Writing a resume and creating a professional format is not the most straightforward task to undertake if you are seeking new employment. However, creating an effective resume is critical if you are to secure your first job, change your career direction, attain a higher position, or return to work after a career break.
Here we offer a resume template that you can use to structure your resume and attract the attention of hiring managers and employers. We also break down each section, providing tips and insights that will bring your resume to the top of the pile and stand you apart from other candidates.
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Resume structure
The most popular resume structure is the reverse-chronological resume. This is the preferred format for professionals with employment first and qualifications second, added with the most recent at the top. The advantage of this structure is that you promote your most relevant and current experience first, making the most confident and impactful introduction.
A reverse-chronological resume takes the following structure:
- Your name
- Your contact details
- Professional introduction
- Employment history
- Education
The reverse-chronological resume is not the only structure. If you have no work experience or have employment breaks, you can opt for a skills-based resume, highlighting your valuable and transferable skills ahead of minor work roles. Professionals with specialized or industry-specific skills and an established career can use a combined approach.
A skills-based resume takes the following structure:
- Your name
- Your contact details
- Personal introduction
- Skills
- Education
- Employment history or extracurricular activities
Name and contact details
Your name should be the document’s title; centered, bold, and in a large font. On the following line, you should include your phone number, email, location (optional), and online portfolio or LinkedIn profile (optional).
Professional or personal introduction
Your resume should include an introduction that states who you are, your career goals, and what makes you the ideal candidate. You should add your professional or academic achievements that provide evidence of the skills you claim to possess.
We recommend keeping your introduction to two or three sentences. When writing a professional or personal introduction, an excellent tactic is to pick out the skills the employer mentions in their job description and include them in your introduction and throughout your resume.
Employment history
Position your most recent job first, stating the job title, company, dates of employment, and your roles and responsibilities. Rather than listing these, add statements that back up your claims. Maybe you exceeded a sales goal by 30%, improved customer satisfaction by five points, received an award from your employer, or reduced expenditure by 20%.
Try to take a personalized approach to each job application. Bring to the fore the experience you have that is relevant to the job’s description.
If you are a recent college or university graduate, you should put the employment section after your education. You can mention volunteer work, part-time work, club memberships, and interests, taking the time to explain how they make you a good candidate for the job (evidence of skills use)
Education
Your education should include the name of the university and college, graduation date, degree, grades, honors, and GPA. If you have plenty of career history, you can leave the section as described. If you have no work experience, mention relevant degree modules or projects and explain how you used skills appropriate to those the employer asks for in their job advert.
Skills
Adding a skills section to your resume is acceptable if you cannot include them in your work experience or education. Look to highlight those in the employer’s job ad, including hard skills, such as bookkeeping or software proficiency, and soft skills, such as self-motivation and empathy.
Resume checklist
Use our free template to create your resume and make your final checks before applying for the job. Check your contact details are accurate, spell-check the document, proofread it, and ask someone else to proofread it as well.