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Best Resume Format 2024 (+free examples)

Reverse chronological format

Functional resume format, combination resume format, formatting a resume for a remote position, the best resume format for freelancers in 2024, how to highlight specialized knowledge on a resume, the best resume format for recent grads 2024, what is a resume format.

The phrase “resume format” is often a confusing one, since different sources use this term to refer to different/multiple things. 

In the most basic sense, a resume format is the type of structure your resume has depending on the order in which resume sections are presented, how the employment history section is written, and which sections are given the most emphasis. 

For example, in one type of resume format, the skills section may be overly emphasized, while in another, your work history will take center stage.

3 main types of resume formats

Luckily when it comes to choosing a resume format, your choices are already narrowed down to three main types:

• Reverse chronological
• Combination

Each one offers unique advantages and there are no best resume templates. You may even want to create a version of your resume in each format depending on the job title , the company, or even the country in which you are applying. An online resume builder can make it much easier to quickly switch around sections and go from one format to another without much fuss. 

The old standard, the reverse chronological format has probably been around nearly as long as resumes. And it’s not without good reason. A chronological format is still the best way to showcase employment history , especially in traditional industries where climbing the corporate ladder is the most commonly accepted route. All the best resume templates will focus on this logical approach.

“Reverse” refers to the fact that this format begins with your most current (or most recent) place of employment and works backward until you’ve listed all your relevant experiences of the past ten years. While you don’t need to include everything you’ve done in that timeframe (for example, you’ll want to leave off your server experience on an architect resume ) you do want to pay attention to any gaps in employment history as the chronological format can quickly make them stand out to the hiring manager.

• Use a chronological format if your work experience is your key selling point.
• Pick a chronological format just because you think you have to even if it doesn’t match your experience.

For jobs where specialized skills count for more than employment history, the functional resume can be a lifesaver. This format allows you to highlight your expertise right from the top of your resume in a section often called “Experience.” Whereas a chronological resume format shows an employer what you’ve accomplished in the past, a functional resume format is more focused on the skills and specialized knowledge you can offer right now.

Since a functional resume format is more flexible than a chronological one, it’s a great choice for a variety of job situations. Skilled tradespeople, freelancers, gig workers, students , and even recent grads can all benefit from highlighting their strengths without having to categorically organize them under previous positions which may be too numerous or repetitive.

• Choose a functional format if your skills are the most important aspect of your job.
• Create a functional resume just because you lack work experience in a field that traditionally requires a chronological resume.

A combined format sometimes called a combination format, is exactly what it sounds like: the perfect fusion of the chronological and functional formats. The need for a combined resume format is often dictated by the candidate’s job search . For example, a freelancer looking to apply to a full-time position may want to begin the resume with top skills before following up with an Employment History section to show their ability to work in environments similar to the prospective employer’s.

Many professional resume writers will write in a combination style while still calling it reverse chronological. Highlighting your key skills at the top is a genuinely smart move for many roles. The work experience section isn't so far behind and you can normally still fit the two most recent roles on page one .

The advantage of the combined resume is that it allows the job seeker to first draw the hiring manager’s attention to their strengths , while also providing the employment history information that many traditional companies still expect. For candidates whose experience best fits a functional resume but aren’t sure how well it will be received, a combined resume is the right choice.

Here's a video that can help you choose between a combination or chronological resume format.

• Create a combined resume if you want to take an innovative approach, highlight key abilities or you are making a career transition.
• Confuse a hiring manager by burying or hiding certain sections that you know they will expect.

Best format for freshers

If you have recently graduated or you are due to graduate soon, you may be wondering about the best resume format for freshers . You may not have a lot of experience, so you will want to focus on your education and what you have learned through your studies.

With your qualifications, you should go into some detail about what you did and what modules you covered. This will give the hiring manager a better overall feel for who you are and what you know. The most valuable aspects of your coursework should be highlighted and pay attention to how these are transferable to the role. Keep your resume format for freshers clear and concise, there is no need for the graduate resume to be any more than one page.

Choosing the best resume format (top 5 tips)

Here are our top 5 tips for choosing a resume format and finishing it inside a resume builder :

• Choose a resume format that is aligned with the tone and branding of your prospective employer
• When in doubt, a simpler , more traditional template is a safer choice than a more eccentric one
• Your template should contain a healthy balance of white space to text so as not to overwhelm the reader with information
• Decide which resume sections are most important for your experience and choose a resume format that is designed to focus on those
• Don’t be afraid to move around the sections or try out a different format to see which version of your resume works best.

If you spent at least some portion of your career believing that there was only one correct way to format a resume, we’d understand. Most people are familiar with the reverse chronological resume format which dictates that you begin your resume with your most recent position and work backwards from there. 

Although chronological may still be the most common format, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. Many candidates find that selecting a different resume format better allows them to highlight their diverse experiences and unique skills. It is one way of standing out, but only if it allows you to make your case in the most effective way.

Likewise, many forward-thinking hiring managers are no longer looking for cookie-cutter employees. They want applicants to showcase an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to adapt to the workplace of the future. While the chronological format may still work best for communicating previous positions, adding elements of a functional format to create a combined one can quickly set apart an innovative candidate.

In the chapters below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about selecting the perfect resume formats including:

• The three main types of resume formats and the differences between them
• Which format to pick in 2024 based on current trends in hiring
• Top tips for choosing a resume template to help you get started

Many hiring managers can spend less than 30 seconds reviewing a resume. Clean formatting without spelling or grammatical errors is one of the first things they take in, according to Mashable .

Ready to craft a resume that catches the attention of recruiters? A Google doc resume template can give you a head start. Keep reading and we’ll help you decide whether it’s your best bet for success.

Which resume format should you use in 2024

Ultimately, no resume format is more correct than another. It all comes down to your experience, industry, and potential employer. When choosing a resume format for 2024, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine which resume format is right for you.

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, you may want to consider switching from a chronological format to a functional or combined one:

• Do I have a rare skill set I want the employer to notice right away?
• Am I switching to a different career or job function where I have no previous work experience?
• Have I learned a variety of important skills in only one or two positions?
• Will my prospective employer appreciate a fresh and direct approach to resume formatting?

While combined resumes will be on the rise in the coming years, that doesn’t mean a nontraditional format is for everyone. Here are some situations in which a chronological format is likely the best choice:

• Your knowledge from previous workplaces is more important than standalone skills
• You are applying to a large company which has a traditional structure
• Your competition likely has traditional career paths with impressive employers
• You have a sizeable amount of work history directly related to your prospective position
• You’ve worked at other companies comparable to your prospective employer

We also have made a chart to see which resume format is the best for you:

How 2024 job trends influence resume formatting choices

It’s no surprise that in 2024 the way we work is changing – big time. And that affects everything from the methods of conducting your job search to formatting your resume. With more companies favoring remote teams, flexible hours, and specialized candidates, there is a lot to adapt to when it comes to finding a new position or even starting a career from scratch. Your resume should show that, at a time of change, you have what it takes.

In this chapter, we’ll discuss some of the major trends for work in 2024 and how you can adjust your resume formatting choices to increase your chances of landing your dream job . Here’s what’s ahead:

• Work from home: a blessing or a curse?
• Freelancers’ role in the market
• Specialized workers lead the way
• Breaking into the workforce in 2024
• How modern technology is shifting hiring practices

For many, remote work may be an entirely new experience but that doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Companies have seen the advantages of working from home in increased productivity, employee morale and a reduction in overhead costs. According to NPR , many of America’s largest companies are planning to free their employees from the walls of the office for the foreseeable future.

According to researchers at MIT, more than half of the American workforce is currently working remotely. Good luck finding a new chair for the home office!

Which resume format you choose for a remote position largely depends on the type of work you do. There are many industries where the fact that you’re working from home won’t mean you should jump ship on a chronological resume. However, if there are other factors in play, for example, you are looking for part-time creative work while still holding another job, you may consider a combined resume format to paint a clearer picture of what you do. Just make sure to label remote positions as such so that a potential employer sees that you are comfortable in a digitally connected environment.

After having long struggled in a work world designed for traditional employees, in 2024 freelancers are finally ahead of the game. According to CNBC , the freelance market is booming, with more than one-third of Americans turning to freelance work this year and employers looking to hire them, especially in the fields of e-commerce, web, and mobile design.

So for freelancers looking to have their day in the sun, what’s the best resume format? It depends on your objectives. For freelancers looking to remain in their current situation, a functional resume might serve as a great way to show clients what they are capable of. 

A combined resume can be a great choice if your skills are your selling point but you also have some impressive previous employers that can’t be missed. Finally, if you are transitioning to full-time work, a chronological resume may be the right choice.

According to McKinsey , specialization is the way of the future. Employees who can handle one task well are likely to fare better than generalists in the long run. Low-wage jobs will be replaced with employees who have superior knowledge of products and the market (think “super agents” instead of just call center workers.) Many people will need to learn new skills and focus on career development in order to have the best chances of future advancement.

So what do these changes mean for your resume formatting? For one, companies want to know what you can bring to the table. A combined resume format can help you highlight specialized knowledge without appearing like you don’t have much industry experience to show. If you complete any training or certifications this year, you may also want to format your resume to include an additional section to showcase them.

1 in 16 workers will need to change occupations by 2030, according to the McKinsey report . If a career switch is in the cards, your resume format may help give you a fighting chance against more established candidates. Consider a functional format if you have no experience in the new field and a combined format if you have 1-3 related positions to show.

Recent graduates are facing a tough moment to enter the job market as companies shrink the number of entry-level hires and interns they are willing to take on. However, it’s not all bad news. Although many companies have a temporary hiring freeze, they are expecting to reach pre-pandemic hiring levels by summer 2024, according to Forbes .

When it comes to the best resume format for recent grads in 2024, flexibility and skills are everything. That doesn’t mean you should jump straight to a functional resume format. Hiring managers are wary of grads who try to cover a lack of work experience by focusing only on skills. If you have some previous internship experience , it can be enough to create a chronological resume format or a combined one if that’s a better choice for your industry.

Great news for recent grads – it’s becoming easier to find a job with less experience. According to Forbes , more than 70 percent of roles today have fewer requirements than one year ago.

Formatting your resume to pass the ATS

Did you know that two-thirds of the resumes submitted for a single position never make it to the hiring manager’s desk? That’s because a human HR rep is no longer the first gatekeeper when it comes to making new hires. A large percentage of today’s workplaces are employing ATS – Applicant Tracking Systems – to help filter out candidates, saving the hiring manager a lot of time and energy.

The ATS algorithms scan resumes for keywords and rank them against the other applicants. Only a top selection moves on to be read by a human hiring manager. You may have all the right experience and skills but if you don’t format them correctly, there’s a big chance you’ll miss out on the opportunity for an interview. 

When it comes to formatting your resume to pass the ATS , here’s what we recommend:

• Choose a format that is well-organized and easy for the ATS to scan
• Label your sections with standard headings like “Employment History” or “ Education ” instead of more creative names which may confuse the ATS
• Make sure your resume is free of spelling errors since the ATS won’t understand even obvious typos
• Download your resume in a format that’s easy for the ATS to read, Docx or PDF are two of the most common
• Avoid graphic elements or pictures containing important text since the ATS will not be able to isolate it

Key takeaways plus top 5 resume format tips

We hope this guide to resume formats has prepared you to make the best choice for your own experience and career goals in the ever-changing landscape of 2024. Here are our top 5 resume format tips to remember:

• The reverse chronological resume format remains the most common one and the best pick for traditional companies where work experience is the most important factor
• Functional resumes allow you to focus on specialized knowledge or skills but shouldn’t be used just to cover gaps in work history
• Combined formatting is increasing in popularity since it draws attention to specialization while still offering the employment history section most hiring managers expect
• In a tough economy, job seekers need to be in tune with the needs of their prospective employer and deliver the right type of resume format, even if it means innovating
• The ATS will be the first test of your resume format, so make sure you’ve optimized correctly

The easiest way to create a clean resume format – or to easily switch between two different types – is with a resume template. Resume templates allow you to be sure that your formatting is precise, attractive and optimized for the ATS, all without having to spend hours fighting with graphic design software. Check also our blog about: '' How to write a resume ''.

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How to Write an Effective Resume

September 14, 2020

Download this guide in PDF format

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create an effective resume. You’ll learn strategies for tailoring your resume to the role you’re pursuing, and how to effectively present your skills and experience—whether you’re a new-job seeker or a mid-career professional switching to a new field. You will learn about templates and formats and understand the structure of every core section of a successful resume.

An effective resume needs to present all the important information about you as a professional in a concise and clear way. Format and content are both important. Prior to diving into the details of resume structure, you’ll first want to have a clear understanding of what you are trying to communicate. It’s also important to keep your focus on what matters to the employer and do everything you can to tailor your resume to the role.

Focus on what’s important to the employer

Before writing your resume, try to consider the employer’s point of view. What do they want to know? Answering this question will enable you to focus on the information that is going to be relevant to the employer. This, in turn, increases your chances of getting their attention.

When applying to a specific role, carefully read the job description. This will help you understand specifically what the employer is looking for. If you want to gather additional insights, review multiple job descriptions to see what shows up repeatedly. This will help you gain a broader understanding of the role. Another great way to understand the needs of your potential employer is to schedule networking conversations with industry professionals who can share their experiences and insights.

Keep in mind that focusing on what’s relevant to the employer might mean omitting details about your skills and experiences that are significant to you but are not directly relevant to the role. Deciding what to not include on your resume can be as important as deciding what to include. Irrelevant information might distract or confuse a reader, potentially making them more likely to discard your resume.

Tailor your resume to a role

It is essential that you tailor your resume to each job that you apply for. Even if your target roles have the same general set of requirements—and even if your skills and experience are broadly applicable—you should still adjust the order of your qualifications to match the order on the job description. In this way, you’re putting what’s most important to each employer at the top. 

If you can, try to match the language of the job description. For example, if you have a resume built around recruiting, and you are applying for a talent acquisition role, replace “recruiting” with “talent acquisition” on your resume. Shifting to the employer’s terminology can help them relate to you. This approach can also help prevent you from being filtered out by automated software that relies on keywords to match your resume to the job description and to determine whether it should be passed on to a recruiter or discarded.

Tip : Keep in mind that resumes are traditionally written in the third person without the use of personal pronouns. 

Different Types of Job Seekers

Your resume strategy will differ at different stages of your career journey. Someone seeking their first role will need to use a different approach than someone looking to make a mid-career switch to a new field. In both of these scenarios, you have to communicate your value despite not having experience in the field, but your strategy will differ depending on what information you have available to share.

You can use the recommendations in this section to understand how to communicate your value to an employer in a way that’s appropriate to your skills and experience.

Career changers

If you are an experienced professional but are looking to start a career in a new field, your background can provide you with a unique perspective, and can potentially help you stand out as a candidate. At the same time, you will need to be conscious about clearly establishing yourself as a qualified professional in your new field. Remember that your application will most likely be reviewed alongside applications from people with  directly relevant experience, so you need to make it clear to the employer why they should consider you for the role over those candidates. 

Here are some key things to keep in mind as you build your resume:

Focus on your transferable skills and experiences and highlight the advantages of your diverse background . 

When describing your past experiences, focus on what’s relevant to your new career, and don’t over-elaborate on less relevant details. For example, if you’ve been managing a restaurant and are now shifting into IT support, your customer service skills will be crucial, while your ability to manage staff won’t be as relevant. If, as a restaurant manager, you maintained your computer network and electronics, that will be important to discuss on your resume as well—even if it was a minor component of your role. Finally, try to point out how your background—despite being in a different field—is actually an advantage. For example, you might highlight how the commercial awareness you developed as a restaurant manager can help you understand business needs when prioritizing your work as an IT support professional. 

Adopt the terminology of your new industry. 

Get familiar with the language, terms, and jargon of your new industry and demonstrate this familiarity by using industry-specific words and phrases in your resume. This will make it easier for the reader to understand how your experience is relevant for them, and give them confidence about your engagement with your new field. For example, if you’ve run your own business in the past and are now looking for a role in marketing, use terms such as “marketing funnel” and “nurturing leads” when discussing your past marketing activities—even if you weren’t thinking in those terms at the time.

New Professionals

People who are looking for their first job, and who don’t yet have professional experience to describe, might struggle with how to fill their resumes. When this is the case, you can leverage non-professional experiences such as coursework, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and life experiences (travel, caretaking, and more) as a means to demonstrate to the employer how you overcome challenges, solve problems, and achieve results. 

It’s important to remember that the employer only knows what’s on your resume. If you think something will help you make your case to a prospective employer, you need to find a way to include that information on your resume. Use sections such as Projects, Volunteer Work, Relevant Experiences as alternatives to Professional Experience for that purpose.

Templates and Layouts

Now that you have an idea of what you want to communicate on your resume, you can start filling out the details. You can design your own resume or use an existing template. There are many templates available online, and you can access them by typing “resume templates” into your favorite search engine. You can also find Google Doc templates by going to Google Docs and clicking Template Gallery at the top right. 

Tip: Whether you actually use a Google Doc template or not, it’s a good idea to design your resume in Google Docs. It will enable you to easily share, get feedback, and download your resume in a convenient format.

You can use your personal taste and preferences when selecting a template, but it’s also important to consider the following factors:

• Ease of reading : Your resume needs to make a great impression and communicate all your most important information in a very short amount of time. Make sure sections are clearly organized and that the font is easy to read, and use margins and white space to prevent the document from feeling cramped. 
• Simple design . Your resume needs to be easily comprehended by both humans and applicant tracking systems (ATS)—the software that companies use to store and retrieve candidate information. ATS’s vary, but many cannot parse graphs and other visual elements, meaning that information contained in them will be lost. Simple designs relying on well-organized text are best. 
• Length. Your resume should be one page, unless you have at least 10-15 years of relevant (not total) experience. Two-column resume templates are appropriate for one-page resumes. Two-page resumes should use the entire width of the page.

Resume Sections

Before you start filling out your resume, you’ll need to decide which sections to include, and in what order. There are core components that should be in every resume. There are also optional components you may want to include, depending on your skills and experience, and the roles you’re applying for. Adjust your template by moving, adding, removing, and renaming sections as necessary.

Core resume sections include contact information, a professional summary, and details about your skills, experience, and education. Make sure to use section labels to help the reader easily navigate through your resume. In terms of order, this will often depend on what you want to highlight to your employer. A recent graduate might want to put their education first, whereas a working professional would lead with their experience. Optional sections could include information on projects, publications, volunteer experience, awards and honors, patents, languages, and more. Let’s take a closer look at each section of a typical resume.

Individual Resume Sections

This is the section at the top of your resume that includes your contact information. Your name is the only part of your resume that should be spelled out in a larger font than the rest of your document. Your contact information should include:

• city, state, zip (no street address for privacy purposes) 
• phone number, email address
• LinkedIn profile URL
• Optional: personal website, GitHub (for technical roles), portfolio (for creative roles)

The Summary section will always be located at the top of your resume immediately following the Header. It should be brief (3-5 lines) and clearly articulate what makes you a great candidate for the role, as well as what makes you stand out from your competition. The Summary sets the context for the rest of the document by calling out the most important things for the reader to know about you.

While there are many ways to write a summary, consider the following format, focusing on your core expertise, strengths, and what sets you apart from others.

Sentence 1: Describe yourself by role and competencies. This is where you provide your professional introduction. Examples:

• Digital Marketing Manager with expert level knowledge of SEO, Social, PPC, and GMB.
• Talent Acquisition expert with 4+ years of experience in the medical device industry.

Tip: If you are changing careers, describe yourself using your desired title. For example, if you are shifting from QA Analytics to Project Management, describe yourself as a Project Manager. You can add “with background in QA Analytics” to acknowledge that part of your career.

Sentence 2 : Connect your expertise to your value prop.  This is where you define how your unique skills will make you a valuable asset to the company. Examples:

• Proficient in creating and editing graphics, figures, and illustrations. Consistently able to create high-quality marketing assets that drive conversions.
• Able to source for full range of positions from administrative to executive level. Able to create a seamless recruiting and hiring process for managers, and consistently present top-quality candidates.

Sentence 3: Include a differentiator. You are likely competing against other people with similar skills, so it’s important to provide a clear reason why an employer should select your resume. Examples:  

• Known for the ability to eloquently present point of view to clients, prospects, and colleagues with expertise, confidence, and clarity.
• Consistently noted in performance reviews as being able to present to clients, prospects and colleagues, with expertise, confidence, and clarity.
• Received 8 awards for customer service excellence.

Tip : Instead of using the word “Summary” to label this section, use a professional headline to help to set the tone for the rest of the document. For example: “Experienced SEO Manager” or “Android Developer | Medical Devices.” 

Immediately below the Summary you should have a list of your core areas of expertise, and your specific skills.

For a non-technical role , include 4-8 short bullets detailing your core skills (also known as Areas of Expertise) organized in two or three columns. To decide what goes on this list, think of what the employer would primarily hire you for. Focus on quantifiable skills like copywriting, agile project management, Google Analytics, or sales funnel management. Keep in mind that skills like communication, time management, and collaboration—which are harder to quantify, and are claimed by most people—are not as effective on a resume. 

Tip : When tailoring your resume to a specific role, the Skills section is your first opportunity to line up with the job description.

For a technical role , it’s important to list out all of your relevant technical skills. If you find that your list is too long to list out each item in a separate bullet, then organize your skills by type—software, programming languages, hardware, data analytics, or any other categories that apply.

Professional Experience Section

The Professional Experience section is uniquely important because it tells the story of what you’ve done in your career. For employers, this is a strong indicator of what you will be able to do for them.

The Professional Experience section should list your roles (company, job title, location, employment dates) in reverse chronological order. If you have significant professional experience, limit your resume to the past 10-15 years, as that is what is most relevant to the employer. 

Ideally, you want to list three to six roles on your resume that demonstrate progress on your career journey. Under each role, you should list your responsibilities and accomplishments in bullets. Responsibilities describe what you were supposed to do, and accomplishments are the specific outcomes that demonstrate how well you performed your role. 

Your most recent role should feature the most detail, with four to six bullets of no more than two lines each. Older roles should provide less information. Begin each bullet with an action verb that puts you in control. Include numbers to show the scope of your role and impact—how many leads did you convert, how much revenue growth did you drive, how many new hires did onboard, how large was the team you managed, and more.

Tip: Avoid chronological gaps in your Professional Experience. If you spent more than six months out of the workforce at any point—whether intentionally (for caregiving purposes or travel) or unintentionally (unemployment)—explain on your resume what you did during that time. Particularly highlight any activities relevant to your professional life, such as independent study, projects, and part-time or volunteer work. 

Example 

Big Box Story, Service Associate, Middleton, CA 01/2015 – 02/2016

• Provided customer service during checkout transactions and assisted customer questions and concerns in a big-box retail 
• Earned 8 Employee of the Week awards in one year on a team of 100+ associates
• Enrolled over 200 consumers in new credit cards within a 15-month time frame (4x average rate)
• Received “Certificate of Excellence” for success at upselling to customers

Education Section

In this section, include degrees beyond high-school in reverse chronological order (include your high-school information only if you don’t have any education or training beyond it). For each entry in the Education section, list the degree, institution, location, and date of completion.

Tip :  You can include pending or incomplete degrees by marking them as “In progress” or “Incomplete”—if you do so, make sure to include information on the classes/work you did complete. 

Finalize Your Resume

Once you’ve completed your resume using the guidance in this document, try to have someone proofread it for you. Recruiters consistently say they will discard resumes with typos, even if the resume is in great shape otherwise.

Tip : Consider asking a few people you trust—especially those familiar with your work—to provide feedback on the content. Don’t feel obligated to incorporate all the feedback you receive, but be open to recommendations that can help enhance the quality of your resume.

In conclusion, please keep in mind that, while there is no such thing as a perfect resume, you can use this guide to create an effective resume that avoids common problems and pitfalls. As you progress in your job search, remember that your resume is a living document. You can make revisions based on any feedback you receive, but try to avoid losing valuable time trying to over-optimize. Focus on your skills and experience, present yourself in the best light possible, and get ready to land that next role!

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Resume Format: What’s The Best Resume Format For 2024? (+Resume Templates)

• Klara Cervenanska , 
• Updated January 16, 2024 6 min read

Different resume formats are best-suited for different kinds of job seekers , depending on their experience level or what they want to achieve.

The three most commonly used resume formats are:

• Chronological
• Combination (hybrid)

By choosing a suitable format, you can easily steer the HR manager's attention to certain sections and away from others.

Whether you’re a recent graduate, an experienced professional, or someone looking to change careers, there’s a format that will help highlight your unique strengths, qualifications, and work history.

This article will explore the different types of resume formats, help you decide which one is right for YOU, and show you examples of well-formatted resumes that you can use as your first draft. 

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

Three standard resume formats

How to choose the best resume format for you, how to organize each resume format, fresher resume format , tips for how to format any resume, key takeaways: choosing the best resume format in 2024.

There are three standard resume formats that are most commonly used when applying for jobs:

• Chronological resume
• Functional resume
• Combination (hybrid) resume

Each of them has different attributes and serves a different purpose. Here's a chart with a quick overview of each format .

Chronological resume format 

The chronological resume format is the most widely used of the bunch. In fact, if you try to think of a traditional resume, you probably think of one written in this format. 

What's the main focus of a chronological resume?

This format puts the most emphasis on your work experience section , which should form the bulk of your resume. The individual work experiences should be listed in reverse chronological order (from most recent to oldest). Apart from the names and dates, include a list of your tasks, key (quantifiable) accomplishments, and skills/knowledge gained from the job.

Who is a chronological resume for?  

• Experienced professionals who have a steady work history and are looking for another job in the same field.  
• Those with no (or few) periods of unemployment . 
• Those who want to demonstrate their career growth and highlight their promotions or achievements. 

Here's an example:

Chronological resume template

This job seeker has 4+ years of experience in the given industry, making them an experienced professional. The work experience section is the main focus of this resume and apart from the key information about the employer, they also include a list of their tasks, quantifiable achievements, and other accomplishments.

This resume was written by our experienced resume writers specifically for this profession.

Functional resume format

A functional resume is a lot less common than its chronological counterpart. However, it still has a place in the recruitment process and can be an ideal option for certain people. It's also referred to as a skills based resume, and here's why.

What's the main focus of a functional resume?

The functional resume format highlights your relevant and transferable skills and accomplishments, rather than focusing on your chronological work history. The skills section should be placed at the top of your resume and be quite detailed.

Who is a functional resume for?

• It's typically used by job seekers who have gaps in their employment history (e.g. when coming back from a leave of absence or maternity leave).
• For job seekers who are changing careers , or have limited work experience (like recent graduates ). 

Functional resume template

This is a perfect example of how a functional resume can make up for the lack of work experience. This person is a student, which is why they don't have much work experience.

Hence, the skills section is right at the top of their resume. It's also divided into 3 categories to really highlight their capabilities. The profile section nicely complements it, touching upon some of the transferable skills.

Combined resume format

Finally, this combined resume format (also called a hybrid format) combines several aspects of the chronological and functional resume formats. Thanks to its versatility, it helps you incorporate a variety of sections into a single document.

What's the main focus of a combined resume?

As the name suggests, this resume format combines the best of both worlds. It places equal focus on work experience and skills and also engages the reader with a professional summary . It allows you to effectively highlight your diverse skill set and demonstrate it in the work experience section. 

Who is a combined resume for?  

• It's suitable for anyone who has both relevant work experience and skills that they want to emphasize on their resume. 
• Professionals who are transitioning between similar roles or industries may also find this format very effective. 
• It's perfect for those changing careers with transferable skills, such as project management, communication, or leadership, that may be applicable to multiple fields. 

Combined resume template

This is an exemplary combination resume. Right at the top is a resume summary that engages the reader. The work experience and skills sections form the bulk of this resume and are both very elaborate. Finally, the person also added a volunteering and certificates section as a cherry on top. 

Combination resume template

Consider these key things to pick the resume format that best tells your story:

• Are you a seasoned professional looking to stay in the same field? If so, go for a chronological resume. A combined resume is also an option. 
• Are you a fresh graduate? Then use a functional resume to highlight any transferable skills you’ve acquired during your studies or internships.
• Do you have less than 2 years of experience? A functional or combined resume are the most suited.
• Are you changing careers? A combination and functional resume formats will produce the best results. 
• Are there any gaps in your employment? If the gap is short, opt for a combination resume. If it's longer, a functional resume is the better option. 
• Looking to get a promotion or grow your career? A combination or chronological resume will work best. 

Furthermore, think about which sections you’d like to emphasize. Is it your recent work history? Or would you rather emphasize your hard skills? Or both at the same time?

The modern combination resume is likely to be the most effective resume format to use in 2024 , as it allows you to display all of your skills , qualifications , and past work experience . However , the best resume format remains one that best showcases your unique career path and objectives.

This flowchart will help you with your decision-making if you're more of a visual person:

Each resume, despite what format it uses, should include a few key resume sections . 

However, depending on which resume format you choose, the order and content of those sections will vary. 

With Kickresume's resume builder , you can re-order your resume sections however you want them. Simply click on Re-order (left from the resume sections) and drag them to the desired order. 

Let's have a look at how to order the sections in each resume format:

How is a chronological resume organized?

• Contact information. First, include your name, email, location, and LinkedIn profile . 
• Professional summary. Briefly reflect on the most relevant qualifications and experience.
• Work experience. It should be very detailed. Include all key information about employers, dates, your daily tasks, as well as your key accomplishments, quantifiable achievements, and any knowledge/skills acquired.
• Education. Mention the name of the institution, dates, courses, and relevant projects.
• Skills. Mention your main skills, but there's no need to go into too much detail.
• Optional sections*. These include awards , certifications, references, volunteering, etc.

*Include any optional sections that are relevant to the job or if it's anything you want to highlight. 

How is a functional resume organized?

• Contact information. Name, email, location, LinkedIn profile, or other relevant socials.
• Resume objective. It briefly states your career goals and creates a connection between your skills and abilities and the position you're applying for. 
• Skills. Carefully study the job description and think of skills that are desirable. If you have any, list them. In addition to listing the skills, you should also describe how you've used (or gained) them. Some of the best transferable skills to have include conflict resolution, critical thinking, and technical skills.
• Work experience. List the job titles and dates and add a key accomplishment (1 bullet point).
• Education. Names, dates, courses, and relevant projects.
• Optional sections*. These include awards, certifications, references , volunteering, etc.

How is a combined resume organized?

• Contact information. Include your name, email, location, and LinkedIn profile. 
• Professional summary. A concise overview of your experience and accomplishments.
• Skills. Study the job description and try to cherry-pick the most relevant skills. Ideally, divide them into soft & hard skills.
• Work experience. In reverse-chronological order, include all of the key information about the employers, the dates, your daily tasks, key (quantifiable) accomplishments, and any knowledge/skills acquired. You shouldn't be repetitive, so try to vary the language. 
• Other sections.  You should include another section that highlights your experience or is relevant to the job. These include: awards , certifications , professional references , publications , etc.

Need help with writing your resume?

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And what if you're still a student or you're a graduate fresh out of college? Well, then you should prioritize your education section by placing it before work experience . 

In the education section, make sure to highlight relevant coursework and other projects that demonstrate the skills and attributes the hiring managers are looking for and are relevant for the specific job or internship.

Provided that you don’t have much professional experience, consider adding a section about volunteer experiences or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your capabilities.

Here's a sample of a fresher resume format, belonging to a student hired for an internship at Philips:

Fresher resume template

This resume sample was contributed by a real person who got hired with Kickresume’s help.

Additionally, apart from choosing the right resume format, your overall resume formatting should also meet the standards. 

Here's a brief summary of the resume formatting recommendations:

• Use a standard font. Ensure your resume is easy to read by using a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri and a font size of 11 to 12 points. 
• Use bullet points. Use bullet points to make your resume easier to scan and highlight important information quickly. 
• Think about the margins . Strike a good balance between not leaving too much white space and making your resume seem cluttered. 
• Keep it to one-two pages . Unless you have extensive work experience, you should generally aim to keep your resume to one page. 
• Consistency is key. In all aspects of your resume, including the spacing, font, margins, etc.
• Use a professional template or layout which helps to structure the information effectively and makes it easy to read. 

However, if you don't want to bother with manually formatting your resume, you can opt for a pre-formatted resume template.

Kickresume offers resume templates that were carefully designed by professional typographers and approved by HR experts to create the perfect resume hassle-free and quickly.

All templates are already pre-formatted, so you can go directly to filling in the content.

Have a look at some resume templates that got the formatting just right and got hired by Accenture and Amazon :

Software Engineering Team Lead Resume (hired by Accenture)

Amazon systems administrator resume sample (hired by amazon).

In 2024, the modern combination resume may prove to be the most effective resume format  as it allows you to highlight your skills, qualifications, and past work experience all at once.

However, the most suitable resume format for you is one that best reflects your individual objectives and career stage.

Your ultimate goal is to help recruiters extract key information about you as quickly as possible. The resume format is the tool that helps you do that. 

What's more, the proper layout of a resume with well-defined individual sections will make your resume look good and professional.

Let’s recap 3 main points concerning the resume format:

• Make that format choice. Think about things you’re proud of. Is it your extensive work history or a broad array of skills ? If it’s a no-brainer, use either a chronological or functional resume. If it's all closely intertwined, go for a combined resume format.
• Put the best parts first. The top one-third of your resume is where the most important stuff is. Whether it’s your skills, work history, or education, make it stand out.
• Use resume templates. These are already pre-formatted for you, and you can re-order the sections simply by dragging.

FAQ: Resume format

The combination resume is the most effective resume format  as it allows you to highlight your skills, qualifications, and past work experience all at once.

1. Include standard resume sections. Contact information, resume summary, work experience, education, skills. 2. Include optional resume sections. Awards, references, certifications, publications, projects, etc. 3. Choose a resume format. The three standard are: chronological, functional, combination. 4. Use bullet points. Use bullet points to make your resume easier to scan and highlight important information quickly.  6. Think about the margins . Strike a good balance between not leaving too much white space and making your resume seem cluttered.  7. Keep it to one-two pages . Unless you have extensive work experience, you should generally aim to keep your resume to one page.  8. Consistency is key. In all aspects of your resume, including the spacing, font, margins, etc. 9. Use a professional resume template or layout which helps to structure the information effectively and makes it easy to read. 

Here's what you should list for each reference: 1. Their full name 2. Their current job title and organization 3. Their contact details (email and phone number will do) 4. Your relationship with them (e.g., Former Supervisor)

This article was recently updated. The original article was written by Jakub Kaprál in 2020 .

Klara graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After having written resumes for many of her fellow students, she began writing full-time for Kickresume. Klara is our go-to person for all things related to student or 'no experience resumes'. At the same time, she has written some of the most popular resume advice articles on this blog. Her pieces were featured in multiple CNBC articles. When she's not writing, you'll probably find her chasing dogs or people-watching while sipping on a cup of coffee.

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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

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.

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.

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.

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. .

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.

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 .

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).”)

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).

Free colorful resume templates

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).

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Free minimalist resume templates

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Free eye-catching resume templates

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Free skill-emphasizing resume templates

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Free resume templates for experienced job seekers

These templates are ideal for people with longer work histories.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Free resume templates for entry-level job seekers

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.

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.

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).

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).

Free Adobe resume templates

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

More From Forbes

5 winning resume strategies for executives.

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Crafting a resume that stands out is crucial when you are a senior professional, aiming to secure top executive roles.

The stakes are higher, and the competition is fierce, making it imperative to present a polished, impactful resume.

Here are five essential strategies to help you create a compelling resume that captures the attention of hiring managers and gets your foot in the door of the best companies.

Quantify your achievements

As an executive, you will be judged by the tangible results you deliver. Therefore, it's vital to quantify achievements wherever possible in your resume.

Instead of saying "led a team to success," specify how success was measured. For instance, "led a team of 20, increasing annual sales by 30%." This approach provides concrete evidence of capabilities and accomplishments, making the resume more compelling.

Metrics such as revenue growth, cost savings, market share gains, and efficiency improvements should all be highlighted.

Quantifying achievements not only validates skills but also demonstrates a clear track record of delivering results, which is exactly what hiring managers are looking for in their next executive.

Additionally, using percentages, monetary values, and timeframes can give a clearer picture of your impact, making your resume more persuasive.

Highlight your leadership skills

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Leadership is a critical quality for any executive role. Demonstrating this on a resume involves more than listing previous job titles. It’s about showcasing specific instances where leadership was effectively applied.

For example, discuss how strategic initiatives were implemented, how teams were motivated to exceed goals, or how crises were managed. Mention any mentoring or coaching roles too, as these underscore the ability to develop talent within the organization.

Highlighting these skills can help differentiate candidates who merely managed from those who truly led.

Demonstrating a history of effective leadership can persuade hiring managers of your potential to inspire and guide their team toward achieving company objectives.

You could also include anecdotes that illustrate your leadership style and its impact on team performance and morale.

The stakes are high, so it's imperative you present an impactful executive resume.

Use a professional format

A professional format ensures that a resume is easy to read and highlights the most important information. For executives, a clean, structured format with clear headings and plenty of white space is ideal.

Use a consistent font and size and avoid overly elaborate designs that can distract from the content.

Sections should include an executive summary, core skills, professional experience, and education. Each section should be clearly labeled and logically ordered.

You should also ensure that your contact information is prominently displayed and that your LinkedIn profile is updated to reflect your resume.

Professional formatting not only makes your resume aesthetically pleasing but also demonstrates attention to detail and a commitment to professionalism. It's the first impression a potential employer will have, so making it count is crucial.

Integrate personal branding

Personal branding is about presenting a cohesive narrative that encapsulates professional identity and unique value proposition.

This can be achieved by developing a strong executive summary that sets the tone for the rest of the resume. The summary should succinctly describe key strengths, areas of expertise, and career achievements.

Throughout the resume, ensure that the language used reflects personal brand attributes, such as being results-driven, innovative, or a visionary leader.

Aligning your resume content with your personal brand helps to create a memorable impression. It ensures that all the elements of the resume work together to tell a consistent and compelling story about who you are as a candidate and what you bring to the table.

You should also tailor your personal branding to align with the culture and values of the organizations you are targeting.

Show the financial and business impact you make

Hiring managers for executive positions are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate a significant positive impact on the company's bottom line. So it's essential to showcase how previous roles have contributed to financial and business growth.

Highlighting achievements such as increasing revenues, reducing costs, expanding market share, or improving operational efficiencies can be very persuasive.

Specific examples, such as "implemented a new marketing strategy that increased annual revenue by $5 million," provide concrete evidence of business acumen and strategic thinking.

This not only proves the candidate's ability to drive business success but also reassures potential employers of their capability to replicate these results within their organization.

Including these detailed examples helps paint a vivid picture of your capabilities and success stories.

A well-crafted resume serves as a powerful tool in the competitive landscape of executive job hunting, opening doors to new and exciting career opportunities.

Tailoring each section to align with the targeted roles and industries further enhances the chances of securing a prestigious position.

By implementing these five strategies, you can craft an executive resume that not only stands out but also convincingly demonstrates your suitability for your next top-tier role.

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How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

• The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
• 11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
• 27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

• Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
• Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
• Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
• Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
• Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
• Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
• Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
• Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good. 

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
• Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
• Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume. 

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

• Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
• Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
• Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
• Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
• Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

• Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
• Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
• Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

• Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional. 
• LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate. 
• Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
• Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
• Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
• Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Your job title and years of experience.
• A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
• Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary: 

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

• Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
• Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
• Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
• Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with: 

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

• Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
• Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
• Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
• Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
• Generated leads through cold-calling
• Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

• Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
• Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
• Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

• Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
• Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
• Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

• In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
• Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
• In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

• No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
• Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
• Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
• Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

• Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
• Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
• Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
• Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go! 

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

• Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
• University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
• Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
• Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
• GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
• Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
• Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
• Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

• If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
• You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
• If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
• Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
• Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
• Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

• Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
• Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

• Agile Methodology
• SCRUM Framework
• Waterfall Project Management
• Microsoft Project
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Risk Management

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
• Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
• A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
• Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

• Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
• Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
• Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
• Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better  – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

• Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. 

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

• Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
• Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
• Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
• Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
• Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
• Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
• Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
• Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
• Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
• Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
• Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
• Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
• Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture. 

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking. 

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example 

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Bartender Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

• Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
• Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
• Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
• Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible. 

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template . 

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should: 

• Open MS Word
• Click “file” from the menu bar 
• Select “new”
• Type “resume templates” in the search bar 

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go! 

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format. 

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume? 

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five. 

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume? 

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address. 

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume. 

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

• Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
• Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
• Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
• Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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Resume Worded   |  Proven Resume Examples

• Resume Examples

2 Site Reliability Engineer Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024

Site reliability engineers work closely with both the development and operations team to ensure that software production remains fast, reliable, and scalable. their main responsibilities include automation, monitoring, and incident response. to become an sre you should have a combination of it and software development skills. if this is your case, read on. we’ll show you how you can optimize your resume to perform better during your job hunt..

Most companies are constantly implementing new features to stay competitive and provide a high-level user experience. However, these changes often affect IT infrastructure and produce downtime and errors, which make the software unreliable. Ideally, applications should follow a service-level agreement, which is a determined level of downtime. 

That’s why the operations team work to protect the IT infrastructure by monitoring errors and implementing new guidelines for the development team. On one hand, we have developers wanting to release new features fast, and on the other hand, we have the operations team trying to keep up with all these changes. 

This is where site reliability engineers enter the game and fill that gap. Instead of having the Ops team monitor infrastructure manually and alert developers, SREs create automation tools that notify developers of possible downtime or errors. This takes some weight off the ops team's shoulders and ensures that developers keep releasing new updates by maintaining the error budget (a threshold of the minimum allowable outages).

Since you’ll spend the majority of your time building automation tools, you should highlight your programming skills on your resume. Include the coding languages and tools you use for automation, such as Ruby or Javascript. Since this is a highly complex role, you should focus on including only technical skills on your resume rather than including soft skills.

Site Reliability Engineer Resume Templates

Jump to a template:

• Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
• SRE Manager

Jump to a resource:

• Keywords for Site Reliability Engineer Resumes

Site Reliability Engineer Resume Tips

• Action Verbs to Use
• Related Resumes

Get advice on each section of your resume:

Template 1 of 2: Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Resume Example

Site reliability engineers are also part of the customer service activities, not only because they are contributing to the user experience continuous improvement. Some companies include a site reliability engineer in the technical support team because they are more efficient at proving solutions. They can also gather information from user incidents to develop post-mortem research. Since the majority of your time will be spent on developing tools, you should highlight your ability to write clean code on your resume.

We're just getting the template ready for you, just a second left.

Tips to help you write your Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) resume in 2024

   mention your expertise in cloud services..

As a site reliability engineer, you should have advanced knowledge of cloud infrastructure to ensure cloud deployment automation. You should be familiar with tools like AWS and Microsoft Azure.

   Demonstrate your familiarity with monitoring tools

Monitoring is a big part of site reliability engineering. As an SRE, you should be constantly monitoring IT infrastructure to be aware of any errors that may arise. Some of the most popular monitoring tools are Prometheus and Solarwinds.

Skills you can include on your Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) resume

Template 2 of 2: sre manager resume example.

SRE managers lead the SRE team by creating policies and strategies to reduce the project’s downtime. They determine the best way to move forward and reduce downtime risks. SRE managers also work closely with other team members, such as operations and software engineers. You should demonstrate deep knowledge of operating systems in your resume.

Tips to help you write your SRE Manager resume in 2024

   indicate your incident response and post-mortem skills..

Incident response is also an important factor in the role of a site reliability manager. This is a set of procedures used for responding to errors or incidents in the IT infrastructure. Post-mortem, on the other hand, is the process of documenting, evaluating, and learning from these incidents to prevent them from happening again.

   Mention your familiarity with Agile principles on your resume.

Agile is a set of principles that improve productivity and scalability in software engineering projects. It is not usually a mandatory requirement, but it’s definitely a plus in your SRE manager resume.

Skills you can include on your SRE Manager resume

We spoke with recruiters and hiring managers at top companies that hire Site Reliability Engineers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, to understand what they look for in resumes. Based on their insights and feedback, here are some key tips you should consider when crafting a Site Reliability Engineer resume to increase your chances of landing an interview.

   Showcase your DevOps and automation skills

Site Reliability Engineers play a crucial role in automating processes and leveraging DevOps practices. Highlight your experience with:

• Configuration management tools like Puppet, Chef, or Ansible
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI
• Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, CloudFormation, or Pulumi
• Containerization technologies like Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes

Quantify the impact of your automation efforts wherever possible. For example:

Automated server provisioning using Ansible, reducing deployment time by 80% and eliminating manual errors.

   Highlight your experience with monitoring and incident response

Site Reliability Engineers ensure systems are reliable and available. Show your expertise in:

• Setting up monitoring and alerting using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios, or Datadog
• Defining SLIs, SLOs, and SLAs for services
• Incident management and postmortem analysis
• Troubleshooting and root cause analysis in complex distributed systems

Avoid generic statements like:

• Responsible for monitoring systems
• Handled incidents

Instead, provide specific examples:

Implemented Prometheus and Grafana to monitor key metrics, reducing MTTR by 60% through proactive alerting and faster issue identification.

   Demonstrate your programming and scripting abilities

While Site Reliability Engineers may not be writing production code, they often develop tools and scripts to automate tasks and troubleshoot issues. Showcase your programming skills in languages commonly used in SRE:

• Python for scripting and automation
• Go for systems programming and building tools
• Bash/Shell scripting for Linux/Unix administration
• Java, C++, or other languages based on the tech stack of your target companies

Provide concrete examples of how you used these skills, such as:

Developed a Python script to automate log analysis, reducing manual effort by 90% and enabling faster issue identification.

   Emphasize your experience with cloud platforms

Many companies are adopting cloud platforms for their scalability and flexibility. Highlight your experience with major cloud providers:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Microsoft Azure

Mention specific services you've worked with, such as:

• AWS EC2, S3, Lambda, ECS/EKS
• GCP Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, GKE
• Azure Virtual Machines, Blob Storage, Azure Functions, AKS

Showcase how you used these platforms to build scalable and reliable systems, like:

Migrated on-premises infrastructure to AWS, leveraging EC2, S3, and EKS to improve scalability and reduce costs by 40%.

   Include your contributions to performance and scalability

Site Reliability Engineers ensure systems can handle growth and perform optimally. Show your impact on:

• Capacity planning and resource provisioning
• Load testing and performance tuning
• Caching and content delivery network (CDN) optimizations
• Database performance and query optimization

Use metrics to demonstrate the results of your efforts:

Implemented caching and CDN optimizations, reducing page load times by 50% and improving Google PageSpeed score from 60 to 95.

Avoid vague statements like:

• Improved system performance
• Optimized database queries

   Showcase your collaboration and communication skills

Site Reliability Engineering is a collaborative role that involves working closely with development teams, operations, and other stakeholders. Highlight your experiences:

• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement SRE best practices
• Communicating complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Mentoring and training team members on SRE methodologies
• Participating in incident postmortems and sharing lessons learned

Provide concrete examples of your collaboration and communication skills:

Collaborated with development teams to implement chaos engineering practices, improving system resilience and reducing customer-impacting incidents by 80%.

Remember, recruiters value candidates who can work effectively in a team and communicate clearly.

Writing Your Site Reliability Engineer Resume: Section By Section

  header, 1. put your name front and center.

Your name should be the most prominent element in your header, making it easy for recruiters to identify whose resume they're reviewing. Follow these tips:

• Use a larger font size for your name compared to the rest of your header details
• Place your name on its own line
• Consider using a different font style that's easy to read and stands out

Here's an example of a well-formatted name in a header:

John Doe [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY | linkedin.com/in/johndoe

2. Include essential contact details

Make it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by providing key contact details:

• Professional email address
• Phone number
• City and state of residence
• LinkedIn profile URL

You can place these details on a single line, separated by vertical bars or bullet points. For example:

[email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY | linkedin.com/in/johndoe

Avoid cluttering your header with too many details. A physical address is no longer necessary, especially if you're applying for remote SRE positions.

3. Optionally include your target job title

If you have space, consider adding your target job title in your header. This helps frame your resume and lets recruiters know your career focus. For example:

John Doe Site Reliability Engineer [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY | linkedin.com/in/johndoe

However, avoid cramming in multiple job titles or buzzwords, as it can look cluttered and unfocused. Stick to a single, specific job title that aligns with the position you're applying for.

  Summary

A resume summary, also known as a professional summary or summary statement, is an optional section that sits at the top of your resume, just below your name and contact information. It provides a brief overview of your professional background, skills, and accomplishments, giving hiring managers a quick snapshot of what you bring to the table.

While a summary is not a mandatory component of a resume, it can be particularly useful for Site Reliability Engineers who want to highlight their most relevant qualifications and experiences upfront. This is especially true if you have a diverse background or are making a career change. However, it's crucial to avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and focus more on what you want rather than what you can offer the employer.

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Site Reliability Engineer resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Site Reliability Engineer Resume Summary Examples , or Site Reliability Engineer Resume Objective Examples .

1. Tailor your summary to the specific SRE role

When crafting your summary, it's essential to align it with the requirements and responsibilities of the specific Site Reliability Engineer position you're targeting. This means incorporating relevant keywords and phrases from the job description, such as specific technologies, methodologies, or certifications.

For example, if the job description emphasizes experience with cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, be sure to mention your proficiency in these areas. Similarly, if the role requires knowledge of infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible, highlight your experience with these technologies.

• AWS Certified Site Reliability Engineer with 5+ years of experience optimizing and scaling high-traffic web applications on AWS. Proficient in Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes, with a proven track record of improving system reliability and reducing downtime.

2. Quantify your achievements and impact

To make your summary more impactful, include quantifiable achievements that demonstrate the value you've brought to previous organizations. This could include metrics like uptime percentages, incident response times, or cost savings achieved through optimization efforts.

Avoid making vague statements or using generic buzzwords that don't provide concrete evidence of your skills and accomplishments. Instead, be specific and use numbers to back up your claims.

• Experienced Site Reliability Engineer with a proven track record of success. Skilled in troubleshooting and problem-solving, with a passion for delivering high-quality results.

While this summary mentions some relevant skills, it lacks specificity and doesn't provide any measurable achievements. Here's a better example:

• Site Reliability Engineer with 7+ years of experience maintaining 99.99% uptime for critical applications. Implemented automated monitoring and alerting systems that reduced incident response times by 50% and saved the company $200K annually in infrastructure costs.

3. Showcase your soft skills and leadership abilities

In addition to technical skills, Site Reliability Engineers often need strong communication, collaboration, and leadership abilities to be successful in their roles. While you shouldn't explicitly list soft skills like "team player" or "strong communicator" in your summary, you can demonstrate these qualities through your accomplishments and experiences.

For example, if you've led cross-functional teams or collaborated with developers and stakeholders to implement new reliability initiatives, mention these experiences in your summary. This shows hiring managers that you have the interpersonal skills necessary to thrive in an SRE role.

Results-driven Site Reliability Engineer with 6+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams to improve system performance and reliability. Collaborated with developers and product managers to implement chaos engineering practices, resulting in a 35% reduction in critical incidents and a 20% improvement in MTTR. Passionate about fostering a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

  Experience

Your work experience section is one of the most important parts of your resume as a site reliability engineer. It's where you'll showcase your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and the impact you've made in previous roles. Here are some key tips to make your work experience section stand out:

1. Highlight your technical skills

As a site reliability engineer, you likely have experience with a variety of tools and technologies. Make sure to showcase the ones that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. For example:

• Implemented and maintained CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Git, and Ansible
• Developed and maintained monitoring and alerting systems using Prometheus, Grafana, and PagerDuty
• Automated infrastructure provisioning and configuration management using Terraform and Puppet

By highlighting your technical skills, you'll show potential employers that you have the expertise they're looking for.

2. Quantify your impact

Whenever possible, use metrics to quantify the impact you've made in previous roles. This will help potential employers understand the value you can bring to their organization. For example:

• Reduced application downtime by 50% by implementing automated failover and disaster recovery processes
• Improved application performance by 25% by optimizing database queries and caching mechanisms
• Increased deployment frequency from once per month to multiple times per day by streamlining CI/CD pipelines

If you don't have access to specific metrics, you can still use numbers to give a sense of scale, such as the number of servers you managed or the size of the team you worked with.

3. Showcase your problem-solving skills

Site reliability engineers are often called upon to solve complex problems quickly and efficiently. Use your work experience section to showcase examples of how you've done this in the past. For example:

Troubleshot and resolved a critical production issue that was causing intermittent outages for a key customer-facing application. Identified the root cause as a memory leak in a third-party library and implemented a patch to fix the issue, resulting in a 99.99% uptime for the application.

By highlighting your problem-solving skills, you'll show potential employers that you have the ability to think critically and work under pressure.

4. Show your career growth

If you've been promoted or taken on increasing levels of responsibility in your previous roles, make sure to highlight this in your work experience section. This will show potential employers that you have the ability to learn and grow within an organization. For example:

• Site Reliability Engineer, Acme Inc., 2018-2022
• Junior Site Reliability Engineer, Acme Inc., 2016-2018

Instead of listing your titles chronologically, consider grouping them together to emphasize your career growth, like this:

• Promoted to Senior Site Reliability Engineer in 2020
• Promoted to Site Reliability Engineer in 2018

  Education

The education section of your site reliability engineer resume should be concise and highlight your most relevant academic achievements. List your degrees in reverse chronological order, with the most recent one first. Include the name of the institution, degree earned, and graduation date.

1. Highlight relevant coursework

If you're a recent graduate or have taken courses directly related to site reliability engineering, consider listing them under your degree. This can demonstrate your knowledge and skills in areas such as:

• Distributed systems
• Cloud computing
• Networking and security
• Automation and scripting

However, avoid listing every course you've taken. Focus on those that are most relevant to the job you're applying for.

2. Include certifications and training

In addition to your formal education, include any relevant certifications or training you have completed. These can help demonstrate your expertise and commitment to staying up-to-date in the field. Some examples include:

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
• Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Architect
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

Be sure to list the full name of the certification and the year you earned it.

3. Keep it brief for senior roles

If you are a senior site reliability engineer with many years of experience, your education section should be brief. Hiring managers will be more interested in your work history and accomplishments. For example:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science University of Example

Avoid listing outdated or irrelevant degrees, such as:

Associate of Arts in English Literature Community College of Example, 1995

Action Verbs For Site Reliability Engineer Resumes

If you want to demonstrate a tangible result of your value, you should mention your achievements on your resume. You can talk about how you reduced the downtime of a particular project or how your SRE techniques enhanced the development process. 

However, it is important to use the appropriate words on your resume. That’s why action verbs can be helpful. They will help you express your achievements accurately and concisely, by using one single word. Some examples of strong action verbs for your SRE resume include “automated,” “reduced,”, and “streamlined.” Check out more action verbs below.

• Strengthened
• Standardized
• Troubleshooted

For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs .

Action Verbs for Site Reliability Engineer Resumes

Skills for site reliability engineer resumes.

Since this is a highly technical career, it’s in the skills section where you should try to stand out. Your SRE resume should demonstrate you have advanced knowledge of operating, systems, databases, and cloud services. That’s why you should include keywords like database management, AWS, or Microsoft Azure. 

You should also mention the techniques you use for reducing downtime and improving the reliability of software development. For example, you can include skills like incident response, continuous integration, and automation. If you want more ideas of skills to include in your SRE resume, take a look at our selection. 

• Docker Products
• Elasticsearch
• Cloud Computing
• Shell Scripting
• Go (Programming Language)
• Python (Programming Language)
• Microservices
• Site Reliability Engineering
• Prometheus.io
• Elastic Stack (ELK)

How To Write Your Skills Section On a Site Reliability Engineer Resumes

You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:

Skills Word Cloud For Site Reliability Engineer Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Site Reliability Engineer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.

How to use these skills?

Other resumes, planning engineer.

Quality Assurance

Quality Engineer

Site Reliability Engineer Resume Guide

• Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Resume Example
• SRE Manager Resume Example
• Tips for Site Reliability Engineer Resumes
• Skills and Keywords to Add
• All Resume Examples
• Site Reliability Engineer CV Examples
• Site Reliability Engineer Cover Letter
• Site Reliability Engineer Interview Guide
• Explore Alternative and Similar Careers

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