How to Write a Resume for Today's Job Market

According to Gitnux, recruiters spend less than 15 seconds on 55% of job applications. This makes it crucial to build an eye-catching resume that effectively conveys your skills and qualifications to keep recruiters reading. This guide explores what to write in a resume to make it stand out, a resume sample, and additional tips.

How to Write a Resume for a Job

It's important to understand how to present yourself as the ideal candidate by highlighting key aspects of your professional background. Follow these eight steps to make a resume that stands out to hiring managers.

1. Gather the Relevant Information

Gathering information relevant to your desired job enables a smooth resume-writing process and the inclusion of all important details. Carefully review your qualifications and create a comprehensive list that includes:

• Soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills
• Job titles, dates of employment, and key duties
• Impressive measurable accomplishments
• Educational credentials that demonstrate your expertise
• Volunteer work that helped you develop skills and experience relevant to the job
• Notable awards and honors you received

Once gathered, you can sort through them and exclude information less relevant to your desired job.

2. Choose the Right Format

There are three different resume formats you might use, each organized differently to best highlight your selling points.

• Chronological: This resume format emphasizes an individual's work experience, making it ideal for those with a strong work history and professional achievements.
• Functional: The functional resume format focuses on the individual's skills, training, and education. It is an excellent formatting choice for those entering the workforce or changing careers.
• Combination: A combination or hybrid resume combines the functional and chronological styles to highlight your skills and work experience if you want to advance in your career.

3. Add Your Contact Information

Clearly display your name and contact information at the top of your resume so recruiters know exactly how to contact you for a job interview. Contact information should include your phone number and email address. Your name and job title should be in a bolder and larger font than the rest of the document text. You may also include a link to your professional online portfolio.

4. Write a Compelling Resume Summary

Write a concise and impactful resume summary that gives an overview of your skills, qualifications, and career goals and conveys your professional personality. Hiring managers may only review your resume briefly — display your most attractive qualities as a candidate so recruiters feel compelled to explore your resume further.

5. Add a Persuasive Work Experience Section

A persuasive work experience section should include a comprehensive summary of your past job roles. Each job role included in your work history section might include some of the following features:

• Job title
• Employer
• Dates of employment
• Company location
• Primary job responsibilities related to the job you're applying for
• Noteworthy work accomplishments during your employment

6. List Your Education History Accurately

If you have recent education credentials, you may also make a comprehensive and accurate education section. Each listing might include:

• The name of the school, college or university
• Location of the school
• Year and month of graduation or the expected graduation date
• Degree received
• Relevant coursework
• Your GPA
• Relevant achievements, such as awards, scholarships, and honors

7. Use a Skills Section to Highlight Your Strengths

There are three categories of skills you might include on your resume, including:

• Hard skills: Hard skills are typically gained through coursework and work experience, such as computer forensics skills, email and social media marketing, or risk management and identification.
• Soft skills: These cannot always be taught and are generally traits that help individuals excel in the workplace. Examples include attention to detail, creativity, and adaptability.
• Technical skills: Technical skills include specialized knowledge and expertise in certain areas that allow you to perform specific tasks well. These skills may include using specific tools like Adobe Creative Suite or Java extremely well.

8. Highlight Accomplishments in Optional Resume Sections

If you have relevant accomplishments that might catch the recruiter's attention, include them in a section on certifications, licenses, and training. Specify its title, when you received it, and a brief description. You can also create an awards, honors, and volunteer work section if you have achievements relevant to the desired job.

Sample Resume Example

Here is one of the best sample resume examples following the combination resume:

Chanelle Cooper
Certified Project Management Professional
Los Angeles, CA 90058
555-555-5555
chanelle.cooper@email.com

Summary

Highly reliable, result-oriented project manager with four years of experience in product and project management involving implementing, developing, and supporting complex infrastructures for fast-growing startups. As an eager and hardworking individual, I adapt to changing project requirements well and have a proven history of solution-oriented problem-solving.

Professional Experience

Project Manager

[Company name] 2022-Present | Los Angeles, CA

• Led a team of developers to build a proprietary CRM system
• Curated a $2 million business implementation project that helped save around $3 million in operational inefficiencies between the development and sales departments
• Optimized the company's sales process and increased sales revenue by 20%

Customer Success, Product Support

[Company Name] 2021-2022 | San Francisco, CA

• Streamlined post-sales support and increased customer retention rate by 28%
• Researched user behavior and led a strategic product roadmap across multi-functional teams
• Integrated a reporting system into BI sales workflow, increasing post-meeting inquiries for the technical sales department

Skills

• Technical skills: Tableau, SQL, JIRA and Python
• Hard skills: Process management, project initiation and planning, risk management, and documentation
• Soft skills: Critical thinking, leadership, prioritization, and coaching

Education

University of California, Berkeley | 2016-2020 | Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering, 3.8 GPA

Resume Writing Tips to Help You Land the Job

Here are a few valuable resume-writing tips on how to put together a compelling resume.

• Include keywords related to your target job: Recruiters typically use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter through resumes and narrow them down to applicants that meet the job position's needs. To help ensure the hiring manager sees your application, include keywords related to your desired job, often found in the job description itself.
• Dedicate time to form and proofread your resume: You may make a good impression on the company by proofreading your work and dedicating time to tailor your resume for each job.
• Make the resume scannable and ATS-friendly: You can make it easier for the ATS to understand your resume by incorporating good formatting, such as using consistent spacing and alignment; avoiding complex headers, tables and graphics; and using words and headings that are easily recognizable to the ATS.
• Get help from a professional resume writer: If you lack time to work on a resume or need assistance forming a compelling one, professional resume writers may help you create one that accurately and appropriately outlines your professional background.

Leverage Resume-Writing Services From Resumeble

Do you need assistance writing a resume that portrays you as a reliable professional? Resumeble offers premium resume-writing services. Our certified resume writers work to understand your unique qualities, work background, and career goals and craft a personalized ATS-optimized resume that accurately reflects your specific skills and experiences. For more information, review the perks of our resume service and place an order today.