How to write a resume: a complete step-by-step guide

Step 1: Choose your format

Reverse-chronological (most recent job first) is the default almost every recruiter expects, and the safest choice unless you have a specific reason to deviate. Within that, pick single-column if you'll be applying through large corporate ATS portals, or a lightly two-column layout if a human will read it first. See the full template breakdown for which layout fits which situation.

Step 2: Write contact info and a real summary

Your contact block needs only name, phone, email, and city/state — full street addresses are outdated and unnecessary. Below that, write a two-sentence summary, not an objective statement. An objective describes what you want ("Seeking a challenging role in..."); a summary describes what you offer ("Marketing coordinator with 4 years of B2B SaaS experience specializing in lifecycle email campaigns"). Hiring managers care about the second one.

Step 3: List experience with bullet points that prove impact

This is where most resumes lose the reader. Each bullet point should follow the same shape:

Action verb + what you did + the tool, context or scope + the measurable result.

"Managed social media accounts" tells a reader nothing. "Grew Instagram engagement 45% over six months by shifting the content calendar to a weekly video format" tells them exactly what you did and what happened because of it. If you genuinely can't attach a number, describe scale instead — team size, budget, number of accounts, geographic reach.

Common bullet point mistakes

• Starting with "Responsible for" instead of an action verb — it describes a duty, not an accomplishment.
• Listing tasks in the order you remember them rather than in order of impact.
• Repeating the same action verb (usually "managed" or "worked on") across every bullet.
• Writing bullets so generic they could apply to anyone who held that job title.

Step 4: Add a focused skills section and brief education

Group skills by category rather than listing them all in one comma-separated line — it's easier to scan and easier for an ATS to match against the job posting's own keyword groupings. For education, list degree, school, and graduation year; drop GPA and coursework once you have two or more years of relevant work experience.

Step 5: Tailor it to every job posting

The single highest-leverage thing you can do before submitting is to reread the job posting and mirror its exact terminology. If the posting says "cross-functional stakeholder management" and your resume says "worked with other teams," change it — many ATS platforms score resumes on literal keyword overlap with the posting, not on synonyms.

Step 6: Proofread and export correctly

Check tense consistency (past tense for past roles, present tense only for your current one), consistent date formatting, and consistent spacing between sections. Export as a PDF by default — it preserves formatting everywhere — and only submit a Word document if the application specifically asks for one.

Guides by role

For role-specific advice and example bullet points, see the software engineer, registered nurse, and project manager resume guides.

Frequently asked questions