How to Write a Resume, Step by Step

Recruiters skim before they read. A predictable structure lets them find what they need in seconds, and it also helps applicant tracking systems (ATS) file your information correctly. This is the standard order for a US reverse-chronological resume, the format most employers expect:

1. Contact details: full name, phone number, professional email, city and state, and your LinkedIn URL if it is up to date. A full street address is no longer necessary.
2. Professional summary: two or three sentences on who you are, what you do best and what you are looking for.
3. Work experience: most recent job first, with job title, employer, location, dates (month and year) and three to five bullet points.
4. Education: degree, school and graduation year. If you are a student or recent graduate, this section can go above your experience.
5. Skills: software, tools, technical skills and certifications that matter for the job.
6. Optional sections: certifications, licenses, projects, volunteer work or languages, when they are relevant to the role.

Leave out anything that is not job-related. US resumes do not include a photo, date of birth, age, marital status, religion or Social Security number. These details can expose you to bias and employers generally prefer not to receive them.

“References available upon request” is no longer needed. Employers assume you will provide references when asked, so use that line for something more useful.

For most people with fewer than ten years of experience, one page is enough. If you have a long career with several relevant roles, two pages are fine. Beyond that, trim older jobs or anything that does not support the role you want. Federal government resumes are an exception: they are usually longer and must include specific details, so follow the instructions in the job announcement.

Length is less important than density. A one-page resume packed with vague duties is weaker than a tight two-page resume full of concrete results. If you need to cut, start with jobs from more than 15 years ago, routine duties anyone in your role would perform, and skills that every applicant has, such as email or basic word processing.

Under each job, write three to five bullet points that start with an action verb and, wherever possible, state the result: how much, how many, how fast or what improved. A list of duties tells the reader what you were supposed to do; an achievement tells them how well you did it.

Useful action verbs include led, managed, built, launched, reduced, increased, trained, organized, negotiated, resolved and improved. Vary them so every bullet does not start with the same word.

Only use numbers you could explain in an interview. If you don’t have an exact figure, describe the result without one: “reduced customer complaints”, “opened the store alone on weekends”.

• Send a PDF unless the posting asks for Word: it looks the same on every device.
• Use a readable font at 10 to 12 points, with margins of about half an inch to one inch.
• Keep dates in one consistent format, for example “Mar 2022 – Present”.
• Use standard section headings such as Experience, Education and Skills so both people and software find them.
• Name the file with your name: “Jordan-Lee-Resume.pdf”, not “resume_final_v3.pdf”.
• Proofread it, then ask someone else to read it before you send it.

In the UK, Ireland and Australia the same document is called a CV, and the advice above applies there too. In US academia, a CV is a different, much longer document that lists publications and teaching.

You don’t need to rewrite your resume for every application, but you should adjust the summary and reorder your bullet points so the first things a recruiter reads match what the posting asks for. If the posting repeats terms such as “project management” or “Salesforce” and you genuinely have that experience, use those exact words. Recruiters search their ATS by keyword, and an exact match is easier to find.

Keep a master resume with everything you have done, then copy it and cut it down for each application. It takes ten minutes and makes each version noticeably more relevant.

Never add experience or skills you don’t have. It shows in the interview and in reference checks, and it can cost you the job even after an offer.

Most resumes that get passed over are not bad; they are just hard to read quickly or contain small errors that suggest a lack of care. Go through this list once before every application:

1. Your phone number and email are correct, and your voicemail greeting sounds professional.
2. The job title and the skills the posting emphasizes appear near the top of the page.
3. Every job has month and year dates, and there are no unexplained overlaps.
4. Bullets start with a verb, and at least some of them describe results, not only duties.
5. There are no personal details US employers don’t expect: photo, date of birth, marital status.
6. The PDF opens correctly, the text can be selected and the file name includes your name.

If you have a gap of more than a few months, you don’t need to hide it. A short line such as “Career break: family caregiving” or “Full-time study” answers the question before it is asked, and you can explain more in the interview or your cover letter.