best resume format for 15 years experience

3 Best Resume Formats for 2024 [W/ 5+ Professional Templates]

How you format your resume matters . 

When reviewing your resume, the first thing hiring managers notice is how your resume looks , not what it contains .

And if the first thing they see is a messy, cluttered, crowded resume, chances are you won’t make a great first impression.

So, this begs the question: what are the best resume formats, and which one should YOU use? 

That’s exactly what we’re here to explain! In this article, we’re going to cover:

• Resume Formatting Guidelines
• 5+ Resume Templates (You Can Steal)
• 3 Main Resume Formats (With Examples)
• Resume Format Pros and Cons
• How to Choose a Resume Format
• 7 Other Resume Resources 

Let’s dive right in! 

Resume Formatting Guidelines 

If you’re formatting your resume from scratch, you’ll first want to pay attention to the layout.  

That involves setting the margins, picking the font size, and determining your resume’s length. 

To create a professional-looking resume, follow these general formatting guidelines: 

• Don’t make your resume longer than one page . Unless you have 5+ years of relevant work experience, there’s no reason for your resume to be two or three pages long. 
• Pick an 11 or 12-pt font size and stick with it throughout your resume.
• Pick an attention-grabbing (but professional) font . We recommend Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass.  
• Use standard and legible resume sections . For example, your work experience should be called just that “Work Experience” and not “work history” or something else. 
• Leverage bullet points to list information such as work achievements and responsibilities, academic details , etc. They help make the resume much more reader-friendly. 
• Be consistent with resume formatting (e.g. use the same date format everywhere, instead of using 11.2018 in one place and November 2018 in another). 
• Have good line spacing. You don’t want the information on your resume to look all cramped up. 
• Always save your resume as a PDF file . It’s the safest choice, as it guarantees your resume layout will stay intact no matter what device opens it. Only save your resume as MS Word if the job you’re applying for specifically requires you to and never, ever, submit a JPEG or PNG of your resume.

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

6 Free Resume Templates (You Can Start Usign Now!) 

Formatting a resume from start to finish can be a time and energy-consuming process.

 If you’re building your resume with Word, for example, you’ll have to spend at least an hour tweaking the margins, making the headers and body text uniform, picking a font, and so on. You’ll spend an hour or two before you can even start filling in the resume contents!

And if all of that wasn’t enough, one misplaced sentence here or a wrong click there, and your resume layout starts spilling over to page 2!

Want to skip all the hassle of resume formatting? Check out some of our free, tried-and-tested resume templates , pick out your favorite, and fill it in as you go: 

#1. Basic Resume Template

Good for conservative, traditional industries. 

If you want to focus on your resume’s contents rather than its design, then the Basic template is for you. With a concise and well-organized layout, this resume format highlights everything the hiring manager wants to see. 

#2. College Resume Template

Good for university students, recent graduates, and entry-level professionals.

If you’re applying for internships or entry-level jobs, you’ll want to show off your skills, academic achievements, and whatever work experience you have. Well, that’s exactly what this template does! 

Not to mention, its contemporary style is perfect for younger candidates who want their resume to be as visually appealing as it is professional. 

#3. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior executives who may be applying in creative or green industries . While very professionally formatted, it also shows off a tinge of personality with its blue color scheme. 

#4. Modern Resume Template

Good for professionals in the business world or IT industries. 

Square brackets, bullet lists, infographics, and icons work together in this template to attract the hiring manager’s attention and get them to go over your work experience and achievements in depth. 

#5. Creative Resume Template

Good for anyone applying to creative industries such as marketing , design, publishing, and entry-level professionals. 

If you’re looking to stand out visually as much as through your skills and achievements, this is the template for you. Creative is designed to be a stylish resume that makes a stunning first impression while remaining professional. 

#6. Simple Resume Template

Good for senior professionals with a lot of work experience who are in conservative industries such as law or banking. 

The well-organized and professional formatting in this resume template is visually modest, allowing your achievements to do the talking. 

What Are the 3 Main Resume Formats? 

Now that we covered all the basics, let’s talk about resume formats in detail . 

The first thing you want to know is that there are three main resume formats out there, namely:

• The reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common and practical resume format in 2024.
• The functional resume format is also known as the skills-based resume format.
• The combination resume format , or hybrid resume format, is a combination of the other two formats.

At this point, you’re probably asking yourself how these 3 formats are different from each other. 

Well, the main difference is that they focus on different parts of an applicant’s experience by listing sections in different orders.

Here is what we mean by that: 

So, in a nutshell: 

• The reverse-chronological resume format focuses on your work experience , listing them from most to least recent.
• The functional resume format focuses on your skills that are relevant to the job.
• The combination resume format focuses on your experience and skills by aiming to prove that you possess the skills you list through your work achievements.

What’s the Best Resume Format For Me? 

So far so good - you now know all about the three main resume formats and how they’re different from each other. 

Now, you probably want to know what the optimal format is for YOUR resume. 

Well, mainly, that depends on what point you’re at in your career. Meaning: 

• If you’re a seasoned professional or if you’re looking to get hired in an industry where you have tons of experience, you should pick the reverse-chronological format.
• If you’re applying in a creative industry or for a position that prioritizes your skillset instead of your work history, then you can go for the functional resume format.
• If you’re looking to get hired in a position that requires both experienced and skilled applicants, then the combination format is your best bet.

And now, let’s go over each resume format to see how you can use them to your advantage, based on some real-life examples: 

#1. Reverse Chronological Resume Format

As we mentioned before, the reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular format in 2024.

It usually looks like this:

The main thing about this resume format is that it’s useful for practically every job-seeker.

The reverse-chronological format has a very simple structure, it’s easy to skim, and overall, it’s the most popular format around the globe.

For this reason alone, we typically recommend using this format to most people  - even if using one of the other formats also makes sense. 

Here’s what you’d include in a reverse-chronological resume:

• Contact Information - Your name, phone number, location, and email address. In some cases, you can include useful links such as a LinkedIn or GitHub profile. 
• Resume Summary or Objective - A brief 2-4 sentence summary of your work experience, or your objective for applying for a given position.
• Professional Title - Your title. This should mirror the exact position you’re applying for.
• Work Experience - Your work experience in reverse-chronological order. When possible, talk about achievements over responsibilities.
• Skills Section - Skills relevant to the position you’re applying for.
• Education - Your educational history. Pro tip - if you have a B.A., feel free to skip your high school education.
• Optional Sections - Sections like volunteering, projects, portfolio, hobbies , etc. While they’re not a game-changer, they can help fill up some space on your resume.

As we already mentioned, this resume format primarily focuses on the one part that’s relevant to most hiring managers - your work history . 

As such, the key to making the most out of this resume format is nailing the work experience section. To do that, here’s how you should structure it: 

• Start with your most recent job and go backward from there. 
• Tailor the section to the job description. This means that you shouldn’t list every job you ever worked - only the ones that are relevant for this one. 
• For each job that you list, include your job title , the name of the company, the location, and the time period you worked there. 
• Below, add four to five bullet points for recent jobs and two to three bullet points for earlier jobs. 
• Focus on your achievements instead of your responsibilities. Hiring managers already know the basic responsibilities of the jobs they’re hiring for. So, rather than your responsibilities, they want to learn about your achievements. 
• Whenever possible, quantify your achievements. Facts and numbers are more convincing than words. 
• Use action verbs and power words . (E.g. “created” instead of “was responsible for creating” ). 

Reverse-Chronological Format Example

As we already mentioned, the best thing about the reverse-chronological format is that it’s a great choice whether you’re an entry-level worker or a seasoned professional. 

Any relevant experience you’ve got, the chronological experience will highlight effectively. 

For example, here’s a digital marketer’s resume work experience section created using the reverse-chronological format:

Digital Marketing Manager

Wonderfull Agency Inc. 

06/2017 - Present 

• Created a new format for reporting and presenting the sales, customer engagement and Google Ads reports that decreased the number of meetings by 24% in the last three quarters.
• Updated and monitored the Bid Strategy in Google Ads and Bing Ads which resulted in a CTR increase of 3.2% in the first month.
• Redesigned the webpage UX, decreasing customer turnover by 25% within a period of two months. 
• Conducted keyword research for updating the product pages on the online shop, increasing the organic keywords in the Top 100 by 5.600 and in the Top 10 by 315 for high-volume searches. 

Digital Marketing Specialist 

Company X  

02/2015 - 05/2017 

• Collaborated with a copywriter and designer to update landing pages based on search intent, increasing conversion rates by 20% on average for select clients. 
• Worked directly with company clients, handling their Google Ads accounts. 
• Managed a total of $40,000 in ad spend per month. 
• Achieved an average of 200% ROAS overall ad accounts. 

Reverse Chronological Resume Format Pros & Cons

Still not sure if the reverse-chronological resume format is the right choice for you? See our pros and cons below!

• Recruiters and HR managers prefer this format.
• It will definitely “beat” Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software.
• Provides a reader-friendly chronological history of your work experience.
• The most popular resume format in 2024.
• You need to make your work achievements stand out to catch the recruiter’s attention. 
• Hard to fill in for a recent graduate with no work experience. 
• Makes career gaps very obvious. If you’re a career changer, you need to explain those employment gaps on your resume.

#2. Functional Resume Format 

As we already mentioned, the functional resume format is also known as the skills-based resume format. Here’s an example of what it looks like: 

As the name suggests, the functional resume format focuses on your skills and your key strengths. 

In a nutshell, this resume format takes the spotlight away from your work experience by highlighting what you’re good at instead. 

As such, this resume format is perfect for recent graduates or career changers who have little-to-no experience in a particular field. 

Here’s what to include in a functional resume:

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary or Objective
• Professional Title
• Skills Summary
• Additional Skills
• Work Experience

As you can see, the main difference from the reverse-chronological format is that the focus of the functional resume is the skills summary and the resume objective that’s placed right at the top of the resume. 

Here is exactly how you should write them to impress the hiring manager: 

• Use your resume objective to state your career intent and explain what makes you the ideal candidate for the job. 
• Start off your resume objective by mentioning a skill, education, or certification relevant to the job, mention the responsibilities you could handle, and include your motivation for working that particular job. 
• In the skills summary, include four or five skills that are most relevant to the position. 
• Instead of just listing your skills, be descriptive. In bullet points or in plain paragraphs, give examples of how you applied these skills in practice and try to make them as quantifiable as possible. 

Functional Format Example

Let’s assume that you’re an entry-level journalist. 

Since you graduated, you’ve worked as a part-time intern at a magazine and published a dozen articles online and in print. You also run a blog that has a modest but loyal readership. 

Now, you want to apply for an actual journalism position at a recently founded newspaper. So, you’re using the functional resume format. 

Here’s why it’s the right choice: 

• It highlights your skills. In this case, you don’t have the experience to apply for the job, but you may have all the right skills. 
• It allows you to prove your skills. There’s ample space to show exactly how you can put your skills to use for the upcoming job. 

Now let’s see what your resume objective and skills summary (or areas of strength) would look like in this case: 

Resume Objective

Driven and hardworking journalism graduate looking to get hired as a reporter in The Daily Prophet. I interned at Who Magazine for six months, where I gained hands-on experience in research, fact-checking, and interviewing. Passionate blogger at Fake Blog Website, which is currently followed by over two thousand readers. 

Skills Summary 

Research & Fact checking

• Able to systematically look for information, resources, data, etc. through a variety of sources, such as books, online directories, or social media. 
• Careful to always ensure that every claim and data that gets published is accurate and legitimate. 

Interviewing

• Full knowledge of journalism ethics and standards that are required to conduct successful and dignified interviews. 
• Skilled at connecting with interviewees on a deeper level to ensure comprehensive and detailed interviews. 
• Excel at several types of journalistic writing, including news, feature writing, columns, and reviews.
• Have published over 15 articles in different newspapers and magazines since graduating. 

Considering that the functional resume focuses solely on a candidate’s skills, the only groups of candidates who should consider using it are: 

• Freelancers with impressive portfolios 
• Professionals in creative industries
• Career changers 
• Recent graduates, and entry-level professionals
• Military veterans passing into civilian roles

So, to sum it all up: 

Functional Resume Format Pros & Cons

• Good for highlighting specific skills.
• Useful if you’re switching careers since you can explain how your skills transfer to the new job.
• Useful if you’re a recent graduate with practical skills but not much work experience.
• The functional resume format is not very popular in 2024, and most recruiters and hiring managers aren’t familiar with it, so using this format carries a bit of a risk.
• Since the functional resume has less focus on work experience, recruiters might think you’re trying to hide something.
• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) have difficulties reading functional resumes.

#3. Combination Resume Format

The combination resume format , also known as the “hybrid,” is a mixture of the functional and the reverse-chronological format.

This resume format gives equal attention to an applicant’s skills section and work experience. As such, you end up including both the Skill Summary and the Work Experience sections:

• Skill Summary

The focal point here is the skills summary. Placed right after the contact information section, this is where you list the skills that are required for the job and then prove that you have them through your professional experience and achievements. 

Here is exactly how you should write it: 

• List the skills that are required for the position you’re applying for and that you actually possess. 
• Add up to 4 professional achievements underneath each skill to prove that you possess it. 
• Make your achievements as descriptive and quantifiable as possible. 

Combination Format Example

Say you’re a senior program manager with over a decade of experience in your field. 

You can plan, execute, evaluate programs and projects across diverse industries, and inspire your team to do great work. 

Recently, someone told you about an opening for a program director in an international company. To apply, you’re putting together a hybrid resume format. 

Here’s what makes it the best choice: 

• Saves space. For highly competitive positions, you want your resume to be able to cut through the noise. The hybrid format allows you to do that by bringing into focus your most relevant achievements right from the start.
• Combines the best parts of the other two resume formats, which is perfect for senior professionals or executives that have plenty to show for both experience and skills. 

For example, some of the skills required for the program director gig mentioned above may include interpersonal skills , budget management, and project management. 

Here’s what the skills summary in your hybrid resume would look like in practice: 

Interpersonal Skills

• Initiated formal and informal coaching and mentorship to 50+ team members regarding project charter development, resource planning, best practices of project management, and appropriate delivery of project outcomes. 
• Coordinated all project inputs with several functional/technical directors, managers, and project core teams, to formulate appropriate project tools and methodologies. 

Budget Management 

• Oversaw the implementation of the enterprise’s multi-year, multi-million dollar research system software that benefited employees company-wide. 
• Analysis of financial and statistical data reduced operational costs by 12%.
• Strategically supervised the project execution teams to ensure the timely and cost-effective completion of projects, saving the company $250K in project costs. 

Project Management

• Provided strategic direction, leadership, and project governance for a multimillion-dollar application project portfolio, which successfully supported a population of 60K+ end-users across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
• Streamlined project management methodologies and communication in the IT division, which increased efficiency by 90%. 
• Accurately report on project status throughout its life cycle to 20+ project teams, stakeholders, and sponsors, encompassing budget estimation, scheduling, and resource planning.

Combination Resume Format Pros and Cons 

• Allows you to show off more of your experience and skills using less space.
• Useful for very senior professionals or executives who need to highlight more than just their work experience.
• Good for applicants who may have a noticeable employment gap but plenty of work experience nonetheless.
• As with the functional resume format, applicant tracking systems have difficulties reading combination resumes.
• If you’re a recent graduate or don’t have much work experience, this resume format is not very useful.
• As is the case with the functional resume, most hiring managers aren’t very familiar with this format, which might cause some confusion in the process.

The Verdict: What Is the Best Resume Format?  

Now that we’ve covered all 3 of the common resume formats, you’re probably wondering which one's best resume format out there .

Here’s our verdict:

In 90%+ of the cases, we’d recommend going with a reverse-chronological resume format.

In 2024, it’s the most common and useful format:

• Applicant tracking systems can read it without any problems.
• All recruiters and hiring managers are familiar with this format.
• Whether you’re a recent graduate or a senior professional, it’s the easiest format to work with.

So, even if you’re a career changer, a highly-qualified professional, or a college student, it’s risky to choose one of the other two formats over the reverse-chronological one.

There’s a good chance that the applicant tracking system won’t be able to read your resume and automatically discard it - after all the time you put into creating the resume!

At the same time, recruiters might just not be familiar with these resume formats, or think that you’re just trying to hide the fact that you’re not experienced, and disqualify you based on that.

So, the rule of thumb - when in doubt, go for the reverse-chronological resume.

Looking for CV writing tips instead? Here's our full guide on how to write a CV !

How to Beat the ATS Software

Did you know that 75% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ? 

Instead, they get scanned by ATS software, which evaluates your resume and decides whether it’s relevant enough for the hiring manager to give it a look.

At first, ATS software was used by larger companies that receive thousands of applications daily as a way to filter out irrelevant applicants. Today, though, studies show that most companies use ATS to evaluate applicants. 

As worrying as this thought may be, you’ll be glad to know there is a way to beat ATS and get your resume on top of the hiring manager’s desk:

Creating an ATS-friendly resume ! 

Here is a handy list of our top tips for making a resume that beats applicant tracking systems: 

• Place your contact information at the top of your resume. 
• Sprinkle specific keywords from the job description throughout your resume. 
• Avoid using graphics or charts as part of your resume. 
• Save your resume in PDF format. 

7 Other Resume Resources

Picking the right resume format is just the first step in creating a convincing resume.

Want to learn how to make a resume that lands you the job?

Check out some of our best career resources!

• Job Search Masterclass - This one’s our flagship e-book. It covers literally everything you need to know about job-search: how to make a resume, how to write a cover letter, how to apply for jobs effectively, what are the most common job interview questions, and a LOT more. The book is jam-packed with value, and illustrated, making it an extremely easy read.
• How to Make a Resume - Our comprehensive guide on how to make a resume from A to Z.
• Interview Questions And Answers - Have a hard time with job interviews? This guide features ALL the most common job interview questions that you might encounter.
• How to Write a Cover Letter - Our ultimate guide on writing a cover letter (free templates included!)
• 50+ Resume Examples - Need some inspiration with your resume? Check out our resume examples for 50+ different positions and fields.
• 43+ Resume Tips - A complete list of all our resume tips, ordered by importance.
• 26+ Interview Mistakes - Whatever you do, avoid making these common interview mistakes.

And of course, for more industry-leading job-search advice, make sure to follow our career blog !

FAQ on Resume Formats

Do you still have some questions about resume formatting? We’ll get them answered here!

1. What’s the best resume format in 2024?  

For the majority of job-seekers, the best resume format in 2024 is the reverse-chronological resume format. This resume format involves listing your resume information (e.g. your work experience and your education) starting with the most recent one and going backward through relevant jobs, degrees, or qualifications. 

Here’s why the reverse chronological resume format is the best choice: 

• It’s easy to read and skim through
• Hiring managers are familiar with it because it’s the most commonly used one
• It’s ATS-friendly, which means Applicant Tracking Systems can scan it with ease
• It brings your career progression and professional achievements into the spotlight

2. What is the correct format for a college student resume? 

The best resume format for a college student resume is the reverse-chronological format .

While it is true that a functional resume can help you emphasize your skills more than work experience, it comes with two serious problems:

• Recruiters aren’t familiar with it, and they might think you’re trying to hide the fact that you don’t have work experience.
• Applicant tracking systems have trouble reading this resume format. 

So, unless you have absolutely no experience to show for it (meaning, not even unpaid internships, or even college projects with relevant responsibilities for the job you’re applying for), then you should still choose the reverse-chronological resume format over the skills-based one. 

If you’re worried about your lack of work experience , don’t. For most entry-level positions and internships, you’re not required to have work experience. 

3. What is the best resume format for a job seeker with experience? 

The best resume format for a job-seeker with plenty of experience in the industry they’re applying for is the reverse-chronological format. 

Here’s what makes the reverse-chronological format the best choice: 

• It puts emphasis on your strengths as an applicant, namely your professional experience. 
• It shows recruiters exactly what they’re looking for (your achievements and qualifications) from the get-go. 

4. Is resume format important? 

Yes, the resume format you choose is important. Basically, the resume format involves the type of information listed on the resume and the way this information is organized and presented. 

When they’re evaluating your resume, hiring managers expect to see information that will help them assess whether you’re the right person for the job (i.e. your experience, skills, and qualifications, among others). If, for example, you have five years of work experience but your resume format focuses on your education, the hiring manager may have trouble realizing that you’re the right person for the job. 

At the same time, hiring managers want to spend as little time as possible reading your resume. This means that a disorganized, chaotic resume may get them to throw your resume in the “rejected” pile without giving it a second thought. 

That’s why it’s super important to choose the right resume format that highlights your strengths and that recruiters know and like. 

5. What is an ATS-friendly resume format?

Applicant Tracking System software is software that companies use to sort through the countless applications they receive daily. 

What ATS does is scan resumes for specific keywords mentioned in the job description (e.g. necessary skills for the job), and filter out those applications it deems irrelevant. 

As such, an ATS-friendly resume format is the kind of format that lists information in plain text and organizes it in clear sections, making it easier to be read by applicant tracking systems.

This is important because ATS software is typically unable to read text within images or scan infographics.  

6. What resume format is most ATS-friendly?

The most ATS-friendly resume format is the reverse-chronological format. 

That’s because it allows you to use ATS-specific keywords in your skills section and doesn’t use too many visuals such as graphs, infographics, etc.

7. Are hand-written resumes still used?

No, hand-written resumes are barely used in 2024. As such, you should not submit a handwritten resume when you’re applying for jobs. 

Here are some of the most important reasons why: 

• ATS software is unable to scan hand-written resumes. This means that if the company to which you’re applying uses an ATS, your resume will get disqualified.
• Your handwriting might be difficult to understand. Not just that, but you’ll have trouble differentiating one section from the other and keeping everything uniform, which means your resume will be the opposite of reader-friendly.
• We’re technically living online now. Gone are the days when you’d look up job openings in a newspaper or apply by mail. Everything has moved online, so it only makes sense for your resume to do the same.

8. Is the resume format the same as the resume template?

No, a resume format is not the same thing as a resume template. 

Resume format refers to the layout of the resume, namely, the kind of information, its order, and the way it's organized on the resume. Basic document settings, such as line spacing, fonts, and margins, are also part of resume formatting. 

A resume template, on the other hand, is a pre-designed, blank document that you can fill in as you go. Using a resume template to create your resume is a much easier and less time-consuming process than formatting your resume from scratch. 

9. What is the easiest way to build my resume?

The easiest, most efficient way to create a resume is through a resume builder .

If you use a text editor, you could spend hours trying to format your resume, but the moment you make a tiny design change, the whole resume layout gets completely messed up!

Using a resume builder, on the other hand, comes with a ton of benefits:

• Recruiter-friendly layout. All of our resume templates are created with recruiters in mind - they’re extremely easy to read and skim.
• Easy to build. Our resume builder is extremely easy to use. All YOU have to do is fill in the content - we take care of all the resume formatting.
• ATS-friendly . Applicant tracking systems can read our resumes perfectly fine, ensuring that you don’t get automatically disqualified when applying for positions.
• Free (with premium features). Our base builder is completely free without any hidden paywalls! If you’re looking to upgrade the resume design, though, or get access to several awesome features, you can always upgrade to Premium.

10. What are the 7 resume types?

The 7 types of resume formats include the reverse-chronological resume, the combination resume, the resume with profile, the non-traditional resume, the infographic resume, the functional resume, and the targeted resume.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on resume formats! 

By now, you should know everything there is to know about the most popular resume formats and regarding what the best resume format is for YOU. 

Before you go, let’s do a recap of the most important points covered in this article: 

• There are 3 common resume formats - reverse-chronological, functional, and combination (also known as the hybrid).
• The reverse-chronological format is the most popular one in 2024, and we always recommend you go with that one.
• A functional resume focuses more on skills rather than work experience and is usually used by career changers or students.
• A combination resume is a mix of functional and reverse-chronological formats and puts equal emphasis on work experience and skill set.
• Both functional and combination resumes are not too popular, and applicant tracking systems have trouble reading them.

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Best Resume Formats + 7 Formatting FAQs for 2024

• Best Resume Formats and Examples

What’s the Best Resume Format for Me?

How to format your resume, formatting faqs, formatting your resume in 2024.

A resume is more than just a summary of your employment history and associated experience, skills, and education; it’s a marketing tool [1] . A recruiter will tend to pass over applicants who provide only the boring basics. Instead, they would rather see your accomplishments and what you can do for the company.

Your resume is the ticket to an interview, so it’s important that your resume template shows the best you possible to a potential employer. Because times change, you can’t simply use the resume you wrote a few years back or, possibly, even last year. Choosing the right format and providing the proper information can land you that interview for your dream job.

3 Best Resume Formats and Examples for 2024

The format you choose for your resume is just as important as what information is actually provided within. The way your resume is set up can either help or hinder a potential employer’s ability to quickly scan to see what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Imagine getting between 75 and 250 resumes for one position [2] . There’s no way you’re going to have the time to read each and everyone to select just a few candidates for interviews. Although part of a recruiter’s job is to go through resumes, they have other responsibilities as well. This means that they’ll only be able to scan through resumes and select a handful to read more thoroughly. A properly formatted resume is more likely to be read.

When you don’t choose an appropriate format for the position that you’re applying for, recruiters get a negative impression of you and your ability to do the job, no matter how qualified you may actually be. Not only that, but a recruiter will skim to see if you actually want the specific position within their company rather than just any ol’ job.

Furthermore, an improperly formatted resume looks messy and unprofessional when information isn’t organized into appropriate sections. It can make it difficult for a recruiter to find the specific information that they’re seeking as a good match for the position they’re offering. With more and more employers turning to applicant tracking systems to filter through large numbers of resumes, improper formatting becomes an ATS nightmare that will cause your resume to be dismissed before human eyes ever have a chance to look at it [3] .

While there are many formatting options that can be used, these three resume formats are typically the most popular for 2024:

Reverse-chronological format

Functional format.

• Combination, or hybrid, format

When a resume is written in a reverse-chronological format, your past employment and experience are what stand out. A prospective employer can readily see a progression of your work history and how long you stayed with each company or organization.

• The most popular format for 2024
• Preferred by recruiters
• Chronological timeline that’s easy to skim
• Limited options for those with little work history
• Highlighted gaps in employment
• Varying positions or multiple career path changes are easily noticed

When using a reverse-chronological resume, you should include certain sections in the following order:

• Contact information : This should include your name, job title, phone number, city, state, and email address. If you have an online employment profile, such as on LinkedIn, you can include it here as well.
• Career objective : We recommend including this if you’re changing career fields or looking for an entry-level position. Using two to four sentences, provide the reason you’re applying for the position or a  professional summary  of how your previous work qualifies you for the position.
• Work experience : Beginning with your most recent job, list your previous work experience. Here you’ll list the achievements that you’ve accomplished at each position you’ve held.
• Skills : This is the area where you’ll list a few hard and soft skills that are relevant to the position you’re seeking.
• Education : In reverse-chronological order, list your education. If you have a college degree, there’s no need to include your high school diploma.
• Additional accomplishments : If you need to fill up space, you can add volunteer work or projects as long as you can reasonably relate it to the position.

The functional resume highlights the skill sets that qualify you for the position. You’ll still include your employment history, but the main focus for recruiters is the skills that you bring to the table.

• Position-related skills are emphasized
• Employment gaps are minimized
• Transferable skills are utilized when you are changing careers or have little job experience
• Unfamiliar to many recruiters in 2024
• Red flags pop up for potential employers
• Difficulty passing through some applicant tracking systems

When creating a functional resume, these are the sections to include in the preferred order.

• Contact information : This is the same as for a reverse-chronological resume.
• Resume summary : Use the career objective placeholder as a resume summary that bundles all your skills, showing how they could easily transfer to the position that you’re applying for.
• General skills : This is where you’ll list some of your basic transferable hard and soft skills.
• Skills summary : List a few specific roles and accomplishments from projects and positions where you used those skills.
• Work history : List any work history with just the details concerning the place of employment in reverse-chronological order.
• Education : Complete this section the same as you would for a reverse-chronological resume.
• Additional accomplishments : These can be added if they’re relevant and you have extra space.

Combination/hybrid format

A combination, or hybrid, resume places equal focus on your skills and your job history. The in-depth skills section comes first to grab the potential employer’s attention before showing your previous employment. This format is often used by those with extensive experience in one field to show how they stand out from other applicants or for those who are changing careers that require a similar skill set.

• Most valuable skills are corroborated with related work history
• Skills from various types of employment are related with the new position
• Employment gaps are minimized as long as there is still significant work experience
• Limited employment history is obvious
• Trouble passing through applicant tracking systems
• Difficult to format properly

Creating a combination/hybrid resume requires these sections in the following order:

• Contact information : See previous resume types for specific information.
• Skills summary : This is where you’ll list relevant skills, and then provide specific examples of your accomplishments using these skills at your previous jobs.
• Additional skills : You may wish to add other pertinent skills that you don’t have concrete examples for here.
• Work experience : As with other resume formats, list your employment history in reverse-chronological order.
• Education : Complete this section the way you would for the other two resume formats.

Depending on your situation, you may think that a specific resume format would work better than the others to show off your skills and experience. Honestly, in today’s job market, the reverse-chronological resume is the top choice for just about everyone. This is, in part, because this format gives you the best chance of passing through ATS systems and making its way to human eyes. With other resume formats, ATS may reject your resume on the first pass.

Additionally, recruiters prefer the reverse-chronological resume because it gives them the information they’re looking for in the areas where they expect to see it, making their jobs easier [4] . Instead of looking at other resume styles as a way for you to better showcase your fit with the company, hiring managers see red flags when viewing other formats because they wonder whether you’re trying to hide something.

It can be really helpful to consult with a professional to help you  build a resume  that works. Right now, we’ll walk you through each resume format, taking into account skills and employment history. However, at the end of the day, we still recommend the reverse-chronological format, and we’re here to help you overcome potential obstacles that you may face in your specific situation.

I have years of traditional work experience

If you’ve worked in similar fields and have a consistent employment history, you might be tempted to go with a combination/hybrid format for your resume to help you stand out from other applicants. Unfortunately, this style may not pass through ATS, and it’s very difficult to pull off correctly.

Whether you’ve only been working a few years or for decades, the reverse-chronological resume format is going to be your best choice. While recruiters are looking for proof of steady employment over the years, they’re also looking for job progression. They want to see if you’ve changed jobs because you’ve acquired additional skills or if you’ve simply moved laterally from one job to the next. With the reverse-chronological resume, you’re able to tell a story of job growth that potential employers want to see.

Furthermore, the reverse-chronological format makes it easier for recruiters to see your specific work accomplishments so that they know what you can bring to the position. Your short sections of skills can be easily verified with this format. You’ll also avoid the potential red flags that could prevent a recruiter from actually looking at your resume.

Don’t worry—if you feel you have more to offer your prospective employer than other applicants, you can still let your skills and experience shine with a reverse-chronological resume by writing job experience bullet points that reflect your  specific skill set . We can help you arrange your skills and employment in the preferred reverse-chronological format to maximize your resume’s impact with recruiters.

I’m a student or looking for an entry-level position

In the past, you may have been encouraged to use the functional format for your resume. Unfortunately, these days, it simply makes potential employers wonder why you’re not using a reverse-chronological style. What are you trying to hide? Instead of reading the relevant skills you can provide, they may just pass over your resume completely, especially if they’re limited on time or have other qualified candidates already on the interview list. This is all assuming your functionally formatted resume even makes it past ATS.

Recruiters understand that you may lack an employment history because you’re new to the job market. Instead, they want to see if you’ve been spending your time preparing for entering the workforce rather than goofing off or procrastinating. To the potential employer, what you’ve done in the time before work can tell a lot about what type of employee you’ll be.

You may not know how to use your previous activities in place of work history, but that’s okay. We’ll show you how you can use any volunteer work or completed projects in place of employment in the preferred reverse-chronological format. Fortunately,  the career objective  near the top of your resume can also be used to your advantage when you have little or no actual work experience.

Functional vs reverse-chronological resume format

I don’t have traditional work experience, or I have career gaps

If you’ve had non-traditional work experience, such as serving in the military, or you have career gaps, you might think the combination/hybrid format will work best for you. This will allow you to showcase the skills you’ve gained that are relevant to the position you’re applying for while then providing evidence for those skills with your previous experience.

While this resume type does have advantages in cases such as these, you should still be concerned if you try to use this style. It’s very difficult to make a combination/hybrid resume look professional and to use the appropriate keywords to draw the reader in. Furthermore, this format typically won’t make it past the first ATS scan. Also, many potential employers will assume you have something you’re trying to hide when you use a different format. Why put all of your thoughtful work to waste if someone isn’t going to be able to get their hands on your resume and read it?

It is more than possible to place your accomplishments and work skills in a chronological order that’s easy for recruiters to skim. We can help you make the most of your abilities using the reverse-chronological format in a way that fits with the proposed job position. Additionally, an  attention-grabbing career objective  can effectively highlight your skill set to portray you as a valuable asset to the company or organization.

Combination vs reverse-chronological resume format

In addition to the basic resume formats described, you need to think about formatting your information for visual appeal and ease of access to specific key points. The best way to do this is to put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter. What layout will be the easiest to get the information across as quickly and organized as possible? Remember that hiring personnel only take about six or seven seconds to gather information from your resume, so it’s vital to make your important information easy to access [5] .

Although you want to stand out, the layout isn’t the place to get over-the-top creative. If your information isn’t organized or set up in a logical sequence, would you want to waste your time reading it when you have so many other documents to sort through? In all truthfulness, you’d probably give up on that resume and move on to someone else with an easier-to-read document.

Let’s walk through the following points to keep in mind when creating your resume:

Format to impress

• Include must-haves on your resume
• Learn how  not  to format your resume
• Format to beat ATS

The design of your resume determines whether someone will continue to read it after the introductory six-to-seven-second skim. It will help if you remember these key principles in formatting:

• Consistency : Keep each section similar in layout, including the use (or lack) of punctuation. Use the same font and font size for main content and the same font and font size for headers. 

• Repetition : Repeat the use of bullet points throughout each job experience. If you use a color or underline a heading, make sure that it’s repeated throughout your resume. These tiny, repetitive details help consistency and keep your document looking organized and professional. 

• Alignment : Use left alignment for the body of your document. Centered text is difficult to read and appears unorganized on a resume. As an exception, though, your name and title may be centered.

• Proximity : Place each section in the appropriate order on the page so that it creates a natural progression to each consecutive section. Likewise, keep similar things grouped together. For example, don’t include volunteer experience with your education or skills as it will fit better within work experience (or even under a new section you title “Projects” or “Volunteer Experience”). 

To professionalize your resume, begin by using one-inch margins and single or 1.5-inch spacing in between each section. If you need more space, you can reduce the margins to 0.75; however, avoid using less than 0.50 of an inch because it’s too crowded and information can get lost through ATS translation.

You can choose serif or sans serif for your font, but stick with just one in a style that’s not too cramped or ornate. As a good rule of thumb, you can aim between 10- and 12- point font throughout the document, though you can increase font size for your name, title, and section headers.

Adding a splash of color gives personality and highlights pertinent information. Using the company’s main color can be a plus and subtly demonstrates your initiative to research the company. Also, take advantage of bullet points, but use simple, round bullets because other characters may not translate well through ATS.

Must-haves on your resume

Recruiters have clear expectations of what they expect a resume to look like and what should be included within it. First and foremost, your contact information and job title should be the first thing they see; they shouldn’t have to hunt for it. Include your name, job title, phone number, and a professional-sounding email address. Unfortunately, [email protected] can land your resume in the trash bin before the recruiter reads any further.

Keep your resume to one page, and use a recognized file format, preferably pdf. An appropriate amount of white space breaks up the content into easy-to-find sections. Use bold font or underline the font for section headers. Increasing header fonts to 12 or 14 provides contrast that makes them easier to spot. If you don’t have a lot of color in the rest of the document, consider using it in header text.

Along with color and font style, you have some leeway on being creative with your sections. However, you need to format with both yourself and the potential employer in mind. If you work in a professional field, your resume should demonstrate this through its layout as well as the wording you choose. On the other hand, an artist may look for a more creative approach, though professionalism will always be king.

Don’t just list your job title or job duties at your previous places of employment. Use action words that promote achievement in a way that is factual and quantifiable, such as with numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts.

Editing and proofreading are essential. Recruiters believe you’re going to put your best effort into a resume, so be sure that it’s free of errors and is grammatically correct. If there are any typos in a document that’s supposed to show you at your best, they’ll assume you’ll make even more mistakes when you’re on the job. You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

If all of this sounds complicated, it’s because it can be. That’s why our  free resume checker  will enable you to show your best self while still portraying the level of professionalism that recruiters expect to see.

Line Cook Resume

This line cook resume includes all you’ll need in a successful resume format, and by clicking below, you can start editing your own copy now:

How  not  to format your resume

Knowing what not to do when creating your resume can be just as important as knowing what to include. Poor formatting provides potential employers with a disorganized mess that they’ll simply toss rather than try to puzzle out.

Many issues affect your resume immediately while others may not be seen without further inspection, so it’s important that you don’t take any chances. Be aware of the following:

• Added photos : Pictures, photos, and other graphics won’t pass through ATS, and they take up valuable space that can be better used to sell yourself.
• Too much color : While a conservative amount of color can add personality and effective design elements, using too much distracts the reader from what’s important and depicts you as immature and inexperienced.
• Unprofessional fonts : Although you may wish to show your sense of style, avoid scripted or detailed fonts since these can slow down the recruiter’s ability to read your information and mix up ATS.
• Missing information : It’s important to include all sections required for the resume format you choose because missing information is a red flag to a potential employer and makes you look scattered and disorganized.
• Personal information : Hiring personnel don’t want to know too much about your personal life (plus, they can run into legal issues if they start asking those kinds of questions), so stick with facts that relate to your work history. However, depending on your field, it may be appropriate to include  hobbies and interests  on your resume.

Formatting to beat ATS

ATS is used to simplify recruiters’ jobs by narrowing down the number of resumes that they have to physically look through. Unfortunately, 75 percent of resumes never make their way to an actual person [6] .

In addition to a clear format, ATS scans for certain keywords related to the position and will give you a rating based on how these keywords are included in your resume. Don’t overuse keywords because your resume will be read by a real person if it passes through ATS.

Investment Banking Resume

Click on this ATS-friendly resume below to build and edit your own resume now:

Here are some considerations when creating your resume for ATS:

• Use the right file format : The most acceptable formats are .pdf and .doc, so you may want to keep a copy of your resume in both formats.
• Keep it simple : Use appropriate spacing and sections for readability.
• Avoid graphics : Pictures, lines, and other graphics will be seen as a garbled mess of text by ATS.
• Check your formatting : Copy the contents of your resume and paste into a plain text document. The results are basically how ATS will process it, so look for odd characters and sections that are out of place.
• Use traditional headers : The ATS is programmed to look for basic word combinations, so don’t get too creative in the wording of your section headers.
• Optimize keywords : ATS will look for the job title of the position and key industry terms. Look at the job description to see what words the hiring personnel used to get some ideas.

ATS-nightmare resume example

ATS-friendly resume example

Although there’s plenty of information here to help you get started, you may have additional questions. Please see our FAQs section below to learn more about formatting your best resume in 2024. However, we understand that there’s no way for us to anticipate every question, so if you’re still unsure about anything, feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] .

What’s the difference between a resume format and a resume template?

The resume format is  how  you put your information on the page while a resume template is typically a downloadable document that you can put the information into. A basic template will let you put your information into a simple, readable format. However, these templates (like what you might find in Microsoft Word) are often fixed, providing you with little flexibility (and lots of headaches). These resumes may all look the same.

On the other hand, a great template will allow you to rearrange the format to suit your specific needs. We offer  different resume templates  that fall within recommended guidelines while leaving room for your personality to shine through. Every template can be edited in our resume builder for you to create the perfect document to save and share with potential employers.

Also, we don’t leave you on your own. Our  resume maker offers you suggestions and tips for both your formatting and writing needs.

Don’t recruiters get tired of seeing the same format?

Recruiters sort through up to 250 resumes for one open position [2] . While it might seem that hiring personnel would get tired of seeing the same old format over and over again, it actually makes their job faster and easier because they know exactly where to find the information they’re looking for if the document passes through ATS and into their hands.

However, we understand that you want your resume to catch the recruiter’s attention, so we offer  resume template variations  of tried-and-true formats that hiring managers have come to know while providing you with a chance to show your unique brand. There’s no reason to risk your resume making its way to the circular file because it’s unorganized, illogical, or doesn’t appear to make sense to the recruiter or to the ATS.

Can I write my resume in chronological order instead of reverse-chronological order?

In the end, how you decide to create your resume is completely up to you. However, it’s important to remember that you have just six or seven seconds to make the recruiter want to read more. If they have to search for your most recent, and generally most relevant, employment, they may just give up and move on to the next applicant.

When you use reverse-chronological order, hiring personnel see your most recent job position right near the top of the page where their eyes are typically scanning for what information they’re looking for [7] . If they see the first job you ever had fifteen years ago, not only may the position be unrelated to the current one, the recruiter may assume there are gaps in your employment because they’re accustomed to seeing the most recent job listed first.

How much “personality” should be in my resume?

While it’s important to allow for creativity in how you word and format your resume, professionalism is still key. Feel free to use terms and wording that are outside the box because many recruiters are tired of seeing the same old basic terms such as “team player.” However, it’s imperative that everything you include in your resume is easy to read, placed in a logical order, and makes sense to the reader.

Also, remember that ATS and employers are looking for specific keywords, so only show off your style to the point that it doesn’t interfere or distract from finding relevant information. For more information on this topic, check out question No. 2 in our FAQs section.

What’s the easiest and quickest way to format a resume?

Because there’s so much detailed information that you need to know to effectively format a resume for ATS and human eyes, it’s best to go with a  the best resume builder  that offers  customizable resume templates  to suit your needs. You could always try your hand at making your own with a template or blank document from word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you’d like to try this method, go back to the section on How to Format Your Resume, so you’ll be sure not to forget any pertinent details.

Better yet, you can alleviate the guesswork by using BeamJob’s  resume builder and checker . We offer plenty of  free resume templates for download , which you can edit. We’re here to save you hours of time and frustration.

What should I name my resume file?

Gone are the days of blindly tossing around mass-produced, hard-copy resumes. Your resume should be specifically tailored to the job position you’re applying for. This means that, ideally, you’ll have more than one resume if you’re hunting the job market to fit with different positions. You want to make it easy to find the specific resume you’re looking for.

Name your file with your first name followed by a period, your last name followed by a period, the job position title with no spaces followed by a period, and 2024. Use the format first.last.jobpositiontitle.2024 or something similar. Here is an example: john.smith.accountssupervisor.2024. Not only will this help you find the exact resume you want for each job application, but it’s also easier for job recruiters to find when they want to re-evaluate your resume to invite you to an interview. Don’t let something as simple as a file name keep a recruiter from contacting you for an interview!

How do I make a good resume?

Be confident in your abilities when  writing a resume . Also, take advantage of the tools available on BeamJob’s resume builder to make the time you spend creating your resume easier and faster. Remember, no matter how great a fit you are for the position, it won’t matter if improper formatting prevents your resume from being read.

Once you have edited and proofread your resume and have it the way you want, it is extremely helpful to have someone else evaluate your work and provide feedback on something you may have missed. Great sources can include colleagues, friends in a similar field, close contacts who have extensive grammar skills, or even your favorite college professor.

If any of these contacts suggest that you make changes, you can just go back to the resume builder without risk of having to reformat your entire document as everything is automatically saved for you after you make a  free account  with us. You can make as many copies as you like, so you always have the best, most updated version to send to potential employers.

Your resume opens the door for interviews (or closes it!), so it’s important that it’s properly formatted and includes relevant information in a way that’s easy for recruiters to view in the limited time they have available. Although reverse-chronological format is the most preferred style and is absolutely our recommendation, you know yourself and your experiences best, so choose what you believe will benefit you the most. 

However, you need to remember that only a fraction of resumes pass through ATS and into the hands of recruiters, so take your time to get the right layout. Format to impress with white space, an appropriate font, concise information, and related keywords. Contact information should be at the top of your resume followed by the career objective as this is where recruiters will look first. Avoid obstacles that detract the reader from getting the information they need and want.

Create a resume for each position you’re applying for, name each one appropriately and save them in .pdf and .doc format. Keep it simple yet professional, and emphasize actual, quantifiable achievements. Always edit and proofread your resume, and utilize friends and associates for feedback.

Remember to take advantage of BeamJob’s  downloadable resume templates  that you can edit for individuality while staying within the recommended guidelines. To make the task even simpler, try out our  free AI resume builder  and  resume checker  tools that can save you time and headaches throughout the process—and don’t forget—you may need to write a cover letter , too!

[1] Recruiter.com. (2016 February 5). 6 things employers want to see in your resume.

[2] Workopolis. (2015, January 20). Application revelation: What really happens to your resume after you apply for a job?

[3] Kerri Anne Renzulli. (2019 February 28). 75% of resumes are never read by a human – here’s how to make sure your resume beats the bots. CNBC Make It.

[4] Dawn Graham. (2018 February 6). Ready, set, switch: Make your resume and cover letter stand out. Forbes.

[5] Ladders, Inc. (2018 November 6). Ladders updates popular eye-tracking study with new key insights on how job seekers can improve their resumes. PR Newswire.

[6] Robyn Ryan. (2021 February 9). Want to be noticed by recruiters? Try this resume strategy to get through the applicant tracking system. Forbes.

[7] Katie Bindley. (2012 May 9). Resume design: Eye-tracking study finds job seekers have six seconds to make an impression. Huffington Post.

40 Best Free Resume Templates to Use and Customize in 2023

It’s easier to create a stand-out resume when you have a starter template instead of a blank page. The best resume templates are designed to pass through an application tracking system (ATS) and catch the attention of recruiters. This way, all you have to do is plug the right information into the right places. From there, the goal is to land beaucoup job interviews so that you can get that dream offer ASAP.

Ahead, you’ll find 41 professional, free resume templates to consider.

You may notice that many of our favorite resume templates are minimalistic, with fewer graphics, charts, and sections than you might find elsewhere. A simple, software-friendly design is what you want for an ATS, because these tracking systems don’t always “read” as well as a human and can’t handle a lot of formatting. Certain design elements—like columns, text boxes, headers, footers, images, graphs, and graphics—can cause an ATS to read out of order or drop things entirely.

Keep these limitations in mind when choosing your fighter, because not all online templates follow best practices. Even the best ones (including some on this list!) slip up here and there. A few common changes you’ll have to make to templates are:

• Moving all text out of text boxes, headers, and footers and into the body of a document
• Changing any creative section headings to traditional ones
• Removing any graphic elements or replacing them with text

Not all embellishments are out of bounds, however. You can give your resume some character (without compromising your chances of getting hired) by using:

• Bold and italicized text
• Underlined words (in headings and hyperlinks)
• Color (dark blues, greens, and reds are popular since people can also read them easily)
• Different text alignments (e.g., right, left, center)

Now that you know what goes into choosing an effective resume template, check out our favorites:

• Free B&W resume templates

Free colorful resume templates

Free minimalist resume templates, free eye-catching resume templates, free skill-emphasizing resume templates, free resume templates for experienced job seekers, free resume templates for entry-level job seekers, free adobe resume templates, free b&w resume templates.

Here are a few traditional templates with straightforward, chronological formatting and classic section headings. They’re tried-and-true templates that won’t run into any trouble with an ATS.

1. The Muse’s resume template

File format: Google Doc

Our downloadable template uses blue for the section headers, adding a slight pop to an otherwise simple sample, and is totally customizable.

2. HLooms proficient resume template

File format: DOCX

HLoom offers templates that are ideal for ATSs. Some incorporate color and bullet points, but they do away with other bad-for-ATS elements. The “Proficient” resume template is a straightforward, chronological resume with space for experience, education, and skills.

3. Rezi’s standard resume template

File format: PDF, DOCX

Rezi guides you through filling out their standard template step-by-step, asking you what level of career and industry you’re in to make sure you’re using the right sections for you. For example, one option is for students who may want to put projects, activities, and coursework front and center (until they gain more experience). Make sure you delete the contact info icons and stay away from any template Rezi doesn’t explicitly mark as ATS-friendly. .

4. Resume Companion’s targeted resume template

This template is geared toward job seekers who want to call out the specific job they’re looking for by putting the title front and center. It can be downloaded with headers that come in five different color options, including forest green and aquatic blue.

5. Jobscan’s classic format resume template - chronological

Jobscan’s focus is on helping people get past an ATS and, as a result, their templates stick closely to ATS-friendly formatting. The “classic format resume - chronological” is exactly what it sounds like: a basic, classic resume with a focus on your experience in reverse chronological order. The template also comes in a functional format as well as a hybrid format .

6. Career Reload’s Carrie resume template

This template is a solid, traditional choice. Just delete the objective section or make it a summary instead, and change the “Expertise” label to “Skills.” (To download this one, scroll to the green hyperlink that reads, “Download This Template).”)

7. Microsoft Word’s resume template

This simple resume from Microsoft Word is straightforward but adds a few more design elements in the form of horizontal bars to break up the text (though they can also be removed if you prefer).

These resume templates are still pretty basic, but they use color to make key elements stand out and liven up your resume a bit. Pro tip: You can almost always change the color to suit your preferences (or even add a pop of color to any of the other templates in this list).

8. HLoom’s out of the box resume template

This chronological template has plenty of space to include a strong resume summary at the top and reiterate your most relevant skills at the bottom.

9. Career Reload’s Mandy resume template

This simple ATS-friendly template downloads as a Microsoft Word file and has space for a title and summary. Its use of color gives it a bit more zing than some of the more bare-bones options.

10. Career Reload’s Emily resume template

Here’s another Career Reload template that takes advantage of ATS-friendly design elements to give you something a little more unique. But make sure to swap out the “Career Objective” for a “ Summary ” section (or just get rid of it entirely).

11. HLoom’s leading-edge resume template

This ATS-friendly resume template adds some color to help your name, headings, and the places you’ve worked and studied stand out. You can find this resume under the “Simple Resume Templates” heading at the link above.

12. Resume Companion’s elegant resume template

The “elegant” template from Resume Companion injects colored bars to highlight sections but maintains the traditional bulleted format. Note that you can (and should) delete the footer of the document since that information is already at the top.

If you want a sleek, distraction-free resume that lets your skills and experience speak for themselves, check out these basic, no-frills templates.

13. Resume Companion’s minimalist resume template

This entirely unembellished template keeps things as simple as possible but still has room for all of your most relevant details.

14. Resume-Template’s resume template

File format: PDF, Microsoft Word

This is another option with a step-by-step walkthrough that’s good for someone who wants a completely utilitarian resume. Once completed, the resume can be downloaded as a PDF or Word file.Note: You should definitely delete the date of birth section.

15. Instant Resume Templates’ ATS resume template

This site’s template for applicant tracking systems is the lowest of low-frills—but that may be perfectly fine if you’re seeking a no-risk option that still includes everything you need.

16. Microsoft Word’s chronological resume template

This template is another simple option that places section headers on the left and details on the right, creating a good amount of white space. (Note that these columns can be read from left to right, so they’re perfectly ATS friendly.) Just be sure to delete the “References” section—these don’t belong on your resume in 2023.

These templates are perfect for people who want their resumes to stand out from the pack—but still get read by a computer.

17. Cultivated Culture’s Austin Belcak resume template

File format: PDF, Google Doc, TXT

Every Cultivated Culture template is fully customizable—so you can eliminate any elements that aren’t ATS-friendly. We recommend the Austin Belcak template as a starting point. Just be sure to replace the graph-based skills section with a traditional bulleted list.

18. Cultivated Culture’s Melinda Gates resume template

This is another Cultivated Culture template that will get through the ATS with just one change: Delete the “Interests” section to eliminate the columns (you don’t really need it anyway).

19. Super Resume’s template 11

File format: PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML

If you want columns, this template includes them in a way that can still be read by an ATS. Just be sure to move your name and contact info out of the text box it’s currently in (where it might get missed or garbled by the ATS) and into the body of the resume. You can customize your resume directly in your web browser and download it as a PDF, Word, or HTML file. Not all of Super Resume’s templates are ATS-friendly (some include graphics and columns), but you can also check out “Resume Template 5” and “Resume Template 6” for more options.

20. Gumroad’s chef resume template

File format: PSD, PDF, Word

This template places the most emphasis on the personal summary at the top and keeps the job experience straightforward in the body. It’s ideal for specialized fields in which getting to know the applicant as a person is key (in this case, chefs and restaurant employees who may interact closely with customers and clients, but it can be adapted to any field). Just be sure to tweak the section headings to common ones for your industry.

21. ResumeWay’s free resume template 1100010

This template keeps things short, elegant, and easy to read. The colored graphic at the top adds a nice design element to stand out, especially against a straightforward layout that places your most recent job experience at the top and education and skills below. Just be sure to delete the icons next to the contact information and move it to the body of the resume.

22. Resume Kraft’s simple word resume template

File format: DOCX, PSD, AI

Don’t be fooled by the erasable icons—this template may have a modern look but it keeps things simple and compact. Keep in mind that some ATSs will read your resume from left to right, ignoring columns, so we recommend including either the job title or timeframe in the left column (not both!) and moving the other piece of information to the right.

If you’re early in your career, switching career paths, or in a highly technical field, you may want to spotlight your relevant skills over your past work experience. These templates do just that.

23. HLoom’s functional career change resume template

This template puts less emphasis on your formal work experience, and plays up your accomplishments, skills, and strengths—ideal for someone who is trying to switch careers. It can also be a smart choice for freelancers, or folks who've taken a career gap to focus on family or travels. 

24. Resume Companion’s stand-out resume template

This option prioritizes job seekers’ skills, placing that section at the top of the resume. If you’re making a big career change, you can keep the objective section ; otherwise delete it or replace it with a summary statement.

25. HLoom’s substantial functional resume template

File format:  DOCX

This template gives plenty of space to both list and expand on your most important skills right up top. Plus the columns are fully ATS friendly and the pop of color will catch the eyes of your reader.

26. Microsoft Word’s functional resume template

This template highlights applicants’ academic histories as well as skills and abilities, making it a good match for a graduate student or anyone in academia. This could also be expanded into a full CV by adding your publications, presentations, conferences, and awards. As always, ditch the resume objective or replace it with a summary!

27. Microsoft Word’s computer programmer resume template

Word’s computer programmer resume maximizes space for computer skills (which you may want to rename “Technical Skills”), education, and experience, which are key for software engineering applicants to include. But you could easily tweak this template to work well in other fields.

28. Find My Profession’s combination resume template

This template emphasizes both skills and experiences, but places key skills most prominently at the top—with room further down to put them in context and expand on your related accomplishments.

29. Microsoft Word’s internal company transfer resume template

If you’re applying for a new job within your current company, the resume you create may emphasize different things than if you were applying to a new employer. Word’s internal transfer resume highlights accomplishments and skills while placing general information (like education) at the bottom. There is some formatting that might trip up an ATS—but if you remove the main resume text from the text box and place it in the body with “match destination format” selected, you should be good to go. Then you can restore the colors if you’d like.

These templates are ideal for people with longer work histories.

30. Jobscan’s mid-level resume template 5

Jobscan created this resume for people who aren’t ready for management just yet but are well past entry-level. This hybrid template places an emphasis on hard skills, but still has room to put those skills in context—perfect for applicant tracking systems.

31. Jobscan’s new executive resume template 3

Rising to the top of the ranks? Jobscan’s “New executive resume template 3” puts an emphasis on results while allowing more space up top to quickly highlight your biggest achievements. This template is more than one page to account for a more extensive work history.

32. Find My Profession’s chronological resume template

This chronological template is good for people with more work experience and it gives space for job seekers to fill in both a position summary and bullet points. You can use this if you want to emphasize key achievements or special projects from your past jobs. Just make sure to delete the “Find My Profession” image from the template.

33. Jobscan’s management resume template 2

This ATS resume template highlights industry knowledge, interpersonal skills, the ability to delegate, and leadership qualities. The summary and skills at the top let you put the most important pieces of a longer work history front and center—for when it’s time for a human to look at your resume.

If you’re just starting out in your career, you might want a template that showcases your education and relevant skills over your past work experience.

34. Jobscan’s recent grad resume template 2

Like many recent grad resume templates, this option places collegiate experience at the top. But it also gives you two sections for work experience (relevant and additional) so that you can place that internship from junior year ahead of your pizza-delivering gig. Jobscan’s other recent grad templates are strong choices as well.

35. Microsoft Word’s recent college graduate resume template

This template is a very simple starter resume that highlights recent grads’ education, skills, abilities, and experience. Just remember to swap out that objective for a resume summary (or delete it).

36. WallStreetOasis.com’s investment banking resume template

This template is geared toward undergraduate students seeking investment banking job opportunities (but it can easily be tweaked for other industries). In just one page, it includes space to list your education, study abroad and/or internship experiences, undergraduate leadership positions, and skills and interests (both personal and professional).

These more stylized templates require the Adobe suite to edit, so they’re not for everyone. Just make sure you save your final resume as a PDF so the ATS can still read it.

37. Smash Resume’s simple two-page resume template

File format: AI

Need a little more space? This two-page template injects more personality with golden accent colors but is still professional. You can make this option even better (for both humans and robots) by nixing the line graphs in the “Skills” and “Language” sections, and sticking to text instead. Since the ATS might read your resume straight across (from left to right, ignoring columns) you should adjust what text you put in the left column so that the text still makes sense if read this way.

38. Graphicsfuel’s clean modern resume template

File format: PSD

Despite a two-column format in the education section (which you can turn into one), the graphs on page two (which you can replace with text), and a photo (which you should remove), this template is a strong choice if you want to stand out without being too flashy. The blue font adds an extra design element but everything else is straightforward and modern.

39. Adobe’s Amanda Danvers resume template

This option requires you to have an Adobe account—but it’s free if you’re already set up. The bold color pattern ensures that you’ll stand out, even with very traditional formatting that places a brief personal summary at the top, experience and education in the middle rows, and skills at the bottom. The Adobe Spark logo in the bottom right corner can be removed.

40. Graphic Pear’s minimal resume template

As always, delete the photo box and stick to text. This option comes with a second resume page and cover letter template you can use if needed. The numbers to the left of the job titles can be removed and the line graphs on the second page can be replaced with text.

Regina Borsellino contributed to the latest version of this article. 

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How to Write Work Experience on a Resume

Writing the work experience section

Writing the resume work experience section is one of the most influential and often trickiest resume sections to get right. Some employers will even cut right past the summary at the top of a resume and scan the employers, job titles and work dates to see if the resume is worth reading in detail. How much text you include for each section will also create a significant first impression. A lot can be understood during that mythical 6-second scan.

The work experience/job history on a resume is where past job descriptions and professional experiences give credibility to an application or interview. All the other information and sections on a resume, from hobbies to the personal statement , frame the list of relevant work experience over the last 10 - 15 years. So, how do I describe my work experience on a resume?

This guide will show you everything you need to know about including work experience on a resume, including:

• Why the work experience in cv matters
• What to include (and not include) in work experience on a resume
• The best format to follow for describing your work history
• Examples of work experience in cv across industries
• Practical tips for resume work experience
• How to list your current job and previous positions

The five-word rule. Think about five words that would be sum up your career. How would you describe your experience? Those five words should then come across incredibly strongly in the work experience on a resume. A hiring manager is not going to remember the sentences that you write, but if they stop reading with those five words (or more) in their minds, your resume will have done its job.

Why is work experience on your resume so important?

Before we jump in to the ins and outs of writing work experience on a resume, here is why it matters. A hiring manager or employer looks at a resume to answer one question:

Does this person’s work experience qualify them for this job?

The work experience section of your resume is the foundation that either qualifies you or disqualifies you for an interview or the next step in the hiring process. This resume section uses the last 10 - 15 years of relevant career history to tell a prospective employer whether you have the work experience in your cv that will fit the requirements of the role. The work experience section gives credibility to your application and should compliment every other aspect of your application materials (other sections in the resume, cover letter, portfolio, etc).

Be careful not to write your work experience section like a list of job responsibilities , though. The hiring manager knows what they want you to do. They are far more interested in evidence from your previous work experiences that you have what it takes to perform and take your next employer forward. Focus on offering compelling accomplishments, plenty of context and quantifiable results that your competition will not be able to match.

How do I add experience to my resume: What to include

In most cases, choosing which jobs to include on your resume should depend on your work history and the type of job you’re applying for. In general, work in a backward chronological order (in a resume format often known as reverse chronological format ) starting with your most recent position at the top of the page and include the last 10-15 years of employment history. The backward chronological order works best for most job seekers.

If you have a scattered work history, don’t stress. Job hopping is both more common and more widely accepted today, especially among the younger workforce. Including short part-time stints and side projects is good if those professional experiences directly relate to the job or feature skills that overlap with the position. Be prepared to answer questions about your career choices while considering work experience in cv, have a confident answer about your career path, and be forthcoming about the level of commitment you’re looking for. Once you’ve chosen the positions, let’s dive into the specific bullet points about work experience in a cv. Each one should include:

• Results-focused facts: The hiring manager already knows the basics. These bullet points should focus on how you specifically managed the position with innovation.
• Action Verbs: Strong action verbs hook in the reader. Negotiated! Pioneered! Transformed! This also keeps you away from falling down the adjective rabbit hole.
• Quantitative information: Numbers stand out to a hiring manager. They are specific and tangible. You grew a client’s reader base by 300% or managed 200 silent auction items. Let your accomplishments shine!
• On-Site Training: Weave skills and certifications gained on the job. This shows initiative and otherwise overlooked abilities.
• Awards and honors: If you were called out on the job for great work, go ahead and brag. Your work experience resume examples should be designed to impress.

Ideally, each position should include a mix of free-flowing text and achievement-led bullet points. The bullets will catch the eye, but you can only really tell a deeper story when you are not constrained by the width of the page.

How do I write a student CV? A student CV for a first job should contain full details on your education (as that will testify to your ability to focus and achieve) and ideally also contain details on any student jobs or volunteer work that you have done while you were studying. It doesn't matter how menial this work was, the most important thing is that you understand the responsibility of doing a paid day's work.

Volunteer work can be a wonderful way to feature a variety of valuable skills, Here's a list of how to add volunteer work to your resume.

Work experience on a resume: what to avoid

Always assume that your reader — in this case, the hiring manager — doesn’t need anything explained. You also have very little room to ramble on your resume. They will assume more about you than you think - especially if you have worked for a while in their industry.

Free up some space by not including:

• What the organization does: your resume is about you. The hiring manager doesn’t need to hear about the company.
• The basic requirements of your position: this is implied in your job title and will shine through your result-focused bullet points.
• Filler words: For the most part, save space by cutting out words like “I” and “the.”
• Anything irrelevant: If you have smaller responsibilities in a position that do not relate to the new job, leave them out. Every bullet point and every word takes up precious real estate on your resume - make them count.
• Chaired a project team through a change process, trimming 5% of our cost base.
• Outperformed sales team in quarterly new business attraction by 67%.
• Executed the software rollout to twelve departments within two months.
• Resolved a company-record 150 customer complaints a week.
• Rectified a list of outstanding issues that had been dormant for more than a year.

If you are a recent graduate with little or no work experience , you can consider adding your GPA or cum laude on your resume. As you acquire work experience over the years, you should replace your GPA or cum laude with relevant work experience. 

What is the most effective format for work experience on a resume?

On a basic level, the work experience layout typically includes:

• Job title, company name, location of employment
• Month and year started and left the position
• Between three and six bullet points briefly outlining your impact at the company

Work experience/job history on a resume should also include:

• Clear and concise bullet points that demonstrate the positive results of your work
• Powerful verbs
• Clear numbers and facts
• Growth between positions
• Specific keywords pulled from job description

Examples of work experience on a resume

Here are a few examples of work experience on a resume to see the differences between a first draft and the final draft. How do you describe your experience in the most succinct way possible?

Example #1: Work Experience in CV for a Teacher . Let’s say you’re applying to be a middle school science teacher at a popular independent school. The new job description emphasizes the importance of involvement outside the classroom. They specified that they’re looking for teachers looking to grow through professional development throughout their time there.

First Draft:

• I taught 5th-grade science classes
• I advised students outside of class
• I attended a conference on social-emotional learning

Final Draft:

• Developed and carried out a student-driven curriculum in three sections of Earth Science
• Annually advised 20 students to track growth and address individual challenges and strengths
• Invited to attend NAIS annual conference to develop modern social-emotional learning classroom tactics

Example #2: Work Experience in CV for Content Marketing Manager . Content Marketing Managers encompass a very wide range of responsibilities. The recruiter will have a general sense of your job experience — no need to start from scratch — but results-based, specific bullet points will thrive here.

• I manage a team of freelance copywriters at a major NYC marketing agency and ensure they got their work in on time
• I talked to clients and figured out what would be best for their brand
• Before everything was published, I proofread it all
• Oversaw a team of 25 freelance writers and streamlined content pipeline from ideation to publication
• Advised clients on both short- and long-term content strategy tactics while clarifying their personalized brand voice
• Edited and polished copy to maintain content consistency across multiple channels

When you have moved up the career ladder at a previous employer, you should be proud to showcase it on a resume. But how can you display multiple positions for the same company?

Example #3: Work Experience on a Resume for a Waiter . Food service moves quickly. Anything that cut a manager’s search time in half is more likely to land you the job. Be sure to look for keywords in the job posting such as “craft cocktail bartending experience” or “fine dining.” Sure, you can learn — and will learn — on the job, but restaurants have minimal time to train you on the basics. Be confident and clear about your background.

• I waited tables at a busy NYC Midtown restaurant
• Most of the time, I tended bar on nights and weekends
• Trained a few hosts
• Served lunch and dinner for four years in a Michelin-star-rated Midtown brasserie
• Acted as primary bartender during peak weekend and evening hours, specializing in craft cocktail creation
• Managed and streamlined training methods for new hosts and servers

Example #4: Work Experience Resume Example for an Executive Assistant . Personality plays such a large role in calmly managing a busy executive’s schedule and lifestyle. The tone of your resume should be both level-headed and confident in what is expected of an EA. Try to always be a step ahead of what your boss needs before you even begin the job.

• I made travel plans on behalf of executive team
• Budgeted for the office and managed expenses
• I trained other assistants and helped with hiring
• Managed complex domestic and international travel for five, C-level executives
• Decreased expense management costs by 35% and perfected expense tracking system for all office management accounts
• Hired, trained, and guided a team of five team assistants including a seasonal team of sales interns

Example #5: Work Experience Resume Sample for Sales Rep . Provable facts and figures are your largest asset as a sales representative. Did your last position measure your personal or team sales growth? Dig up these numbers to work them into your work experience section. Then, explain the methods you applied in the job itself to make it happen. This work experience resume example offers some ideas:

• Grew sales revenue every month
• I signed several new clients
• I changed the way we talked about our product
• Exponentially increased monthly sales revenue, surpassing 150% growth for the department after just 6 months
• Developed and signed 10 new key clients by researching previously undiscovered corners of our industry
• Redeveloped brand voice and sale representative script for efficient and personalized customer care

What skills do I put on a resume? when you are considering the work experience in a resume, you should aim to make the best possible use of space. There will always be a separate skills section where you can list one-word hard and soft skills , so make sure that this is related to the experience that you have mentioned with each employer, but it should add to the overall picture rather than simple repeat it. If you add an interesting skill that you have not mentioned in the work experience section, an employer is bound to ask about it at interview.

Grammar tips for listing job history on a resume

Do you write sentences? Phrases? Declarations? Writing resumes for first job? Here are some nitty-gritty grammar rules for writing your work experience bullet points.

• Write in phrases, often beginning with a strong verb. No need to write “I” to start off the sentence — that is implied and work experience in a CV is often conveyed in the third person as this is more professional.
• Tense : If you are still at your current position completing the work described, use present tense. For past positions or completed projects, choose past tense.
• Don’t be afraid to break out the thesaurus — especially for synonyms of “lead, managed and trained” — but stick to words you’d use yourself. No need to ace the SAT verbal section.

Filling your resume with exclusively truthful statements about your career is harder than you might think. Lying on a resume can take many forms. Don’t give in to temptation.

Tailoring job history on a resume for each application

Instead of mass applying to every job ad on the internet with the same resume, take the time to tailor it. The work experience section might require the least tailoring (as it will tick the boxes of most jobs if you are targeted in your approach), but there may be a few accomplishments that you may want to include for certain roles and exclude for others. View yourself as a meticulous editor cutting and pasting your career story to make it as attractive as possible.

Besides the fact that 36% of hiring managers throw out resumes that don’t seem personalized for a particular role, a tailored resume and application:

• Shows the hiring manager you took the time to apply and their job wasn’t one of 50 different places you sent your resume.
• Get past the automatic keyword filtering larger companies might use to automatically screen candidates in their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) . Your work experience samples need to be scanned by the machines first.
• Tweak diverse experiences to focus on the most relevant experience for a particular job. For example if you’ve ever had a job “wearing many hats” unless you’re applying for another “many hats” position, this strategy gives you a chance to focus your work experience on the hats that are most relevant for the new role.

Restarting this process every time you apply for a new job may seem excessive. Ideally, the more time you put into tailoring your resume, the less jobs you’ll need to apply to.

• Ignited a fire under the management team to deliver an extra $950k sales.
• Scrutinized the market and doubled market share by launching a new product.
• Implemented a new software solution that shrunk build time by 34%
• Initiated a recruitment drive that hired fifteen people within three months.
• Minimized surgery wait times by 15 mins, increasing patient satisfaction by 25%

How far back should your resume work experience go?

Your resume work experience should contain every piece of information that is relevant to you securing the role. This will dictate the amount of work experience in a CV that you might include. 

If you have a 30-year career, you might choose simply to list the employers for the first 10-15 years and use your precious resume space to describe the most recent resume experiences. However, if your career is 15 years or less, you should definitely include resume work experience about everything. 

In terms of the amount of work experience on your resume, try to give more information on the more recent roles. Make use of bullet points and solid text after your have listed the employer and date details - as you can see in our many resume samples .

Including a list of roles that were more than 15 years old might be possible, but only include the headlines. It is interesting for some business leaders to see where a senior manager spent their early career, so while you may not be asked about this much during an interview, it does add a certain depth to your application.

Should I put seminars on my CV? Typically, a one or two-day seminar would not be included on work experience in a CV. If the training or educational event has a certain prestige or lasts more than a week, then you might consider including it in the education section, but as anyone can attend a seminar, it will not give a huge indication as to your individual level of suitability for the role. You will certainly have more important information to share.

Your transition out of the military requires a resume that expresses your talents in a way that civilian employers will understand. The blog below offers tips for making the most of your service in your post-military resume.

Key takeaways

• Focus on results of your job history in the past. Only list work experience on a resume that is relevant to the job you’re applying to.
• Stand out with strong action verbs
• Get specific: use numbers, facts, and figures
• Speak in the past tense when the job is complete, present when you’re still doing the work.
• Cut out unnecessary filler words or adjectives.
• Align your job history bullet points to match the job description.
• Make sure that the work experience in CV goes back an appropriate amount of time

Work experience on a great resume helps employers know in 10 seconds or less if you are qualified for the job. It should sound a lot like the description in the job post. If the work experience in CV doesn’t sound like the job description or follow these rules, be prepared to pull out some creativity to get noticed. For example, use a resume builder to build a perfect resume in the exact format potential employers are looking for.

20+ Years Experience: Creating a Resume that Highlights Your Expert Skills

Customers Interviewed by:

How to appear skill-focused and contemporary

As someone with a long work history, you’ve got the skills and expertise for high-level jobs. America has millions, yes, millions of open jobs that require skilled workers like you to fill them. But your long years of work experience also might send up red flags for hiring managers. Baby Boomers and other older workers might be perceived to be lacking skills.

Age discrimination is illegal, but evidence suggests that it’s harder to find a job after 40, and that it gets even harder as you get older. But that doesn’t mean your skills aren’t needed. They most certainly are. Getting a new job with a long work history means just selling the usefulness—and rarity—of your skills. Here, we’ll give you a few tips about how to format your long and distinguished resume.

Use a two-page resume

A good rule of thumb is that each page of your resume should contain 10 years of experience. Since you have 20 or more years of experience, you can expand your resume to two pages. But if you’re going to have a long resume, it should be tailored to the particular job you want and should only include relevant experience. Remember, recruiters only spend an average of 10 seconds scanning a resume. So, if you still have an ice cream scooping job from 15 years ago on your resume, it’s time to take it off .

Use a hybrid resume format.

A hybrid resume lets you focus on your skills, rather than going into a long chronology of your work history that can be difficult for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and hiring managers to read. A hybrid resume begins with a section summarizing your qualifications, followed by professional accomplishments, key skills, and work history. Using measurable data and highlighting information and skills relevant to the current job makes your resume compelling and concise.

Tailor your skill set to contemporary keywords.

ATS scans your resume for keywords that exactly match the words used in the job description. You very well may have many or all of the skills that the job description requires, but if you haven’t applied for a job for a while, you may not be using keyword optimization. In other words, your language might not match the keywords in the job description, even if your skills are the same.

Don’t let your skills be overlooked because they don’t match a job description’s keywords. Jobscan’s resume optimization tool lets you scan the job description and your resume to make sure your resume’s keywords match exactly. If you aren’t using the right keywords for a job, you can change your resume to include the skill-equivalent words the company is looking for.

James Hu is the founder and CEO of Jobscan, a web tool that helps job seekers land interviews by optimizing resume keywords.

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8 Reasons This Is An Ideal Résumé For Someone With A Lot Of Work Experience

The role your  résumé  plays in your job search will change as you ascend the ranks.

"Once you're at the executive level, your reputation within your industry and the strong network you've presumably built over the course of your career will hold increasingly more weight with hiring managers," says  Amanda Augustine, a career expert at  TheLadders , a mobile career network for professionals . "And you'll find that many of the traits that hiring managers want to assess in their executive candidates — leadership style, vision for the organization, personality, and core values — will be easier to uncover during a conversation."

But that doesn't mean you should ditch the  résumé altogether. In fact, Augustine says n o matter where you are in your career, you should always have an up-to-date, standout résumé ready to go.

" You never know when you'll be asked to submit a formal application," she says, "so it's better to maintain an updated document that not only highlights your most impressive accomplishments, but also positions your experience and achievements in a manner that reflects your current career goals."

To get a clearer picture of what makes a résumé stand out, we asked TheLadders for a sample of an excellent one for an executive-level professional.

While your résumé may look different depending on the industry you're in, the one below should serve as a useful guide for job seekers with a lot of experience:

What makes this an excellent résumé for an executive-level professional? Augustine outlines the following reasons:

1. It includes a link to her professional profile.

Regardless of whether you're new to the workforce, or in the C-Suite, you should always include a link to your professional profile or website.

2. The emphasis is on recent experience and accomplishments. 

"Susan's" current role has the longest description of her roles and responsibilities, says Augustine. "Although she has been at her most recent job for a relatively short amount of time, she still includes a healthy list of bulleted, quantifiable achievements. The further back in her history the reader goes, the less detailed the information gets." Recruiters and hiring managers are most interested in what you're doing now, not what you may have done seven or more years ago.

3. She included a "Selected Achievements" selection.  

While this is in no way mandatory on an executive résumé, it's a great way to quickly tell the reader about Susan's most relevant and noteworthy achievements without forcing the reader to hunt for them in her professional experience section, Augustine explains.

4. She restricted the amount of experience included on the résumé.

In this case, the job seeker restricted the amount of experience included to the last 15 years. "Any experience outside of this time frame is listed in a 'Prior Experience' section without a lot of details," says Augustine. "If you're running out of room and don't have the space for an entire 'Prior Experience' section, then you can simply place a 'Career Note' at the end of your professional experience section and mention the noteworthy titles and company names in a couple of lines."  

5. The first half provides a succinct, yet powerful snapshot of her career, core competencies, and notable achievements with well-known organizations.

This job seeker's role descriptions highlight her core responsibilities and prominently display her most notable achievements. "The additional information at the end of the résumé — Technology Skills, Professional Affiliations, Education, Licenses, and more — paints the picture of a finance executive with multiple areas of talent and performance expertise," Augustine notes.

6. She limited her résumé to two pages.  

TheLadders eye-tracking study found that the average recruiter spends  six seconds  reviewing a résumé before deciding if it's worth their time. "As a result, I highly recommend limiting yourself to two pages," says Augustine.  

When you have an extensive career history, it can seem daunting to stick to the two-page rule. "However, once you restrict yourself to outlining the most recent 15 years and really tailor the information to your current career goals, this should become an easier task."

This limitation will force you to more carefully evaluate each line of your résumé and determine what information is most relevant and compelling for your business case. "What information would a hiring manager care most about when considering you for an interview?" she asks.

7. References aren't listed or offered.

Cut "References available upon request" from your résumé. "Don't waste résumé real estate on this information," Augustine says. The employer knows they can ask you for references, should they need them.

8. The job seeker removed the dates associated with her undergraduate degree and certifications that fall outside the 15-year time frame. 

"While it's important to list these credentials, there's no need to highlight her age," Augustine says. "Her accomplishments should take the spotlight."

• Main content

Best Resume Formats

How To Select the Best Resume Format

Every job seeker has a varied job history and background. What’s more, hiring managers for different industries or types of roles may have unique ways of evaluating candidates. No one-size-fits-all resume works for every person or type of job. For example, someone looking for their first job in accounting might have a totally different resume than a freelance writer or an HR professional making a career change into health care.

In general, there are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional, and combination. The most common is the reverse chronological, which puts your most recent job history front and center of the document. In the functional resume, your skills are the main focus. And finally, the combination resume has elements of the other two.

Learn more about each of these resume formats and how to decide which is best for you based on your level of experience, career goals, and industry.

1. Reverse chronological resume format

This is the format of choice for most job seekers. It focuses on the most recent experience up top and illustrates how the person has progressed throughout their career. This reverse chronological approach puts the emphasis on work history and career accomplishments. It’s the format that recruiters and hiring managers see most often as well.

Someone with limited hands-on experience may be better suited to another format, although it’s acceptable to include nontraditional work experiences such as side hustles, volunteer work, or internships in the professional experience section.

There are other instances in which someone may want to utilize a different sort of resume. These include those making a drastic career change or going from the military to the civilian workforce, independent contractors who service various clients, or someone who was out of the workforce for a number of years.

2. Functional resume format

This format shines the spotlight on the job seeker’s skill sets rather than a chronological job history. It usually lists a skill (for example, technical support or patient relations) and then shares some bullet points from their past work that demonstrate that skill.

Then, below all the skills, a quick, reverse chronological list of jobs (with just the employer name and dates) appears without further context.

In general, functional resumes are not commonly used and can even be off-putting to recruiters since they are so unconventional. This format makes it challenging to get a clear picture of one’s career progression. Ultimately, it can bring up more questions than answers, and busy hiring managers may move on to other candidates who present a clearer picture of their accomplishments.

3. Combination resume format

For someone without a linear job history, a reverse chronological resume may be challenging to complete. Perhaps you’ve had a couple of stops and starts, or you changed to a new industry. It could also be that you don’t have jobs to add at all. In those situations, a combination resume format could be effective. As the name implies, it combines elements of the reverse chronological and the functional resumes. It allows for more flexibility to move resume sections around rather than diving right into a list of professional experiences.

For someone just starting out, you could provide details about an academic project closely aligned with the role you’re seeking rather than starting with the random part-time jobs you worked during college. Career changers entering a new industry might want to mention the new skills that have prepared them for their transition rather than making the reader skim past a long list of their jobs in the former industry.

4. Best resume format for entry-level job seekers

Entry-level job seekers can certainly go with a reverse chronological format for their resumes since that’s the most well-known option. You can include both jobs you’ve held as well as industry-related internships.

If you have limited hands-on experience, you can also focus on volunteer positions you held in college or academic projects you’ve done. In those cases, a combination resume might be a smart approach.

5. Best resume format for senior-level professionals

With several years of job history — especially if it demonstrates career growth over time — a reverse chronological format is ideal. Resume readers can see what you did in your most recent role and the path you took to get there. “Corporate climber” types can benefit from their work history being the focal point of the document.

If you’ve made or are making a career change or had a significant gap in your working years, consider using a combination format. The key is to find the right balance of illustrating how you’re qualified for the role you’re seeking while showcasing your prior achievements. Even if you have done varied types of work, your past accomplishments are still worth sharing as long as you can illustrate the value you’ve brought to previous organizations.

6. Should I use a one-page or two-page resume?

Contrary to some popular takes, there is no perfect resume length — it should be as long as it needs to be. Someone with several years of experience will likely have a resume that runs two full pages. And someone seeking work at the entry level should be able to fit everything onto one page.

If you barely run over one page, you can do some editing or play around with spacing to get everything to fit neatly on one page. First, there may be repetitive details or some you can leave out.

Likewise, if you’re going between halfway to three-quarters of the way onto page two, see if you can space out the information so that it fits nicely. Don’t pad your resume with personal details like hobbies or interests unless they are somehow related to the job. Instead, brainstorm any additional items that can help promote your skills.

7. How to select the best resume format for your industry

While reverse chronological and combination resume formats can work in any industry, there may be situations where one is more advantageous than the other. First, research resume templates for your position and skill level to see the approach that other people take.

If you’ve amassed different skills within your industry, it could make sense to use a combination resume that emphasizes different aptitudes, such as cybersecurity and system administration. The same goes if you’re a construction project manager and prefer to feature your construction projects and outcomes at the top of the document instead of going straight into your employee history.

Otherwise, when in doubt, you can’t go wrong with the tried-and-true reverse chronological format.

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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• Resume Profile Explained...

Resume Profile Explained (with Examples)

13 min read · Updated on January 17, 2024

Make an impact with a knock-out profile

When it comes to job search success, nothing is more important than ensuring that your resume captures an employer's attention. After all, even the best resumes are useless if no one reads them. Of course, that raises an important question: is there anything you can do to make your resume get the attention it deserves?

In this post, we'll explain how a great resume profile can help you to solve that challenge. We'll explain how a resume profile works, when you should use it in your resume, and how to create a profile that immediately commands interest. Finally, we'll provide several resume profile examples that you can customize and use in your own resume.

What is a resume profile?

If you're already familiar with the resume objective statement or resume summary, then the concept of a resume profile should be easy to understand. Put simply, the resume profile is an introductory paragraph that quickly summarizes your skills and experiences in a way that motivates hiring managers to continue reading your resume.

As you'll discover in our resume profile examples later in the post, a great profile focuses attention on your best skills, experience, and achievements. You can think of it as an elevator pitch for your resume - a quick snapshot that provides just enough information to make the reader want to learn more about you.

Related: Make the Perfect First Impression With Your Resume

What types of resume profiles can you use?

To better understand the resume profile, it may help to look at some of the different types of resume profiles that job seekers can use. There are three different types of common profiles, including the objective statement, summary, and summary of qualifications.

Objective statement

The resume objective statement is often considered obsolete, since it tends to focus more on your career goals than the employer's needs. It's often used by entry level workers with little experience or career-changers who need to explain why their skill set makes them a good candidate for the job. To use it effectively, job candidates need to ensure that they include some language that explains how they can benefit the employer if they're hired. For example:

“Creative social media professional with 3 years of experience and proven results. Skilled in cross-platform engagement enhancement and brand development. Looking for an opportunity to work with a company that prioritizes customer experience and brand loyalty. Experience includes increasing customer engagement by 130% over a six-month period.”

Related : Resume Objective Examples: A Career Objective Guide

Summary paragraph

The resume summary has replaced the objective statement in most modern resumes - and for good reason. This brief paragraph may also mention one or two key skills, but its primary focus is on detailing your important work experience and measurable achievements. As a result, the summary is a preferred option for job seekers with significant experience, since it's designed to demonstrate your value as an employee. Below, is an example of this type of profile statement:

“Accomplished Project Manager with more than ten years of successful team building and project execution expertise. Skilled in process development, workflow management, and collaboration with stakeholders. Received Agile Leader award in 2018. While at ABC Corporation, developed personnel resource allocation program that increased project efficiency by 48% in the first year of use.”

Summary of qualifications

The third option is the summary of qualifications. The main difference between this type of summary and the summary paragraph involves the format choice. Instead of being one block of text, it combines a brief paragraph with several bullet point examples of notable achievements. For example:

Dynamic Team Leader with 7 years of experience in customer management, problem-solving, and team building. Proven to increase team productivity, enhance the customer service experience, and provide real value to an employer.

• Led 30-person team of technical professionals, with 95% customer satisfaction
• Reorganized project workflow for ABC Corporation, increasing efficiency by 45%
• Developed training program that reduced employee onboarding costs by 17%

What elements should you include in your resume profile?

Before you create a resume profile, it's important to think about the types of information you want to include for your reader. What types of qualification is the employer evaluating as part of its hiring decision? Does the job description focus primarily on core skills ? Do you have achievements that are likely to make a positive impression on the hiring manager?

There are many different profile elements that you can include, so you'll need to prioritize based on the employers' needs. The fact is that you won't have room in your profile to cover all these different types of information, so choose wisely:

Skills that are relevant to the position you're seeking

Your length of experience

Notable achievements, preferably ones that you can quantify with real numbers

Core personal characteristics that make you a good fit for the role

Your career aspirations - preferably noted in a way that shows how they align with the company's vision

Related : Top 15 Professional Goals and How to Achieve Them

Again, make sure that you focus attention on the job posting, taking note of every key skill and experience that the employer cites as required qualifications. You'll want to tailor your profile - and the rest of your resume - to align with those stated employer needs.

Pro tip: Make special note of those job requirements, since you will want to use the same language in your resume. Those keywords are essential for ensuring that your resume can satisfy any applicant tracking system screening the employer might be using.

You should also do some research to learn more about the company's culture. That will enable you to further tailor your resume profile to include personal traits that highlight how well you'll fit into that environment. Sometimes, those little details can make the difference between you and another similarly qualified candidate.

How to write your own resume profile: tips

When you're ready to create your resume profile, it's important to know how to do it the right way. Since it's the first thing employers will see after they're done reading your contact details, you need to make sure that it's as compelling as possible. The following tips can help.

Write this part of your resume last

Even though your profile section will be near the top of your resume, you should still create this important section last. Why? Well, it's simple: since the resume profile serves as a summary of your qualifications, it's helpful to get the rest of the resume done before you start on that summary.

Make it brief

Be as concise as you can. Again, think of this profile section as a salesperson's elevator pitch. It doesn't need to tell your entire employment story, but should instead serve as a brief highlight of your greatest hits. As a rule, try to restrict this paragraph to no more than four sentences. If you use a summary of qualifications, include just one or two brief sentences and three or four bullet points.

Choose the best profile type for your job search needs

Which type of profile should you create? If you're an entry-level employee, you may want to focus on a modified objective statement - one that focuses on your career goals, while highlighting the ways in which your skills can benefit the employer. If you have more experience, you may want to rely on the summary paragraph. Just be sure to include at least one measurable achievement to highlight your value.

If you're switching careers and need to focus attention on transferable skills, you may even want to rely on a summary of qualifications. Those bullet points can be a great way to emphasize specific skills and highlight the value that you've provided for previous employers.

Tailor the profile to your desired position

Make sure that your profile aligns with the job you're seeking. You can do this by including some core keywords from the job posting, detailing your qualifications. However, make sure that your profile ultimately aligns with who you are as an employee. If you take the tailoring to extremes, you may end up with a profile that fails to accurately represent your personality and character.

Don't be afraid to add personality

Speaking of personality, this is the place to add that personal touch. Your skills, work experience, and education sections are not appropriate for adding personality, but a few well-chosen words in your profile can help the employer to better understand you as a person.

Of course, make sure that your personal flourishes fit with the type of job you're seeking. For example, a few words about your fun work style will be appreciated if you're applying for a customer service or similar position. That same language may not be as useful if you're seeking a role in a law firm. Use your best judgment as you determine how much personality to put into any profile.

Use measurable achievements

We've already mentioned measurable achievements several times, but it's important to highlight them once again. Your resume profile should include at least one quantifiable accomplishment, backed by real numbers that demonstrate the value you've provided. For example:

• Implemented new networking system that reduced downtime by 33%, improving both efficiency and productivity and providing 12% cost savings for the company
• Led sales team effort that increased new customer acquisition by 13% while generating $12 million in new revenues in the first six months of the fiscal year
• Created an online customer engagement program that increased website visits by 45%, enhanced new sales activities by 13%, and boosted revenues by 10% within one quarter of implementation

Resume profile examples you can use

As you might expect, your approach to creating a resume profile can also differ based on the type of job you're seeking. That's because different job roles require different skill sets, experiences, and personal qualities.

To get you started, we've compiled resume profile examples covering a wide variety of professions. You can use these professional profile examples as templates for your profile, or simply refer to them for guidance as you create your own unique resume opening.

Resume profile examples for students

Recent Information Technology graduate focused on operating and security software management. Seeking employment with a dynamic software firm in need of advanced networking and troubleshooting expertise. Experience includes a one-year internship with DynacorpX, providing testing and problem-resolution that helped increase company productivity by 14%.

Resume profile example for entry-level applicants

Friendly, detail-oriented, and organized customer service professional looking to be part of an energetic, mission-focused team.

• Skilled at developing organizational processes, managing records, and engaging customers
• Successfully resolved customer complaints, with 90% satisfaction rate while volunteering with FreshStart
• Broad computer systems expertise, including database and presentation platforms

Resume profile example for career-changers

Personnel-focused Sales Team Leader with 10+ years of experience in team building, training, and sales program development. Looking to transition to a project management role to better use organizational and project implementation skills. While at ABC Corporation, successfully created and executed a sales process reorganization that cut waste by 45%, saving the company more than $40,000 per year.

Related : 21 Project Management Skills Every Project Manager Needs to Succeed

Resume profile example for a Graphic Designer

Dynamic and innovative Graphic Designer with 4 years of experience in the gaming and entertainment industry. Skilled in developing storyboards, character animation, typography, and general layouts. Creative successes include development work on more than 200 unique graphic design projects that helped to generate more than $300 million in revenue.

Resume profile example for a Marketing Manager

Creative Marketing Manager focused on data-driven solutions. More than 8 years of experience in building collaborative teams capable of overcoming any challenge. While at XYZ Inc., led a 10-person team responsible for broadening target audience by 200%, increasing company revenues by 120% over a three-year period. Expertise includes digital marketing campaigns focused on driving new customer acquisition and target audience engagement.

Resume profile example for an Accountant

Detail-oriented finance professional with 7 years of accounting expertise. Proficient in accounting best practices, including creation and management of financial reports, regulatory compliance, tax issues, and budget management and forecasting. Reorganized DEF Corporation's accounting department, reducing inefficiencies by 28%, cutting costs by 19%, and improving productivity by 33%.

Resume profile example for an Administrative Assistant

Reliable Administrative Assistant with 8 years of experience in office management and personal assistance. Comprehensive expertise in presentation development, scheduling management, reporting, and confidentiality. Reorganized filing and reporting systems at Beagle Law, improving client response times by 40%, reducing redundancies, and cutting labor costs by 12%.

Resume profile example for a Data Scientist

Fact-driven Data Scientist with 8 years of experience in data analysis, predictive modeling, and data mining. Proficient with SQL, Python, Tableau, and other common data visualization systems. While at DataCore, took the lead on development of new processes that increased decision-making efficiency by improving the company's ability to use data to gain useful insights. Project resulted in an 18% increase in overall departmental productivity.

Resume profile example for an HR Manager

Personnel-focused HR Manager with 7 years of experience managing human resources functions. Expertise in recruitment, onboarding processes, employee training and relations, and performance reviews. Designed AmAm's new HR policies to align with new firm policies, emphasizing progressive discipline and promotion of a positive work environment. Effort resulted in a 33% reduction in turnover and 43% increase in employee satisfaction.

Resume profile example for a Teacher

Results-oriented educator with 6 years of experience as a middle school Teacher. Expertise in crafting challenging but engaging lesson plans designed to encourage critical thinking and classroom participation in an inclusive way. Dedicated to professional development to stay abreast of current educational best practices and focused on enhancing each student's ability to achieve success. Specific competencies include English, US History, and Basic Civics.

Resume profile example for a Construction Manager

Task-oriented construction professional with more than 10 years of experience in both commercial and residential project management. Led teams responsible for completing more than 60 construction projects valued at more than $40 million dollars, with a 99% on-time and under-budget record of success. Bilingual (English and Spanish) manager with expertise in budget allocation, resource management, project estimates and implementation.

Craft the best possible intro for your resume!

No matter what type of resume profile you decide to use to introduce yourself to prospective employers, your goal should always be the same: to create a powerful and compelling message that inspires employers to read the rest of your resume. The tips and resume profile examples we've provided should ensure that you have everything you need to craft your own profile narrative.

Still not sure if your resume profile has what it takes to capture your reader's interest? Get a free resume review from our team of top experts today!

Recommended reading:

47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

The Best Resume Format to Get Hired

How to Advance Your Career (plus 10 Insightful Tips)

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Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

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