a best resume format

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Best Resume Format 2024 (+free examples)

Reverse chronological format

Functional resume format, combination resume format, formatting a resume for a remote position, the best resume format for freelancers in 2024, how to highlight specialized knowledge on a resume, the best resume format for recent grads 2024, what is a resume format.

The phrase “resume format” is often a confusing one, since different sources use this term to refer to different/multiple things.

In the most basic sense, a resume format is the type of structure your resume has depending on the order in which resume sections are presented, how the employment history section is written, and which sections are given the most emphasis.

For example, in one type of resume format, the skills section may be overly emphasized, while in another, your work history will take center stage.

3 main types of resume formats

Luckily when it comes to choosing a resume format, your choices are already narrowed down to three main types:

Reverse chronological
Combination

Each one offers unique advantages and there are no best resume templates. You may even want to create a version of your resume in each format depending on the job title , the company, or even the country in which you are applying. An online resume builder can make it much easier to quickly switch around sections and go from one format to another without much fuss.

The old standard, the reverse chronological format has probably been around nearly as long as resumes. And it’s not without good reason. A chronological format is still the best way to showcase employment history , especially in traditional industries where climbing the corporate ladder is the most commonly accepted route. All the best resume templates will focus on this logical approach.

“Reverse” refers to the fact that this format begins with your most current (or most recent) place of employment and works backward until you’ve listed all your relevant experiences of the past ten years. While you don’t need to include everything you’ve done in that timeframe (for example, you’ll want to leave off your server experience on an architect resume ) you do want to pay attention to any gaps in employment history as the chronological format can quickly make them stand out to the hiring manager.

Use a chronological format if your work experience is your key selling point.
Pick a chronological format just because you think you have to even if it doesn’t match your experience.

For jobs where specialized skills count for more than employment history, the functional resume can be a lifesaver. This format allows you to highlight your expertise right from the top of your resume in a section often called “Experience.” Whereas a chronological resume format shows an employer what you’ve accomplished in the past, a functional resume format is more focused on the skills and specialized knowledge you can offer right now.

Since a functional resume format is more flexible than a chronological one, it’s a great choice for a variety of job situations. Skilled tradespeople, freelancers, gig workers, students , and even recent grads can all benefit from highlighting their strengths without having to categorically organize them under previous positions which may be too numerous or repetitive.

Choose a functional format if your skills are the most important aspect of your job.
Create a functional resume just because you lack work experience in a field that traditionally requires a chronological resume.

A combined format sometimes called a combination format, is exactly what it sounds like: the perfect fusion of the chronological and functional formats. The need for a combined resume format is often dictated by the candidate’s job search . For example, a freelancer looking to apply to a full-time position may want to begin the resume with top skills before following up with an Employment History section to show their ability to work in environments similar to the prospective employer’s.

Many professional resume writers will write in a combination style while still calling it reverse chronological. Highlighting your key skills at the top is a genuinely smart move for many roles. The work experience section isn't so far behind and you can normally still fit the two most recent roles on page one .

The advantage of the combined resume is that it allows the job seeker to first draw the hiring manager’s attention to their strengths , while also providing the employment history information that many traditional companies still expect. For candidates whose experience best fits a functional resume but aren’t sure how well it will be received, a combined resume is the right choice.

Here's a video that can help you choose between a combination or chronological resume format.

Create a combined resume if you want to take an innovative approach, highlight key abilities or you are making a career transition.
Confuse a hiring manager by burying or hiding certain sections that you know they will expect.

Best format for freshers

If you have recently graduated or you are due to graduate soon, you may be wondering about the best resume format for freshers . You may not have a lot of experience, so you will want to focus on your education and what you have learned through your studies.

With your qualifications, you should go into some detail about what you did and what modules you covered. This will give the hiring manager a better overall feel for who you are and what you know. The most valuable aspects of your coursework should be highlighted and pay attention to how these are transferable to the role. Keep your resume format for freshers clear and concise, there is no need for the graduate resume to be any more than one page.

Choosing the best resume format (top 5 tips)

Here are our top 5 tips for choosing a resume format and finishing it inside a resume builder :

Choose a resume format that is aligned with the tone and branding of your prospective employer
When in doubt, a simpler , more traditional template is a safer choice than a more eccentric one
Your template should contain a healthy balance of white space to text so as not to overwhelm the reader with information
Decide which resume sections are most important for your experience and choose a resume format that is designed to focus on those
Don’t be afraid to move around the sections or try out a different format to see which version of your resume works best.

If you spent at least some portion of your career believing that there was only one correct way to format a resume, we’d understand. Most people are familiar with the reverse chronological resume format which dictates that you begin your resume with your most recent position and work backwards from there.

Although chronological may still be the most common format, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. Many candidates find that selecting a different resume format better allows them to highlight their diverse experiences and unique skills. It is one way of standing out, but only if it allows you to make your case in the most effective way.

Likewise, many forward-thinking hiring managers are no longer looking for cookie-cutter employees. They want applicants to showcase an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to adapt to the workplace of the future. While the chronological format may still work best for communicating previous positions, adding elements of a functional format to create a combined one can quickly set apart an innovative candidate.

In the chapters below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about selecting the perfect resume formats including:

The three main types of resume formats and the differences between them
Which format to pick in 2024 based on current trends in hiring
Top tips for choosing a resume template to help you get started

Many hiring managers can spend less than 30 seconds reviewing a resume. Clean formatting without spelling or grammatical errors is one of the first things they take in, according to Mashable .

Ready to craft a resume that catches the attention of recruiters? A Google doc resume template can give you a head start. Keep reading and we’ll help you decide whether it’s your best bet for success.

Which resume format should you use in 2024

Ultimately, no resume format is more correct than another. It all comes down to your experience, industry, and potential employer. When choosing a resume format for 2024, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine which resume format is right for you.

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, you may want to consider switching from a chronological format to a functional or combined one:

Do I have a rare skill set I want the employer to notice right away?
Am I switching to a different career or job function where I have no previous work experience?
Have I learned a variety of important skills in only one or two positions?
Will my prospective employer appreciate a fresh and direct approach to resume formatting?

While combined resumes will be on the rise in the coming years, that doesn’t mean a nontraditional format is for everyone. Here are some situations in which a chronological format is likely the best choice:

Your knowledge from previous workplaces is more important than standalone skills
You are applying to a large company which has a traditional structure
Your competition likely has traditional career paths with impressive employers
You have a sizeable amount of work history directly related to your prospective position
You’ve worked at other companies comparable to your prospective employer

We also have made a chart to see which resume format is the best for you:


Focused on employment history	An option for career starters	A combination of the functional and chronological formats
Great for traditional corporate careers	Best for those with minimal work experience	Generally starts with an experience section followed by a shorter work history
Most expected by hiring managers	Focused on skills and personality traits	A great choice for people in creative fields or freelancers

How 2024 job trends influence resume formatting choices

It’s no surprise that in 2024 the way we work is changing – big time. And that affects everything from the methods of conducting your job search to formatting your resume. With more companies favoring remote teams, flexible hours, and specialized candidates, there is a lot to adapt to when it comes to finding a new position or even starting a career from scratch. Your resume should show that, at a time of change, you have what it takes.

In this chapter, we’ll discuss some of the major trends for work in 2024 and how you can adjust your resume formatting choices to increase your chances of landing your dream job . Here’s what’s ahead:

Work from home: a blessing or a curse?
Freelancers’ role in the market
Specialized workers lead the way
Breaking into the workforce in 2024
How modern technology is shifting hiring practices

For many, remote work may be an entirely new experience but that doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Companies have seen the advantages of working from home in increased productivity, employee morale and a reduction in overhead costs. According to NPR , many of America’s largest companies are planning to free their employees from the walls of the office for the foreseeable future.

According to researchers at MIT, more than half of the American workforce is currently working remotely. Good luck finding a new chair for the home office!

Which resume format you choose for a remote position largely depends on the type of work you do. There are many industries where the fact that you’re working from home won’t mean you should jump ship on a chronological resume. However, if there are other factors in play, for example, you are looking for part-time creative work while still holding another job, you may consider a combined resume format to paint a clearer picture of what you do. Just make sure to label remote positions as such so that a potential employer sees that you are comfortable in a digitally connected environment.

After having long struggled in a work world designed for traditional employees, in 2024 freelancers are finally ahead of the game. According to CNBC , the freelance market is booming, with more than one-third of Americans turning to freelance work this year and employers looking to hire them, especially in the fields of e-commerce, web, and mobile design.

So for freelancers looking to have their day in the sun, what’s the best resume format? It depends on your objectives. For freelancers looking to remain in their current situation, a functional resume might serve as a great way to show clients what they are capable of.

A combined resume can be a great choice if your skills are your selling point but you also have some impressive previous employers that can’t be missed. Finally, if you are transitioning to full-time work, a chronological resume may be the right choice.

According to McKinsey , specialization is the way of the future. Employees who can handle one task well are likely to fare better than generalists in the long run. Low-wage jobs will be replaced with employees who have superior knowledge of products and the market (think “super agents” instead of just call center workers.) Many people will need to learn new skills and focus on career development in order to have the best chances of future advancement.

So what do these changes mean for your resume formatting? For one, companies want to know what you can bring to the table. A combined resume format can help you highlight specialized knowledge without appearing like you don’t have much industry experience to show. If you complete any training or certifications this year, you may also want to format your resume to include an additional section to showcase them.

1 in 16 workers will need to change occupations by 2030, according to the McKinsey report . If a career switch is in the cards, your resume format may help give you a fighting chance against more established candidates. Consider a functional format if you have no experience in the new field and a combined format if you have 1-3 related positions to show.

Recent graduates are facing a tough moment to enter the job market as companies shrink the number of entry-level hires and interns they are willing to take on. However, it’s not all bad news. Although many companies have a temporary hiring freeze, they are expecting to reach pre-pandemic hiring levels by summer 2024, according to Forbes .

When it comes to the best resume format for recent grads in 2024, flexibility and skills are everything. That doesn’t mean you should jump straight to a functional resume format. Hiring managers are wary of grads who try to cover a lack of work experience by focusing only on skills. If you have some previous internship experience , it can be enough to create a chronological resume format or a combined one if that’s a better choice for your industry.

Great news for recent grads – it’s becoming easier to find a job with less experience. According to Forbes , more than 70 percent of roles today have fewer requirements than one year ago.

Formatting your resume to pass the ATS

Did you know that two-thirds of the resumes submitted for a single position never make it to the hiring manager’s desk? That’s because a human HR rep is no longer the first gatekeeper when it comes to making new hires. A large percentage of today’s workplaces are employing ATS – Applicant Tracking Systems – to help filter out candidates, saving the hiring manager a lot of time and energy.

The ATS algorithms scan resumes for keywords and rank them against the other applicants. Only a top selection moves on to be read by a human hiring manager. You may have all the right experience and skills but if you don’t format them correctly, there’s a big chance you’ll miss out on the opportunity for an interview.

When it comes to formatting your resume to pass the ATS , here’s what we recommend:

Choose a format that is well-organized and easy for the ATS to scan
Label your sections with standard headings like “Employment History” or “ Education ” instead of more creative names which may confuse the ATS
Make sure your resume is free of spelling errors since the ATS won’t understand even obvious typos
Download your resume in a format that’s easy for the ATS to read, Docx or PDF are two of the most common
Avoid graphic elements or pictures containing important text since the ATS will not be able to isolate it

Key takeaways plus top 5 resume format tips

We hope this guide to resume formats has prepared you to make the best choice for your own experience and career goals in the ever-changing landscape of 2024. Here are our top 5 resume format tips to remember:

The reverse chronological resume format remains the most common one and the best pick for traditional companies where work experience is the most important factor
Functional resumes allow you to focus on specialized knowledge or skills but shouldn’t be used just to cover gaps in work history
Combined formatting is increasing in popularity since it draws attention to specialization while still offering the employment history section most hiring managers expect
In a tough economy, job seekers need to be in tune with the needs of their prospective employer and deliver the right type of resume format, even if it means innovating
The ATS will be the first test of your resume format, so make sure you’ve optimized correctly

The easiest way to create a clean resume format – or to easily switch between two different types – is with a resume template. Resume templates allow you to be sure that your formatting is precise, attractive and optimized for the ATS, all without having to spend hours fighting with graphic design software. Check also our blog about: '' How to write a resume ''.

Two column resume templates: should you use them? (pros and cons)

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Best Resume Formats + 7 Formatting FAQs for 2024

Best Resume Formats and Examples

What’s the Best Resume Format for Me?

How to format your resume, formatting faqs, formatting your resume in 2024.

A resume is more than just a summary of your employment history and associated experience, skills, and education; it’s a marketing tool [1] . A recruiter will tend to pass over applicants who provide only the boring basics. Instead, they would rather see your accomplishments and what you can do for the company.

Your resume is the ticket to an interview, so it’s important that your resume template shows the best you possible to a potential employer. Because times change, you can’t simply use the resume you wrote a few years back or, possibly, even last year. Choosing the right format and providing the proper information can land you that interview for your dream job.

3 Best Resume Formats and Examples for 2024

A PC monitor and laptop displaying the best resume formats and examples

The format you choose for your resume is just as important as what information is actually provided within. The way your resume is set up can either help or hinder a potential employer’s ability to quickly scan to see what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Imagine getting between 75 and 250 resumes for one position [2] . There’s no way you’re going to have the time to read each and everyone to select just a few candidates for interviews. Although part of a recruiter’s job is to go through resumes, they have other responsibilities as well. This means that they’ll only be able to scan through resumes and select a handful to read more thoroughly. A properly formatted resume is more likely to be read.

When you don’t choose an appropriate format for the position that you’re applying for, recruiters get a negative impression of you and your ability to do the job, no matter how qualified you may actually be. Not only that, but a recruiter will skim to see if you actually want the specific position within their company rather than just any ol’ job.

Furthermore, an improperly formatted resume looks messy and unprofessional when information isn’t organized into appropriate sections. It can make it difficult for a recruiter to find the specific information that they’re seeking as a good match for the position they’re offering. With more and more employers turning to applicant tracking systems to filter through large numbers of resumes, improper formatting becomes an ATS nightmare that will cause your resume to be dismissed before human eyes ever have a chance to look at it [3] .

While there are many formatting options that can be used, these three resume formats are typically the most popular for 2024:

Reverse-chronological format

Functional format.

Combination, or hybrid, format

When a resume is written in a reverse-chronological format, your past employment and experience are what stand out. A prospective employer can readily see a progression of your work history and how long you stayed with each company or organization.

The most popular format for 2024
Preferred by recruiters
Chronological timeline that’s easy to skim
Limited options for those with little work history
Highlighted gaps in employment
Varying positions or multiple career path changes are easily noticed

When using a reverse-chronological resume, you should include certain sections in the following order:

Contact information : This should include your name, job title, phone number, city, state, and email address. If you have an online employment profile, such as on LinkedIn, you can include it here as well.
Career objective : We recommend including this if you’re changing career fields or looking for an entry-level position. Using two to four sentences, provide the reason you’re applying for the position or a professional summary of how your previous work qualifies you for the position.
Work experience : Beginning with your most recent job, list your previous work experience. Here you’ll list the achievements that you’ve accomplished at each position you’ve held.
Skills : This is the area where you’ll list a few hard and soft skills that are relevant to the position you’re seeking.
Education : In reverse-chronological order, list your education. If you have a college degree, there’s no need to include your high school diploma.
Additional accomplishments : If you need to fill up space, you can add volunteer work or projects as long as you can reasonably relate it to the position.

The functional resume highlights the skill sets that qualify you for the position. You’ll still include your employment history, but the main focus for recruiters is the skills that you bring to the table.

Position-related skills are emphasized
Employment gaps are minimized
Transferable skills are utilized when you are changing careers or have little job experience
Unfamiliar to many recruiters in 2024
Red flags pop up for potential employers
Difficulty passing through some applicant tracking systems

When creating a functional resume, these are the sections to include in the preferred order.

Contact information : This is the same as for a reverse-chronological resume.
Resume summary : Use the career objective placeholder as a resume summary that bundles all your skills, showing how they could easily transfer to the position that you’re applying for.
General skills : This is where you’ll list some of your basic transferable hard and soft skills.
Skills summary : List a few specific roles and accomplishments from projects and positions where you used those skills.
Work history : List any work history with just the details concerning the place of employment in reverse-chronological order.
Education : Complete this section the same as you would for a reverse-chronological resume.
Additional accomplishments : These can be added if they’re relevant and you have extra space.

Combination/hybrid format

A combination, or hybrid, resume places equal focus on your skills and your job history. The in-depth skills section comes first to grab the potential employer’s attention before showing your previous employment. This format is often used by those with extensive experience in one field to show how they stand out from other applicants or for those who are changing careers that require a similar skill set.

Most valuable skills are corroborated with related work history
Skills from various types of employment are related with the new position
Employment gaps are minimized as long as there is still significant work experience
Limited employment history is obvious
Trouble passing through applicant tracking systems
Difficult to format properly

Creating a combination/hybrid resume requires these sections in the following order:

Contact information : See previous resume types for specific information.
Skills summary : This is where you’ll list relevant skills, and then provide specific examples of your accomplishments using these skills at your previous jobs.
Additional skills : You may wish to add other pertinent skills that you don’t have concrete examples for here.
Work experience : As with other resume formats, list your employment history in reverse-chronological order.
Education : Complete this section the way you would for the other two resume formats.

Young lady trying to decide which is the best resume format

Depending on your situation, you may think that a specific resume format would work better than the others to show off your skills and experience. Honestly, in today’s job market, the reverse-chronological resume is the top choice for just about everyone. This is, in part, because this format gives you the best chance of passing through ATS systems and making its way to human eyes. With other resume formats, ATS may reject your resume on the first pass.

Additionally, recruiters prefer the reverse-chronological resume because it gives them the information they’re looking for in the areas where they expect to see it, making their jobs easier [4] . Instead of looking at other resume styles as a way for you to better showcase your fit with the company, hiring managers see red flags when viewing other formats because they wonder whether you’re trying to hide something.

It can be really helpful to consult with a professional to help you build a resume that works. Right now, we’ll walk you through each resume format, taking into account skills and employment history. However, at the end of the day, we still recommend the reverse-chronological format, and we’re here to help you overcome potential obstacles that you may face in your specific situation.

I have years of traditional work experience

If you’ve worked in similar fields and have a consistent employment history, you might be tempted to go with a combination/hybrid format for your resume to help you stand out from other applicants. Unfortunately, this style may not pass through ATS, and it’s very difficult to pull off correctly.

Whether you’ve only been working a few years or for decades, the reverse-chronological resume format is going to be your best choice. While recruiters are looking for proof of steady employment over the years, they’re also looking for job progression. They want to see if you’ve changed jobs because you’ve acquired additional skills or if you’ve simply moved laterally from one job to the next. With the reverse-chronological resume, you’re able to tell a story of job growth that potential employers want to see.

Furthermore, the reverse-chronological format makes it easier for recruiters to see your specific work accomplishments so that they know what you can bring to the position. Your short sections of skills can be easily verified with this format. You’ll also avoid the potential red flags that could prevent a recruiter from actually looking at your resume.

Don’t worry—if you feel you have more to offer your prospective employer than other applicants, you can still let your skills and experience shine with a reverse-chronological resume by writing job experience bullet points that reflect your specific skill set . We can help you arrange your skills and employment in the preferred reverse-chronological format to maximize your resume’s impact with recruiters.

I’m a student or looking for an entry-level position

In the past, you may have been encouraged to use the functional format for your resume. Unfortunately, these days, it simply makes potential employers wonder why you’re not using a reverse-chronological style. What are you trying to hide? Instead of reading the relevant skills you can provide, they may just pass over your resume completely, especially if they’re limited on time or have other qualified candidates already on the interview list. This is all assuming your functionally formatted resume even makes it past ATS.

Recruiters understand that you may lack an employment history because you’re new to the job market. Instead, they want to see if you’ve been spending your time preparing for entering the workforce rather than goofing off or procrastinating. To the potential employer, what you’ve done in the time before work can tell a lot about what type of employee you’ll be.

You may not know how to use your previous activities in place of work history, but that’s okay. We’ll show you how you can use any volunteer work or completed projects in place of employment in the preferred reverse-chronological format. Fortunately, the career objective near the top of your resume can also be used to your advantage when you have little or no actual work experience.

Functional vs reverse-chronological resume format

Reverse chronological vs functional resume format

I don’t have traditional work experience, or I have career gaps

If you’ve had non-traditional work experience, such as serving in the military, or you have career gaps, you might think the combination/hybrid format will work best for you. This will allow you to showcase the skills you’ve gained that are relevant to the position you’re applying for while then providing evidence for those skills with your previous experience.

While this resume type does have advantages in cases such as these, you should still be concerned if you try to use this style. It’s very difficult to make a combination/hybrid resume look professional and to use the appropriate keywords to draw the reader in. Furthermore, this format typically won’t make it past the first ATS scan. Also, many potential employers will assume you have something you’re trying to hide when you use a different format. Why put all of your thoughtful work to waste if someone isn’t going to be able to get their hands on your resume and read it?

It is more than possible to place your accomplishments and work skills in a chronological order that’s easy for recruiters to skim. We can help you make the most of your abilities using the reverse-chronological format in a way that fits with the proposed job position. Additionally, an attention-grabbing career objective can effectively highlight your skill set to portray you as a valuable asset to the company or organization.

Combination hybrid resume format example

Combination vs reverse-chronological resume format

Reverse chronological vs combination hybrid resume-format

In addition to the basic resume formats described, you need to think about formatting your information for visual appeal and ease of access to specific key points. The best way to do this is to put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter. What layout will be the easiest to get the information across as quickly and organized as possible? Remember that hiring personnel only take about six or seven seconds to gather information from your resume, so it’s vital to make your important information easy to access [5] .

Although you want to stand out, the layout isn’t the place to get over-the-top creative. If your information isn’t organized or set up in a logical sequence, would you want to waste your time reading it when you have so many other documents to sort through? In all truthfulness, you’d probably give up on that resume and move on to someone else with an easier-to-read document.

Let’s walk through the following points to keep in mind when creating your resume:

Format to impress

Include must-haves on your resume
Learn how not to format your resume
Format to beat ATS

The design of your resume determines whether someone will continue to read it after the introductory six-to-seven-second skim. It will help if you remember these key principles in formatting:

Consistency : Keep each section similar in layout, including the use (or lack) of punctuation. Use the same font and font size for main content and the same font and font size for headers.

Repetition : Repeat the use of bullet points throughout each job experience. If you use a color or underline a heading, make sure that it’s repeated throughout your resume. These tiny, repetitive details help consistency and keep your document looking organized and professional.

Alignment : Use left alignment for the body of your document. Centered text is difficult to read and appears unorganized on a resume. As an exception, though, your name and title may be centered.

Proximity : Place each section in the appropriate order on the page so that it creates a natural progression to each consecutive section. Likewise, keep similar things grouped together. For example, don’t include volunteer experience with your education or skills as it will fit better within work experience (or even under a new section you title “Projects” or “Volunteer Experience”).

To professionalize your resume, begin by using one-inch margins and single or 1.5-inch spacing in between each section. If you need more space, you can reduce the margins to 0.75; however, avoid using less than 0.50 of an inch because it’s too crowded and information can get lost through ATS translation.

You can choose serif or sans serif for your font, but stick with just one in a style that’s not too cramped or ornate. As a good rule of thumb, you can aim between 10- and 12- point font throughout the document, though you can increase font size for your name, title, and section headers.

Adding a splash of color gives personality and highlights pertinent information. Using the company’s main color can be a plus and subtly demonstrates your initiative to research the company. Also, take advantage of bullet points, but use simple, round bullets because other characters may not translate well through ATS.

Must-haves on your resume

Recruiters have clear expectations of what they expect a resume to look like and what should be included within it. First and foremost, your contact information and job title should be the first thing they see; they shouldn’t have to hunt for it. Include your name, job title, phone number, and a professional-sounding email address. Unfortunately, [email protected] can land your resume in the trash bin before the recruiter reads any further.

Keep your resume to one page, and use a recognized file format, preferably pdf. An appropriate amount of white space breaks up the content into easy-to-find sections. Use bold font or underline the font for section headers. Increasing header fonts to 12 or 14 provides contrast that makes them easier to spot. If you don’t have a lot of color in the rest of the document, consider using it in header text.

Which resume is most visually appealing.

Along with color and font style, you have some leeway on being creative with your sections. However, you need to format with both yourself and the potential employer in mind. If you work in a professional field, your resume should demonstrate this through its layout as well as the wording you choose. On the other hand, an artist may look for a more creative approach, though professionalism will always be king.

Don’t just list your job title or job duties at your previous places of employment. Use action words that promote achievement in a way that is factual and quantifiable, such as with numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts.

Editing and proofreading are essential. Recruiters believe you’re going to put your best effort into a resume, so be sure that it’s free of errors and is grammatically correct. If there are any typos in a document that’s supposed to show you at your best, they’ll assume you’ll make even more mistakes when you’re on the job. You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

If all of this sounds complicated, it’s because it can be. That’s why our free resume checker will enable you to show your best self while still portraying the level of professionalism that recruiters expect to see.

Line Cook Resume

This line cook resume includes all you’ll need in a successful resume format, and by clicking below, you can start editing your own copy now:

How not to format your resume

Knowing what not to do when creating your resume can be just as important as knowing what to include. Poor formatting provides potential employers with a disorganized mess that they’ll simply toss rather than try to puzzle out.

Many issues affect your resume immediately while others may not be seen without further inspection, so it’s important that you don’t take any chances. Be aware of the following:

Added photos : Pictures, photos, and other graphics won’t pass through ATS, and they take up valuable space that can be better used to sell yourself.
Too much color : While a conservative amount of color can add personality and effective design elements, using too much distracts the reader from what’s important and depicts you as immature and inexperienced.
Unprofessional fonts : Although you may wish to show your sense of style, avoid scripted or detailed fonts since these can slow down the recruiter’s ability to read your information and mix up ATS.
Missing information : It’s important to include all sections required for the resume format you choose because missing information is a red flag to a potential employer and makes you look scattered and disorganized.
Personal information : Hiring personnel don’t want to know too much about your personal life (plus, they can run into legal issues if they start asking those kinds of questions), so stick with facts that relate to your work history. However, depending on your field, it may be appropriate to include hobbies and interests on your resume.

Formatting to beat ATS

ATS is used to simplify recruiters’ jobs by narrowing down the number of resumes that they have to physically look through. Unfortunately, 75 percent of resumes never make their way to an actual person [6] .

In addition to a clear format, ATS scans for certain keywords related to the position and will give you a rating based on how these keywords are included in your resume. Don’t overuse keywords because your resume will be read by a real person if it passes through ATS.

Investment Banking Resume

Click on this ATS-friendly resume below to build and edit your own resume now:

Here are some considerations when creating your resume for ATS:

Use the right file format : The most acceptable formats are .pdf and .doc, so you may want to keep a copy of your resume in both formats.
Keep it simple : Use appropriate spacing and sections for readability.
Avoid graphics : Pictures, lines, and other graphics will be seen as a garbled mess of text by ATS.
Check your formatting : Copy the contents of your resume and paste into a plain text document. The results are basically how ATS will process it, so look for odd characters and sections that are out of place.
Use traditional headers : The ATS is programmed to look for basic word combinations, so don’t get too creative in the wording of your section headers.
Optimize keywords : ATS will look for the job title of the position and key industry terms. Look at the job description to see what words the hiring personnel used to get some ideas.

ATS-nightmare resume example

ATS-friendly resume example

Although there’s plenty of information here to help you get started, you may have additional questions. Please see our FAQs section below to learn more about formatting your best resume in 2024. However, we understand that there’s no way for us to anticipate every question, so if you’re still unsure about anything, feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] .

What’s the difference between a resume format and a resume template?

The resume format is how you put your information on the page while a resume template is typically a downloadable document that you can put the information into. A basic template will let you put your information into a simple, readable format. However, these templates (like what you might find in Microsoft Word) are often fixed, providing you with little flexibility (and lots of headaches). These resumes may all look the same.

On the other hand, a great template will allow you to rearrange the format to suit your specific needs. We offer different resume templates that fall within recommended guidelines while leaving room for your personality to shine through. Every template can be edited in our resume builder for you to create the perfect document to save and share with potential employers.

Also, we don’t leave you on your own. Our resume maker offers you suggestions and tips for both your formatting and writing needs.

Don’t recruiters get tired of seeing the same format?

Recruiters sort through up to 250 resumes for one open position [2] . While it might seem that hiring personnel would get tired of seeing the same old format over and over again, it actually makes their job faster and easier because they know exactly where to find the information they’re looking for if the document passes through ATS and into their hands.

However, we understand that you want your resume to catch the recruiter’s attention, so we offer resume template variations of tried-and-true formats that hiring managers have come to know while providing you with a chance to show your unique brand. There’s no reason to risk your resume making its way to the circular file because it’s unorganized, illogical, or doesn’t appear to make sense to the recruiter or to the ATS.

Can I write my resume in chronological order instead of reverse-chronological order?

In the end, how you decide to create your resume is completely up to you. However, it’s important to remember that you have just six or seven seconds to make the recruiter want to read more. If they have to search for your most recent, and generally most relevant, employment, they may just give up and move on to the next applicant.

When you use reverse-chronological order, hiring personnel see your most recent job position right near the top of the page where their eyes are typically scanning for what information they’re looking for [7] . If they see the first job you ever had fifteen years ago, not only may the position be unrelated to the current one, the recruiter may assume there are gaps in your employment because they’re accustomed to seeing the most recent job listed first.

How much “personality” should be in my resume?

While it’s important to allow for creativity in how you word and format your resume, professionalism is still key. Feel free to use terms and wording that are outside the box because many recruiters are tired of seeing the same old basic terms such as “team player.” However, it’s imperative that everything you include in your resume is easy to read, placed in a logical order, and makes sense to the reader.

Also, remember that ATS and employers are looking for specific keywords, so only show off your style to the point that it doesn’t interfere or distract from finding relevant information. For more information on this topic, check out question No. 2 in our FAQs section.

What’s the easiest and quickest way to format a resume?

Because there’s so much detailed information that you need to know to effectively format a resume for ATS and human eyes, it’s best to go with a the best resume builder that offers customizable resume templates to suit your needs. You could always try your hand at making your own with a template or blank document from word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you’d like to try this method, go back to the section on How to Format Your Resume, so you’ll be sure not to forget any pertinent details.

Better yet, you can alleviate the guesswork by using BeamJob’s resume builder and checker . We offer plenty of free resume templates for download , which you can edit. We’re here to save you hours of time and frustration.

What should I name my resume file?

Gone are the days of blindly tossing around mass-produced, hard-copy resumes. Your resume should be specifically tailored to the job position you’re applying for. This means that, ideally, you’ll have more than one resume if you’re hunting the job market to fit with different positions. You want to make it easy to find the specific resume you’re looking for.

Name your file with your first name followed by a period, your last name followed by a period, the job position title with no spaces followed by a period, and 2024. Use the format first.last.jobpositiontitle.2024 or something similar. Here is an example: john.smith.accountssupervisor.2024. Not only will this help you find the exact resume you want for each job application, but it’s also easier for job recruiters to find when they want to re-evaluate your resume to invite you to an interview. Don’t let something as simple as a file name keep a recruiter from contacting you for an interview!

How do I make a good resume?

Be confident in your abilities when writing a resume . Also, take advantage of the tools available on BeamJob’s resume builder to make the time you spend creating your resume easier and faster. Remember, no matter how great a fit you are for the position, it won’t matter if improper formatting prevents your resume from being read.

Once you have edited and proofread your resume and have it the way you want, it is extremely helpful to have someone else evaluate your work and provide feedback on something you may have missed. Great sources can include colleagues, friends in a similar field, close contacts who have extensive grammar skills, or even your favorite college professor.

If any of these contacts suggest that you make changes, you can just go back to the resume builder without risk of having to reformat your entire document as everything is automatically saved for you after you make a free account with us. You can make as many copies as you like, so you always have the best, most updated version to send to potential employers.

$You need to remember that only a fraction of resumes pass through ATS and into the hands of recruiters.$

Your resume opens the door for interviews (or closes it!), so it’s important that it’s properly formatted and includes relevant information in a way that’s easy for recruiters to view in the limited time they have available. Although reverse-chronological format is the most preferred style and is absolutely our recommendation, you know yourself and your experiences best, so choose what you believe will benefit you the most.

However, you need to remember that only a fraction of resumes pass through ATS and into the hands of recruiters, so take your time to get the right layout. Format to impress with white space, an appropriate font, concise information, and related keywords. Contact information should be at the top of your resume followed by the career objective as this is where recruiters will look first. Avoid obstacles that detract the reader from getting the information they need and want.

Create a resume for each position you’re applying for, name each one appropriately and save them in .pdf and .doc format. Keep it simple yet professional, and emphasize actual, quantifiable achievements. Always edit and proofread your resume, and utilize friends and associates for feedback.

Remember to take advantage of BeamJob’s downloadable resume templates that you can edit for individuality while staying within the recommended guidelines. To make the task even simpler, try out our free AI resume builder and resume checker tools that can save you time and headaches throughout the process—and don’t forget—you may need to write a cover letter , too!

[1] Recruiter.com. (2016 February 5). 6 things employers want to see in your resume.

[2] Workopolis. (2015, January 20). Application revelation: What really happens to your resume after you apply for a job?

[3] Kerri Anne Renzulli. (2019 February 28). 75% of resumes are never read by a human – here’s how to make sure your resume beats the bots. CNBC Make It.

[4] Dawn Graham. (2018 February 6). Ready, set, switch: Make your resume and cover letter stand out. Forbes.

[5] Ladders, Inc. (2018 November 6). Ladders updates popular eye-tracking study with new key insights on how job seekers can improve their resumes. PR Newswire.

[6] Robyn Ryan. (2021 February 9). Want to be noticed by recruiters? Try this resume strategy to get through the applicant tracking system. Forbes.

[7] Katie Bindley. (2012 May 9). Resume design: Eye-tracking study finds job seekers have six seconds to make an impression. Huffington Post.

Your Complete Guide to Resume Formats (and How to Pick the Best One for You!)

It’s not easy to take years’ (or decades’!) worth of your work history, skills, and accomplishments and wrangle it into a one-page document that’s optimally organized to convince a stranger to give you a job and the salary and benefits that go with it. But it is possible.

While there are endless decisions you could make about your resume (font! colors! number of bullets!), the biggest one is simply: What format should you use? Here’s everything you need to know about the three most common resume formats and how to pick the right one for you.

The Chronological Resume

The functional resume, the combination resume, what to know about resume formats and applicant tracking systems.

When someone says the word “resume,” the image that comes to mind is probably a chronological resume, since it’s the kind that job seekers use most frequently and therefore the one recruiters and hiring managers see most often. Also known as a reverse-chronological resume, which is a slightly more accurate label, it puts the spotlight on your work experience listed from most recent to least recent.

What Goes Into a Chronological Resume?

A chronological resume contains the following components, roughly in this order:

Name and contact information
Summary statement (optional)
Work history (or relevant work history) including the role, company, location, and dates as well as details about your accomplishments in that role, with your current or most recent job listed first
Hobbies , interests, activities, volunteer experience , awards, and/or any other relevant section (optional)

Should You Use a Chronological Resume Format?

Most job seekers could make good use of a chronological resume, from recent graduates to seasoned executives. It’s an especially natural fit for anyone who’s pursued a relatively linear and consistent path without any major pivots or big gaps.

There are two major advantages to this format. Because the chronological resume is so common, recruiters and hiring managers are familiar with the format and know how to read it. They can quickly and easily see how you built your career. This resume format also tends to pass through applicant tracking systems more smoothly than other formats. (An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is software that helps employers manage the hiring process, including scanning applications. More on resume formats and applicant tracking systems below.)

The downside is that if you’re changing careers, have had a complicated or varied path, or are returning from a long period away from the workforce, the chronological resume could highlight those gaps and make it difficult for those reading it to decipher what skills you bring to the table that would make you a strong candidate for this particular role.

Example of a Chronological Resume

What does this all actually look like? You can take a look at an example chronological resume below and click here to download a copy.

Chronological resume example (click for downloadable Google doc version)

Read more about the chronological resume

A functional resume, also known as a skills-based resume , takes a different tack. Instead of focusing on your work history, it gives the most space and attention to key skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the role you’re applying for. You’d still include a brief section about your work experience, but wouldn’t include any further description or detail.

What Goes Into a Functional Resume?

A functional resume contains the following components, roughly in this order:

Skills/areas of expertise, typically grouped into a few subcategories relevant to the role, with related accomplishments and details below each skill or group of skills
Work history (or relevant work history) including the role, company, location, and dates
Additional skills, hobbies, interests, activities, volunteer experience, awards, and/or any other relevant section (optional)

Should You Use a Functional Resume Format?

Functional resumes are sometimes recommended for job seekers who don’t have any recent work experience (or any traditional work experience at all), those who are making a major career change, and folks whose work history is all over the map.

But should you really use a functional resume? The answer in most cases is probably not, according to Muse writer Jaclyn Westlake, a recruiter and former HR manager. Recruiters are often suspicious of functional resumes , and might assume that an applicant using one is trying to hide something.

Recruiters and hiring managers are sifting through a lot of resumes, so your goal as a job seeker is to make it as easy as possible for them to read and understand yours. Since the functional resume is far less common than the typical chronological resume and includes only the bare bones of your work history toward the bottom of the page, it can be harder to parse.

Besides the fact that “recruiters and employers are distrustful of them,” functional resumes “become a garbled mess when they pass through the ATS,” says Amanda Augustine, career expert for TopResume . Augustine urges job seekers to avoid the functional resume even if they’re making a pivot. “You’re better off using the professional summary section of your combination resume to highlight your relevant skills, rather than resorting to a functional resume format.”

Example of a Functional Resume

You can take a look at an example functional resume below and click here to download a copy.

Functional resume example (click for downloadable Google doc version)

What Goes Into a Combination Resume?

A combination resume contains the following components, roughly in this order:

Relevant/key skills
Work history (or relevant work history) including the role, company, location, and dates as well as details about your accomplishments in that role

Should You Use a Combination Resume Format?

The combination resume might be a good choice if you’re not sure your work history alone would tell the right story about you as a candidate for the kinds of roles you’re interested in. If you’re a career changer, a veteran, or a recent graduate, the combination resume could serve you well. This format can also be helpful if you have a lot of experience, a multi-track job history, or big gaps in employment.

The combination resume carries some of the same risks as a functional resume in the sense that some employers might assume you’re trying to hide something. However, because it does include the chronological work history that recruiters and hiring managers expect to see, it’s less likely to feel cagey. It also lets you to take a little bit more control of the story you’d like to tell and highlight why you’d be a great fit for the job even if your past roles don’t immediately say so.

It “allows the recruiter, like me, to pay very close attention to skill sets first. What do they think they’re really good at?” recruiter Steven Davis, a Muse career coach, told The Muse.

Example of a Combination Resume

You can take a look at an example combination resume below and click here to download a copy.

Combination resume example (click for downloadable Google doc version)

Exploring the Best Resume Formats — The Complete Guide

Updated: December 06, 2023

Published: June 07, 2023

The content of your resume is as important as the format used in presenting the resume. Put another way, crisp resume content plus the best resume format is the perfect match for getting hired for a role.

In this post, you’ll learn about the best resume formats, their pros and cons, and when to use each one. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What are the different resume formats?

Chronological resumes — how do they work, functional resumes — how do they work, combination resumes — how do they work.

best resume format. The Three Resume Formats. Chronological resume. Best for individuals with lots of work experience. Functional resume. Best for career switchers and individuals with employment gaps. Combination resume. Best for seasoned professionals with lots of experience and accomplishments.

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These resumes focus on your work experience by listing your employment history in reverse chronological order, i.e., from your current or most recent job to the oldest.

Each work experience includes your job title, company name, employment start and end date, achievements, and job duties.

Many recruiters consider chronological resumes — or reverse-chronological resumes — as the standard resume format. One reason for this is their familiar structure, which makes it easy for recruiters to skim and determine if you're the right fit for the job.

Moreover, chronological resumes help recruiters spot gaps or notice consistency in your work history.

Consider using this resume format if you’re a veteran in a particular field. By highlighting your career growth and progression, you get an edge when transitioning between jobs in the same field.

All factors considered, chronological resumes are the best all-around choice for job seekers.

Below is the typical structure of a chronological resume:

Contact information
Resume summary
Work experience

Limitations of Chronological Resumes

Despite their popularity, chronological resumes have certain disadvantages. Here are three major shortcomings of chronological resumes you should consider.

1. Chronological resumes make career gaps obvious.

Career gaps on your resume aren’t a deal breaker. However, they raise questions in a recruiter’s mind and can hamper your chances of getting an interview. That's why, if you have gaps in years, having a resume that creatively conceals them is helpful.

Unfortunately, the sequential order of the chronological resume makes it impossible to hide any career gaps.

2. Chronological resumes could bury early career achievements.

Your key achievements are an excellent way to show employers the value you can provide. You need to front-load this information on your resume.

But here’s the thing: Key achievements from your early career roles will always stay at the bottom of your resume. As such, recruiters who find your recent achievements unappealing may not read further.

3. Chronological resumes are not ideal for recent graduates or career switchers.

Recent graduates and career switchers typically lack related work experience.

As the work experience section is the dominant section of the chronological resume, the lack of experience becomes obvious, making this format less suitable.

Best Practices for Writing a Chronological Resume

1. craft a compelling summary..

Treat your resume summary like a news headline. Whether you’re reading news online or picking up a newspaper, you don’t read every story. You scan for interesting headlines, read the content, and ditch the rest. It’s the same with resumes.

Often, you’ll have about 7.4 seconds to grab the recruiter’s attention . So use it well by writing a summary that markets you as the best candidate for the role.

2. Highlight achievements, not responsibilities.

What matters to recruiters isn’t what you did but the impact of your work. So refrain from listing vague job duties that a recruiter may know.

Instead, show the specific outcome of your work by communicating in percentages, numbers, revenue, etc. Or, if your job experience doesn’t lend itself to numbers, use strong verbs to describe your achievements briefly.

See how Jeff Su tweaks his resume to show his achievements rather than using meaningless buzzwords:

3. List relevant job experiences only.

Adding unrelated job experiences to your resume weakens its impact. If you have any irrelevant work experience, it's best to leave it out.

Yes, this will appear as a career gap to recruiters. But if your experience is good enough for a role, it won’t matter.

4. Don’t place your Education above your Work Experience section.

If you graduated with spectacular grades from a big-name university like Princeton, you might want to show it off at the top of your resume. But that’s a bad idea.

Recruiters value work experience over high academic achievement, and for good reason — work experience of any form is a stronger predictor of your on-the-job performance.

Examples of Chronological Resumes

Let’s take a look at some stellar examples of chronological resumes so you can visualize how the format works when creating your own.

1. Management Consultant

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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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The Best Resume Format Guide

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

By now, as a seasoned job hunter and student of The Interview Guys , you should know there are a few essentials you should have in your arsenal: business cards , a solid cover letter , your elevator pitch , and your well-formatted resume .

Hang on, haven’t we already gone over all this in that other article, How to Make a Resume 101 ?

Yes…and no.

In that article we did go over how to write a resume, but in this article, we’re going to take you to the next step and focus specifically on one seemingly small but massively huge part of resume building: resume format and how to select which one is right for you.

FREE BONUS PDF CHECKLIST : Get our "Perfect Resume CHECKLIST" that gives you a handy 38-point Checklist that will let you craft the perfect resume.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR CHECKLIST

Why Is Resume Format So Important?

As any good “Interview Guys student” will tell you, a resume is a document used by job seekers (you) to quickly and easily let a hiring manager know what skills they have, what their work history is, and any accomplishments they might have.

Seems simple, right?

Well, it is, but only if you know what you’re doing. The tricky part of writing your own resume is it’s a deceptive document .

No, not deceptive as in you use it to lie to an employer about what you can do (don’t EVER do that!), but deceptive in that it seems like it should be really easy to write.

Trust me, it’s much easier to write a bad resume than a good one…and there are a LOT of bad ones out there, which, believe it or not, is a good thing.

Wait. It’s good that there are bad resumes out there? That doesn’t make any sense!

Yes, and the reason is, when a recruiter or hiring manager has to slog through a mountain of bad resumes, seeing a good resume is like a breath of fresh air. It stands out!

And if you follow our guide, that breath of fresh air resume is going to be yours!

But first, we need to figure out what type of resume format you need .

Types of Resume Formats

Once upon a time, many moons ago, there was just one way to write a resume, reverse-chronologically.

Chronological Resume Format

The reverse-chronological resume (simply called the “chronological”) was just that, a chronological listing of everything you’d done up to that point, starting with your most recent and working backwards.

According to the resume experts over at ResumeGenius.com , a chronological resume “…shows recruiters that your most recent work experience is relevant to their needs, presents yourself in terms of promotions and upward career mobility and demonstrates that you’ve had a normal career without work gaps or terminations.”

We agree that these are some of the benefits of this style of resume, which is why, during the heyday of the chronological resume, everyone used it. It wasn’t just industry standard, it was global standard.

Brain surgeons and tax accountants used the same chronological format as plumbers and babysitters – and for the time, it was fine.

Then someone said, “Hmm. These jobs aren’t all exactly the same..so why are the resumes being used exactly the same? Shouldn’t they be specific to the job you’re seeking? Shouldn’t it be more…functional?”

And in that moment, the functional resume was born.

Functional Resume Format

Rather than just simply listing what you’ve done (chronological), a functional resume specifically targets the job you’re going after and makes sure that it highlight the skills and abilities you have that relate to that position.

Rather than listing a ton of stuff that might not relate to what you’ve done, it highlights what is most relevant for the position you’re going after.

Whereas a chronological resume can seem cold and impersonal, almost a ‘shopping list’ of skills, promotions and upward mobility, a functional resume allows you to interject a little of “who” you are into the conversation, not just “what you do.”

And then someone said “I can’t decide…what works better for me? Chronological or functional? Ugh, why do I have to decide? Why can’t I use both?!”

And thus the combination resume was born.

Combination Resume Format

The combination resume takes all the best parts of a functional resume (relevant skills, qualifications and specifically targeted information) and combines it with the chronological resume (everything you’ve done in the past that’s gotten you to where you are right now.)

But which of the three resume formats is right for me?

How To Choose the Best Resume Format For You

The first thing you have to do when settling on what type of resume you plan to write ( chronological , functional or combination ), is figure out which resume format or resume layout matches your needs and who you are. While it’s true you tend to see less chronological resumes out there, the fact is your resume format choice should depend more on your experience and situation more than anything.

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUMES are great for people who have had a steady career path in the same field for a long period of time or are applying for jobs in similar fields and has few, if any, gaps in their employment history.

Employers like chronological resumes because it’s easy to see, at a glance, what an employee has done in the past. For people who have stayed within the same industry their whole career and haven’t moved around much, it’s a great option as it shows a potential employer quickly and easily your progression.

For example, executives who have had a steady progression to the top would benefit from a chronological resume.

Chronological resumes are also great for people who are just starting out or find themselves in the mid-level of their careers.

When organizing your chronological resume, you want to make sure you keep the following categories in this order (see, I told you we’d come back to categories in resume formats!)

Objective Statement or Summary Statement

Experience/Qualifications

FUNCTIONAL RESUMES are great for people who have started and stopped their careers and are facing gaps in their work history or are making a significant career change. Functional resumes are also great for people who are targeting a particular position and need a resume that highlight specific skills and abilities that directly relate.

People just entering the job market can also benefit from a functional resume as it focuses more on skills than past work history.

When organizing your functional resume, you want to make sure you keep the following categories in this order:

Achievements/Accomplishments

COMBINATION RESUMES are great for people who are looking to make a career change and move from one industry to another. It’s also a great format for highlighting well-developed skills and talents that are relevant to a specific position. This is the best resume format for someone considered a master within their field.

When organizing your combination resume, you want to make sure you keep the following categories in this order:

Best Practices For Formatting Your Resume

Now that we’ve gone over different resume formats, it’s time to go over formatting the resume format (?) you have selected. Tongue twisters and confusing sentences aside, let’s start with the basics!

How Long Should A Resume Be?

No matter which of the three formats you decide to go with, it should fit neatly onto one single sided page without crowding .

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and in some (rare) cases (career changes, highly advanced technical fields, or individuals at the senior/executive level), a slightly longer resume is acceptable.

Anything longer than that and you’ve moved out of the world of resumes and into the world of CV’s (hey, we have an article for those! Check out our CV article here! ) which are acceptable, but ONLY in VERY SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES. (If you’ve been asked for your resume, make sure that’s what you give them or you run the risk of it being tossed.)

Keep in mind this isn’t your autobiography!

This is meant to give a hiring manager just enough information about you that they feel compelled to call you in and meet you face to face!

To put it bluntly, the average hiring manager spends initially between 10-20 seconds on each resume which means you have 10-20 seconds to catch their eye. The last thing you want to do is give them something that’s messy, confusing, or unorganized.

Rather than spend an additional 10 seconds trying to figure out your resume, most hiring manager will just throw it away…and we don’t want that!

Ok, so what about fonts, margins, paper, etc?

Let’s start with fonts.

Best Resume Fonts To Use

Choosing the right resume font can seem like an impossible task, especially as there are hundreds of choices available. Making sure your resume is readable is step number one.

You want to make sure that a potential employer can easily read it regardless of if it’s printed out or on a computer screen. Speaking of computer screens, not everyone is on the same operating system which means a unique or quirky font on your screen might show up as code or nonsense on someone else’s.

And nobody’s hiring nonsense.

Your resume is a professional representation of who you are, and as such, should look professional.

Many companies these days use an automated applicant tracking software to first pre-qualify candidates and the last thing you want to do is get sorted to the bottom of the pile, or worse, rejected, because the computer program didn’t recognize your font or had difficulty reading it.

Sans Serifs fonts are fonts which are clean, crisp, sleek, and most importantly, scanner-friendly! They’re also “eyeball-friendly” which means a hiring manager reading it won’t have any issues trying to figure out what they’re looking at or run into eye-strain.

Stick to fonts like Arial , Verdana , Trebuchet MS , Century Gothic , Gill Sans MT (but NEVER Comic Sans), Lucida Sans and Tahoma .

Of course, over here at The Interview Guys, we’ll confess that we’re partial to Helvetica . It’s a flawless blend of style and clarity.

Another thing to keep in mind with fonts is the size you’re using. Shrinking everything down to the size of an ant just so you can fit it all onto a single page won’t win you any points. Again, you want to ensure that your resume is readable.

Try to stay between 10.5 and 12 points. Any smaller and it’s hard to read.

Formatting Your Margins and Spacing

When you format your resume you want to make sure that your leave enough margin space to allow for printing . If you try to adjust your margins and make them too narrow in order to fit more into your page, you run the risk of critical information being cut off if an employer prints it out.

Inversely, making your margins too large will leave your resume looking boxed in and squished. The general rule is to set your margins at one inch on all sides .

Think of your resume as a piece of fine artwork. Your margins should create a beautiful frame around it. If you’re truly desperate for space, you can slightly adjust your top and bottom margins but try to avoid adjusting your side margins.

In terms of the spacing, keep your resume to single-spaced with a blank line between each section of your content.

When you turn a resume into a potential employer, you want to make sure you’re using paper that helps convey the message that you’re a professional.

Of course, if you’re using an online submission system, you don’t get to choose what sort of paper an employer might potentially print your resume out on, but in the instances when you’re physically turning something in, it’s a good idea to put some extra time and thought into the paper you’re using.

Try to always print your resumes out using a laser printer or inkjet printer that produces crisp, high-quality results. You want to print on paper heavier than what you traditionally find in photocopiers.

Generally copier paper is considered 20 lb. weight. This is a lighter, flimsier paper which is perfect for running through a Xerox in high quantity at high speeds, but for a resume comes across as unprofessional and sloppy.

Aim for paper that’s slightly heavier. Most resume paper is rated at 24 lb. If you’re using paper with a watermark, make sure it’s facing the correct way relative to your resume.

When selecting the color of paper you’re using, it’s always a safe bet to stick to white or neutrals. Off-white, cream, ivory and light gray are acceptable for most professional jobs.

Finally, make sure you’re always using 8 ½ x 11 paper.

Which Resume Categories Do I Include?

Organizing your resume is just as important as formatting it. Many resumes are put together by job seekers who aren’t sure of how to organize their information, resulting in a resume that lacks focus.

You always want to make sure that your categories are well defined and organized appropriately for not only who you are, but the type of resume that you’re using (don’t worry, we’ll go into that further in just a bit!).

Here are the categories that you need to include on your resume:

The first thing you need to do is make sure that a potential employer knows whose resume they’re looking at!

Make sure you include your personal information at the TOP of your resume. Include your full name, phone number, email and personal branding website (if you have one, which as an Interview Guys student you should!) You can also include your mailing address, but this is purely optional.

Resume Objective Statement

An objective statement is a quick outline of your employment goals with the company you’re applying to and should take up no more than a sentence or two.

For our in-depth article on how to write a resume objective statement, click here .

Resume Summary Statement

A resume summary is a quick recap of your skills and experiences and, like an objective statement, should be no more than a sentence or two.

For our in-depth article on how to write a resume summary statement, click here .

This section is where you talk about your work history and highlight not only who you worked for but what you did as well as how long you did it. Be sure to include your job title as well as a bulleted list of your duties and/or responsibilities.

***This is listed in reverse chronological order with your most recent job first.

Skills & Abilities

This is where you want to highlight your relevant skills that relate directly to the position or job you’re applying to. Make sure you list things here that set you apart and help show a potential employer that you’re the perfect candidate for the job!

These can include things like technical skills, language skills, computer skills, anything and everything that sets you apart and fits exactly what the employer is looking for.

Check out our skills to put on a resume article for more information .

For recent graduates and people just entering the job market, this would mean where you went to school. For people in technical fields or fields where outside training is either required or encouraged, you would include this information here.

Once upon a time references were always included. These days, however, references are no longer a must have on resumes. That doesn’t mean you don’t need them… instead, have them as a separate list, and if requested, you can provide it.

Check out our articles on professional reference letters and character reference letter 101 if you need more info.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Spelling and grammar mistakes (and typos).

Always proofread your resume before you send it out! This includes double checking your contact information. It won’t do you any good if you have the perfect resume and employers who want to hire you if they keep calling the wrong number or emailing the wrong email. Double check! Then…check again!

Similarly, don’t forget about punctuation! According to the Cawley Career Education Center at Georgetown University , “… be consistent in your use of punctuation throughout the document. For instance, either use periods at the end of all your bullets or not.” Great advice!

Not Targeting Your Resume

Blanketing the job market with a one-resume-fits-all approach not only makes you look lazy, but it shows an employer that you’re comfortable doing the bare minimum rather than going the extra step to make sure your resume is targeted to the job you’re specifically seeking.

Remember, you’re one candidate out of hundreds, if not thousands. Submitting a resume that’s long, rambling, confusing or poorly organized isn’t going to get you anything except dumped. This includes padding your resume with unnecessary information. Keep your resume targeted, clear, concise, and clean.

Personal Information

Religious affiliations, social security numbers, personal social media contact, birthday (or age), marital status, or anything else that’s personal has no place on your resume. This also includes photos or headshots. All a potential employer needs to know is what your name is, how to contact you, and why you’re the perfect candidate based off of your skills, experience, and qualifications.

Salary Information

Save that for a personal discussion with the hiring manager a little further down the road. Putting your salary requirements on your resume is never a good idea. Check out the article we wrote on “When and How to Negotiate Your Salary” here .

Top 5 Resume Formatting Tips

1. Keep your format simple : Remember, you have 10-20 seconds to snag a hiring managers attention. Presenting them with a resume that’s overly crowded, hard to read, confusing or just plain messy isn’t going to get you the job…it’s going to get you thrown out. Watch your spacing, font size and margins. Keep it legible!

2. Keep it professional : Avoid cute fonts, gimmicks, scented paper, glitter, odd shapes, or anything that could potentially make an employer look at your resume and question your sanity. Don’t print on cheap paper. Show an employer you’re serious about the job.

3. Focus on what you did for past employers, not just the job you held . Anyone can push a button. Why were you the best button pusher there was? What set you apart from every other button pusher who came before you and will come after you? Don’t just outline the job description. What were your accomplishments while doing that job?

4. Make sure you’re selecting the resume format that best reflects who you are, your work history, and the job you’re applying for . Keep in mind employment gaps, career trajectory, where you are in your industry, and where you plan on going. Make sure you’re selecting the right format resume (chronological, functional or combination).

5. Be honest : I know we’ve said this again and again in multiple articles on this site, but it’s a sentiment that bears repeating. Be honest. Don’t pad your resume with jobs or duties you’ve never held or exaggerate ones you have just to impress an employer. The last thing you want to do is get a job you can’t do. Not only will you look bad, but it’ll haunt you down the line with other future potential employers. Be honest!

Finding the Best Resume Format Examples

Of course, reading about it is one thing, but seeing how these resumes look is another. If you’re interested in seeing examples of how these resumes look in person, head on over to our How to Make a Resume 101 article. Just make sure, no matter which format you choose, that you’re targeting it for the job you’re applying to.

We also have to give some credit where credit is due. Our pals over at NovoResume have put together some really great content about resume format over on their site, along with a few great examples. This will be a great companion to the information we have already taught you here!

Putting It All Together

Whew! Did you get all that?!?

We promised you a much deeper look into resume formats and I think we’ve managed to deliver just that!

Making sure you have the right resume for the right job means more than just filling in your qualifications, it means selecting the right format and ensuring that you’re organizing it properly…and now, thanks to this article, you shouldn’t have any problems!

And as always…good luck! (One final thought. How is your cover letter looking? Are you confident that it is formatted properly? Because we have created a companion guide just like this one called “Best Cover Letter Format Guide Click the link to read it now!)

FREE : "Perfect Resume" PDF Checklist

Ok the next thing you should do is download our handy "Perfect Resume" Checklist PDF ".

In it you'll get a 38 point checklist that will let you overhaul your resume and make sure you aren't missing any critical components.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE "PERFECT RESUME" CHECKLIST

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Resume Format: What’s The Best Resume Format For 2024? (+Resume Templates)

Klara Cervenanska ,
Updated January 16, 2024 6 min read

Different resume formats are best-suited for different kinds of job seekers , depending on their experience level or what they want to achieve.

The three most commonly used resume formats are:

Chronological
Combination (hybrid)

By choosing a suitable format, you can easily steer the HR manager's attention to certain sections and away from others.

Whether you’re a recent graduate, an experienced professional, or someone looking to change careers, there’s a format that will help highlight your unique strengths, qualifications, and work history.

This article will explore the different types of resume formats, help you decide which one is right for YOU, and show you examples of well-formatted resumes that you can use as your first draft.

Click on a section to skip

Three standard resume formats

How to choose the best resume format for you, how to organize each resume format, fresher resume format , tips for how to format any resume, key takeaways: choosing the best resume format in 2024.

There are three standard resume formats that are most commonly used when applying for jobs:

Chronological resume
Functional resume
Combination (hybrid) resume

Each of them has different attributes and serves a different purpose. Here's a chart with a quick overview of each format .


Work experience	Experienced professionals	Work experience Education Skills	Include details about your achievements using bullet points
Skills	Recent graduates, career-changers, after a long gap	Skills Work experience Education	Include a career objective
Work experience & skills	Career changers, after a short gap, for career growth	Skills Work experience Education	Include other sections, such as achievements
Education	Students	Education Skills Work experience	Highlight coursework/projects relevant for the job

Chronological resume format

The chronological resume format is the most widely used of the bunch. In fact, if you try to think of a traditional resume, you probably think of one written in this format.

What's the main focus of a chronological resume?

This format puts the most emphasis on your work experience section , which should form the bulk of your resume. The individual work experiences should be listed in reverse chronological order (from most recent to oldest). Apart from the names and dates, include a list of your tasks, key (quantifiable) accomplishments, and skills/knowledge gained from the job.

Who is a chronological resume for?

Experienced professionals who have a steady work history and are looking for another job in the same field.
Those with no (or few) periods of unemployment .
Those who want to demonstrate their career growth and highlight their promotions or achievements.

Here's an example:

Chronological resume template

This job seeker has 4+ years of experience in the given industry, making them an experienced professional. The work experience section is the main focus of this resume and apart from the key information about the employer, they also include a list of their tasks, quantifiable achievements, and other accomplishments.

This resume was written by our experienced resume writers specifically for this profession.

Functional resume format

A functional resume is a lot less common than its chronological counterpart. However, it still has a place in the recruitment process and can be an ideal option for certain people. It's also referred to as a skills based resume, and here's why.

What's the main focus of a functional resume?

The functional resume format highlights your relevant and transferable skills and accomplishments, rather than focusing on your chronological work history. The skills section should be placed at the top of your resume and be quite detailed.

Who is a functional resume for?

It's typically used by job seekers who have gaps in their employment history (e.g. when coming back from a leave of absence or maternity leave).
For job seekers who are changing careers , or have limited work experience (like recent graduates ).

Functional resume template

This is a perfect example of how a functional resume can make up for the lack of work experience. This person is a student, which is why they don't have much work experience.

Hence, the skills section is right at the top of their resume. It's also divided into 3 categories to really highlight their capabilities. The profile section nicely complements it, touching upon some of the transferable skills.

Combined resume format

Finally, this combined resume format (also called a hybrid format) combines several aspects of the chronological and functional resume formats. Thanks to its versatility, it helps you incorporate a variety of sections into a single document.

What's the main focus of a combined resume?

As the name suggests, this resume format combines the best of both worlds. It places equal focus on work experience and skills and also engages the reader with a professional summary . It allows you to effectively highlight your diverse skill set and demonstrate it in the work experience section.

Who is a combined resume for?

It's suitable for anyone who has both relevant work experience and skills that they want to emphasize on their resume.
Professionals who are transitioning between similar roles or industries may also find this format very effective.
It's perfect for those changing careers with transferable skills, such as project management, communication, or leadership, that may be applicable to multiple fields.

Combined resume template

This is an exemplary combination resume. Right at the top is a resume summary that engages the reader. The work experience and skills sections form the bulk of this resume and are both very elaborate. Finally, the person also added a volunteering and certificates section as a cherry on top.

Combination resume template

Consider these key things to pick the resume format that best tells your story:

Are you a seasoned professional looking to stay in the same field? If so, go for a chronological resume. A combined resume is also an option.
Are you a fresh graduate? Then use a functional resume to highlight any transferable skills you’ve acquired during your studies or internships.
Do you have less than 2 years of experience? A functional or combined resume are the most suited.
Are you changing careers? A combination and functional resume formats will produce the best results.
Are there any gaps in your employment? If the gap is short, opt for a combination resume. If it's longer, a functional resume is the better option.
Looking to get a promotion or grow your career? A combination or chronological resume will work best.

Furthermore, think about which sections you’d like to emphasize. Is it your recent work history? Or would you rather emphasize your hard skills? Or both at the same time?

The modern combination resume is likely to be the most effective resume format to use in 2024 , as it allows you to display all of your skills , qualifications , and past work experience . However , the best resume format remains one that best showcases your unique career path and objectives.

This flowchart will help you with your decision-making if you're more of a visual person:

Each resume, despite what format it uses, should include a few key resume sections .

However, depending on which resume format you choose, the order and content of those sections will vary.

With Kickresume's resume builder , you can re-order your resume sections however you want them. Simply click on Re-order (left from the resume sections) and drag them to the desired order.

Let's have a look at how to order the sections in each resume format:

How is a chronological resume organized?

Contact information. First, include your name, email, location, and LinkedIn profile .
Professional summary. Briefly reflect on the most relevant qualifications and experience.
Work experience. It should be very detailed. Include all key information about employers, dates, your daily tasks, as well as your key accomplishments, quantifiable achievements, and any knowledge/skills acquired.
Education. Mention the name of the institution, dates, courses, and relevant projects.
Skills. Mention your main skills, but there's no need to go into too much detail.
Optional sections*. These include awards , certifications, references, volunteering, etc.

*Include any optional sections that are relevant to the job or if it's anything you want to highlight.

How is a functional resume organized?

Contact information. Name, email, location, LinkedIn profile, or other relevant socials.
Resume objective. It briefly states your career goals and creates a connection between your skills and abilities and the position you're applying for.
Skills. Carefully study the job description and think of skills that are desirable. If you have any, list them. In addition to listing the skills, you should also describe how you've used (or gained) them. Some of the best transferable skills to have include conflict resolution, critical thinking, and technical skills.
Work experience. List the job titles and dates and add a key accomplishment (1 bullet point).
Education. Names, dates, courses, and relevant projects.
Optional sections*. These include awards, certifications, references , volunteering, etc.

How is a combined resume organized?

Contact information. Include your name, email, location, and LinkedIn profile.
Professional summary. A concise overview of your experience and accomplishments.
Skills. Study the job description and try to cherry-pick the most relevant skills. Ideally, divide them into soft & hard skills.
Work experience. In reverse-chronological order, include all of the key information about the employers, the dates, your daily tasks, key (quantifiable) accomplishments, and any knowledge/skills acquired. You shouldn't be repetitive, so try to vary the language.
Other sections. You should include another section that highlights your experience or is relevant to the job. These include: awards , certifications , professional references , publications , etc.

Need help with writing your resume?

Create your resume with AI in seconds thanks to our GPT-4 powered writer.

And what if you're still a student or you're a graduate fresh out of college? Well, then you should prioritize your education section by placing it before work experience .

In the education section, make sure to highlight relevant coursework and other projects that demonstrate the skills and attributes the hiring managers are looking for and are relevant for the specific job or internship.

Provided that you don’t have much professional experience, consider adding a section about volunteer experiences or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your capabilities.

Here's a sample of a fresher resume format, belonging to a student hired for an internship at Philips:

Fresher resume template

This resume sample was contributed by a real person who got hired with Kickresume’s help.

Additionally, apart from choosing the right resume format, your overall resume formatting should also meet the standards.

Here's a brief summary of the resume formatting recommendations:

Use a standard font. Ensure your resume is easy to read by using a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri and a font size of 11 to 12 points.
Use bullet points. Use bullet points to make your resume easier to scan and highlight important information quickly.
Think about the margins . Strike a good balance between not leaving too much white space and making your resume seem cluttered.
Keep it to one-two pages . Unless you have extensive work experience, you should generally aim to keep your resume to one page.
Consistency is key. In all aspects of your resume, including the spacing, font, margins, etc.
Use a professional template or layout which helps to structure the information effectively and makes it easy to read.

However, if you don't want to bother with manually formatting your resume, you can opt for a pre-formatted resume template.

Kickresume offers resume templates that were carefully designed by professional typographers and approved by HR experts to create the perfect resume hassle-free and quickly.

All templates are already pre-formatted, so you can go directly to filling in the content.

Have a look at some resume templates that got the formatting just right and got hired by Accenture and Amazon :

Software Engineering Team Lead Resume (hired by Accenture)

Amazon systems administrator resume sample (hired by amazon).

In 2024, the modern combination resume may prove to be the most effective resume format as it allows you to highlight your skills, qualifications, and past work experience all at once.

However, the most suitable resume format for you is one that best reflects your individual objectives and career stage.

Your ultimate goal is to help recruiters extract key information about you as quickly as possible. The resume format is the tool that helps you do that.

What's more, the proper layout of a resume with well-defined individual sections will make your resume look good and professional.

Let’s recap 3 main points concerning the resume format:

Make that format choice. Think about things you’re proud of. Is it your extensive work history or a broad array of skills ? If it’s a no-brainer, use either a chronological or functional resume. If it's all closely intertwined, go for a combined resume format.
Put the best parts first. The top one-third of your resume is where the most important stuff is. Whether it’s your skills, work history, or education, make it stand out.
Use resume templates. These are already pre-formatted for you, and you can re-order the sections simply by dragging.

FAQ: Resume format

The combination resume is the most effective resume format as it allows you to highlight your skills, qualifications, and past work experience all at once.

1. Include standard resume sections. Contact information, resume summary, work experience, education, skills. 2. Include optional resume sections. Awards, references, certifications, publications, projects, etc. 3. Choose a resume format. The three standard are: chronological, functional, combination. 4. Use bullet points. Use bullet points to make your resume easier to scan and highlight important information quickly. 6. Think about the margins . Strike a good balance between not leaving too much white space and making your resume seem cluttered. 7. Keep it to one-two pages . Unless you have extensive work experience, you should generally aim to keep your resume to one page. 8. Consistency is key. In all aspects of your resume, including the spacing, font, margins, etc. 9. Use a professional resume template or layout which helps to structure the information effectively and makes it easy to read.

Here's what you should list for each reference: 1. Their full name 2. Their current job title and organization 3. Their contact details (email and phone number will do) 4. Your relationship with them (e.g., Former Supervisor)

This article was recently updated. The original article was written by Jakub Kaprál in 2020 .

Klara graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After having written resumes for many of her fellow students, she began writing full-time for Kickresume. Klara is our go-to person for all things related to student or 'no experience resumes'. At the same time, she has written some of the most popular resume advice articles on this blog. Her pieces were featured in multiple CNBC articles. When she's not writing, you'll probably find her chasing dogs or people-watching while sipping on a cup of coffee.

Career after the military get hired fast with this veteran resume guide, the complete guide to an irresistible college student resume (resume examples included), share this article, join our newsletter.

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The Best Resume Formats to Use in 2024 [+ Examples]

3 key takeaways

What a resume format is (plus three types you should know about)
How to choose the best resume format for your experience (with examples and templates)
How to format your resume with the free Teal AI Resume Builder

You have the experience, you have the skills, but how do you make a good first impression on paper?

It's all about your resume format.

The right presentation can snag a hiring manager's attention. But the wrong one might send your application into a digital black hole.

Learning how to structure a professional resume that emphasizes your strengths and impact is key. And knowing how to format that resume can transform just a "piece of paper" into your next opportunity.

Want to choose the best resume format for your experience without more research and manual work? Sign up for Teal for free .

What is a resume format?

Resume format refers to the layout and structure of a resume, which is designed to provide a snapshot of your professional background and qualifications.

There are many options, each with unique pros and cons. But choosing the best resume format ultimately depends on your experience and the job requirements of the position you’re applying for.

Why is it important to format your resume?

Formatting your resume makes a difference in how potential employers see you as a candidate.

Here's why getting it right is so important:

Grabs attention

Catching a potential employer's attention is key when it comes to your resume.

A polished, well-organized resume looks appealing and signals that you take your work seriously.

To grab attention, use a clean layout, choose a professional font, and make sure there's plenty of white space to make it easy on the eyes. Also, incorporate bold headings and bullet points to break up text and make it easier for people to skim through your document.

Not sure what this looks like? Check out the best resume templates designed and optimized by career experts based on what has proven to drive hiring decisions.

Organizes work experience

Resume organization is vital for showcasing your skills and experience. This means every section is clearly labeled and easy to find.

Then, within these sections, list information logically, such as chronological order of work experience By doing so, potential employers can quickly identify your most recent roles and accomplishments.

Properly arranging your information helps hiring managers find what they're looking for and makes your resume more user-friendly and professional.

Highlights achievements

Your resume is the perfect place to showcase your accomplishments, and the right formatting can make them stand out. Use bullet points to list achievements concisely and clearly.

Start each bullet point with a strong resume action verb and quantify your successes with numbers, percentages, or other metrics whenever possible. This gives potential employers a better understanding of your impact in previous roles.

For example:

Boosted employee productivity by 200% and achieved 50% fewer misplaced documents by creating/implementing a new filing system

Presents a professional image

A well-formatted resume creates a professional image. It's a direct reflection of your personal brand and immediately sends a positive signal to hiring managers.

Here are a few tips for building a professional resume:

Pay close attention to details like consistency in font style and size, alignment, and spacing
Double-check for grammatical errors and typos, which can make your resume look sloppy and unprofessional
Use a resume file format that's widely accepted and easily parsed by applicant tracking systems (ATS), like a PDF

The best resume formats to use

Now that you understand what they are and why you need them, it's time to get familiar with the three main resume formats.

These formats include:

Chronological resume format
Functional resume format
Hybrid or combination resume format

1. Chronological resume

The chronological resume format (or reverse chronological resume format) is the most popular. This layout emphasizes your most recent work experience first.

Using this format is super straightforward—list your experience, starting with your most recent position, and work backward.

How to format a chronological resume

In a chronological resume, each job entry includes the job title, company name, dates of employment, and key achievements with impact relevant to the position you're applying for. This gives potential employers a clear picture of your work experience and your contributions in previous roles.

A chronological resume format includes the following sections in this order:

Contact Information
Target Title
Professional Summary
Work Experience
Certifications
Optional – Projects – Awards and Scholarships – Volunteering and Leadership – Publications

How is a chronological resume organized?

The chronological resume is organized by time, with the most recent experiences listed first.

The core of this organizational style is the Work Experience section, where each job is presented in reverse chronological order to showcase a clear timeline of your career progression.

This meticulous structure helps employers quickly understand your background, accomplishments, growth trajectory, and the skills you bring to the table.

When to use a chronological resume format

A reverse-chronological resume format is ideal when you have a solid, continuous work history in a specific field. It's the most common resume format, so hiring professionals are most familiar with it.

It's great for showcasing your career growth and highlighting your relevant experiences.

Choose this format to emphasize your consistent work history and progression in a particular industry.

However, this format might not be the best choice for everyone. If you have large employment gaps or are switching careers, a different resume format might be better for highlighting your relevant skills and experiences.

Example of a chronological resume format

2. Functional resume

The functional resume format, also known as the skills-based resume, focuses on your skills, experience, and achievements rather than your work history.

It's designed to showcase your most relevant skills that align with a specific job instead of listing job titles and work experience. And while your work history is briefly mentioned with minimal details, the primary focus of a functional resume template is your skill set group.

A functional format can be helpful for those just starting out, anyone with gaps in their employment history, career changers , or individuals with limited work experience. Just be aware that some employers might be skeptical of functional resumes because they don't offer a clear timeline of your work history.

How to format a functional resume

In a functional resume, the more expansive Work History section is replaced with a Skills section focusing on three or four skills with achievements and impact (in the form of resume bullet points). These skills should always be relevant to the position you're applying for—giving potential employers a clear picture of how you used them in previous roles.

A functional or skills-based resume format generally includes the following sections:

Professional Summary
Skills (with achievements and impact)
Employment History (if applicable)

How is a functional resume organized?

The functional resume format focuses on organizing skills and prioritizing your top aptitudes that align with a specific job.

The core of this organizational style is the Skills section. Each skill is presented clearly, followed by resume bullet points that outline the ways you used that specific ability to have an impact.

This structure helps employers quickly understand how your competencies align directly with the needs of the position they're trying to fill.

When to use a functional resume format

A functional resume format is a fine option for job seekers just starting out, those with gaps in their employment history, or anyone making a career change.

As this professional resume format emphasizes your skills and abilities rather than your work history, it's a good way to showcase transferable skills and demonstrate your value to a new employer.

When choosing between a functional vs. chronological resume , remember while a functional resume can be a great way to emphasize skills and accomplishments, it's important to consider the potential pros and cons of not showing your comprehensive work history before committing to this format.

Example of a functional resume format

3. Combination resume

The combination resume format (also called a hybrid resume format) combines chronological and functional formats.

It's designed to showcase your work history and specific abilities, making it a great professional resume template for those who want to focus on hard skills and work history.

The combination or hybrid resume is particularly helpful if you want to highlight your specific expertise while also mapping out your career progression. It's especially great for those in industries focusing heavily on tools, software, technical expertise, or specific methodologies.

Pro Tip: If you're trying to decide between a combination resume and another format, Teal's AI Resume Builder lets you quickly build a hybrid-style resume using the Drag-and-Drop Editor. This way, you can decide what works best for you without having to manually format your content (and then manually reformatting it if you don't love what you see).

How to format a combination resume

In a combination resume, your work history is presented in reverse chronological order, just like the chronological format.

However, because it's a hybrid between the two other formats, rather than putting skills at the bottom, a combination resume also focuses on skills by listing them directly beneath the professional summary and above your work experience.

A combination or hybrid resume format generally includes the following sections:

Contact information

How is a combination resume organized?

The combination resume is organized by skills and work experience, focusing on your top skills and relevant work history that align with a specific job description.

The core of this organizational style is the layout. A list of skills (preferably hard skills) is presented clearly, followed by work experience with resume bullet points outlining your achievements and impact in specific roles.

This structure helps employers quickly view your skills without taking emphasis away from your background, accomplishments, and growth trajectory.

When to use a combination resume format

A combination resume format is the perfect blend of chronological and functional resumes.

It's ideal for those with a mix of experiences or a combination of work history and specific skills. This format is a great option if you want to emphasize both history and skills, presenting a well-rounded picture of your professional background.

Example of a combination resume format

Choose a resume format with Teal

With Teal's flexible resume design, you can change your resume format in just a few clicks. Use the Drag-and-Drop Editor to move any section, change the name of those sections to fit your experience, and more!

Examples of the best resume formats

Now that you understand the different types of formats, let's take a look at a few resume format examples for:

Candidates with no experience
Candidates making a career pivot
Creative roles
Technical roles
Senior-level roles

Teal Note: While this post only covers five examples of resume formats, you can also find an extensive selection of over 1500 resume examples developed by experts to help you win in 2024. Each example gives you a professional resume broken down by professional title and experience.

Best resume format if you don’t have work experience

Writing a resume with no relevant work experience offers the chance to highlight the skills and strengths you've developed in other areas of your life. The resume format you choose should provide an opportunity to showcase your potential, adaptability, and diverse experiences that have shaped your unique skill set.

Benefits of a functional resume format for no work experience

If you're a job seeker with little or no experience, a functional or skills-based resume might be one of the better resume format options.

A functional resume will help you emphasize transferable skills over work history, which is more ideal for those with limited job experience. You can showcase relevant skills and experiences from other aspects of your life, like volunteer work and academic accomplishments.

If you'd rather stick to a more traditional resume format, you can also swap your Work Experience section for a more comprehensive Education section that includes relevant courses or projects.

Example of a resume with no work experience

An example resume format for no work experience

What to love about this resume

First, you’ll note that the resume summary or short professional bio still focuses on what this candidate has done rather than talking about their professional goals or objectives.

The use of data, numbers, and metrics in the Skills section indicates this applicant has the proper training, knowledge, and hands-on experience to be considered for an interview.

But it's worth noting that as Ayesha Patel gains more work experience, this resume would ideally change to a chronological or hybrid format.

Best resume formats for pivoting careers

When pivoting careers, a functional resume can be useful as it allows you to highlight relevant skills. However, a hybrid resume is often more effective, blending your skills and experiences with a concise work history.

This combination resume format showcases not only your qualifications and abilities in new areas but also provides context with your career progression, making it a strong choice for career transitions.

Benefits of a combination format when pivoting careers

A combination format enables you to showcase transferable skills and relevant work experience.

This format is great for career pivots, as it demonstrates your previous experience while emphasizing transferable skills applicable to your new career path.

Example resume format for a career pivot

This candidate focuses on the transferable skills they have that align with a specific job while being clear about relevant certifications and work history.

This simple resume format is clear and easy to scan, and it highlights the right skills and experience for a prospective new position.

Best resume formats for creative roles

Creative roles are inherently dynamic and multifaceted. A creative resume template that focuses on both what you've done and how you've done it provides a more comprehensive look at your qualifications.

Benefits of a chronological resume format for a creative role

A chronological format is probably your best bet if you're a job seeker in a creative position.

Creative roles often prioritize a traditional work history and a portfolio of your work. A chronological resume lets you highlight your experiences tailored to the job you're after, while a separate portfolio showcases your skills.

Example resume for creative roles

An example resume format for creative roles

This resume reveals an accomplished person in a creative field by highlighting a consistent and progressive work history.

In other words, it balances creativity with professionalism, showing hiring managers that while this person is a creative spirit, they're a serious candidate who has made an impact in other positions.

Pro Tip: When you're applying for a position in a creative field, remember to include your portfolio URL at the top of your resume in your contact information. Your portfolio is where your creativity will shine brightest.

Best resume formats for technical roles

For technical roles, the best resume formats emphasize proficiency in tools, software, and technical methodologies.

A reverse-chronological format that highlights your most recent technical experiences and projects can be effective. But, combining this with elements of a functional resume to create a hybrid format, where specific technical skills, tools, and software are also prominently displayed, ensures that your expertise aligns with more specific tech requirements.

Benefits of using a hybrid format for a technical role

Using a hybrid resume format for technical roles merges the structured detail of your work history with a focused showcase of your tech skills.

This approach not only highlights various tools and technologies but also contextualizes them within your professional journey. It provides a balanced view, demonstrating how your technical capabilities have been applied and developed through your career, catering specifically to the nuanced needs of technical positions.

Example hybrid format for a technical role

An example resume format for technical roles

This resume reveals an accomplished person in a technical field. It highlights the right tools and tech for someone in this position alongside a consistent and progressive work history.

In other words, it balances tools and professionalism, showing hiring managers that this person has the right experience and skills for the job.

Best resume formats for senior-level positions

For senior-level positions, your resume format should chronicle your career progression and highlight the strategic impact of your contributions. Think of it as a document that tells the story of your leadership, decision-making, and the significant results you've driven.

Benefits of using a chronological format for a senior-level position

For senior-level and executive positions, a chronological resume is best because it clearly outlines leadership experience, measurable achievements, and relevant skills and qualifications—demonstrating your ability to lead and make strategic decisions. This format prioritizes work history and career progression, important for roles requiring a solid record of success and leadership.

However, keep in mind it's important to prioritize professional achievements from roles within the last ten to fifteen years to:

Emphasize your most recent accomplishments
Focus on experience that's relevant to the position
Keep your resume as concise as possible

Example resume format for a senior-level position

An example resume for a senior-level position

In concise, bullet-point form, this reverse chronological resume shows the measurable impact this candidate had at previous companies.

Without being too long or over the top, all of the information is scannable and easy to digest, perfect for any hiring manager to review easily.

9 resume format best practices

Ready to format your resume? Here are some best practices for getting it right.

1. Keep it simple and easy to read

Keeping your resume simple and easy to read is important to ensure that hiring managers can quickly understand your qualifications.

To do this:

Write with a clean and easy-to-read resume font , such as Arial or Times New Roman
make sure the font size is large enough to be easily read, typically between 10 and 12 points
Keep the formatting consistent throughout the document
Use consistent font, font size, and formatting for headings, bullet points, and other text

2. Use bullet points

Bullet points are an excellent way to make your resume more readable and user-friendly.

They allow the reader to scan your resume and identify key information. Use them to list your:

Professional achievements with impact
Multiple certifications or degrees

When using bullet points for professional achievements, begin each with a strong action verb and use specific examples.

3. Be consistent

Consistency helps to create a cohesive document and makes it easier for hiring managers to read and understand your qualifications.

Ensure consistent formatting for headings, font sizes, and bullet points. Use the same font, font size, and formatting throughout the document.

4. Include white space

Proper use of white space is crucial to create a visually appealing and easy-to-read resume. White space refers to the areas of the page that are left blank or unoccupied by text or images.

Use resume margins, line spacing, and breaks to create space between different sections. This will help to highlight essential information and make it stand out.

5. Customize your content

Tailoring your resume to the specific job you're applying for can increase your chances of getting noticed by potential employers.

Rather than sending out a generic resume, take the time to customize it to the specific job and company. To do this:

Carefully review the job description
Note the required skills, qualifications, and experiences.
Customize your resume by emphasizing these skills and your experiences that align with the job requirements

6. Keep it concise

Keeping your resume concise is an important part of standard resume formatting.

While providing enough information to showcase your qualifications and experiences is important, a resume that's too long can be overwhelming and challenging to read.

To keep your resume concise, focus on providing only relevant experience and skills.

7. Proofread carefully

Proofreading your resume is crucial to keeping it error-free and presenting yourself in the best possible light.

Typos, grammatical errors, and formatting issues can make you appear unprofessional and decrease your chances of getting hired.

To proofread your resume carefully, read it slowly and pay attention to each sentence. Check for spelling and grammar errors, and make sure that the formatting is consistent throughout the document.

8. Use an ATS-friendly resume format

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are digital filing systems used by recruiters to organize resumes and during the hiring process.

To make sure your resume scans correctly into these organizational tools, use a resume file format that's widely accepted and easily parsed by the ATS, like a PDF .

9. Take advantage of Teal's free resume templates

One of the best ways to save yourself time and quickly get up and running with your resume is to find a quality template that is designed for best practices.

Teal has over 100 free resume templates spanning multiple styles and formats that you can use.

How to make and format your resume with Teal (in two steps)

Step 1. Create your resume

Start by logging into Teal .

If you don't already have an account, you can get started for free. This lets you test the software and see if it’s the right fit for you.

Click the Resume Builder icon from the left navigation menu. Then click "New Resume" in the top right corner.

Now, create your resume. Fill in the resume sections by following the built-in guidance. (You can also upload an existing resume or your LinkedIn profile to save time.)

Pro Tip: If you're feeling stuck, try Teal's AI to create your professional summary and resume bullet points. AI will give you a great starting point and help you beat the blank page.

Step 2. Format your resume

Teal gives you complete control over your resume formatting so you can submit every application with confidence.

To see flexible resume formatting options, click the Design tab at the top of your screen.

Teal's flexible resume design features allow you to blend your unique style and career journey so you can apply with confidence. Let’s look at how each feature can improve or change your resume’s format.

Resume presentation

This is where you can make changes to the following elements:

Presentation: Choose from 10+ ATS-friendly modern, traditional, or creative templates
Style: Select new fonts, accent colors, & line height

Resume sections

This is where you can change the organization of your resume:

Sections: Reorder all of your resume sections
Section titles: Rename any of your resume sections to match your experience and preferred format

Resume settings

Here you can customize the layout of specific information:

Format: Dates, location, and experience
Highlight: Opt to focus on specific companies, positions, degrees, and more

Advanced resume design

If you opt for a Teal+ membership to take advantage of more advanced tools, Teal+ is $9/week and with it you get:

Advanced Styles : Change your bullet points and dividers
Text Sizing : Choose different text weights, sizes, and customize headings, titles, and more
Text Transformation : Opt for all CAPS or as written depending on your preferences
Vertical Spacing: Change up your white space between sections
Border Formatting: Add, remove, and format borders between sections

Choose the best resume format with Teal

Your resume formatting impacts your first impression on potential employers. The best resume format is visually appealing at first glance while effectively highlighting your key strengths and experiences.

Teal's AI Resume Builder offers a comprehensive solution for all your resume formatting. With a wide range of templates and design options, Teal eliminates the tedious manual work of formatting and researching best practices.

Whether you want to change your resume's structure or refresh its style, Teal's user-friendly platform empowers you to adjust your format with just a few clicks—giving you full control over the presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best format for a resume.

The best resume format depends on your career history and the job you're applying for. Chronological, functional, and hybrid formats each cater to different needs, with chronological being the most common and well-received.

What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Employers typically prefer a resume format that is clear, well-organized, and highlights your relevant experiences and skills. Chronological resumes are often favored because they provide a straightforward timeline of your work history, but the best choice can vary based on your industry and career stage.

What is a common mistake made on resumes?

A common mistake on resumes is the lack of proper formatting and attention to detail, which can lead to a cluttered appearance and make it difficult for employers to quickly find the most relevant information.

Using Teal’s free AI Resume Builder can help you avoid these issues with ATS-friendly templates and design tools that ensure a professional, clean presentation.

Kayte Grady

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The 3 Best Resume Formats To Use (With Examples)

Resume Templates
General Resume Examples
Resume Format
Resume Margins
Resume Header
Work Experience On Resume
Irrelevant Work Experience
Listing Languages On Resume
Volunteer Work On Resume
GPA On Resume
Resume Title
Summary Of Qualifications
Resume Picture
Python Project On Resume
Google Docs Resume Template
Professional Bio On Resume
Multiple Positions At Same Company
Relevant Coursework Resume
Where And How To Put Internships On Your Resume
Professional Resume Formats

Your resume will be the first impression a hiring manager will have of you, which is why you should choose the best format that fits your needs. The format you choose will help convey all of your information and communicate your skills.

Whether you’re making your first resume or need to revisit it before you apply for a new position, we’ll go over the three best resume formats to use, provide some example resume formats, and ways to format your resume to help get you started.

Key Takeaways:

The three types of resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination.

Make sure to keep the design of your resume simple and easy to read.

Keep your font to a san-serif font and size 10-12 point font.

Limit your resume to one to two pages and keep your information concise.

Comprehensive Guide To Resume Formats (With Examples)

The top 3 most common resume formats

Resume format examples, how to format your resume, resume writing tips, resume guide faq.

The top three most common resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination. Each of these resume formats has its strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll likely need to use more than one of them at some point in your career.

Here is more information on each of these types of resume formats:

Chronological resume. The chronological resume’s name is a little misleading, as it requires you to arrange your work history in reverse chronological order. This is probably the most common resume format, and it’s great to use when you have some work experience in your field that relates to the position you’re applying for.

For instance, if you were pursuing a career in marketing and you earned your degree in marketing, interned at an advertising firm, got a job in the marketing department at a company, and are now applying for another marketing-based role, a chronological resume is likely going to be your best choice. This is also the best choice if you aren’t sure which resume format to choose.

There are a few different ways to arrange the content on your chronological resume, and you’ll choose what works best for you based on your skills, experience, and even the particular role you’re applying for. Usually, though, your summary will come first, followed by your work experience or professional history, relevant skills , and educational history.

Functional resume. A functional resume is a great option for a job seeker who may not have a lot of experience in the particular field that they’re trying to enter. This includes recent graduates as well as more seasoned members of the workforce who are trying to change career paths or who have had some significant gaps in employment.

While a chronological resume organizes your work experience by the positions you’ve held, a functional resume arranges it based on the skills you acquired from your different positions. These include both technical and soft skills .

For example, if the description of the job you’re applying for wants someone who has strong communication and organizational skills, you’d make those your headers and then turn the ways you’ve demonstrated those skills into your bullet points. You can and should still add your work history , but that isn’t the main focus and is usually at the bottom of the page .

The beauty of this resume format is that it doesn’t matter if you demonstrate your communication skills as a camp counselor , a student body president , or a restaurant server , it just matters that you have them.

Combination resume. Aptly named, the combination resume is a combination of both the chronological and functional resume formats.

This type of resume focuses more on your skills than a chronological one does since it puts them at the top, but it also features more of your work experience and the responsibilities you hold than a functional one does.

Because of this, this resume format is a great choice if you have a lot of work experience that doesn’t align perfectly with the position you’re applying for. Focusing more on your skills than your position titles allows you to show how your experiences can and will transfer to this new job.

Here are examples of each of the most common resume formats:

Chronological resume example:

Lester Knopp [email protected] | 444-333-2222 | Pawnee, Indiana SUMMARY Passionate about finding new ways to connect customers with an organization, I have six years of experience in marketing and am now looking for an opportunity to grow my skills in a position as a marketing manager . WORK EXPERIENCE Marketing Coordinator New Blue Apparel Chicago, Illinois August 2018-Present Managed email marketing campaigns, increasing click rates by 10% in one year. Worked with graphic designers and copywriters to create emails and social media posts that effectively communicated our message. Shot and edited footage to create 16 marketing videos for the website. Oversaw and completed projects for an average of three internal clients each month. Updated website content. Social Media Manager Illinois State University Fredricksville, Illinois June 2015 – August 2018 Helped develop social media strategy for university’s profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Developed and managed a six-month Facebook marketing campaign, resulting in an 8% ROI. Curated and scheduled content for social media. SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS Salesforce, MailChimp, Adobe Photoshop (moderate), Adobe Illustrator (moderate), Microsoft Office Suite, Google Analytics Advanced Certification, Facebook Analytics, Twitter Analytics, HootSuite. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Marketing August 2011 – May 2015 Illinois State University Freidricksville, Illinois

Functional resume example:

One of the most important things to remember with this resume format is that the skills you choose to highlight should reflect the ones listed in the description of the job you’re applying for. The purpose of your resume is to show why you’re the best candidate for this particular position , so make sure recruiters know the exact reasons why you are the best fit.

Rosa Martinez [email protected] | 333-222-1111 | San Francisco, California SUMMARY Graphic designer who recently graduated from the University of California Los Angeles. Passionate about creating a good design that solves a problem. Looking for an opportunity to apply and grow my skills. SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Advanced knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite Comfortable with managing multiple projects and deadlines at once with minimal supervision Problem-solver who works well on a team or independently SKILLS Graphic Design and Illustration Created original logo and branding for small businesses. The design won, “best branding” in a nationwide collegiate business plan competition Illustrated 15-page children’s book for literature student’s senior project Produced a unique poster for each of the 36 campus events coordinated by the student council Typography Designed two new fonts. Handled typography portions of two group graphic design projects Print Production Formatted all final student council graphic design team designs and submitted them to the printer ORGANIZATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT Created schedule of deadlines for student council graphic design team Led four teams to complete group projects on time and with a grade of 90% or above Managed a part-time job and a full class load for four years while maintaining a 4.0 GPA Kept track of table reservations and server workloads at a four-star restaurant WORK EXPERIENCE Graphic Designer | 2017-2019 UCLA Student Council | Los Angeles, California Hostess | 2015-2017 Malino’s Italian Restaurant | Los Angeles, California EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design | 2015-2019 University of California Los Angeles

Combination resume example:

William McKay [email protected] | 777-888-9999 | Topeka, Kansas SKILLS SUMMMARY Curriculum Development Created curriculum for the department of four second-grade classes for three years in a row. Developed curriculum plan that the principal used as an example for the rest of the fourth-grade teachers. Trained six new teachers in curriculum development. Communication Implemented a new parent communication plan that received high parent reviews and was used by other teachers. Presented science lab instruction best practices at a statewide education conference. Persuaded the school board to add art classes for fourth-grade students. Time Management Created a grading checkpoint system that kept grading on track throughout the year. Taught new instructors how to grade and plan lessons promptly while still minimizing the amount of after-hours work they have to do. EXPERIENCE Second Grade Teacher | Wichita Public Schools 2018-Present | Wichita, Kansas Taught second-grade classrooms ranging in size from 15-25 students. Headed council of all second-grade teachers at the school. Coordinated field trips for all four second-grade classes. Fourth Grade Teacher | Cedar Point Public Schools 2016-2018 | Cedar Point, Kansas Taught classes of 30-35 fourth-grade students. Coordinated fourth-grade family talent show fundraising event, raising $7,500 for the school. ADDITIONAL SKILLS Microsoft Office Suite, Gradekeeper, What2Learn, QuizFaber, Adobe Illustrator (basic), Edmodo EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts of Elementary Education Wichita State University | August 2012 – May 2016 Summa Cum Laude

When formatting your resume, be sure you pick a simple design and split your information into sections. Here is a more detailed list of how to format your resume:

Pick a simple design. There are a million eye-catching resume templates out there, and while there’s nothing wrong with adding some polish to yours, it’s best to keep it simple.

Don’t choose one that overpowers your message with graphics or gets too creative with formatting. Not only will that make it more difficult for recruiters to scan through and understand, but your entire resume may get stopped by an automated Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Keep your margins ½ inch or larger. Start with a one-inch margin, and then shrink it down as you need to. Don’t make it any smaller than ½ inch, though, because that not only looks unprofessional, but may also risk your text getting cut off when it transfers through computer programs or is converted to a PDF by the recipient.

Divide your content into sections. Your resume should be divided into clear sections that are easy to read. This will make it easier for the hiring manager to read. The sections you should have on your resume are:

Contact information

Work history or experience section

Skills section

Education section

Using these sections will help you highlight more information that’s relevant to the job without cluttering up your resume. Some additional sections you can use to add relevant information include volunteer work, awards, or publications.

Use headings and sub-headings. Use headings and subheadings to help set your sections apart. This includes your name and contact information that you put at the top of your resume.

You can do this by making your headers and contact information bold, underlining them, making them a slightly larger font size (12-14 points is acceptable for headers), using a different typeface, or a combination of these.

When writing a resume, be sure to use a professional font and make readability a priority. This will help make it easier to read for a hiring manager and make a good first impression. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when writing your resume:

Select the right font. You should only use one font for your resume, two at the most. The most professional fonts to use are typically a sans-serif font or serif font such as:

Once you choose your typeface, set the size to 10-12 points. If you go outside of that range, it gets more difficult to read and looks like you’re either trying to cram in too much content or are compensating for not having enough.

Try to stick to one to two pages. Your resume should be one to two pages. Long resumes can often get tossed out because hiring managers don’t have time to look them over. If you don’t have enough content, use a 12-point font, increase your margins slightly, and find ways to add some more white space between each section. If your resume still looks sparse, you might just need to add some more information.

If you have too much content, on the other hand, shrink your font down to 10 points and look for ways to make your writing more concise. Cut out unnecessary words such as “that,” “a,” “an,” and “and.” Your resume bullet points can be bare-bones and missing articles and still get your point across.

Make readability the priority. Once you’ve formatted your resume , go back over it and make sure it’s easy to follow. Ask a friend to do the same if you can.

If there’s anything that trips you up, change it, even if that means you have to change your design. Ease of use should trump aesthetics when it comes to your resume.

Use bullet points where appropriate. Large blocks of content can be hard to read and digest and bullet points can help fix that problem. Bullet points will break up these blocks of content so the hiring manager or recruiter who is reading it will get all the information quicker. It’s also a great way to highlight key points and relevant skills or achievements.

Keep your content concise. Since resumes are meant to be one page, keeping your content concise will help you create the best resume. You should only include any information that is relevant to the position or company that you are applying for. You should also use short sentences because they are easier to read.

What are the three common resume formats?

The top three most popular resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination. The other types of resumes include:

Resume profile

Nontraditional resume

Infographic resume

Targeted resume

What are some professional fonts to use on a resume?

Professional fonts to use on a resume include:

Times New Roman

Arial Narrow

How long should a resume be?

Your resume should be one to two pages long. Ideally, a resume should be one page long for recent graduates or professionals with one to 10 years of experience.

Keeping your resume your short will help you get noticed by a hiring manager because they typically only have a few seconds to look over any resume. Your resume should have any relevant information to the job you are applying to.

Minnesota State – Types of Resumes

Forbes – 5 Resume Formatting Tips That Captivate Recruiters

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Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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Resume & CV

20+ Free Nursing Resume Templates (Examples to Download for 2024)

A successful job search strategy helps you find and land your dream nursing job. You'll need to create a resume and cover letter that gets you interviews. Let's look at some nursing resume examples that you can download and use.

Clean Nurse Resume Pro (premium nursing template) from Envato Elements

Work smart by using a pre-built resume template. You have options between free and premium templates to pick from. Browse through all available options and download one that fits your needs.

We'll start by checking out 2024's collection of top sample nursing resume templates from Envato Elements. Then we'll explore 20 free nursing resume templates found online.

Find the Best Nursing Resume Templates on Envato Elements for 2024 (Unlimited Use)

Thanks to Envato Elements, lack of time or skill is no longer an obstacle for many. Active membership is an investment that enables you to improve your creative projects effortlessly. Download a premium nursing template and other files without limits.

Unlock access to millions of creative assets on Envato Elements—all for a low fixed monthly fee.

Use any premium resume templates from Envato Elements for your job application

Get access to premium files like:

print, graphics, web, and presentation templates,
video, music, audio, and photo files,
3D objects, fonts, codes, and so much more.

Premium resume templates are modern, creative, well-layered, and most importantly, impressive. Customization is minimal, and in most cases, all you have to do is add your content. Free nursing resume templates fall short and make it risky to use.

5 Best Premium Nursing Resume Templates for 2024

Here are five best nursing resume examples from Envato Elements:

1. Registered Nurses CV Resume Template

This file comes with a single-page resume and cover letter template. It's professionally designed and is a modern minimalistic document. Easily edit the content, add your photo, and you're all set to send out your application.

2. Nurse Resume & Cover Letter Template

This professional document is well-layered and clearly labeled. This premium template is convenient to work with and provides the best possible results. Download and edit this template in Adobe Illustrator today.

3. Nursing CV Template

Here's a black and white template. The sections on the resume are divided creatively and have a modern feel. The design is simple yet uses typographic hierarchy to direct readers to relevant information.

4. CV Resume Word Template

The CV Resume Word Template can be used for any job that you want to apply to. It comes with a matching cover letter that looks professional. In addition, this nurse resume download can be edited in Microsoft Word and Adobe Illustrator. The design is modern and minimal, which makes it versatile.

5. Minimalist Resume

This minimal nurse resume download comes with Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word versions. It features an achievements and skills section where you can show your accomplishments. Plus, there's a QR code in the contact section to link to a website or social media.

20 Top Free Nursing Resume CV Template Examples to Download (2024)

Before we explore the 20 best free nursing resume templates found on the internet, let's look at Envato's free offerings. Download and use any of these premium files for free. It's an opportunity for you to experience premium before signing up.

Envato Elements offers free monthly files .

The file you want to try isn't in this month's collection? As these selections are refreshed monthly, you may be in luck next month.

Here's the offer:

Twelve unique monthly files from Envato Elements are on offer: audio, graphics, video, web, etc. To get your hands on these monthly premium freebies, all you have to do is create a free account.

Let's move on and check out 20 top free sample nursing resume templates found online. These files are available for anyone to use.

1. Free Nurse Resume Template

This is an MS Word sample nursing resume template. The layout is simple and is in black and white.

2. Free Dental Assistant Resume Template

This template was designed for a clerical position at a clinic or hospital. A nurse can easily customize this template to apply for registered nurse positions.

3. Free Nursing Resume Example

This nurse resume template free download includes all important sections a nurse's resume should. But the layout is simple and may not grab attention.

4. Free RN Resume Template

This resume is simple and easy to use. It comes in PDF but can be edited in MS Word.

5. New Grad Nursing Resume Template

This template is designed for a newly graduated nurse with a few years of clinical experience done during studies. It comes in black and white.

6. Nursing Resume Objective Template

There is a clear division between each section in this template. But the design does look a bit dated and not creative.

7. Free RN Resume Template for Microsoft Word

This resume template includes career objectives, skills and achievements, education and qualifications, project work, computer skills, work experience, other achievements, interests, and references.

8. Free Registered Nurse Resume Template

This single-page MS Word resume template is free for anyone to use. It's a simple text-only layout.

9. Amy - Free Sample Nursing Resume Template

This resume is divided into four sections: career objective, experience, education, and licenses. Work within the provided sections to keep the resume as a single-page document.

10. Free Nursing Resume Example

This resume example is very wordy. This document serves well as a content example for a nursing resume.

11. Gray - Free RN Resume Template

This free RN resume template has a dark gray header and footer section. The body of the page is also split into two sections. This color sectioning is neat and a step up from other free sample nursing resume templates.

12. Red - Free Nursing Resume Example

The text on this template is black, but critical information like contact details are in red. You can highlight other texts by turning them red too.

13. Blue - Free Nursing Resume Template

In this template, sections are divided by blue lines. Section headers are in blue too.

14. Free RN Resume Template - Google Docs

This is a free resume and cover letter set template for any registered nurse to use. You can edit or customize these templates of Google Docs.

15. Free Medical CV Template

Here's a Google Docs template you can use to apply for any medical-related jobs. Highlights are in blue.

16. Amazing - Free Medical Resume Template

This is a two-paged resume Google Docs template. Texts are in light blue, and highlights are in red.

17. Free Nurse Resume Modern Template

Here's a two-paged, black and white resume template. Sections are divided by lines.

18. Free Nurse Resume Traditional

This template comes in PDF but can be edited on MS Word. It's a traditional format that can come off looking dated.

19. RN - Free Nursing Resume Template

This is a single-page registered nurse resume template for free. Easily edit this template on MS Word or Google Docs.

20. Free Registered Nurse Resume Template

Here's a four-page resume template that thoroughly covers all sections with a few examples. Bold texts are used to highlight titles and essential information.

How to Customize a Nurse Resume in Microsoft Word

After you’ve chosen a free resume template for nurses or a premium template, you’ll want to customize it.

This premium Resume Template is from Envato Elements.

In this tutorial, the Resume Word from Envato Elements is used. Because this template has a simple design, you can use it for any job you apply to.

Let's get started:

1. Add Your Information

When you open your nurse resume download template, you’ll notice that it's already filled out. This is to show you where information is supposed to go.

To replace the text that comes with your template, first highlight the text you want to replace. Next, press the Delete button on your keyboard.

2. Customize the Font

If you don’t like the font on your template, you can change it easily.

Highlight the text that you want to change the font of.
Click on the Home tab above the toolbar. You’ll see a font field with the current font in the home tab.
Click on the arrow in this field. When you click on this arrow, a menu drops down. From this menu, choose the font that you want to use.

To change the font size, there's a Font Size field next to the Font menu field. Click on the arrow in the field to access the font size menu. Then, choose the right font for you from the menu.

3. Customize the Colors

Some companies require a plain resume, while others want you to show your creativity or personality. If you want to show your personality in a fun way without going over the top, then adding color by changing the background is the easiest way.

Click on the white space in your resume.
Click on the Design tab.
You'll see a Page Color button in the toolbar under the design tab. Click the arrow next to that button.
When you click on this button, a color menu appears. Choose the color of your choice.

4. Add an Image

Some resumes require a headshot. If you’re applying to a job that does require one, you need to know how to add the image to your resume.

After choosing your image and knowing where the file is located, click on the Insert tab.

Next, click on the Pictures button in the toolbar. When you click on this button, a menu appears. Choose the right option depending on where your image file is located. Adjust the image as needed.

5. Save as a PDF

Some companies would prefer if you sent them a PDF version of your resume. This is also good information if you need to email your resume.

To save your resume as a PDF, click on the File option on the toolbar at the top of your screen. When you click on this option, a menu appears.
Choose the Save As… option. When you click Save As , a window appears. In that window, there's a File Format: field. Click on the arrow in that field.
When you click on the arrow, a menu drops down. Click the PDF option.
Once the option is selected, click on the blue Save button at the bottom of the window.

5 Quick Tips To Make Great Nursing Resumes in 2024

Do you need to create an impressive nursing resume, and are you unsure how to go about it? Here are five quick tips for setting you on the right path for this job application:

1. Add Better Keywords and Phrases

Increase the chances of getting called for an interview by adding relevant keywords and phrases to your CV. Recruiters use Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software or manually screen applications to assess applicants' compatibility to the position. Learn more about the importance of keywords for resumes with this guide:

2. Highlights and Section Dividers

There are many ways to highlight and show clear division of sections. But some approaches like lines and bold fonts can look dated. While dividing by background colors can look clean and modern.

Medical-Themed Resume from Envato Elements, uses colors to creatively divide sections

Medical-Themed Resume (premium template) from Envato Elements, uses colors to creatively divide sections

Keep this in mind while selecting your template and be sure to go with a template that creatively separates sections. A well-designed resume grabs attention, is easy to read, and directs your eyes to vital information.

3. Provide References Upon Request

Licenses and Certification is included instead of references here on Medical CV Resume & Cover Letter (Envato Elements)

Licenses and Certification is included instead of References on the premium Medical CV Resume & Cover Letter (Envato Elements)

Leave out the references from your resume. You've got limited space to work with, and you can provide the references upon request. The goal, for now, is to include as much information (with keywords) to get an interview.

4. Go Visual With Infographics

Medical Resume from Envato Elements, uses simple graphics and icons to visualize some texts

Medical Resume (premium example) uses simple graphics and icons to visualize some texts

Visuals grab attention more than texts. Turn timelines, skills, or software knowledge into graphics. Icons are also a great way to add more color to your resume.

5. Stand Out With a Personal Brand Statement

Consider adding a personal brand statement to your CV. It summarizes your current position in your career and what you can bring to the company. Check out this article to find out how you can write a great personal brand statement:

5 Resume Design Trends

It'll help your job search if your resume looks current. Here are some top resume design trends to incorporate into your resume:

1. List Your Skills

Skills are an essential section that shows your potential employer what you have that they need at a glance. There are two different skills that you can add to your resume. They are:

Hard skills . These are gained through education or work experiences.
Soft skills . These are skills that relate to how you work and interact with others. (For example, communication, teamwork, and Problem-solving.)

Listing your skills is a great way to show your potential employer what makes you stand out among the other applicants.

2. Choose the Right Format

There are several different types of resume formats. Not every format is best for the job that you’re applying to. Here are the three top resume formats:

Reverse Chronological Format . This format is the most common among traditional career paths. The format lists your work history in reverse chronological order, with your current job first and ending with your first job.
Functional Format . This is a great choice for someone applying to a niche career, looking to change careers, or without work experience. In this format, you list skills and experience relevant to the job you’re applying to rather than your work history.
Combination Format . This format will work well for you if you have a diverse work history. This format combines reverse chronological and functional formats.

When choosing which format works for you, consider the job you're applying for and your career field.

3. Include Your Social Media

Your online presence can help your job hunt. Most employers would prefer if you at least have a LinkedIn profile that you can link to on your resume. LinkedIn is a great tool where you can expand your resume. It’s created specifically for job hunters. If you have a creative job, you should link to your website with your portfolio. Before applying for a job, make sure to check all of your social media. Make sure it doesn’t have anything you don’t want potential employers to see.

4. List Your Accomplishments

Instead of just listing job titles, it's more impressive to list your accomplishments. Did you win an award in your career? Add it to the resume.

Did you finish a high number of projects? Add it to your resume. This shows your future employer that you don’t just know how to do your job but that you’re good at your job. Adding your accomplishments can impress the hiring manager and lead to a higher chance of being hired.

Subtle pops of color can make your resume stand out among boring black-and-white resumes. Before adding a pop of color, consider the job you’re applying for. For example, a resume with a hot pink background can look unprofessional if you are applying to be a lawyer. Instead, some resumes have colorful objects that highlight essential information on your resume. This is a great way to add color because you highlight important information without distracting the reader.

Discover More Top Resume Template Designs

Are you interested in exploring some top multipurpose resume templates? Here are three top collections for you to start with.

Learn More About Making Great Resumes in 2024

Put your best foot forward with the help of an impressive registered nurse resume. Are you new at creating resumes and could use some guidance?

Pin this Ultimate Guide to Building a Resume to your browser. It serves as a quick reference with loads of tips to help you land that dream job.

Here are three sample how-to tutorials:

Download a Premium Top Registered Nurse Resume Template Today!

A job application process can feel daunting at times. And not getting called for an interview you wanted is highly frustrating too. Increase your chances of getting interviews by submitting a well-prepared resume that best represents you.

Envato Elements' premium nursing resume templates get you on the right path to creating an impressive resume that'll stand out from the competition. With an active Envato Elements subscription, you'll take all your other creative projects to new heights too. It's time to work smart!

Get the best nurse resume templates from Envato Elements! Subscribe to download now!

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Sarah Joy . Sarah is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

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Change Management Resume: Tips and Best Practices

Change Management involves guiding organisations through transitions to achieve lasting improvements. This blog explores tips and best practices for creating a standout Change Management Resume, ensuring you effectively highlight your skills and experiences. Read on to learn more about crafting a compelling resume.

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Creating an exceptional Change Management Resume is essential for showcasing your expertise in guiding organisations through transitions. Whether you're an experienced professional or a beginner, this blog offers best practices to help your resume stand out. We cover everything from structuring your resume to highlighting your key skills and accomplishments.

Get ready to impress potential employers and take the next step in your Change Management career. So, let's begin writing a winning Change Management resume that truly reflects your capabilities and sets you apart from the competition.

Table of Contents

1) What is Change Management?

2) How to Write a Change Manager Resume?

3) How to add Change Management Certification to Your Resume?

4) Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out

5) Change Manager Resume Template

6) Conclusion

What is Change Management?

Change Management involves guiding an organisation's transition or transformation in its goals, processes, or technologies. Its primary aim is to develop and implement strategies that facilitate change and support people in adapting to new conditions. This encompasses various methods to redirect or redefine the use of resources, business processes, or operational modes, thereby reshaping the organisation.

Effective Change Management ensures that changes are smoothly integrated, minimising disruption and enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. By addressing the human and systemic aspects of change, it helps organisations navigate the complexities of transformation, ensuring a sustainable and successful evolution.

How to Write a Change Manager Resume?

Creating a compelling Change Manager Resume involves several key steps. Here’s a detailed list to help you craft a resume that stands out:

1) Conduct Research

Before you start writing your Change Manager resume, conduct thorough research. Understand the job role and the company you are applying to. Customise your resume to meet the requirements of the job description. Look for keywords and skills mentioned in the job posting, and make sure to incorporate them into your resume. This will help in getting past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

2) Choose an Appropriate Format

Selecting the format for your resume is crucial. The most used resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination.

a) Chronological Resume : This format lists your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job. It's ideal if you have a solid work history in Change Management.

b) Functional Resume : This focuses on your skills and experiences rather than your work history. It's suitable if you are changing careers or have gaps in your employment history.

c) Combination Resume : This combines elements of both chronological and functional resumes. It highlights your skills and experiences while also providing a detailed work history.

3) Provide Your Contact Details

Your resume should start with your contact information. Include your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile if you have one. Ensure that your email address sounds professional. Avoid using nicknames or informal email addresses.

4) Write a Professional Summary

Your summary is a brief section at the top of your resume that mentions your key qualifications and career goals. It should provide a snapshot of your experience and skills, highlighting why you are the right fit for the job. Keep it concise, ideally within three to four sentences.

5) Detail Your Work Experience

In the experience section, list your previous jobs in reverse chronological order. For the position, include your job title, the name of the company, the location, and the dates you worked there. Under each job, use bullet points to highlight your key responsibilities and achievements. Be specific about your contributions and use quantifiable metrics wherever possible.

6) List Your Skills

The skills section should highlight your key competencies relevant to the role of a Change Manager. Include both hard and soft skills. Hard skills include Change Management Strategies, Project Management, Risk Assessment and Data Analysis. Soft skills include Leadership, Communication, Problem-solving and Adaptability

7) Mention Your Educational Qualifications

Include your educational background in this section. Mention your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with the recent one. Add the name of the institution, the degree obtained, and the year of graduation. If you have any certifications relevant to Change Management, be sure to include them as well.

Gain insights into facilitating smooth organisational transitions with our Change Management Foundation – Join today!

How to add Change Management Certification to Your Resume?

To include your Change Management Certification on your resume, follow these steps:

To include your Change Management certification on your resume, follow these steps:

1) Qualifications Section:

a) List ‘Change Management (Level)’.

b) Mention the accredited training provider.

c) Include the date you obtained the certification. Note that Foundation qualifications do not expire, while Practitioner Certifications are valid for five years. After five years, you must pass a re-registration exam.

2) Resume Header:

a) Optionally, add the certification as a suffix at the top of your resume.

Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Here are the tips and tricks to help you write a Change Management Resume:

a) Tailor Your Resume: Customise your resume for job application. Mention the skills and experiences that are important to the job you are applying for.

b) Use Keywords: Add keywords from the job description to help your resume pass through ATS.

c) Showcase Achievements: Focus on your accomplishments rather than just listing duties. Use metrics to quantify your achievements.

d) Keep It Concise: Aim to keep your resume within two pages. Be succinct and avoid unnecessary details.

e) Professional Layout : Use a clean and professional layout. Ensure that your resume is easy to read, with clear headings and bullet points.

f) Proofread: Thoroughly check your resume for grammatical errors. A well-polished resume reflects attention to professionalism.

Learn Change Management methods with our Managing Organisational Change Effectively Training – Join today!

Change Manager Resume Template

Here’s a template of a Change Manager Resume. You can use this as a guide to craft your own resume, ensuring you highlight your skills, experience, and qualifications effectively.

: [Your Location]

: [Your Email]

: [Your LinkedIn Profile]

Change Management Professional

Experienced Change Manager with over [X] years of expertise in leading organisational transformations, managing change initiatives, and improving business processes. Adept at driving change strategies, enhancing employee engagement, and ensuring seamless transitions.

• [Date] – Present

[Company Name]

a) Spearheaded multiple change initiatives, resulting in improved operational efficiency and employee productivity.

b) Developed and implemented Change Management plans, including stakeholder analysis, communication plans, and training programs.

c) Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate Change Management practices into daily operations.

d) Conducted impact assessments and provided actionable insights to senior leadership.

e) Facilitated workshops and training sessions to prepare staff for organisational changes.

• [Date] – [Date]

[Company Name]

a) Managed end-to-end change projects, ensuring timely and within budget delivery.

b) Utilised Change Management tools and methodologies to assess the impact of changes and mitigate risks.

c) Coordinated with various departments to ensure alignment with change initiatives.

d) Developed communication strategies to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged.

e) Monitored the progress of change initiatives and adjusted plans as necessary.

• [Date] – [Date]

[Company Name]

a) Assisted in the development of Change Management frameworks and tools.

b) Conducted change readiness assessments and supported the creation of change action plans.

c) Coordinated change activities and maintained change logs and documentation.

d) Supported senior Change Managers in preparing reports and presentations.

e) Monitored and reported on the effectiveness of change initiatives.

a) Change Management Strategies

b) Project Management

c) Stakeholder Engagement

d) Communication Planning

e) Training and Development

f) Impact Assessment

g) Risk Mitigation

h) Change Management Software (e.g., Prosci ADKAR, ChangeGear)

i) Data Analysis

, [University Name] | [Year]

, [Institute Name] | [Year]

a) Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP), Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP), [Year]

b) [Other relevant certification], [Issuing Organisation], [Year]

a) [Language Name 1]

b) [Language Name 2]

Conclusion

Crafting a standout Change Management Resume involves thorough research, careful formatting, and clearly presenting your skills and experiences. You can increase your chances of securing an interview by tailoring your resume to a job application, showcasing your achievements, and keeping your information concise and well-organised. Remember to proofread your resume to ensure it is error-free and presents you in the best possible light.

Enhance your Change Management skills with our Complete Change Management Assessments Training - Join today!

Frequently Asked Questions

The 4 Ps of Change Management are Purpose, People, Process, and Performance. These elements help ensure that changes are implemented effectively, address the reasons for change, involve the right people, follow structured processes, and measure success.

Implementing Change Management starts by planning, communicating clearly with all stakeholders, and providing necessary training. Then, check the process, gather feedback, and make adjustments to ensure the change's successful adoption.

The Knowledge Academy takes global learning to new heights, offering over 30,000 online courses across 490+ locations in 220 countries. This expansive reach ensures accessibility and convenience for learners worldwide.

Alongside our diverse Online Course Catalogue, encompassing 17 major categories, we go the extra mile by providing a plethora of free educational Online Resources like News updates, Blogs , videos, webinars, and interview questions. Tailoring learning experiences further, professionals can maximise value with customisable Course Bundles of TKA .

The Knowledge Academy’s Knowledge Pass , a prepaid voucher, adds another layer of flexibility, allowing course bookings over a 12-month period. Join us on a journey where education knows no bounds.

The Knowledge Academy offers various Change Management Certification , including the Change Management Foundation Course, Change Management Practitioner Course and Risk Management for Change Training. These courses cater to different skill levels, providing comprehensive insights into the Enterprise Change Management .

Our Project Management Blogs cover a range of topics related to Change Management, offering valuable resources, best practices, and industry insights. Whether you are a beginner or looking to advance your Change Management skills, The Knowledge Academy's diverse courses and informative blogs have got you covered.

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Who won the Biden-Trump debate? Biden's freeze draws age concerns

WASHINGTON – Presidential debates are always about expectations. And Thursday’s verbal sparring match between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump was no exception.

The stakes were highest for Biden who, at age 81, was already battling perceptions he is too elderly for a second term. Meanwhile, Trump, 78, was facing concerns from moderate and swing voters about his at times bombastic style.

The biggest moment of the night came early, when Biden froze for several seconds while answering a question about the economy.

That – and all of the many other gaffes of the evening − will be replayed on cable news shows and shared thousands of times on social media for weeks to come. But how will it influence the 2024 election?

Here’s a breakdown of who came out on top and who fell short in the immediate aftermath.

Trump showed more energy than Biden

Experts USA TODAY spoke with said they saw sharp differences in the stamina of the two candidates on stage Thursday night, and they said Biden’s low-energy demeanor could hurt him for months to come.

In one of the most defining moments of the debate, Biden took a prolonged pause and froze while answering a question about the economy. After stuttering, the president continued, but began talking about COVID-19 and Medicare.

Even some of Biden's Democratic supporters felt his freeze on stage and his somewhat wooden performance tipped the scales in Trump's favor.

Trump sought to highlight Biden’s slower responses, at one point saying, “I really don't know what he said at the end of this, and I don't think he knows what he said, either."

Thomas Whalen, a presidential historian and professor at Boston University, said Biden was “looking his age,” while Trump was “more controlled and sticking to his talking points.”

Aaron Kall, director of Debate for the University of Michigan Debate Program, suggested Biden’s pauses “could spur endless news cycles about (his) age and fitness to serve another term in office.”

New debate format aimed to decrease chaos

If seeing Trump and Biden on stage together again didn’t provide enough deja vu, their matchup also marked the first time since 1960 that a presidential debate was held without a live audience . The last time was when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon clashed.

The format was designed to eliminate immediate reactions to candidates’ remarks. Aaron Kall, director of debate for the University of Michigan, suggested it forced genuine responses rather than scripted statements from the candidates.

Rather than rely on audience energy, Trump and Biden had to “trust their guts and instincts and previous debate experiences,” Kall said.

The use of muted microphones in the debate also nearly eliminated the type of candidate crosstalk that has plagued past debates, including most recently during the GOP primary.

Georgia voters are central focus

Trump and Biden weren’t the only ones in the spotlight Thursday night. All-important Georgia voters were, too.

The location of the debate at CNN’s studios in Atlanta underscored Georgia’s role as crucial swing state in the election and served as a reminder that the candidate's messages − and bickering − will echo far beyond the stage.

Biden won Georgia by just under 12,000 votes in 2020. But recent polling this year has shown Trump with a slight edge over his competitor in the key battleground territory.

And the side-by-side comparison of the two candidates Thursday could very well sway the minds of undecided voters in the state. It was one of few opportunities the public will have to hear from the two men directly and judge for themselves who is the better pick for the country.

Not to mention that the location gave both candidates an opportunity to campaign around the Atlanta suburbs. Trump called in to a local barbershop on Wednesday to talk with a group his campaign called the Black American Business Leaders Barbershop Roundtable. And Biden’s campaign said the president planned to attend watch parties across the city after the debate to talk with voters.

Also of significance: The debate occurred only a few miles from the jail where Trump was booked last year on charges related to claims that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.

A major money boost for Democrats and Republicans

Both major parties are expected to raise big dollars off Thursday’s affair. Similarly well-watched events have brought in the green for the two candidates.

Biden’s campaign said he raised $10 million in the 24 hours after the State of the Union address. After Trump’s felony conviction in his New York hush money trial, his campaign said it raised $34.8 million in small-dollar donations.

And both groups we’re leaning into their fundraising.

Hours before the debate began, Biden’s team sent out a message telling supporters that he was “counting on” them to donate at least $30.

“Tens of thousands of new supporters stepped up following my debates against Trump in 2020. And tonight, can’t be any different,” the message said.

The Democratic Party of Georgia also hosted a watch party charging $24 per advance ticket. Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was similarly hosting a high-dollar event for Trump the night of the debate.

Biden’s campaign said it had its best grassroots fundraising hours of the entire campaign leading up to the debate.

False claims abound

Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, argued that “facts and truth” were the biggest losers of the night.

Both Trump and Biden made false comments throughout the debate that largely went unchecked by the moderators.

Trump repeated claims that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s fault. Trump claimed he offered Pelosi “10,000 soldiers” to stop the attack. Pelosi’s office has said, however, that she never received such an officer and that she wouldn’t have had the power to refuse either way.

The former real estate mogul also claimed the U.S. southern border is the most dangerous place in the world. There is no evidence to suggest this.

Biden also made incorrect claims. At one point, he claimed he was “the only president this century ... that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world.”

In 2021, during Biden’s presidency, 13 U.S. service members were killed in a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan as thousands tried to flee the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

RFK and third-party candidates absent from the conversation

Noticeably absent from the CNN stage? Robert F. Kennedy Jr .

Kennedy didn’t meet the qualifications for the debate, which required candidates to appear on a “sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote thresholds to win the presidency” and receive at least 15% in four qualifying national polls, according to CNN.

In a three-way matchup with Biden and Trump, Kennedy receives 10.7% of the vote, according to a Real Clear Politics average of polling .

Kennedy counterprogrammed the prime-time debate by answering the same questions as Biden and Trump live on a social media stream and on his website. But he remained largely out of sight for most voters on a night that centered on the two major party candidates.

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Top Resume Formats: Tips and Examples of 3 Common Resumes
Resume format 1: Chronological resume. Image description. A chronological resume lists your work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent position at the top. This is the most traditional resume format and for many years remained the most common.
Best Resume Formats for 2024 [8+ Professional Examples]
Best resume format example. The chronological resume format is what most job seekers should be using when applying for jobs: Download a Chronological Resume. When to use this format: You have no obvious gaps in your employment and want to emphasize your career progression. The chronological resume format is the most common type of resume.
Best Resume Format for 2024 [Guide & Templates]
Reverse-chronological resume format is the best resume format for 2024. It's the most commonly used among job seekers today. It's also the easiest to scan for the recruiters. Apply the standard resume formatting rules: one-inch margins, elegant font, 11-12pt font size, single line spacing, and additional space before and after headings.
3 Best Resume Formats for 2024 [W/ 5+ Professional Templates]
The best resume format for a college student resume is the reverse-chronological format. While it is true that a functional resume can help you emphasize your skills more than work experience, it comes with two serious problems: Recruiters aren't familiar with it, and they might think you're trying to hide the fact that you don't have ...
How to Make the Perfect Resume (With Examples!)
5. Don't Forget Your Education. If you're still in school or just graduated, your education can go at the top of your resume, but for pretty much everyone else, this goes near the bottom. Most people include their school, graduation year (for folks less up to about a decade out of school), major, and degree.
Best Resume Format for Jobs: Examples & Templates [2024]
The chronological resume (also known as the reverse-chronological format) is the most popular format and the best resume format for experienced candidates. The chronological resume emphasizes your work history section, where you list information about current and past jobs with the most recent job first. Visual Example.
Best Resume Format 2024 (+Free Examples) · Resume.io
The best resume format for freelancers in 2024. After having long struggled in a work world designed for traditional employees, in 2024 freelancers are finally ahead of the game. According to CNBC, the freelance market is booming, ...
Best Resume Formats + 7 Formatting FAQs for 2024
Use the right file format: The most acceptable formats are .pdf and .doc, so you may want to keep a copy of your resume in both formats. Keep it simple: Use appropriate spacing and sections for readability. Avoid graphics: Pictures, lines, and other graphics will be seen as a garbled mess of text by ATS.
Resume Examples for 2024 & Guides for Any Job [90+ Examples]
General Resume 5+ Resume Examples by Career Level #1. No Experience Resume #2. College Freshman Resume #3. Graduate Resume #4. Career Change Resume #5. Manager Resume #6. Executive Resume The Perfect Resume Structure 3 Examples of Resume Formats #1. Reverse Chronological Resume Format #2. Functional Resume Format #3.
Best Resume Format To Use in 2024 [+ Examples & Templates]
Meet Aster, a modern template well suited for any resume format. Its clean lines and streamlined design present experience and skills in a contemporary, professional manner. Perfect for candidates in industries that value modern aesthetics and clarity. It also has a matching cover letter template.
A Guide to Resume Formats—and How to Pick the Best One!
A combination resume contains the following components, roughly in this order: Name and contact information. Summary statement (optional) Relevant/key skills. Work history (or relevant work history) including the role, company, location, and dates as well as details about your accomplishments in that role. Education.
The 3 Resume Formats to Use in 2024 [Examples & Templates]
Stay away from fonts with too much flourish. 3 Use traditional section headings like "Summary," "Work history," "Skills" and "Education.". 4 Include keywords from the job description. The job ad will have resume keywords that hint at the essential qualifications the employer wants.
Find the Best Resume Format for You in 2024
This simple resume format is like a Zen garden: it creates a minimalist, lightweight look with lots of white space. This is one of the best resume formats for professionals who prefer sleek, distraction-free resumes. 4. Squares. If you want a simple resume template that oozes confidence and authority, try Squares.
Exploring the Best Resume Formats
This resume shows your relevant work experiences and achievements, beginning with the most recent one. It's the most used of the three resume formats and suits people with lots of work experience. Functional resume. This resume emphasizes your skills over your work experience. It suits anyone who's switching careers and individuals who have ...
How to Make a Resume in 2024
Create Resume. 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.
The Best Resume Format Guide
1.Keep your format simple: Remember, you have 10-20 seconds to snag a hiring managers attention. Presenting them with a resume that's overly crowded, hard to read, confusing or just plain messy isn't going to get you the job…it's going to get you thrown out. Watch your spacing, font size and margins. Keep it legible!
Resume Format: The Best Resume Format For 2024 (+Templates)
Different resume formats are best-suited for different kinds of job seekers, depending on their experience level or what they want to achieve.. The three most commonly used resume formats are:. Chronological ; Functional ; Combination (hybrid) By choosing a suitable format, you can easily steer the HR manager's attention to certain sections and away from others.
3 Best Resume Formats in 2024 [+ Free Samples and Templates]
The best and most widely used resume format in 2024 is the reverse-chronological one. This format is preferred by recruiters and hiring managers because it is easy to skim. Moreover, it is more ATS-friendly than functional or combination resume formats. #2.
5 Resume Types and When To Use Them (With Examples)
Here is a list of five different resume types with examples for each: 1. Chronological resume. Chronological resumes emphasize your work history, with your most recent position appearing at the top. Chronological resumes are the most common way to format a resume. This type of resume is effective if you have a consistent work history with no ...
3 Best Resume Formats for a Job in 2024 (With Examples)
Use 1 or 1.15 line spacing for readability. Divide the contents of your resume into clear sections. Save your resume in a DOCX or PDF format (unless the job ad asks for a different file type.) You can quickly complete all of these steps in any word processing software, such as MS Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs.
The Best Resume Formats to Use in 2024 [+ Examples]| Teal
1. Chronological resume. The chronological resume format (or reverse chronological resume format) is the most popular. This layout emphasizes your most recent work experience first. Using this format is super straightforward—list your experience, starting with your most recent position, and work backward. ‍.
Best Resume Format Examples For 2024 + How To Format
If you have extensive experience, a two-page resume is acceptable. Clear Headings and Subheadings: Use bold or slightly larger font sizes for section headings. Ensure all headings are consistent in style and formatting. Reverse Chronological Order: List your most recent job experience first and work backward.
The 3 Best Resume Formats To Use (With Examples)
Key Takeaways: The three types of resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination. Make sure to keep the design of your resume simple and easy to read. Keep your font to a san-serif font and size 10-12 point font. Limit your resume to one to two pages and keep your information concise.
251 Resume Skills that Score Interviews
Chronological formats are the most commonly used resume formats, and they give the most focus to your work experience. In this format, the skills section lives under the work experience section, which gives it less visual weight. That's because the chronological format is ideal for job candidates with 10+ years of experience to outline.
Downloadable Resume Templates
Creating an effective resume can be a daunting task. In order to simplify the process, we've created downloadable Word and PDF samples that you can use to help with formatting. ... Remember, there is not one "correct" resume for you to use - the best resume is the one that clearly and effectively communicates your skills, abilities, and ...
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Let's Eat, Grandma - Best Resume Builder for Range of Career Service. Star Rating: 4/5. Let's Eat, Grandma is an inventive and progressive tool for creating impressive resumes. The platform ...
20+ Free Nursing Resume Templates (Examples to Download for 2024)
Not every format is best for the job that you're applying to. Here are the three top resume formats: Reverse Chronological Format. This format is the most common among traditional career paths. The format lists your work history in reverse chronological order, with your current job first and ending with your first job. Functional Format. This ...
Change Management Resume: Tips and Best Practices
2) Choose an Appropriate Format . Selecting the format for your resume is crucial. The most used resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination. a) Chronological Resume: This format lists your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job. It's ideal if you have a solid work history in Change ...
Build & write Best Resume / CV & Application Covering Letter [Free
Build a Killer Resume and increase your chances of getting shortlisted in your dream company. Rectify the mistakes in your resume by following the Mantra for drafting Great Resumes from real-life CV reviews; Strategies to get your CV through ATS; Draft your own CV and get it reviewed by the Instructor himself.
Who won the presidential debate? Biden freeze takes spotlight
The format was designed to eliminate immediate reactions to candidates' remarks. Aaron Kall, director of debate for the University of Michigan, suggested it forced genuine responses rather than ...