover for 3 years.

Teacher Resume Example

The best resume for a teaching position includes a mix of past work experience and educational qualifications. Teachers must have certain certificates to qualify for positions and any notable work experience or achievements they have can improve their chances to get the job. A resume for work teaching is one of the most balanced resumes when it comes to the importance of each section.

Work Experience

ABC High School

High School science teacher, September 2016 - present

Taught physics and chemistry 9 through 12

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Education

ABC University

Bachelor of Science

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Certifications

National Evaluation Series

Praxis

Data Analyst Resume Example

Data analysts have to show certain competencies to get the job they want. You can achieve this by either showing you have experience in past jobs or by showing that you are proficient based on education. Think about what information will be the strongest and expand on that section of the resume. The approach you should choose depends on how long should a resume be based on the company you're applying for. Here's a good example of resume writing.

Work Experience

ABC Technologies

Operations Data Analyst, 2020 - Present

Used SQL to come up with monthly operations data and suggest improvements to senior management

Student Resume Example

Companies know that most students don't have a lot of work experience which is why this type of resume focuses more on education, skills, and extracurriculars. If you do have work experience related to the job you're applying for then make sure to present it in the best light possible. Here's an example of how to make a resume with no experience.

Work Experience

ABC Company

Summer Intern, June 2021 -  September 2021

Participated in brainstorming sessions

Compiled weekly reports for the board

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Education

ABC High School, 2021

4.0 GPA

President of the student council

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Skills

Fluent in Spanish and English

Microsoft Office

Adobe Illustrator

How to Make a Resume

You can make a resume using a variety of tools available for free online or make a resume by looking at a template. Regardless you will have to come up with the information yourself. Let's get into the steps of how to do a resume for a job.

Contact Information

The first thing on your resume should be your name, bolded or in a larger font than the rest of your resume. Below that comes your contact information. Remember you are writing a resume to get a job so make sure you have a professional email address and include the phone number you use the most. Resumes used to include physical addresses but now just the city you live in is enough. If you have a personal website or links to important social media, include this in the contact information section. This is usually more important for creatives who need to link their portfolio but are applicable to anyone who has an online presence related to the job they are applying for. That's  pretty much the bare-bones explanation of how to make a professional resume.

Heading Statement

A heading statement, also known as a resume summary or resume objective is a short 4- to 5-line paragraph that comes after your contact information. It's an opportunity is an opportunity to express your motivations and enthusiasm for the career or desired job when you do a resume. A heading statement should be a brief summary of reasons why you are an ideal candidate as well as express what makes you unique. And what is a resume for a job without a cover letter? If no cover letter is asked for then the heading statement becomes incredibly important because it is the only chance you have of expressing your intentions. Heading statements are also useful if you do not have a lot of work experience or are applying for your first job.

Work Experience

In the resume set up this section is usually the most important. The most common way of presenting your work experiences is in reverse chronological order which means you start with the job you just had and go backward in time. The format of this section is

Name of the company

Your title or position, years employed

Achievements, responsibilities, and duties

Keep in mind that the achievements, responsibilities, and duties should be listed in bullet-point format. They should also be specific and quantifiable rather than general and vague. “Improved efficiency by 20% by installing new software” is better than “installed new software”. Recruiters like seeing quantifiable results so make sure you highlight them and include examples of responsibilities mentioned in the job description.

Education

The education section is more or less important depending on the resume for job type you are applying for. Note that it's not really about what skills to put on resume yet. If you are applying for a university degree, a career in academia, or research work then chances are this will be your most important section. If it is a resume for a job in the business field then the education section is only important if you come from a prestigious university or specialized in a field. Like the work experience section, your educational qualifications should go in reverse chronological order, usually limited to just your last 2 degrees. The format of this section is

Name of the educational Institution

Degree earned, date

GPA if above 3.

Relevant coursework

Leadership positions in extracurricular activities

Skills

People often underestimate the importance of putting skills on a resume. When deciding how to write a resume for a job there are two types of resume skills - hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills that you have some sort of certification whereas soft skills are interpersonal skills that are difficult to define. Hard skills can be things like programming languages, Google Analytics, Microsoft Office, graphic design programs, etc. Soft skills include things like the ability to work in a team, always meet deadlines, leadership qualities, creativity, etc. Hard skills are especially important when applying for a technical job because proficiency is required in various tools. Companies are not always interested in the soft skills of a potential candidate, however, it is often the deciding factor between two similar candidates.

Additional Resume Sections

There are additional sections you can add to a resume if you think they are relevant or if you have a lot of space left over. The most common additional sections are achievements, interests, and hobbies, but can also include volunteer work, certifications, projects, awards, honors, and affiliations. Include one of these sections if they are relevant to the job posting. For example, if you are applying for a research position, then reading as a hobby makes sense. If you play a lot of sports and are applying to a sports marketing company, mention it. Any hobby or interest of yours can potentially answer the question of how to create a resume additional section. The additional resume sections should always be the shortest sections even if they are the most fun to think about and write.

How to Make a Resume for a Job - Tips

Hopefully, you should now know the answer to how to make a resume. Here are some more tips to keep in mind to make it perfect.

- Tailor-make each resume for the job you are applying for making the information as relevant as possible to the job description.

- Understand ATS (applicant tracking systems) and use them to your advantage by incorporating keywords into your resume.

- Ask a friend or family member to go over your resume and give their feedback, they might see something you have missed or can do differently.

- Make sure you proofread your resume. Even an excellent resume can be rejected because of spelling or grammatical errors.

- Format your resume to make it look neat and aesthetically pleasing rather than overly complicated and messy.

- Try and think about it from the employer's point of view, what do they want from a potential employee?

How to Make a Resume - Key Takeaways

There are a lot of ways of making a resume professional, but these are the most important things to keep in mind when deciding how to make a job resume look presentable.

- Tailor-make each resume for the job you are applying for

- Only include relevant information

- Think about which sections are most important for the job you are applying for

- Invest time and energy into coming up with an excellent resume

- Think about things from the employee's perspective

You should now know how to make a job resume, but if you ever need help perfecting one or writing a cover letter don't hesitate to reach out to a professional cover letter writing service like ours. We have hundreds of certified professionals who can create a winning resume and cover letter for you that improves your chances of getting hired.