How To Make A Proper Resume

Include An Education Section

An education section will be especially valuable if you have limited work experience or if you are transferring to a new industry. You can include information such as:

• Relevant coursework

• Grade point average

• Participation in clubs or organizations

• Leadership positions held

• Awards, achievements or certifications

When writing your education section, you should include the name of the institution, dates of attendance and your degree or area of study. If you are applying to mid or higher-level positions, you might remove all but the name of your school and dates of attendance to make room for more relevant professional experience on your resume.

If you have certifications or licenses that are relevant to the job description, you can include them in this section as well. To save space, you can leave off any credentials that are not directly related to the requirements of this job.

Related: How to Include Relevant Coursework on a Student Resume

Resume Layout And Design

Looking the part of a legal professional is imperative for a law school resume document. Readability is conveyed in an arms-length appearance of being immaculate, uncluttered and orderly.

Closer inspection reveals carefully thought-out layout and design details. One section flows logically into the next, offset by proportional amounts of white space in the and between lines. Fontsare carefully chosen to optimize body text legibility and bold impact in headings. Graphic touches are minimal.

Aspiring lawyers could never go wrong using a resume templatefrom Resume.ios extensive collection perhaps in our professional design category. Click to download your choice, then incorporate your own replacement text using the buildertool.

How To Make A Great Professional Resume

Resumes are important for a wide variety of professionals. To land a position as a designer, digital marketer, web developer, or another type of job, your resume is what will help open the door for you.

If you’re seeking work, you need a resume. Most employers expect them, so you want to be prepared.

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to make a resume, including a discussion on what a resume is and some great resume tips.

Don’t Miss: Foreign Languages Resume

Follow This Final Resume Tip

There are plenty of pitfalls to duck and dodge when writing a resume, so when you finally have it in good shape, you’ll want to get it reviewed to be extra-certain that it’s ready to go. Need help? Send it to the experts at Monster for a free evaluation. We’ll look for any lingering errors so you can correct them and start your job search with confidence. Consider it an insurance policy for your resume.

Start Today Make Your Resume Stand Out

So, now you’ve learned how to make a resume. These guidelines work whether youre in a creative field such as graphic design, web design, or coding. They also work for more conservative professionals.

If youre ready to start making your own resume, start by browsing our selection of professionally designed resume template over on Envato Elements. And if you want to see even more resume examples, download one of our resume templates on GraphicRiver.

Editorial Note: This post was originally published in 2016. It’s been revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staffwith special assistance from Brenda Barron.

Recommended Reading: Community Service On Resume

Create A Resume For Every Industry

Whether youre a lawyer who works in the corporate sector or an interior stylist in the creative industry, Canvas graphic designers have created a wide range of templates that are suitable for whatever industry you find yourself in.

For creative types, we have colorful templates with artistic, illustrative flourishes. Or, if youre after something more formal, you can explore our collection of minimalist templates, sure to impress the most traditional of hiring managers.

Hard Skills And Soft Skills To Include

First thing’s first: When it comes to determining what skills to include on your resume, it’s important to understand the difference between hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the more technical skills listed on a resume they’re applied skills you’ve learned, and they’re more easily measured. A few general examples of hard skills include machine operation, computer programming, and accounting.

Showcasing soft skills on a resume, on the other hand, are interpersonal skills you often use each day. They’re tied into your emotional intelligence and often describe your more innate, natural abilities that are more difficult to quantify. A few general examples of soft skills include teamwork, leadership, creative problem solving, and time management.

It’s important to include both hard and soft skills on your resume. The best way to start brainstorming your skills is to simply brain-dump: grab a piece of paper and start making a list. Think about the skills you’ve had since you were a child, the skills you’ve acquired in school and through training, the skills you’ve used to succeed at your job, and the skills needed to excel in your industry.

Now that you’ve got a large list, it’s time to narrow it down and pick the strongest of the bunch. Use these resume tips to help make your skills section really stand out:

If you’re still struggling, use this general list of the top 10 job skills employers look for as inspiration:

Recommended Reading: Bls Cpr Certification On Resume

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.

Consider Including Volunteer Work Or Other Experience

Anything youve done thats not work experienceyour side gig, volunteer work, special projectscan be hosted under clearly-labeled sections . Depending on how robust your work experience is, these things may be worth including, particularly if theyve helped you level up your skill set or better align you with your dream job. Plus, they make you look that much more well-rounded, passionate, and hardworking.

If youre a recent grad, you might also build out a section for on-campus activities, such as clubs, organizations, or leadership experience. This can be a great supplement if youre lacking in the jobs department. You can frame these just as you would professional jobsincluding your title, the organizations name, and bullets describing what your role was and what you accomplished.

Read More:This Is Exactly How to List Volunteer Work on Your Resume

Read Also: Work History Example

How To Write A Resume In 7 Easy Steps

Looking for a new job can be a grind. With so many details to attend to researching prospective employers, lining up professional references, practicing interviewing skills and checking the salary range for your role its tempting to recycle an old resume and top it off with your newest work experience.

Resist the impulse. If youre hoping to score an interview for that dream job, you need a freshly polished, customized document thats going to grab readers attention from the start.

Add Your Personal Details And Contact Information

Your name and contact information should go at the very top of your resume, and include key information such as:

• Personal phone number
• LinkedIn profile URL
• Link to your online portfolio/website

Your resume header may look something like this:

YOUR FULL NAME

City, State | ###-###-#### | email address: | LinkedIn URL:

When writing your resume contact information section, keep in mind the following tips:

• You can include a professional title under your name
• Use a larger font or bold to highlight your name
• Make sure your email address sounds professional, preferably that has your name on it
• If you include a LinkedIn URL, ensure the information in your profile is updated and consistent with your resume
• Theres no need to mention your full mailing or physical address, but you can include your city and state
• Dont include your current job phone number or business email address

Recommended Reading: Gpa On Resume Or Not

Use The Right Language To Stand Out

Trite, lackluster descriptions of your job duties and accomplishments won’t do you any favors. Make sure you’re using strong action words like “achieved,””designed,””improved” and “established” to describe your roles and projects, said Sade. This, he said, will make you sound confident while imparting vital information. But be cautious about depending on action verbs make sure to include details about how you improved a process or achieved a goal.

“Words such as ‘professional,”results-driven’ and ‘detail-oriented’ provide very little helpful information,” Sade said. “It’s better to use actual job titles than these words.”

Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of applicant tracking software company JobDiva, also said that you should remove buzzwords like “go-getter,””team player” and “go-to person” from your resume. These come off as fluff and only take up precious space on your resume.

What Is The Best Resume Layout

The first thing a job recruiter notices about any resume is the layout.

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or does it scream out Read me!?

Here are some of the best practices when it comes to your resume layout:

Resume Layout Must-Haves

1. One page in length. You should only go for 2 pages if you really, really believe that itll add significant value. HR managers in big firms get around 1,000+ resumes per month. Theyre not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!

2. Clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers.

3. Ample white-space, especially around the margins.

4. Easy-to-read font. Wed recommend sticking to what stands out, but not too much. Do: Ubuntu, Roboto, Overpass, etc. Dont : Comic Sans

5. Pick the right font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11 – 12 pt for normal text, and 14 – 16 pt for section titles.

6. As a rule of thumb, save your resume as PDF. Word is a popular alternative, but it has a good chance of messing up your resume formatting.

One more thing you need to consider in terms of resume layout is whether youre going for a traditional-looking free resume template or something a bit more modern:

If youre pursuing a career in a more traditional industry – legal, banking, finance, etc. – you might want to stick to the first.

Also Check: How To Type Resume In Word

Section 2 How To Write A Resume

Now that we have a general idea of what a resume should include, lets look at how to write one that helps you stand out from the crowd.

Again, lets go back to our poor beleaguered hiring manger toiling away over mountains of unfocused resumesand while were there, Im going to let you in on a little secret.

Out of all of those resumes, there are hundreds of qualified candidatespeople who would probably do an amazing job and would be great additions to any company.

Sure, there are those in that pile who have NO business applying for the jobbut I guarantee theres a big chunk of applicants who are qualified and would be great hiresproblem is, their resumeswellsuck.

Luckily yoursdoesnt. In fact, yours is brilliant and you are the perfect candidate! Youre the answer to the hiring managers prayers. Youre the reason they post jobs and slog through piles of paper poo and when they finally stumble on your little nugget of job history gold, jump to their feet in excitement and yell Bring this one IN!

Or at least, if you follow these guidelines and rules, you will be!

How To Order Your Resume Sections

Depending on your level of work experience, youd want to order your resume sections differently.

If youre a recent graduate, for example, youd want to put more emphasis on your education and skills than work experience.

In this section, were going to teach you how to correctly order your resume structure, starting with:

#1. Reverse-Chronological Resume Structure

The reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular resume structure in 2022.

It emphasizes the applicants work experience and skills, so its the go-to for most professionals.

The entries are listed in reverse-chronological order – hence the name – which makes it easy for recruiters to follow.

If youre using this structure, youd list the sections in this order:

• Contact Information

Which looks like:

You May Like: Relevant Courses On Resume

Why Do You Need A Good Resume

Your resume is a way for you to market yourself and promote your career experience. Creating a resume lets hiring managers see how you’ll bring value to their company.

It’s important to know that your resume doesn’t need to present all there is to know about you. It should summarize the most important aspects of your professional experience. As well as your education, interests and activities – when applicable. We recommend you tailor your resume to the position you’re seeking. This means highlighting specific accomplishments and skills to the job you’re applying for.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the following sections to help you craft the perfect resume:

Start With A Fascinating Resume Summary

Its common for fresh graduates to list their career objectives at the top of their resumes. However, for jobseekers with more work experience, a well-curated professional summary will be more effective in grabbing the recruiters attention. Career objectives are about what you want. By contrast, a professional summary talks about what you can do for the company.

Your summary of qualifications should include:

• number of years of professional experience
• areas of expertise, career highlights, unique skills, and competencies
• other information underlining your particular qualifications for the job.

When crafting your summary, its helpful to think about your why. What drives you? Why do you do what you do? Identifying your purpose, source of inspiration, or philosophy will help you make your summary more unique and personal.

Recommended Reading: Listing Multiple Positions At One Company On Resume

How To Pick The Right Resume Format

There are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional or skills-based, and a combination of the two. The choice depends on the type of job you are applying for and your level of experience.

The 3 resume formats are:

1) Reverse chronological resume format – This is the most popular resume format and is ideal for people with plenty of work experience that is relevant to the position theyre interested in.

2) Functional/skills-based resume format If you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/recent graduate, or you are looking to make a career change, the skills-based format is a better choice.

3) Combination resume format The combination resume is a great choice for job-seekers with a very diverse skill-set. Its useful if youre applying for a role that requires expertise in 3-4 different fields, and you want to show all that in your resume. Say, for example, youre applying for a senior management role, and the requirements are expertise in Management, Sales, and Software Development.

So, which one do you go for?

In 90%+ cases, youd want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common one, and most HR managers are used to this. Hence, in this guide, were going to focus on this specific format.

If youre a recent graduate, or possess a diverse set of skills & work experience, you might want to pick one of the other 2 formats. Check out our guide to resume formats to learn how to write either.

Objective And Personal Statement

An objective gives brief details about the type of work and role you would like and the industry you want to work in.

A personal statement gives the employer an idea of who you are in three or four sentences.

You can include:

• what you’re currently doing for employment or education
• what attracted you to the job you’re applying for
• your reason you’re applying for this job
• your career goals.

Read Also: Thumbs Up On Ziprecruiter

What To Write In The Curriculum On Educational And Professional Experiences

The educational and professional experiences in a resume are the central aspect. It is essential to know that the experiences must be inserted in descending order in a CV. Therefore, specify the last qualification obtained, with any training experiences abroad, masters or specializations, and training courses related to the role you want to fill.

However, professional experiences always start from the most recent, specifying the start and end date of the collaboration, role, and tasks performed.

Phone Number And Email Address

These are arguably two of the most important pieces of information on your resume this is how an employer will get in touch with you after all. In fact, incorrect or missing contact information is one of the top resume mistakes people make.

For your phone number, list the best way to get in touch with you. This should never be a work number instead, it’ll likely be your cell phone number. Before adding your phone number, make sure your voicemail message is professional and states your name. There are a few ways you can format your phone number on your resume:

• 555-555-5555

• 555-5555

• 555.555.5555

Read Also: Putting Resume On Indeed