How To Make A Resume For Work

Feature Short Simple Sentences And Bullet Points

As you list your work experience, try to keep the descriptions in short, detailed sentences. You should explain what your responsibilities were, what skills you applied toward your past work and the results it brought, if possible.

For example, if your past work experience was as a social media marketing coordinator, you could say, “Used creative writing skills to develop social media posts that increased social media engagement by 30%.”

Summary Statement Or Objective

A summary statement is a brief paragraph that highlights your skills as well as your most noteworthy accomplishments. For example, Dynamic and motivated sales professional with a proven track record of generating and building relationships and coaching new sales representatives for success. Skilled in building cross-functional teams and demonstrating exceptional communication and customer service abilities.

Instead of a summary, you could also put an objective, which simply states your objective in finding a job. Objectives have evolved in recent years to include the candidates broader goals or additional context. For example, Digital marketing professional with five years of experience looking to transfer my skills in SEO and PPC advertising.

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

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Can I Use Any Of These Examples To Help Write My Own Resume

Yes, we have plenty of examples you can use. Select any resume example from the list on this page, and youll find the following:

• A professional template with job-specific bullet points and information
• Sections to present your skills, experience, education, and professional accomplishments
• A free download in Microsoft Word format for you to personalize
• All resume information provided in text format ready for you to copy and paste
• Writing tips for creating a resume in that particular industry

We also have guides on how to write your own resume introduction, how to use resume action verbs, and articles outlining every other part of resume writing and formatting imaginable. Theyre all accessible on our resume help blog.

You Probably Dont Need A Skills Section But Maybe You Do

In most fields, you dont need a Skills section your skills should be obvious from the accomplishments you list in your Experience section. That said, some fields are an exception to this, like I.T. or other highly technical fields.

If you do include a Skills section, limit it to hard skills, like software programs and foreign languages youre fluent in. Dont list subjective self-assessments like strong written communication skills or visionary leader or works well independently and in groups. Peoples self-assessments are so often wildly inaccurate that these wont carry any weight with employers and just take up space that would be better spent on something more compelling.

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Whats A Resume Objective & When To Use It

A resume objective is, in a nutshell, the goal of your resume. It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be around 2-3 sentences.

As weve mentioned before, a resume objective is the go-to for anyone that either has no work experience or is going through a career change.

Formula to Create Your Resume Objective:

Looking to apply my at

to help .

Examples of Resume Objectives

1) So, heres how that would look like if youre 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 & designing UX / UI. Looking to grow as a designer, as well as perfect my art, at the XYZ Design Studio.

2) Or, on the other hand, if youre going through a career change:

• 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 XYZ.

Technical Vs Workplace Skills

Human skills, sometimes called soft skills or workplace skills, are those that apply to just about any job. Some examples include communication, decision making, leadership, time management, and problem solving. Technical or hard skills tend to be more job specific. These might include programming languages, software proficiency, or knowledge of a foreign language.

The skills you list in your resume should reflect whatâs listed in the job description. For technical skills, also include your level of proficiency. If youâre still developing a skill, for example, you could write, âFamiliar with Excel spreadsheets.â

Itâs okay if you donât have many technical skills to list. A study from job site LinkedIn found that 80 percent of companies value candidates with better workplace or human skills, which can be harder to teach . The same study found that the five most in-demand human skills are:

• Creativity

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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:

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.

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Simple Fonts And Colors

Your fonts and colors should remain simple and consistent throughout the document. Try to limit your resume to only two or three fonts and one to two colors. Make sure the fonts and colors work well with the resume and are visually appealing without distracting the reader from the information listed. 

Write A Resume Summary

After your name and contact information, include a short summary detailing your qualifications for the job. You can include relevant remote work experience in this section and how it can benefit the company you’re applying to. Since you can find this section at the top of your resume, including this information lets hiring managers know you have work-from-home experience from the start.

It’s also important to gear your resume summary toward what your prospective employer needs. Make sure to include notable skills and relevant accomplishments that show your qualifications for the job you’re applying for.

You can write this section as a bulleted list or a few sentences. When possible, use quantifiable metrics to give hiring managers a better understanding of the impact and contributions you’ve made throughout your career. For example, you can say, “Used my 10 years of experience in digital marketing to increase organic search traffic by over 30% in the past three years.” This lets hiring managers know exactly how substantial your contributions were at your previous employer.

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How To Write A Work

If you’re looking for work-from-home opportunities, you need to have a resume that reflects your telecommuting experience. Having a resume that demonstrates your experience with this type of employment lets hiring managers know that you have the skills to excel in a work-from-home position. This can help strengthen your overall candidacy. In this article, we explain what a work-from-home resume should include, provide you with the steps for writing a work-from-home resume and give you a work-from-home resume template and example to help you write our own remote resume.

Related:How to Search for Remote Work on Indeed

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:

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Ditching Your References On Your Resume

When it comes to listing references on your resume, the process is simple: Don’t do it. Employers typically don’t ask for references until you’ve at least completed an initial phone screen so you’re just wasting valuable resume real estate.

When the time comes to provide references, you can prepare a simple list of at least three references and include your references’ names, titles, relationship to you, and contact information. Before you pass this list along, make sure each person is comfortable being your reference and that you have their best contact information. You should also send them a copy of your resume and explain what type of job you’re seeking. Then, they’ll be fully prepared to speak on your qualifications.

Using Powerful Verbs And The Active Voice

To help you maintain that achiever mindset, use this simple tip: Start each bullet point under your experiences with a powerful verb while avoiding reusing the same verbs throughout your resume. The more powerful and descriptive the verb, the better. Here are some examples of strong action verbs that are good for resume writing:

• Advised

• Resolved

• Upgraded

You’ll also want to avoid using the passive voice on your resume as much as possible these sentences tend to be longer and less punchy. Here’s an example of passive versus active voice:

• Passive:The ball was thrown by Lisa.

• Active:Lisa threw the ball.

As you can see, the active voice gets straight to the point and is more impactful. Identifying passive voice sentences can be tricky even for grammar wizards but this simple trick will help. Ask yourself: Can you add by you after the verb? If so, that means you’re using passive voice. You can also often spot passive voice with to be verbs, like were,has been, or being.

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Resume Example For Students With No Work Experience

Assistant Policy Intern Resume

The college student who used this policy intern resume example landed an interview at Accenture.

Itâs not the professional experience thatâs the main highlight. While itâs a section with minimal description, itâs the other sections that stand out. This includes:

• Projects
• Education
• Certifications

Each of these indicates your academic achievements and passions. Itâs no different if you were to create a job resume in high school.

Weâll be looking at how to replicate the same success from these resumes step by step. Itâs what helped our users land an interview at even the most competitive job postings.

If youâd like to jump ahead, feel free to go through our list of 313 ATS resumes and cover letters!

Add A Section For Your Education

For most people, the Education section will be just a line or two, listing where you went to school and what you degree you obtained. If youre a recent graduate, include your graduation year otherwise, its fine to leave it off .

Generally your Education section should come after your Work section, since for most people, employers will be most interested in your work experience.

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List Your Personal Interests

• This section shows you’re a well-rounded person who people would want to know and work with.
• Employers often use this section at the start of an interview to break the ice.
• Casual interests are better not to list . This is really about highlighting hobbies that have helped you grow as a person.
• This résumé step is considered optional. If you’re having trouble coming up with interests, or feel your résumé is already too long, feel free to leave it off.

Examples:

Start With A Resume Objective

A good resume objective first tells the hiring manager what your career goals are, and why youre passionate about the position.

In three or four sentences, your resume objective should:

• state your skills
• highlight your relevant experience
• detail your education or training

The relevant experience can be something you accomplished at school or elsewhere in your life, as long as it relates in some way to the job.

When writing the objective for your first job resume, consider the companys needs. Dont just write about what you want from working there. Instead, show the hiring manager how your goals align with theirs. For example:

Resume for First Job Objective

High school honors student with two years of volunteer experience. Aiming to use acquired interpersonal and problem-solving abilities to effectively fill your retail position. A quick learner looking to fulfill the company mission and grow in the role as fast as possible.

If you can quantify several of your core skills, a different type of introduction might benefit your overall application. Its important to learn how to start a resume in the way that best plays to your strengths.

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Finally Evaluate Your Work History

This is an important step because if you are someone who has gaps in their employment history, functional or combination resumes are the best choices. Choosing a resume format is an important decision, as certain formats may allow you to better highlight your skills and most relevant experiences. Its especially important for people who are new to the workforce, going through career changes or who have gaps in their employment history.

How Should I Format My Resume In Microsoft Word

The format you choose will depend on your experience level!

There are 3 basic resume formats to choose between:

• âReverse-Chronological: Details your most recent job and works backwards from there. This format focuses heavily on work experience.â
• Functional: Focuses on skills and education rather than work experience. This is a good option for recent graduates or applicants with minimal work experience.â
• Hybrid/Combination: Combines elements of both the Reverse-Chronological and the Functional. This is a good option for applicants with gaps in their employment history.

Choosing the best format for your needs is key. For more help on this subject, check out our guide on How to Choose the Correct Resume Format in 2021!

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How To Write A Resume With No Work Experience

Many job listings ask for relevant experience. But just because you havenât had a job before, doesnât mean you donât have experience. Your experience happens to come from outside the workplace. For a first job, your resume should concentrate on your academic achievements, as well as any informal work, volunteer experience, or extracurricular activities.

Here are some steps you can take to create a resume for your first job.

What Is A Resume

You should also familiarize yourself with the difference between a resume and a cover letter:

• A resume is typically sent with a cover letter, which is a document that provides additional information on your skills and experience in letter form.
• A resume is a concise, often bulleted summary, while a cover letter highlights and expands on certain traits or accomplishments that would be unique or ideal assets for the particular job.

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