How To Build A Basic Resume

Customize Your Resume For Each Job You Apply To

The last and most important thing to remember when creating a good resume is to customize it for every job to which you apply. Different job postings are going to have different keywords, different job duties listed, and so on. Appealing to each individual employer’s needs and job requirements is the best strategy for getting your application noticed and hopefully landing your first job.

At the end of the day, there’s no magical formula for how to write a winning resume the only perfect resume is the one that gets you the job. Be prepared to tweak and update your resume, even when you’re comfortably employed. Utilize a hybrid resume format and focus on your skills and education when you don’t have any work experience to show. Sooner or later, you’ll land that job and gain that much-coveted experience.

Tackling this kind of resume isn’t easy. If you’ve recently graduated or are in an entry-level job search, a professional resume writer can prepare you for success. Learn more.

Arrange Your Contact Information

Now that you know the format youre going to use, its time to start your resume. First things first, employers need to know who you are and how to contact you.

List the following contact details in your resume header at the top of the page:

• Name
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Link to online portfolio
• LinkedIn profile

Traditionally, you would also include your mailing address on your resume. However, this is no longer mandatory because most job applications are sent via email.

Here are two examples of how you can format your contact information section:

Pick The Ideal Resume Layout

The hard part is over. Youve written your resume, and are feeling confident about getting that interview. Now its time to take a moment and consider your resumes design.

Depending on the industry you work in or the job you want, you may need to adjust your resume layout to fit the expectations of the hiring manager.

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Resume Sections: Your Professional Feature List

Theres often a lot of confusion as to what sections to include in your resume.

This isnt surprising, since their importance can vary depending on your profession, industry and nature of your experience. We can divide section types into necessary and optional ones. Lets assume for the time being that youre using the Reverse Chronologicalformat .

Necessary sections often include:

• Include the most important sections that showcase your professional experience and are likely to impress your employer.
• Analyze which sections are important to your profession. Only then – use the free white available for optional categories.

• Include every section possible, expanding your resume to maximum capacity.
• Include your social media profiles if they contain party pictures. Keep it to your basic contact information such as email, phone number and Linkedin profile.
• List every single life milestone or activity, regardless of available space

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

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

How To Write A Resume In 2021

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

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

So youre probably wondering how you can write a resume that leads to HR managers inviting you to interviews daily.

Well, youve come to the right place!

In this guide, were going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume:

How to Write a Resume – Step by step

So, lets dive right in!

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Highlight Your Relevant Job Skills

Hiring managers are on the lookout for candidates who have relevant, job-specific skills. While listing a heap of skills on your resume doesnt actually prove youre skilled, incorporating your various skills into different sections will catch the eye of whoever is vetting your application.

For instance, you can showcase your hard and soft skills in your introduction and work experience section. And of course, you should also list your most valuable abilities in your resumes skills section.

Decide Which Type Of Rsum You Want

There are three types of résumés: chronological, functional and combination. You might want to consider more than one format of résumé if you’re applying for multiple jobs.

• Chronological is the most traditional format and lists experiences according to the order in which they took place. These résumés generally appeal to older readers and may be best suited for a conservative field.
• Functional is a type of résumé that lists your experiences according to skill. This is the format to use if you’re changing career direction . Because it displays your skills first, your work experience, or lack thereof, is not the main focus.
• Combination combines the best aspects of the chronological and functional styles. Be careful with length for this format the résumé can quickly get long.

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How To Make A Resume 101

If you are reading this article, I think it is safe to say that we can call you a job seeker, correct?

But what kind of job seeker are you?

Are you looking for a change of pace from your everyday job?

Are you just starting out in the workforce?

Maybe youre a seasoned veteran trying to make the leap up the chain of command?

Or perhaps youre just fed up with the way things are going with your career and its time for a change?

Well, no matter what stage you are in your career, youre going to need to know how to write a good resume for a job interview and we are going to show you how! So start by downloading our Free Perfect Resume Checklist that will help you overhaul your resume and will get you more interviews.

The Creative Angle: An Infographic Resume Or Resume Website

This resume type is characterized by how its formatted visually. You may choose a reverse chronological order or skills-based style to organize your information, but also use graphics, colors, unique fonts, and even multimedia elements to help that information pop. Keep in mind that any creative resume is still likely subject to an ATSand certain elements may be unreadable by a robot. So consider going this route only if you know a human will be reading your resume .

Who its good for: People applying to creative roles , startups, or fun companies, or to jobs where a creative resume is encouraged, if not required.

Not a designer but want your resume to look just as pretty as this example? Check out these articles:

• 5 Digital Tools That Will Make Your Resume Infinitely More Beautiful

Your resume is a living, breathing document. So while you wont go through this whole process every time you apply for a job, you should be thinking about all these things as you go to update your resume for your next career step. You might decide later on to switch up the order, or remove or add things, or even get creative and try out a whole new format. If youre not getting the calls back you expect, you may decide to scrap it and start overand thats totally OK.

Fast Company

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What If I Haven’t Completed My Studies

You should still include the details of your degree even if you haven’t graduated yet. This is important information for your employer to know, and you’ll want to list it towards the top of your resume, under in-progress education. Here’s what to include when listing your unfinished degree on a resume:

• The name of your institution and degree.
• The courses you are taking .
• Any honors or awards you have received.
• Societies you belong to or extra-curricular activities.
• Your GPA, if higher than 3.4.
• Your intended year of graduation.

How To Build A Simple Resume

A great resume is the most likely factor in landing the interview for your dream job. Your resume is the first impression of you, and if the employer likes what they see, you’ll be meeting with them in no time. For an employer to like your resume, they first have to be drawn to it. The best way to stand out is with a simple, straightforward resume. In this article, we’ll discuss simple resumes and provide instructions on how to create one for yourself.

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How Do I Add Different Sections To A Resume On Microsoft Word

The way to create different sections on your resume comes in two parts:

• Use an H2 header to create the section titles
• Use the Normal style to create the body of text below the H2 header

Here is a breakdown of how to use the H1, H2, H3, and Normal styles within your resume:

Select the Styles window from the Home tab.

From here, you will have options to create headers.

Your heading options are as follows:

• âHeading 1: Use this heading as your largest title. This is what you will use to write your name at the top of the page. Use a bolded font between 16 to 20 pt in size. Use 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing to help the title heading stand out.â
• Heading 2: Use this heading to create your section titles. Use a bolded font size between 14 to 16 pt. in size. Make sure these headings are smaller than your title heading. Use 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing to help these headings stand out from the rest of the text.â
• Heading 3: Use this heading to create your job titles. Your job titles should be only slightly bigger than the rest of the text. Use a bolded font between 12 to 14 pt. in size. Use between 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing.â
• Normal: Use the Normal style to create the body text underneath the heading. Use a regular font between 11 â 12 pt. in size. Use between 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing.

Are These The Best Resume Examples For 2021

Yes, these are the best resumes for 2021 for four major reasons:

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Why Do I Need A Resume

I know the

If thats true, then hey, you probably dont need a resumeyoure essentially guaranteed the job alreadybut what about when that job ends?

Betcha no matter how great your hookups are right now, at some point in your career, youre gonna need a killer resume, and luckily were here to tell you how to create a resume.

And not just any resumea professional resume.

For those of us who dont have direct connections to killer jobs, a resume is essential to getting your foot in the door.

Employers use resumes as a way to quickly screen potential applicants, selecting only the individuals they feel are right for the position, so making sure your resume is in tip-top shape is absolutely vital.

Here, let me walk you through a quick little scenario and well see just how important those little pieces of paper actually are:

Imagine youre a hiring manager and its your job to find the perfect candidate for an open position with your company.

Youve trolled the usual job listing sites and posted what youre looking for and the response has beenoverwhelming.

Your desk is COVERED with resumes. Pile after pile. Stack after stack.

You call maintenance and ask them to empty your trash can, again. Its filling up too quickly with all these rejected candidates.

You continue to slog through the pile of papers, your eyes growing heavy with each rejection. Youre sleepy, youre bored, and youre frustrated. Does NOBODY really qualify for this job?

No fun, eh? Absolutely not!

Resume Layout & Formatting

Okay, now that youve got your font picked out, its time to focus on your resume formats . Dont worry if you cant remember all of this stuff, because we summarize it all on our Perfect Resume Checklist we made for you. Simply click here to get your copy.

The first rule of layout is, keep it clean and clear. You want a resume thats easy to read and easy to follow.

Again, remember, you get 10-20 seconds to catch a hiring managers eye so handing in something thats messy, unorganized or confusing is going to end up in the trash.

Keep your margins to ½ to 1 inch on all sides of the paper, especially if youre sending your resume to anyone you think might print it out. The last thing you want is to have a printer crop your resume and leave off important information!

Font Size With the exception of your name which can be larger, you want to keep your font size at between 10 and 12 point. Keep in mind that some fonts are larger and/or smaller than others so an Arial 12 is larger than a Times New Roman 12. Ideally you want your resume to be a single page so feel free to tweak your font size a bit to make it fit but remember, keep it readable! Dont sacrifice legibility in order to get everything on the page.

Spacing Generally single spacing works the best, with a blank line between each section of content.

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Compile Your Personal And Employment Information

Collect all the information you need to include before you start writing your resume. Its much easier to write, edit, and format a document when you have all the details you need in front of you.

Before you get started, make a list of the contact information you want to use, all your jobs, your education, training, certifications, skills, and other credentials.

The Professional Summary: Your Highlight Your Story

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

The basic components of a Summary should include:

• Your title, function or professional category
• Impressive achievements and facts
• Soft skills and hard skills
• Job-specific slant or professional specialization

• Write a Summary that has some character, energetic phrasing, action verbs and soft/hard skills integrated into your description as a professional.
• Leave out lengthy grammar constructions so that the Summary is concise but your qualities and achievements “jump out” at the viewer.

• Compose a Summary that is too dry or too rambling .
• Forget to mention important qualities and achievements right at the beginning.

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

Some guides favor the Resume Objective, yet we believe that the Summary is a more robust and universal tool. The Objective can have its role in certain circumstances . For a look at the specifics, check out our dedicated article on Personal Statements in the resume .

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List Your Work History

Most employers want to know your work history for about the past five years. If it’s less, be prepared to explain what you’ve been doing during gaps in work history, whether you were in college, volunteering or on an educational retreat Keep the focus on your professional life.

When listing your work history, keep it brief but descriptive. For each role you’ve held, name the role and the company you worked for, with the start and end dates for that job. Create a short list with your responsibilities and accomplishments during your time with that company, using a bulleted format and keeping it to three or four bullets. Your work history should begin with the most recent first and work backward.

Write An Objective Or Summary Statement

Include one to two sentences summarizing your most relevant and impressive experience and skills or, if you have little professional experience, your career objectives.

Example:I am an editorial professional with more than eight years of experience working for biology publications. I am seeking a managing editor position with a scientific journal.

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