A strong resume starts with a clean structure, uses specific accomplishments instead of generic job descriptions, and is formatted so both hiring managers and software can read it. Whether you’re writing your first resume or rebuilding one that isn’t getting callbacks, the process comes down to choosing the right format, filling in the right sections, writing bullet points that prove your value, and making sure the file actually survives the application system. Here’s how to do each of those well.
Pick the Right Resume Format
There are two main resume structures, and the one you choose should match your career situation.
A chronological resume lists your work experience from most recent to oldest. This is the standard format and works best when you’re staying in the same field, have a steady employment history without major gaps, and want to highlight your most recent role or employer. Most hiring managers expect this layout, and most applicant tracking systems (the software that scans your resume before a human sees it) handle it reliably.
A functional resume groups your experience by skill area rather than by job title and date. This format is better if you’re changing careers, have gaps in your work history, or have a mix of experiences that don’t follow a single career path. It lets you lead with transferable skills instead of job titles. The tradeoff is that some recruiters view functional resumes with suspicion, since the format can obscure timelines. A hybrid approach, where you lead with a short skills section but still include a chronological work history below it, often gives you the best of both.
Set Up Your Sections in Order
Every resume needs these core sections, generally in this order:
- Header: Your name (in slightly larger font, around 12 to 14 point), professional email address, phone number, and optionally your LinkedIn URL. You don’t need a full street address. A city and state is enough if your location is relevant to the job.
- Education: List your most recent degree first. Include the degree name, school, and graduation date (or expected date). You can add GPA, honors, relevant coursework, or study abroad if they strengthen your candidacy. Once you have several years of work experience, this section usually moves below your experience.
- Work Experience: Your jobs, internships, and other relevant roles in reverse chronological order. Each entry should include the employer name, your title, location, and dates. Internships count here even if they were unpaid.
- Skills: Technical skills, software proficiency, languages, lab skills, or anything concrete that’s relevant to the role. This is not the place for soft skills like “team player” or “hard worker.”
- Certifications and Licenses: If you hold any that are relevant to the position, list the name and expiration date.
Optional sections like Leadership and Community Involvement or Publications can follow, but only include them if they add something the rest of your resume doesn’t already show.
Write Bullet Points That Show Impact
The difference between a resume that gets interviews and one that doesn’t usually comes down to the bullet points under each job. Most people default to listing tasks: “Responsible for managing social media accounts.” That tells a hiring manager what your job description was, not what you actually accomplished.
A better framework is APR: Action, Project or Problem, Result. Start each bullet with a strong, specific verb. Then describe the project or challenge you worked on. Then state the outcome, ideally with a number attached.
Compare these two versions:
- Weak: Responsible for managing the company blog.
- Strong: Redesigned the company blog’s editorial calendar and publishing workflow, increasing monthly organic traffic by 40% over six months.
The second version uses a specific action verb (“redesigned”), names the project (editorial calendar and workflow), and quantifies the result (40% traffic increase). Numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts give your achievements scale and credibility. Even rough figures are better than none. If you grew a mailing list, say by how many subscribers. If you managed a budget, name the dollar amount. If you trained new employees, say how many.
Vary your verbs across bullet points. Avoid vague starters like “helped with,” “worked on,” or “assisted in.” Words like “launched,” “negotiated,” “streamlined,” “reduced,” and “built” are more specific and more compelling.
Format for Applicant Tracking Systems
Most mid-size and large employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter resumes before a recruiter ever reads them. If your resume can’t be parsed by the software, it may never reach a human. Formatting for ATS compatibility doesn’t require anything exotic. It mostly means avoiding things that confuse the software.
Stick to a single-column layout. Don’t use tables, text boxes, or multi-column designs, even if they look polished. The ATS reads your resume as a stream of text, and complex layouts scramble the order. Use standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Georgia, or Tahoma at 11 point or larger. Don’t mix multiple fonts or sizes throughout the document.
Avoid putting your contact information inside a header or footer, since many ATS platforms skip those areas entirely. Put your name on the top line of the document body, with no degrees or certifications appended to it. Keep section headings simple and consider using ALL CAPS for them so the system can categorize your information easily. Bullet points are fine, but avoid other symbols, special characters, borders, lines, or shading.
Include months with your employment dates (for example, 06/2021 to 08/2023 rather than just 2021 to 2023), and place dates on the right side of each entry. When submitting, save your file as a .doc (Word 97-2003) format unless the job posting specifically asks for a PDF. Not all tracking systems reliably parse .docx, PDF, or other file types.
Tailor Every Resume to the Job
A single generic resume sent to every opening is one of the fastest ways to get filtered out. Hiring managers and ATS platforms are both looking for alignment between your resume and the specific job posting. That doesn’t mean rewriting your resume from scratch for every application, but it does mean adjusting it.
Read the job description carefully and identify the key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities it emphasizes. Then make sure your resume reflects those priorities. If the posting highlights project management and your resume buries that experience in the third bullet of your second job, move it up. If the role asks for experience with specific software you’ve used, name that software in your skills section and in the relevant bullet points. Use the same language the posting uses. If they say “client relations” rather than “customer service,” mirror that phrasing where it’s accurate.
This is different from keyword stuffing, which means cramming in terms that don’t reflect real experience. Tailoring means reorganizing and reframing what you’ve genuinely done so the most relevant parts are visible first.
Drop What Doesn’t Belong
A few resume elements that were standard a decade ago now work against you. Objective statements (“Seeking a challenging role in a dynamic organization”) take up space and say nothing specific. Replace them with a brief professional summary only if you have enough experience to make it meaningful, and only if you fill it with concrete details rather than buzzwords like “results-driven” or “proven track record.”
Don’t treat your resume like a biography. It should be a curated highlight reel, not a complete record of everything you’ve ever done. If a role or accomplishment isn’t relevant to the job you’re targeting, cut it or condense it to one line. Put your strongest, most relevant material on the first page. Recruiters spend seconds on an initial scan, and burying your best qualifications on page two means they may never see them.
Keep margins comfortable and font sizes readable. Shrinking margins to a quarter inch and dropping to 9-point font to squeeze everything onto one page makes your resume harder to read and signals that you couldn’t prioritize. One page is ideal for most candidates with under ten years of experience. Two pages are fine if you have the experience to justify it, but every line should earn its spot.
Final Checks Before Submitting
Before you send anything, open your resume file in a plain text editor (like Notepad) and see if the content still reads in a logical order. This simulates roughly what an ATS sees. If sections are jumbled or text from different columns is interleaved, simplify your layout.
Proofread for typos and inconsistent formatting. Check that your date ranges are accurate, your job titles match what the employer would confirm, and your contact information is current. Make sure your email address is professional. Save the final version with a clear file name that includes your name, not “Resume_Final_v3.”