How To Build A Resume On Word

Write An Objective Or Summary

Following your title header will be your resume objective or summary.

This will be a short statement between 1-5 sentences detailing your desired job title, experience, and career goals.

You will want to write this statement in the Normal style.

However, you may want to use a slightly larger font than the rest of the text in other sections.

This will help your objective or summary statement to stand out.

Here is an example of how this might look with the title header example from before:

Website: Janesmith.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janesmith

Resume Objective: I am a copywriter with over 5 years of experience. working with corporate clients. I am seeking the position of Head Copywriter at your company, bringing with me over 10 major corporate clients.

Write Your Name And Contact Information At The Top

Now that you have the template open, start by editing your resume header at the top of the page:

At the very least, you should include your:

• Full name
• Phone number

Here is what a properly formatted header looks like in Word:

Optionally, you can also include your current job title in your resume header to immediately advertise your professional background.

Get Started With A Template

To get started, you’ll want to launch Microsoft Word. Next, on the Launch Screen, you’ll want to choose More Templates. If you’ve disabled the launch screen, you can go to File, and then New to proceed.

In the search box, you’ll then want to type in Resume to search for some pre-made templates. These templates come in a variety of styles and will allow you to replace generic text and for your own personal information. Be sure to choose one that’s right for you. There are quite a bit of designs to choose from. Some examples seen here include Blue-grey, modern chronological, polished, basic modern, or color block.

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How Do I Make A Resume In Microsoft Word

There are two primary methods for making a resume in Microsoft Word:

To use a template, go to File > New and then select a template from the Resume and Cover Letter section.

How To Design A Resume In Ms Word

Shedrack IdoghorATTENTION!!! Subscribe to our FREE EVERYDAY JOB ALERTS and be the first to know about high paying job vacancies so you can apply IMMEDIATELY.

Ms word is a popularly know program, often used by many. But only a few uses its templates to design their resume and thats why wed be teaching you today how to design a resume using MS Word.

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How To Make A Resume In Word

At some point or another – meaning, before online resume builders made our lives easier – most of us have had to make a resume in Word.

Now, making a resume in Word can be tiresome. Not being entirely optimized for the task, it can give you a hard time formatting and styling your resume to your needs – and this is just one of its disadvantages.

That being said, the use of Word is unlikely to drop only because its impractical. This means that knowing how to make a resume in Word is still a good skill to have. And if youre sitting and thinking: well, this doesnt make matters any easier – we hear you.

Thats exactly why this article is here – to teach you how to make a resume in Word, in just a few easy steps.

Read on to learn:

• Should You Make a Resume in Word?
• How to Make a Resume in Word in 7 Easy Steps
• How to Format your Resume – 3 Pro Formatting Tips

But before we dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to make a resume in Word, lets go through the downsides of using it to build your resume, and what other easier alternatives you might have in more detail.

Email Marketing Resume Template

Red color never fails to stick out on a sheet of paper, especially if it’s included in small amounts. The resume template for email marketers, below, captures that balance.

In addition to the professional title in the top-righthand corner, this template also stands out with a thin sans-serif font, helping make a lot of text easier for a recruiter to digest and read through.

Download this template here.

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List Your Relevant Job Skills

Add a skills section on your MS Word resume to show that you have the expertise needed to do the job youre applying for:

Make sure that you highlight any skills that are mentioned in the job listing, and include a range of hard and soft skills to show employers you have a variety of strengths to offer.

Heres an example of what your skills section should look like once youve filled out your Microsoft Word resume:

Additionally, if being able to speak multiple languages is valuable to the job you want, include the languages you speak in your skills section.

Work And Educational Experience

Okay, so weve added our name, contact info, photograph, and an elegant profile section. Its now time to get into the meat of the resumethe work experience and education sections. The worlds best profile and photo will mean nothing without a healthy educational background and strong working foundation. But those items arent valuable without presenting them in a stylish and creative fashion.

Fortunately, when you use an Elements template to create a resume in Word, all this valuable content is already beautifully presented.

All you need to do is input your own experience and educational credentials. Lets go ahead and do just that. Simply click on the appropriate lines of text, and replace the placeholder with your own text. If there are placeholders you dont need to use, click them and press Delete to free up space. It takes just a few minutes, and in no time the bulk of your Word resume will be filled out.

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Modify Headers And Footers

There are several situations where placing certain elements in headers and footers makes working within the Word document much easier. You may want certain elements to repeat across pages, and if you put them in the header or footer, they repeat automatically across many or all pages. You may also want to position elements in a certain way, and putting them in the header and footer ensures that their position doesnt change while youre working on the content of the page. This video shows how to modify the template headers and footers.

Determine Your Section Organization

Once you have built the base format of your resume, itâs time to determine if your sections are in the optimal location.

For instance, if you are creating a Reverse-Chronological style resume you will want your Work Experience section to come first.

Comparatively, if you are creating a Functional style resume you may want your Skills or Education section to come first.

The order and organization of your sections will impact the impression your resume makes on hiring managers.

Read Also: Listing Relevant Coursework On Resume

How To Create A Professional Resume Using Microsoft Word

Learn how to create a professional resume with only Microsoft Word in minutes. Then make sure you stand out from the crowd!

Microsoft Word offers templates and tools for creating resumes. Whether you are new to the workforce or an experienced professional, you have a variety of options.

Many companies use Application Tracking Software which looks for keywords and specific color and design format in your resume. It can be rejected by ATS or a recruiter if the resume is not optimized and lacks standard design.

Sharing your work experience and skills is the first step in getting the attention of a recruiter. Let’s understand how to create a professional resume in Microsoft Word.

Select Either Basic Resume Or Bold Resume From The Template Menu

Once you’ve launched MS Word, a window of templates will appear. Scroll down until you see the template options designed for resumes — there will be at least two of them. Double-click the one that suits your style and personal brand, but don’t be too particular about design just yet … you can customize these templates quite a bit.

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Pick A Layout That Works For You

Resumes, like jobs, are about fit as much as anything else. So beyond good and bad, youre looking for a template that makes sense for who you are and what your goals are.

Your first step is to pick an overall resume formatchronological, combination , or functional.

The chronological and combination formats both work well for an ATS as well as for recruiters and hiring managers, but beware of the functional resume. Besides tripping up the ATS, which generally isnt programmed to parse your information in that order, functional resumes are really loathed among recruiters and hiring managers, Shields says, because they make it difficult to understand your career trajectory and where you developed your skills.

You should also think carefully about what youll be able to put above the fold, or in the top third or half of the document. People tend to focus more attention there so it needs to be a snapshot of everything they really need to know about you, Augustine says. Ask yourself, she says, Whats most relevant about your past that applies to the current job?

While it might be easiest to find a template thats already set up with the exact sections you want in the exact spots you want them, remember that you can also tweak any template to suit your needs.

If its not immediately clear to you which direction to go in, thats OK! Shields recommends trying out a few different templates and seeing which one presents your experience in the best possible light.

Look Out For Ats Blockers

An ATS often acts as a gatekeeper for human recruiters or hiring managers by doing a first screening of applications. Once the system identifies the top prospects based on the keywords and other signals its programmed to pick up on, a human might not reach beyond that pile. So you want to look out for red flags that might prevent your resume from making it through the first hurdle. Pay attention to:

Of course, you can always make changes to an existing template. So if theres a frame, you can simply delete it. If the spot for your name is in the header, you can move it into the body. Or if the font is obscure, you can change it to a more common one.

In other words, you dont have to reject a template out of hand because it contains one of these elements. But you might want to avoid a template that has so many ATS blockers that youll have to perform formatting gymnastics just to get it to a usable baseline.

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Using The Resume Assitant By Linkedin

When you create a resume in Microsoft Word, the Resume Assistant is displayed on the right panel. The assistant shows samples of popular LinkedIn profiles relevant to you.

If you face writer’s block or need ideas to enhance your content, follow these steps to use the assistant.

Make Sure Theres Enough Space

In some cases, a template looks really nice, but it doesnt actually give the space you need in order to properly give your previous experience the attention it deserves, Augustine says. Sure, you should be succinct, but you also want to have room to include your most important points without shrinking the font down to an illegible size.

At the same time, you want to pick a template thats clean and has some white space, says Viviano. You dont want to end up with a resume thats too jam packed with words.

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Resume Icons And Skills

This resume template already includes resume icons to add a refined look to your Word file. One thing that really sets it apart is the skills section in the lower right corner. This is a visual way to quickly draw attention to unique abilities you have. With this, youre actually able to rank skills both by relative depth and order of importance.

To make changes here, simply click on the text placeholders and type in your own skills that you want to feature. And then, click and drag on the black bars to increase or decrease their relative proportions. Just like that, you can show off your digital marketing prowess with an unforgettable visual!

Also, be sure to take the time to include your own references over on the right side of the page. This will enable hiring managers to quickly contact those ready and willing to vouch for you.

What Is A Resume Builder

A resume builder is an online app or piece of software that provides users with interactive forms and templates that focus on resumes. The best applications of this type provide tips and suggestions to help you provide employers with the right kind of information. For example, the Zety resume builder features ready-made content tailored to the needs of specific job seekers. This makes wording each section easier in terms of communicating your value as an employee.

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Add Your Education History

Next, fill out the resume education section on your Microsoft Word template:

If you already have a few years of work experience, you should keep your education history brief. All you need to do is include the following details for each school youve attended:

• School and its location

However, if youre writing a resume with no work experience, or have recently graduated college, consider adding more detail to your education section.

For example, including extracurricular activities or relevant coursework in your resumes education section helps give employers a better idea of your skills and qualifications.

Heres an example of a well-written resume education section:

Maroon Sidebar Resume Template

Pulling your more text-heavy information off to the side in an attractive color-blocked sidebar, this resume lets your experience stand for itself in white space at the top. It’s also easily customizable with no difficult-to-manipulate tables or formatting. The sidebars are in movable text boxes that can even be removed if you wish.

Download this template here.

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Highlight Your Relevant Work Experience

Your work experience section is the most essential part of your resume because its the best representation of your qualifications.

If you lack formal work experience, however, dont worry. Simply title this section Relevant Experience and use it to highlight details about your volunteer work, extracurriculars, or relevant school coursework.

To create a logical and informative work experience section, list your relevant experience from most recent to least recent . For each job, list the following information:

• Your title
• Company location
• Dates of employment

If youre still currently working at a company, you can simply write , present for the employment dates.

A general rule is that each job title includes about 35 bullet points of your main duties and achievements working in that role.

3 parts of a strong bullet point:

• 1st: Action verb
• 2nd: Quantifiable point
• 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty

Example 1:

Trained5+ cashiers, managing their cash limits and guaranteeing quality customer service at all times.

Example 2:

Spearheadedthe development of the first media kit amalgamation for all company projects, increasing national sales by 8%.

One reason the above bullet points are effective is that they use action verbs to grab the attention of hiring managers. Describing your experience using strong action verbs helps illustrate to employers what youve accomplished and what kind of skills you have.

Black And White Resume Template

The Black and White resume template below suits professionals who prefer using color and shading to add structure to their resume.

The black banner at the top contrasts the applicant’s name nicely to help make him/her more memorable to recruiters. The gray banner just below the header is perfect for a summary or career objective it makes one’s goals known but doesn’t overpower the experience listed below it.

Download this template here.

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Alternative To Microsoft Word 365

Now that you have learned to create a resume in Microsoft Word, you can share it with recruiters or upload it to job portals. If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, alternate web-based software can help you get started.

You can also use external services to align your resume with the job description. These services will ensure that your resume is aligned with your role and meets industry standards.

How To Choose The Right Word Resume Template

When you first start searching for a template, the number of options can feel overwhelming. How do you know which one to pick?

The most important thing to keep in mind is this: Just because a template is in Microsofts library or is available online, that doesnt mean its a good template that will help your resume pass through an ATS and appeal to recruiters and hiring managers. Oftentimes theyre developed because they look really cool and really slick and youre attracted to them, Augustine says.

But not all templates are created equal, warns Jon Shields, Marketing Manager at Jobscan. Some of them are pretty good and some of them are really bad. Here are some tips to help you tell the difference:

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