How To Write A Resume 2020

How To Use Your Resume

After youve made your resume, its time to start using it. Heres what to do with your resume when it’s complete:

• Send it to recruiters and headhunters.
• Use it when applying for an advertised position.
• with friends who might be able to help in your job search.

You should also print out a copy of your resume and take it along with you when you go on an interview. Be prepared to answer questions that your interviewer might have about the items on your resume.

After youve sent out your resume you’re not done. You need to follow up with the hiring manager a week or two after submitting your resume.

When you follow up dont ask if the company received your resume. They probably did. Instead, offer to answer any questions they might have. Be aware that while some company recruiters like candidates who follow up others are annoyed by the practice.

Choose The Most Suitable Format

Before you start writing anything, the first step is to decide on the right format for your resume. There are three basic resume formats used by job seekers today: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination. Each format has advantages and disadvantages based on how the resume sections are arranged:

What Are The Top Five Resume Tips

Your resume isnt a comprehensive account of everything youve ever accomplished. Select the activities that best reflect your abilities and problem-solving abilities. Use customised titles that are more descriptive of your experiences to put related positions together, such as research, foreign experience, teaching experience, and leadership experience, rather than generic headers like job and volunteering.

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Include Your Name And Contact Information

Your resume should begin with your name and contact information including your email address and phone number. You have a choice about whether or not to include your mailing address. Your name should be highly visible at the top of your resume with a bolded or larger font than the rest of the document, but no more than a 14 point size. You might also include a link to your online portfolio if you are applying to creative positions, for example.

Write Your Summary Statement

Your summary statement is one of the most important pieces of your resume. Its position at the top of your resume means that most recruiters will read it first. A good summary statement can make or break your resume.

Your summary statement should be short. Two to three sentences are enough. But those two to three sentences should be carefully crafted. They need to explain what you’ve got to offer an employer. When writing your statement, consider what the employer is looking for and how you can meet their needs.

In this tutorial Julia Melymbrose explains why most resume statements fall short and describes how you can make yours stand out:

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Focus On Professional Education

In your education section, you can do away with your high school or other standard educational achievements. Youll want to build your resume into a professional one, and that means focussing on high-level education. This should include university or college and outline any degrees and other academic achievements that you have.

Check our Free resume builder now.

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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Add Your Remote Work Skills

Remote working skills became at once desirable in March of 2020, when COVID forced offices nationwide to close. Now that many employers are embracing remote work, its a good idea to include any work-from-home skills on your resume. Look closely at the job description to see if the company mentions any remote work collaboration tools like , Asana, Trello, etc. Include these keywords on your resume where applicable.

What Resume Format Works Best

This is one of the most common questions I get from people who are planning to write a resume. When it comes to an acceptable resume layout, there are four main templates to choose from:

Resume Format Option #1: Chronological

The chronological resume is one of the most common formats, and probably what you’re using right now. It focuses on listing out your professional experience starting with your current position and working your way back. If you’re leveraging a chronological resume format, you should aim to cap your experience at 10-15 years and don’t be afraid to include side projects or part time jobs.

Resume Format Option #2: Functional

Functional resume formats emphasize skills and experience over history. This resume is great for people who are chasing new industries that don’t have a clear cut path. The blockchain/cryptocurrency space is a great example here you can’t get a degree in blockchain and most of the hires in the industry are brand new to the space so companies prioritize transferable skills over work history.

Functional resumes are also great for people who have gaps in their employment. Focusing on your skills and tangible results reduces the spotlight on any lapses you might have and improves your chances of getting hired

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Understanding The 3 Types Of Resume Formats

Letâs break down the different types of resumes that employers generally look for.

Tip: When in doubt, use a reverse chronological resume format. – About 95% of resumes use the reverse chronological format. Hiring managers are used to this as it lets employers see how your career has progressed.

1. Reverse Chronological Format

The most common is the Reverse Chronological format. Itâs the most used and formatted to tell the story of your work experience in a chronological way. Employers prefer this format, as it gives them a historical overview of your career. Including the different job titles and responsibilities that youâve had.

When should you use a reverse chronological resume template?

• You have had a lot of prior work experience. This means either the number of jobs or the amount of work experience youâve had.
• You want to show how your career has progressed. For example, if you started as an associate and worked your way up to a senior-level position. The reverse-chronological format is a great way of showing your progression.

What if you have gaps between your work experience?

This is a very common question that we often receive. Itâs usually in the form of:

âIâve been out of work for 6-7 years after a certain life situation . The last job I had was in 2012, but recently I’m starting to apply for jobs again in 2019. Whatâs the right resume format for someone like me?â

2. Functional Format

• Communication

Other Things You May Or May Not Need

If youve done impressive or relevant volunteer work, list it in a Volunteer Work section. But its fine to skip that section if you dont have anything particularly notable to share.

Some people like to include a Hobbies section. Some hiring managers find those interesting, and others dont care. I dont recommend taking up space on your résumé with them, but some people swear theyve gotten interviews because the interviewer shared their love of scuba diving or bookbinding.

And if youre a recent grad, its fine to include information about extracurricular activities, but they should come off after a few years, when youll hopefully have more work-related accomplishments to include.

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The Proven Plug & Play Resume Template

Now that we have our fundamentals down, it’s time to apply all of these tactics to write a resume. Our goal is to write a resume that increases your chances of hearing back from companies, enhances your relationships with hiring managers, and ultimately helps you score the job offer.

The example below is the exact resume that I used to land interviews and offers at Microsoft, Google, and Twitter. I was targeting roles in Account Management and Sales so this sample is tailored towards those positions. We’ll break down each section below:

First, I want you to notice how clean this resume template is. Each section is clearly labeled and separated and flows nicely from top to bottom.

My summary speaks directly to the value I’ve created in the past around company culture and its bottom line:

• I consistently exceeded expectations
• I started my own business in the space
• I’m a team player who prioritizes culture

Next, my Experience section aims to flesh out the points made in my Summary. I mentioned exceeding my quota up top so I included two specific initiatives that led to that attainment, including measurable results:

Finally, I included my education at the very bottom starting with the most relevant coursework.

Keep Your Resume Current

In the short term, you should tweak your resume based on each job you apply to. For example, if one position youre applying to seems to weigh a certain responsibility or focus over another, you should be sure your resume conveys your expertise in this area.

At the same time, you should be updating your resume with your experience as it develops, adding any new skills youve learned, courses youve taken or awards you won.

It is much easier to update your resume periodically than all at once, so even when youre employed, set a reminder to refresh your resume every three months, while the information is still fresh in your head. This will make your next job search much easier, should you decide to switch companies or careers in the future.

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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.

How A Great Cover Letter Will Strengthen Your Resume

Many people read this article and come back to me with a single takeaway, Did you say ONE PAGE??

How can you possibly fit all of the amazing work you’ve done in the industry over the past several years along with skills, interests, and references onto a single page?! That’s where your cover letter comes in.

The cover letter is your place to expand on the experience, skills, and achievements you highlighted in your resume. Crafting a great cover letter is also going to increase the strength of your overall application. Data shows that 53% of employers prefer candidates who submit a cover letter.

But this article is about how to write a resume that gets results. The main takeaway is that, if done correctly, your cover letter is going to boost your overall application and increase the chances that your resume gets a thorough inspection. For a more detailed look into cover letters, check out my guide on Writing A Cover Letter That Actually Gets You Hired.

Finally, when you make it past the final round and the company asks for references, make sure your references match the format and templates you chose for your resume and cover letter.

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Introduction To Writing A Resume

Weâve all been there. Youâre ready to apply for a new job or looking for a career change, and you havenât updated your resume in quite some time. Or itâs your first job, and youâre not sure where to start. Resumes are a standard part of the job application process. Not having one – a good one – makes it very difficult to near impossible to land your dream job.

Unless you have some incredible connections that can help you bypass the interview stage, which is pretty rare, we highly recommend you give your resume a second look .

More Common Resume Mistakes & Facts

In addition to personal feedback, I combed through dozens of recruitment survey results to fill any gaps my contacts might have missed. Here are a few more items you may want to consider when writing your resume:

• The average interviewer spends 6 seconds scanning your resume
• The majority of interviewers have not looked at your resume untilyou walk into the room
• Resumes with a link to a comprehensive have a 71% better chance of hearing back
• 76% of resumes are discarded for an unprofessional email address
• Resumes with a photo have an 88% rejection rate
• 58% of resumes have typos
• Applicant tracking software typically eliminates 75% of resumes due to a lack of keywords and phrases being present

Now that you know every mistake you need to avoid, the first item on your to-do list is to comb through your current resume and make sure it doesn’t violate anything mentioned above.

Once you have a clean resume, you can start to focus on more advanced tactics that will really make you stand out. There a few unique elements you can use to push your application over the edge and finally get your dream company to notice you.

Steal The Resume Template That Got Me Offers At Google, Microsoft, & Twitter

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And Lets Wrap It All Up

If youve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! Youre probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To wrap it all up, lets brush up on some of the most important lessons weve learned so far…

• Use the rightresume builder. You dont want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on achievements. Mention your achievements instead of responsibilities, so that you stand out from all the other applicants.
• Include the must-have sections. That is, resume summary, work experience, education, and skills.
• Tailor for the job. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant for the job youre applying for.
• Perfect your cover letter. Its as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

At Novorésumé, were committed to helping you get the job you deserve, every step of the way! Follow our career blog to stay up to date with industry-leading advice. Or, check out some of our top guides:

Andrei Kurtuy

How To List Education On Your Resume

The next section were going to cover is your Education. Lets start with the basics – how to format the education section & what to mention there. Then, well move on to tips & tricks thatll help you stand out

• Program Name. E.g.: B.A. in Business Administration
• University Name. E.g.: New York State University
• Years Attended. E.g.: 08/2008 – 06/2012
• GPA. E.g.: 3.9 GPA
• Honors. E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude.
• Academic achievements. Any interesting papers youve written, courses youve excelled in, etc.
• Minor. Minor in Psychology

Here’s an example:

Tips on perfecting your education section:

• If you dont have any work experience, mention your education section first.
• Mention your latest educational entry on top.
• If you have a university degree, dont mention your high school at all.
• ONLY mention GPA if you had a very impressive academic career .

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What Is A Resume & What Will Make It Great

Simply put, a resume is a document that summarizes your education, professional experience, and skills.

It’s frequently used by recruiters and others to sift through job applicants and choose those that they’ll interview. For that reason, a resume is one of the most important documents you can create if you’re looking for a job.

Chapter : Resume Formats

In this chapter Ill cover the resume formats and layouts.

First, youll learn how to choose right style for your situation according to needs, education and work experience in your current industry or trying to get in to.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to chooseformat for your resume. But there are some industry standards which are used bymany job seekers. You may have head exploding concerns when you have to chooseresume formats. Lets see what are they.

Dont try Googling all these questions unless you reallywant to spend your precious time because youre going to get way different opinions,some of which will directly contradict something that youve just read. Itstotally mind bending thing for most people, but it doesnt have to be that way.Lets try and make this whole thing lot simple.

Im going to break things down here because the resumeformats topic has multiple components and depending on your specific situation,your industry, and your method of distributing this resume, the answer is goingto vary.

Lets put things into three main camps

Formatting the resume for the ATS

Formatting the resume for the human reader

Choosing how to order your specific resume sections

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Creating A Resume Skills Section

The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.

Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:

Example 1

If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:

If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:

Example 2

Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.

This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management: