resume format for job 2023

More From Forbes

The best resume formats for candidates in 2023.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Man writing resume and in home office with laptop.

You find a job you like. You decide to create or update your resume and hit "apply." Weeks or months pass, and you hear nothing back from the recruiter or employer. Did you use the right resume format to get your message across, that you are the best candidate for the job? What could you have done wrong?

Not all resume formats are created equal, so it's important that you identify early on, which layout you are going to use to present your experience, qualifications, and skills in the best possible light.

We're all familiar with the standard chronological resume format—the kind where you begin with a short paragraph summarizing your key candidate highlights and then proceed to outline your relevant work experience in reverse chronological order. This is the template most commonly advocated for, as it is most widely used and favored by employers.

But what if you face the dilemma of having little to no relevant experience, or have had a long career break or multiple gaps in employment history? How do you prove that you're an exceptional candidate without reverting to your painfully odd chronological resume?

Welcome to the functional resume!

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, how to write a functional resume.

Typing new resume on laptop

With the functional resume layout, the focus is more on your transferable skills and core competencies to meet the requirements of the role, than the conventional work experience.

Before you start writing, you need to first study out the job description and pull out the competencies listed in the "Person Specification" or similar section. Identify your transferable skills from this list, and pinpoint specific examples of experiences where you have demonstrated these qualities.

You also need to ensure that the skills listed in your functional resume are relevant, and are a decent combination of technical skills and soft skills.

As you start creating your resume, begin with your contact information, relevant portfolio links, and a professional summary.

Next, list out core skills relevant to the role—and provide a short summary for each, of where you have implemented these skills, including any success metrics or positive results as well.

Following this, list out your work experiences including employer, job title, and dates worked, without going into detail about your responsibilities. This should be listed in reverse chronological order, just as you would with a standard chronological resume.

Insert a section for your education and professional development certificates, and finally, include volunteer experience or other significant projects that are relevant.

Pros and cons of a functional resume format

Before you start creating a functional resume, here are a few points to consider:

Functional resumes are not compatible with ATS systems. This means that applicant tracking software cannot detect the key information it needs when a recruiter is scanning through your resume, due to the unconventional layout.

Therefore, if you really need to use one, be sure to send it in a way that guarantees that it is read by an actual human, for example, sending via email or a LinkedIn message.

Hiring manager and candidate reviewing resume in an office

Another important factor to consider is that most hiring managers prefer the traditional chronological layout to the functional skills-based resume. This is because it is straight-forward and easier to scan through to obtain key information about places you've worked, experiences and achievements for each, and how long you've worked for each of your employers.

Hence, although it highlights your skills, opting in for a functional resume may sometimes hurt your chances of successfully landing the job.

One way to navigate this issue is to use a combination resume, also known as a hybrid resume layout. This includes your professional summary and detailed core competencies at the top, but just not as detailed to the extent that you would see in a functional format. It then lists out previous work history in the same way a chronological resume would.

This makes for a fantastic option if you are pivoting your career and have work experience that is irrelevant, but do not wish to give the impression that you've never worked at all.

So what is the best resume layout to use?

If you're applying to roles that are directly aligned with your industry and experience, use the traditional resume format.

If you have little to no experience, or have gaps in career history, use the functional resume, but with extreme caution and care.

However, the most preferred option is to use a combination resume, which will reduce red flags for employers, be easy to scan, demonstrate consistency and a solid work background, and at the same time bridge the gap between where you are now and where you desire to be in your career.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Get a FREE Executive Resume Template to help you improve your resume.

Job seeker central special: $10 off monthly membership.

Resume Writing Tips

What your resume should look like in 2023 (with examples & templates).

Learning what your resume should look like in 2023 isn’t just a matter of aesthetics.

Hiring data shows there’s an average of 200 applicants per job opening. Some researchers say that figure may be closer to 500 candidates , depending on the position.

I share these figures not to scare you, but to highlight your stiff competition.

Your resume is your best chance to make a powerful first impression on hiring teams and recruiters. These decision-makers are inundated with well-qualified applicants as soon as they post a job.

And to make matters worse, eye-tracking studies reveal they only spend 7.4 seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to read it in its entirety or move on to the next one.

That’s not a lot of time to capture and excite readers about your value.

So in this post, I’ll highlight exactly what your resume should look like in 2023 to stand out, engage readers, and boost your chances of landing an interview.

What Your Resume Should Look Like In 2023: 5 Must-Haves + Examples

An attractive, high-performing resume immediately piques a reader’s interest. It subtly draws them down the page to learn why you’re the candidate they’re looking for.

So every resume in 2023 should incorporate these five elements to achieve that goal:

1. An Updated, Modern Design

A traditional resume format (think: chronological order, bullet points, etc.) won’t give you a leg-up on your competition in 2023. Using one may even hold you back.

See, hiring managers tune out when one of those stale resume templates lands on their desks for the umpteenth time. These boring resumes don’t excite or connect with readers. So your resume could be passed over in that brief 7.4-second scan before it’s even read.

That’s why it’s so important to freshen up the look of your resume with an updated, modern resume template like this one:

Want to use this resume template? Click this link purchase it and start customizing this template (or any others in this article) now.

Unlike a traditional resume template, the one above builds a personal connection with readers by introducing and showcasing your value first. A quick scan of the top half provides them with a snapshot of your areas of expertise and core competencies, two very attractive “hooks” to hiring teams.

Readers will then feel compelled to learn where you honed those skills. So the bottom half of this resume template helps organize your career achievements in an engaging, eye-appealing way. 

Rather than reading like a bland job description, each point should back up your skill set while proving your track record of success.

Anyone reading your resume formatted with a modern template like this will know precisely who you are and the value you’ll deliver, which is the ultimate goal.

2. Clear Sections To Highlight Your Best Features

Resumes that look like one giant block of text are intimidating. They tell hiring teams they’ll need to spend time and effort to mine for the intel they’re looking for. And with hundreds of other resumes vying for their attention, they’ll probably just pass on doing so.

That’s why most modern resume templates are divided into sections with clear, distinct headers. This makes your resume easier to scan and read, not to mention far more enjoyable for busy hiring managers.

The resume template above does a fantastic job of breaking up a resume into bite-sized chunks of information. The example below takes this concept a step further:

The highlights and expertise section in this resume template sits in a blue box to draw the reader’s eyes and attention. This is like telling hiring teams, “Hey! Come check this out!”

So think of your resume as a cheat sheet for hiring managers and recruiters rather than a dossier.

Your resume headings and sections will create an organized outline of your qualifications. Then these call-out boxes can be used to show off your best features, as they’re likely one of the first things hiring managers will notice during their initial scan.

3. Strategically-Placed White Space and Tight Copy

Often times, candidates are so focused on adding every little detail to their resume that it becomes too crammed to read. Headings and call-out boxes can help with this problem. But nothing works quite as well as more white space.

White space, or the places in your resume without words or formatting, adds breathing room to your resume . It prevents a resume from appearing jam-packed and hard to read.

A resume with well-defined sections naturally creates more white space, like this resume template :

Aim for short copy to add more white space to your resume . Break up any big chunks of text to make reading less overwhelming and easier for the eyes.

Your resume is like a garden. You don’t want wordy sentences hiding your highlights and achievements like weeds overrunning a beautiful flower bed. 

Prune your copy, and you’ll easily add more white space to your resume and draw attention to your best selling points simultaneously.

4. A Bold Pop of Color

If you really want to stand out and catch someone’s attention, a pop of bold color on your resume is a must. But this doesn’t mean you should haphazardly throw a rainbow of color wherever you want.

When done strategically, as this example does, color can be used to add emphasis, contrast, and personality. It can also help break up the sea of black text on your resume.

Want to use this resume template? Click this link to customize this template or any others in this article now .

Though a pop of color can help your resume stand out and make a memorable first impression, colors that are too bright or off-putting will do so for the wrong reasons. Opt for deeper, saturated shades, so your resume will be legible in person and on-screen.

5. A Clear, Easy-to-Read Font and Formatting

It’s essential to think about the font you choose for your resume .

Anything “cutesy” will likely be regarded as unprofessional. Likewise, a font that’s too light or too bold may also be difficult to read.

The best fonts to use on a resume include Serif and Sans Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, Georgia, Verdana, and Arial.

As for the font size, stick to 10-14 points (10-12 for regular text and 12-14 for headings and subheadings).

This template offers a great example of resume text formatting:

On a similar note, be sure to emphasize the right areas, not everything . Only use bold or italics to draw attention to your top achievements, companies you’ve worked for, and other notable points according to the role.

Ready To Update Your Resume for 2023?

Now that you know the must-have ingredients for a high-performing resume, it’s time to put these tips to good use.

Incorporating today’s must-have elements will give your resume a fresh upgrade for 2023 and help you connect with hiring teams and recruiters.

Even better news?

If you use one of the resume templates shared in this guide, you’ll ace this task in half the time. Just purchase and download the one that fits your needs best, plug in your information where prompted, and voila! 

You’ll have a modern, professional resume ready to send out in a matter of minutes instead of spending all day reformatting your current one.

Click this link to learn more about the resume templates featured in this article. Psst! You’ll also find a free executive resume template download on our resources page.

Share this post:

Explore more like this:.

How to Find and Convey What Sets You Apart on Your Resume

3 Executive Resume Strategies to Fast-Track A Stalled Job Search

Write Your Executive Resume Like A Pro

About the author

Jessica hernandez, president, ceo & founder of great resumes fast.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

This is very well-detailed content. I highly appreciate your work. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

Hi Jessica,

As I was looking to give my resume a fresh, new style for 2023, I came across your article. I kid you not, I have been styling my resume like this for the last 3 years! I am an independent career coach–would you be interested in hiring a partner?

I’m not kidding.

I found these resume formats to be reader friendly and they target what potential employers want to see quickly. It allows the reader to focus on the accomplishments beyond the day to day duties.

Leave a Comment

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Improve Your Resume: Download Your Free Executive Resume Template Today

Are you struggling to create an executive resume that will impress employers? Download this free executive resume template and receive a series of 10 emails with expert guidance on how to write resume content that resonates with employers so you get more interviews.

It's everything you need to stand out, make an impression, and accelerate your job search.

Work with Us

• Resume Writing
• Resume Examples
• Cover Letter
• Remote Work
• Famous Resumes
• Try Kickresume

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?

Create your resume with AI in seconds thanks to our GPT-4 powered writer.

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.

Related Posts

How to write a perfect resume objective (resume examples included), hard vs soft skills: how to use them effectively on your resume, share this article, join our newsletter.

Every month, we’ll send you resume advice, job search tips, career hacks and more in pithy, bite-sized chunks. Sounds good?

• Resume Builder
• Resume Templates
• Resume Formats
• Resume Examples
• Cover Letter Builder
• Cover Letter Templates
• Cover Letter Formats
• Cover Letter Examples
• Career Advice
• Interview Questions
• Resume Skills
• Resume Objectives
• Job Description
• Job Responsibilities
• FAQ’s

Resume Formats to Use in 2023

Are you looking to update your resume in anticipation of the job market in 2023? With the economy taking a huge hit in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, the job market of 2023 may look a little different from the one we’ve been used to in the past. It’s important to make sure that your resume is tailored to fit the job you’re applying for, and that means you’ll need to know the resume formats that are likely to be popular in the upcoming job market. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the most popular resume formats to use in 2023 and provide tips on how to use each of them effectively. We’ll also discuss how to make sure your resume stands out from the crowd and how to use the latest technology to your advantage. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to create a resume that will catch the eye of hiring managers in 2023.

In addition to these resources, be sure to check out our resume templates , resume examples ,  cover letter examples ,  job description , and  career advice  pages for more helpful tips and advice.

Different resume formats

Looking for a job in the modern world is a challenging task. Your resume is the most important part of your application, so it must be formatted correctly to give yourself the best chance of success. With so many different resume formats available, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. In this article, we’ll look at the resume formats that are expected to be popular in 2023, so you can make sure your resume stands out from the rest. We’ll also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each format, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs. Get ready to make sure your resume is ready for 2023!

• Chronological resume
• Functional resume
• Combination resume

1. Chronological resume

When it comes to resumes, the most classic and commonly used format is the chronological resume. This type of resume is the best choice for most job seekers, as it is highly organized and easy to read. The chronological resume format organizes your work history and skills in a timeline. It starts with your most recent job, and then works its way backward in time. This format makes it easy for potential employers to see your work experience, educational background, and skills in a clear and concise manner.

The chronological resume is a great way to showcase your professional experience. It is important to include only relevant and current jobs. As such, you should only include information that is directly relevant to the position you are applying for. This means that if a job you held 5 years ago is not related to the job you are applying for, you should leave it off your resume.

When creating a chronological resume, it is important to include details such as job title, company name, dates of employment, and a brief description of your duties. It is also important to include any educational qualifications and certifications that you may have. This will show potential employers that you are qualified for the job.

The chronological resume format is easy to read and makes a great first impression with potential employers. Make sure to include only relevant information and leave off any outdated experience. Doing so will show employers that you are current, organized, and ready to take on a new position.

Pros and cons of using a chronological resume

When it comes to creating a resume, there are many resume formats to choose from. One of the most popular resume formats used today is the chronological resume. A chronological resume generally lists your job experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job and going back in time. It includes a section detailing your most recent job, followed by other jobs in reverse chronological order.

One of the main benefits of using a chronological resume is that it is incredibly easy to format and quickly highlights exactly what employers are looking for. It also allows potential employers to quickly scan your resume and determine whether you are the right fit for the job. Furthermore, since job experience is listed in order, chronological resumes make it easier for employers to gauge your level of experience and overall career progression.

On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of using a chronological resume is that it can focus too much on work experience and not enough on your skills and qualifications. Depending on your career history, this may not be suitable for certain roles. Additionally, if you have work gaps in your career, they may be more obvious in a chronological resume. To combat this, you may want to consider a combination resume instead.

All in all, if you are looking to create a resume in 2023, a chronological resume may be a great option. It is easy to format and it allows employers to quickly scan your resume and gain a better understanding of your job history. However, if you have any work gaps in your career, you may want to consider using a combination resume instead.

2. Functional resume

The functional resume format has been gaining popularity in the job market since its inception in the early 2000s. This style of resume focuses on a job seeker’s skills and abilities, rather than their chronological work history or education credentials. It is an ideal choice for those who have had non-linear career paths, gaps in their work history, or are transitioning into a new field.

The functional resume format is designed to give employers a better picture of you as an individual, rather than simply just a list of past job titles. By highlighting your skills and strengths, it allows employers to see the value you can bring to the company, rather than just your past employment.

Functional resumes are organized into sections, with each one covering a specific skill or area of expertise. Common sections include professional summary, skills, accomplishments, and references. Depending on the job you are applying to, you may also want to include sections like certifications, education, or volunteer experience.

When writing your functional resume, it’s important to emphasize your skills and accomplishments, rather than focusing solely on your work history. For each section, you should include concrete examples of your skills and accomplishments, such as awards or projects you’ve completed. You should also use keywords that are relevant to the job and industry you are applying for.

Overall, the functional resume format is an excellent choice for those who have skills and accomplishments that are not easily captured in a traditional resume. By focusing on your strengths and emphasizing your accomplishments, it can give employers a better picture of you and your qualifications. For this reason, the functional resume format is likely to continue to be popular in the job market in the coming

Pros and cons of using a functional resume

.The use of a functional resume format is an increasingly popular choice among job seekers. A functional resume is designed to focus on the skills and experiences a job applicant has, rather than on their chronological work history. This format is particularly useful for those who have taken a break from the workforce, who lack in-depth experience in their chosen field, or who are looking to transition to a new career.

Advantages of a functional resume include clearly presenting the qualifications and experiences that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. It also allows you to emphasize transferable skills and accomplishments that may not be immediately obvious from a chronological work history. By focusing on key qualifications and experiences, functional resumes can also help employers better understand the value an applicant will bring to their position.

However, there are some drawbacks to using a functional resume format. One of the primary disadvantages is that employers may find it difficult to quickly grasp your work history and identify where you have been employed in the past. Additionally, employers may find it difficult to ascertain the exact dates you were employed in previous positions. This can make it difficult for them to determine the length of time you worked in a particular job.

Overall, functional resumes can be a great choice for those seeking to emphasize their qualifications, experience, and transferable skills rather than their work history. However, it is important to consider both the advantages and disadvantages carefully when deciding which resume format to use for your job search.

3. Combination resume

The combination resume is a popular resume format to use in 2023. It combines the features of a chronological resume and a functional resume, making it a great option for job seekers who don’t want to use either of those two formats alone. A combination resume focuses on a job seeker’s professional experience, but also highlights their key skills and achievements.

One of the advantages of the combination resume format is that it allows job seekers to draw attention to all their relevant experiences, and emphasize the most important ones. For example, a job seeker can include a section on their professional experience that highlights their key accomplishments and skills, as well as a chronological list of their most recent job roles. This allows employers to see what the job seeker has achieved without having to read through a long-winded paragraph of text.

Another advantage of the combination resume is that it allows job seekers to emphasize transferable skills. This is useful for job seekers who have held different positions in different industries, as it allows them to draw attention to their skills that are applicable to any industry.

The combination resume format is also great for job seekers who want to draw attention to their education, as they can include their educational qualifications in the same section as their professional experience. This makes it easier for employers to get an idea of the job seeker’s level of education, as well as any professional qualifications they may have.

Overall, the combination resume is a great format to use in 2023. It allows job seekers to emphasize their key skills and achievements, transferable skills, and educational qualifications in one document, making it easier for employers to get an overview of their qualifications and experience.

Pros and cons of using a combination resume

The combination resume format is a great choice for job seekers in 2023. It’s a modern resume format that blends the best of both the chronological and functional resume types. It gives you the flexibility to showcase both your work experience and relevant skills that make you the perfect candidate for the job.

The combination resume format allows you to lead with a summary of your skills and qualifications and then follow up with a brief work history. This allows you to highlight your most relevant and impressive qualifications while still including important details like job titles, employers, and dates of employment. It also allows you to downplay any job gaps or less impressive jobs while still providing necessary information.

The combination resume format is ideal for job seekers in 2023 because it allows you to showcase your most relevant qualifications and experiences that are most likely to get you hired. It also allows you to choose which skills and qualifications you want to emphasize in order to make yourself stand out to employers.

The biggest downside to the combination resume format is that it can be more difficult for employers to read quickly and understand the information. Additionally, it can be viewed as overly ambitious and not provide enough detail about your past job experience. However, with a little extra effort, you can make sure your combination resume is well-organized and easy to read.

Overall, the combination resume format is an excellent choice for job seekers in 2023. It gives you the flexibility to showcase both your work experience and relevant skills that make you the perfect candidate for the job. With just a few extra tweaks, you can make sure your combination resume stands out and shows off your best attributes.

Factors to consider when selecting a resume format

When it comes to selecting the right resume format in 2023, it is important to take into account the industry and job position you are applying for, as well as the amount of experience that you have. For entry-level positions, a chronological resume format is a great choice. This format allows you to showcase your work history and accomplishments in an organized, easy-to-follow way. It is also ideal for people with a consistent work history or significant accomplishments. Alternatively, a functional resume format can be ideal for people who do not have a lot of working experience yet. It focuses on skills and accomplishments, rather than work history. It can be a great way for recent graduates to highlight their educational achievements and internships.

For those with more complex career paths and more diverse experience, a combination resume might be the best option. This type of resume allows you to highlight both your work history and your skills – and can be especially useful when detailing large gaps in your work history.

Finally, the infographic resume format is a creative way to showcase your talents and experience. An infographic resume is made up of graphic elements, such as icons, charts and graphs, to present your qualifications in a visually-appealing way. This format can be an attractive choice for creative positions, such as graphic design or marketing.

No matter what type of resume format you choose, it is important to make sure that it properly reflects your unique skills and experience. Be sure to tailor your resume to the particular job you’re applying for, and make sure to include relevant keywords that employers are looking for.

In conclusion, the right resume format for 2023 will be determined by the job you’re seeking and your own personal preferences. It is important to consider the job requirements and your strengths as you decide which format and design are most suitable. The best advice is to tailor your resume to your industry, create an engaging design, and be consistent with the formatting. Keep in mind that all resumes should be up-to-date and highlight the most relevant experiences and skills.

Free Resume Examples and Sample Resumes for All Jobs in 2024

Browse top resume examples by job, industry, format, and experience level. Every sample is created and approved by our team of Certified Professional Resume Writers.

Subscribers have been hired by:

Our most popular resume examples.

• We don’t have any matching jobs in our database

Resume Example Categories

• Accounting and Finance
• Arts and Design
• Career Changes and Life Situations
• Child Care and Pet Care
• Common Resume Formats
• Computer Sciences and Information Technology
• Construction and Maintenance
• Customer Service and Retail
• Engineering and Science
• Entertainment and Sports
• Health and Wellness
• Office and Administration
• Public Safety and Community Well-being
• Restaurant and Hospitality
• Sales and Marketing
• Students and Recent Graduates
• Transportation and Logistics
• Writing and Editing

Accounting and Finance Resume Examples

Get a strong start on your finance or accounting resume by brainstorming how you’ve helped expertly manage assets or raise the bottom line. Where possible, quantify your results in terms of a clear percentage or dollar amount.

Most Popular Resumes in Accounting and Finance

All Resume Examples in Accounting and Finance

Arts and Design Resume Examples

Even in your creative field, the resume is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted that way. Feel free to use a template if it helps you keep your resume simple and focused on career details. But also consider adding borders, shading, or other subtle effects that hint at your design expertise.

Most Popular Resumes in Arts and Design

All Resume Examples in Arts and Design

Business Resume Examples

In today’s competitive business landscape, your resume is your introduction to employers, opening doors to new career advancement. To stand out among many candidates, align your resume with your goals and the specific job you want.

Most Popular Resumes in Business

All Resume Examples in Business

Career Changes and Life Situations Resume Examples

When changing careers, focus your resume on transferable skills and experiences, even if they happened a long time ago or make up a small part of your background. These resume pages can guide you on common career-change scenarios. For more, see our advice on employment gaps and presenting your recent work history .

Most Popular Resumes in Career Changes and Life Situations

All Resume Examples in Career Changes and Life Situations

Child Care and Pet Care Resume Examples

For a good child care or pet care resume, show you can provide a safe and active environment while building positive relations with parents, guardians, or clients. Note: This is one of the few fields where it’s common to cite references on your resume since they’re often key to your overall candidacy.

Most Popular Resumes in Child Care and Pet Care

All Resume Examples in Child Care and Pet Care

Common Resume Formats Resume Examples

The guides below will help you build your resume using some of today’s go-to formats and word processors.

Most Popular Resumes in Common Resume Formats

All Resume Examples in Common Resume Formats

Computer Sciences and Information Technology Resume Examples

For a good information technology (IT) resume, craft bullet points that show your relevant technical projects and achievements. Also, include a technical skills section so hiring managers know the various programs you can implement.

Most Popular Resumes in Computer Sciences and Information Technology

All Resume Examples in Computer Science and Information Technology

Construction and Maintenance Resume Examples

A good resume focuses on your relevant experience. For construction, that means highlighting projects you’ve worked on and comparing their scope or budget to the projects that now interest you. And for maintenance, that means highlighting similar facilities you’ve worked for and the methods or equipment you used to keep a business operating smoothly.

Most Popular Resumes in Construction and Maintenance

All Resume Examples in Construction and Maintenance

Customer Service and Retail Resume Examples

To start writing your resume for this field, brainstorm and jot down how you’ve helped raise satisfaction scores or drive revenue growth for the stores where you’ve worked. Also, see our guide on making customer service the focus of your resume.

Most Popular Resumes in Customer Service and Retail

All Resume Examples in Customer Service and Retail

Education Resume Examples

When creating your resume for education jobs, use each section to show you can help provide positive learning experiences for students. And if you’re applying to a teacher position, highlight your skills in classroom management and parent relations.

Most Popular Resumes in Education

All Resume Examples in Education

Engineering and Science Resume Examples

To write a good resume for engineering jobs, show you can design complex systems based on deep technical knowledge. Also, consider how you’ve applied math or science principles to find real-world solutions.

Most Popular Resumes in Engineering and Science

All Resume Examples in Engineering and Science

Entertainment and Sports Resume Examples

A good entertainment-industry resume outlines the projects or productions you’ve worked on, emphasizing any that overlap with the types of projects that now interest you. A good sports-industry resume showcases your athletic achievements, leadership or teamwork skills, and all-around knowledge of your sport.

Most Popular Resumes in Entertainment and Sports

All Resume Examples in Entertainment and Sports

Health and Wellness Resume Examples

Health care and wellness includes many job levels and specialties. But whether you’re applying to a role as a certified nursing assistant or chief medical officer, lab tech or life coach, you can write a great resume by showing how you help people overcome illness or achieve better physical and mental well-being.

Most Popular Resumes in Health and Wellness

All Resume Examples in Health and Wellness

Law Resume Examples

When writing your resume for legal jobs, use each section to show you have strong knowledge in your specialized field. Employers want to know where you gained important skills like legal research, public speaking, or settlement negotiations. They also like to know how you can use those skills to expertly represent them or their clients.

Most Popular Resumes in Law

All Resume Examples in Law

Management Resume Examples

For a good start on your management resume, take 10 minutes to brainstorm and jot down how you’ve helped teams work more quickly or cost-effectively. Also, gather any data available that helps you quantify these highlights in terms of a clear ranking, percentage, or dollar amount.

Most Popular Resumes in Management

All Resume Examples in Management

Office and Administration Resume Examples

To make a strong resume for administrative roles, focus on your experience carrying out daily business functions for an office or facility. Also, give examples of how you helped streamline operations for better efficiency, service quality, or cost-effectiveness.

Most Popular Resumes in Office and Administration

All Resume Examples in Office and Administration

Public Safety and Community Well-being Resume Examples

To write a good resume for public safety and community well-being jobs, show how you’ve helped protect the public, advance important causes, or support underprivileged groups.

Most Popular Resumes in Public Safety and Community Well-being

All Resume Examples in Public Safety and Community Well-being

Restaurant and Hospitality Resume Examples

Hospitality is all about providing a great customer experience — highlight any skills and experience that show your ability to do just that.

Most Popular Resumes in Restaurant and Hospitality

All Resume Examples in Restaurant and Hospitality

Sales and Marketing Resume Examples

To start writing your sales or marketing resume, brainstorm how you’ve helped engage clients, promote products, and grow revenue for past employers. Performance data is key to this field, so quantify your results in terms of a clear percentage or dollar amount whenever possible.

Most Popular Resumes in Sales and Marketing

All Resume Examples in Sales and Marketing

Students and Recent Graduates Resume Examples

How to write a resume with little or no work experience? Focus on pertinent skills you’ve gained through school coursework, community service , or extracurricular activities. Also, flesh out your education section with details that help show you’re ready for your next career stage.

Most Popular Resumes in Students and Recent Graduates

All Resume Examples for Students and Recent Graduates

Transportation and Logistics Resume Examples

For a good resume in transportation, show you’re a pro at getting people or goods from point A to point B. And for a good resume in logistics, display you have the organizational skills to ensure manufacturing and other processes run smoothly.

Most Popular Resumes in Transportation and Logistics

All Resume Examples in Transportation and Logistics

Writing and Editing Resume Examples

Your writing skills give you an obvious advantage in creating your resume. But you may still struggle with resume-specific editing or formatting standards. The guides below can help.

Most Popular Resumes in Writing and Editing

All Resume Examples in Writing and Editing

Craft your perfect resume in minutes.

Get 2x more interviews with Resume Builder. Access Pro Plan features for a limited time!

Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes

How do you write a good resume.

Brainstorm your positive career experiences, then choose the most relevant ones to feature on your resume. Divide your information into distinct sections (like professional experience, education, or key skills), and use each section to show you can excel in your target job. Also write a brief profile summary of your top qualifications. Tailor your resume to each job application, using keywords from the job posting. Your resume should include your contact information, profile, experience, education, and key skills.

How long should a resume be?

For most people, a resume should be between one to three pages long , but it depends on your job goals and experience. Your resume should include relevant information, but not so much that it overwhelms recruiters and hiring managers.

What is the best resume format?

A reverse chronological resume format is widely accepted as the industry standard and is the best resume format for most job seekers. With a reverse chronological format, your most recent and relevant experience is at the top.

How many jobs should you list on a resume?

List all relevant job experience on your resume. A good rule of thumb is to include your three most recent jobs and go back as far as 15 years.

Build a Resume to Enhance Your Career

• How to Build a Resume Learn More
• Basic Resume Examples and Templates Learn More
• How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume? Learn More
• How to Include Personal and Academic Projects on Your Resume Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Land Your Dream Job Learn More
• How to Organize Your Job Search Learn More
• How to Include References in Your Job Search Learn More
• The Best Questions to Ask in a Job Interview Learn More

40+ Resume Tips to Help You Land a Job in 2024

When you haven’t updated your resume in a while, it can be hard to know where to start. What experiences and accomplishments are relevant for the jobs you’ve got your eye on? What new resume rules and trends should you be following? And seriously, one page or two ?

Well, search no more: We’ve compiled all the resume tips you need into one place. Read on for advice and tricks that’ll help you craft a winning resume—and land your next job.

Maximize your chances by looking for more open jobs on The Muse »

Basic resume tips

Let's start with the basic do's and don'ts when putting your resume together. Listing your skills is not the only thing that matters—choosing the right format and sections is equally crucial. Here are some tips for writing a resume from scratch:

1. Don’t try to cram every skill and work experience onto your resume

Think of your resume not as a comprehensive list of your career history, but as a marketing document selling you as the perfect person for the role you’re applying to. For each resume you send out, you’ll want to highlight only the accomplishments and skills that are most relevant to the job at hand (even if that means you don’t include all of your experience ).

This is called tailoring your resume and it helps anyone who reads it see exactly why you’re a match for a specific position.

2. But keep a resume outline with a full list of your qualifications

Since you’ll be swapping different information in and out depending on the job you’re applying to, save a resume outline —or maybe our resume worksheet —on your computer with old positions, bullet points tailored for different applications, and special projects that only sometimes make sense to include. Think of this as your brag file. Then, when you’re crafting each resume, it’s just a matter of cutting and pasting relevant information together.

3. Ditch the objective statement

The only time an objective section makes sense is when you’re making a huge career change and need to explain from the get-go why your experience doesn’t match up with the position you’re applying to. In every other case, resume objectives just make you look old-fashioned or out of touch.

Read More: 3 Reasons You Should Ditch That Resume Objective—and 3 Things You Can Do Instead

4. Put the best, most relevant information first

In journalism speak, “above the fold” refers to what you see on the front half of a folded newspaper (or, in the digital age, before you scroll down on a website)—basically it’s your first impression of a document. In resume speak, it means you should make sure your most relevant qualifications are visible on the top third of your resume.

This top section is what the hiring manager is going to see first—and what will serve as a hook for someone to keep on reading. If your most recent position isn’t the most relevant piece of your candidacy, consider leading with a skills section (such as in a combination resume format ) or writing a resume summary .

5. Choose the right resume format for you

There are lots of different ways to organize the information on your resume—like the functional resume or combination resume. But the good old reverse chronological —where your most recent experience is listed first—is usually your best bet. Unless it’s absolutely necessary in your situation, skip the functional or skills-based resume—hiring managers might wonder what you’re hiding.

6. Keep it concise

The two-page resume is a hotly debated topic, but the bottom line is this—you want the information here to be as short as possible, and keeping it to one page forces you to prioritize what really matters. If you truly have enough relevant and important experience, training, and credentials to showcase on more than one page of your resume, then go for two. But if you can tell the same story in less space? Do it.

Read More: 6 Pro Tips for Cutting Your Resume Down to One Page

7. Include relevant links

Can’t figure out how to tell your whole story on one page, or want to be able to include some visual examples of your work? Instead of trying to have your resume cover everything, cover the most important details on that document. Then, include a link to your personal website , your online portfolio , examples of your work, or a relevant, professional social media profile , where you can dive more into what makes you the ideal candidate.

Just avoid hyperlinking over words that are key to understanding your resume, since it can throw off the tools employers use to store and parse resumes.

8. Be aware of the ATS

You may have heard that employers are using computers to “read” your resume and decide who to hire and reject. That’s not exactly true. But most employers do use software called an applicant tracking system—or ATS—to parse resumes and organize them so that recruiters and hiring managers can search for the most relevant applications.

You should assume your resume will pass through an ATS at some point during your job search, so understanding how it works will help make your hunt more efficient. (All of the tips for resume writing in this list keep ATSs in mind as well!)

Read More: Beat the Robots: How to Get Your Resume Past the System and Into Human Hands

Resume formatting tips

Your resume's format matters as much as the content it holds. Aim for a simple and minimalist layout, without overwhelming columns, colors, or graphic elements. Here are some key resume formatting tips to help you stand out:

9. Keep your resume format simple

We’ll talk about getting creative in order to stand out in a minute. But the most basic principle of good resume formatting and design? Keep it simple. Make your resume easy on hiring managers’ eyes by using a reasonably sized default font like Helvetica or Arial and leaving a healthy amount of white space on the page. Your main focus here should be on readability for the hiring manager (and that pesky ATS).

Read more: The Best Resume Font and Size (No More Agonizing!)

10. Stand out with ATS-friendly design elements

Really want your resume to stand out from the sea of Times New Roman? Yes, creative resumes —like infographics, videos, or presentations can set you apart, but you have to make sure they actually get read. If you’re uploading your resume to a job application site or online portal, use ATS-friendly formatting elements like:

• Bold and italic text
• Underlining (in headings or over hyperlinks)
• Different text alignments
• Columns that can be read straight across

11. Avoid design elements that can’t be “read” by computers

On the flip side, it’s best to avoid design elements that ATSs are known to have trouble with such as:

• Logos and icons
• Images and photos
• Graphics, graphs, or other visuals
• Headers and footers
• Less common fonts
• Columns that can only be read from top to bottom

12. Make your contact info prominent

You don’t need to include your address on your resume anymore (really!), but you do need to make sure to include a phone number and professional-sounding email address (but not one affiliated with another job!) as well as other places the hiring manager can find you on the web, like your LinkedIn profile, plus your pronouns if you’d like to.

Read More: Here's Exactly What Should Be Included in Your Resume's Header

13. Design your resume for skimmability

You’ve probably heard before that hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time on each individual resume. So help them get as much information as possible in as little time as possible, by making your resume easy to skim .

Work experience resume tips

Recruiters nowadays want to know more than a simple description of your responsibilities. They're looking for the results and impacts of your work, as well as the connection between your experience and the position you're applying for now.

That said, let's take a look at some resume writing tips for describing your work experience:

14. Keep your work experience recent and relevant

As a rule, you should only show the most recent 10-15 years of your career and only include the experiences that are relevant to the positions you’re applying to. Remember to allocate real estate on your resume according to importance. If there’s a choice between including one more college internship or going into more detail about your current role, always choose the latter (unless the internship was more relevant to the role you’re applying for).

15. Don’t forget your transferable skills and experiences

Don’t panic if you don’t have any professional experience that fits the bill. Focus your resume on your relevant and transferable skills along with any related side or academic projects , and then make sure to pair it with a strong cover letter telling the narrative of why you’re ideal for the job.

Read more: What to Put on Your Resume When You Have No Relevant Work Experience

16. Write strong, achievement-focused bullet points

The bullet points under each job entry are arguably the most important part of your resume. They tell whoever’s reading it what skills you have, how you’ve used them, and how you’ve helped your employers in the past.

So start with a strong action verb , include relevant skills from the job description , and frame your bullets around your achievements—don’t just list your job duties . Tell them how your work benefitted your boss or company so they know what they stand to gain by hiring you.

Here’s a simple formula to follow:

• Compelling verb + job duty + key skills used = tangible result

So you might say: “ Developed an upgrade to the employee database, ensuring the smooth flow of critical operations, which led to a 35% increase in efficiency. ”

17. Curate your bullet points and experiences

No matter how long you’ve been in a job, or how much you’ve accomplished there, you shouldn’t have more than eight bullet points under it—and that’s only for your most recent and relevant job. Jobs further back should generally be limited to four to six bullets.

Read More: How Many Bullet Points Should Each Job on Your Resume Have?

18. Use as many numbers as you can

Use facts, figures, and numbers whenever possible in your bullet points. How many people were impacted by your work? By what percentage did you exceed your goals? Quantifying your accomplishments allows the hiring manager to picture the level of work or responsibility you needed to achieve them.

19. Don’t neglect non-traditional work

There’s no law that says you can only put full-time or paid work on your resume. So, if you’ve volunteered , worked part-time or as a temporary or contract worker , freelanced, or interned? Absolutely list these things as their own “jobs” within your career chronology—as long as they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for. The same goes for career breaks . Yes, really.

Read More: 4 Things You Didn't Know You Could Put on Your Resume

20. Use important keywords from the job description

Scan the job description, see what words are used most often, and make sure you’ve included them in your bullet points. For example, does the job description list “CRM” or “Salesforce”? Make sure your resume matches. Not only is this a self-check that you’re targeting your resume to the job, but it’ll also make it easier to search for your resume in an ATS.

Read More: How to Pick Resume Keywords That'll Get Your Job Application Past the ATS

Resume tips for including your education

Most hiring managers will want to know your education level, even if it's not necessarily relevant to the position you're going for. This section is especially important for those changing careers or applying for entry-level jobs—as your education can be an indicator of the skills you have.

Here's some resume tips and tricks for this section:

21. Put experience first, education later

Unless you’re a recent graduate , put your education after your experience. Chances are, your last couple of jobs are more important and relevant to you getting the job than where you went to college.

22. Also keep it in reverse chronological order

Generally, you should list your educational background with the most recent or advanced degree first, working in reverse chronological order. But if older coursework is more specific to the job, list that first to grab the reviewer’s attention.

23. Remove the dates from your education section once you’re a few years into your career

Unless you’re early in your career, don’t list your graduation dates. The reviewer cares more about whether or not you have the degree than when you earned it. And you don’t want to inadvertently open yourself up to age discrimination , which is an unfortunate reality in some job markets.

24. Highlight honors and achievements, not GPA

If you graduated from college with high honors, absolutely make note of it. Showcase that summa cum laude status, the fact that you were in the honors college at your university, a relevant project you completed, or an award you won. You don’t need to list your GPA —employers don’t care as much about GPA as they do what skills you gained in school.

Read More: How to (and How Not to) List Education on Your Resume

25. Include continuing or online education

Feel free to include continuing education, professional development coursework, or online courses in your education section, especially if your resume feels a little light on relevant experience.

Best resume tips for showing off your skills

You shouldn't wait until you get an interview to showcase your skills—your resume can and should have a specific section for them. You can also leverage other sections of the document to incorporate what's relevant for the position.

Here are our tips for making a resume that effectively highlights your skills:

26. Don’t forget your skills section

Be sure to add a section that lists all the relevant skills you have for a position—especially those mentioned in the job description. Include technical skills like software and project management tools or specific knowledge of how to perform relevant tasks. Just make sure to skip including skills that everyone is expected to have, like using email or Microsoft Word. Doing so will make you seem less technologically savvy.

27. But don’t only put your skills in your skills section

Your skills section is an easy way for anyone reading your resume to confirm that you have required qualifications, but that shouldn’t be the only place that your important skills appear. Any skill that’s vital to you being hired should also be in your bullet points—where you can show how you’ve used it in the past.

28. Divvy up your skills for readability

If you have lots of skills that would help you with a job but aren’t necessarily in the same category—say, foreign language, software, and leadership skills—try breaking up your skills sections. Below your “Skills” section, add a subsection titled “Language Skills” or “Software Skills,” for example. Again, we’re going for skimmability here!

29. Show—don’t tell—your soft skills

Describing soft skills on a resume often starts to sound like a list of meaningless buzzwords. But being a “strong leader” or an “effective communicator” are important characteristics you want to get across. Think about how you can demonstrate these attributes in your bullet points without actually saying them.

Read more: The Non-Boring Way to Show Off Your Soft Skills in Your Job Search

Other resume section tips

Resume sections are not fixed like stone-written texts; they can change according to the job position you're applying for or the requirements listed by the company. Here are some examples of sections you can add—and more tips on writing a resume that stand out:

30. Include relevant certifications and licenses

If you have a certification or license that proves you can do some aspect of the job you’re applying for, include it on your resume. This is especially important if that certification or license is legally required to do the job—for example, in nursing, teaching, or driving jobs.

31. Show some (relevant) personality

Feel free to include an “Interests” section on your resume, but only add those that are relevant to the job. Are you a guitar player with your eye on a music company? Definitely include it. But if you’re considering including your scrapbooking hobby for a software developer job at a healthcare company? Best to leave it out.

32. Beware of interests and activities that could be controversial

Maybe you help raise money for your church on the reg. Or perhaps you’re dedicated to canvassing during political campaigns. Yes, these experiences show a good amount of work ethic or possibly other relevant skills—but they could also open you up to be discriminated against by someone who disagrees with the cause. So weigh your decision to include them carefully.

33. Add awards and achievements—when they’re relevant

Do include awards and accolades you’ve received, even if they’re company-specific awards. Just state what you earned them for, e.g., “Earned Golden Salesperson Award for having the company’s top sales record four quarters in a row.” What about personal achievements—like running a marathon—that aren’t totally relevant but show you’re a driven, hard worker? Consider the best way to include them (and if you should).

Resume tips for navigating employment gaps and other sticky situations

If you're an experienced professional, you might have some tricky information to explain. Job hopping, career gap, and short term jobs are examples of things that can make an applicant feel insecure when drafting resumes.

Is that your situation? Check on these good resume tips to explain sticky situations without jeopardizing your chances to get an interview:

34. Cut the short-term jobs

If you stayed at a (non-temporary) job for only a matter of months, consider eliminating it from your resume to avoid looking like a job hopper. Leaving a particularly short-lived job or two off your resume shouldn’t hurt, as long as you’re honest about your experience if asked in an interview. But if the short-term job is super relevant to this job, consider including it anyway.

35. If you have shorter gaps, be strategic about how you list dates

If you have gaps of a few months in your work history, don’t list the usual start and end dates with months and years for each position. Use years only (2018–2020), or just the number of years or months you worked at each position. Just keep it consistent throughout your resume and don’t lie if asked about gaps during an interview.

Read more: How to Explain the Gap in Your Resume With Ease

36. Explain serial job hopping

If you’ve job-hopped frequently, you can include a succinct reason for leaving next to each position like “company closed,” “layoff due to downsizing,” or “relocated to a new city.” By addressing the gaps, you’ll proactively illustrate the reason for your frequent job movement and make it less of an issue.

37. Explain a long break in jobs

Re-entering the workforce after a long hiatus? This is the perfect opportunity for a summary statement at the top, outlining your best skills and accomplishments. Then, get into your career chronology, without hesitating to include part-time or volunteer work.

38. Be intentional about career gaps

While career gaps are becoming increasingly common, you should still frame them in a way that’s relevant to a future employer, by talking about skills you gained or any professional endeavors you took on. If you didn’t focus on professional development, that’s fine too! But not every employer will appreciate it if you get too cutesy about that section of your resume.

For example, if you took time out of the workforce to raise kids, you might not want to creatively describe this parenting experience on your resume, à la “adeptly managed the growing pile of laundry.” Instead state what you did plainly and include any professional skills you may have grown or activities you may have done.

Read More: Stay-at-Home Parent? How to Kill it on Your Comeback Resume

Tips on resume finishing touches

Writing a good resume alone isn't the only thing that matters. How you save and send it can also determine whether the recruiter will even take a look at it. To wrap things up, here are our resume formatting tips and other suggestions to boost your chances of getting noticed:

39. Ditch “References available upon request”

If a hiring manager is interested in you, they’ll ask you for references—and will assume that you have them. There’s no need to address the obvious (and doing so might even make you look a little out of touch!).

40. Proofread, proofread, proofread

It should go without saying, but fully edit your resume and make sure it’s free and clear of typos. And don’t rely on spell check and grammar check alone—step away for a few hours, then read your resume closely again, and ask family or friends to take a look at it for you.

41. Save it as a PDF or Word document

Unless a job posting specifically requests that you do otherwise, your resume should always be submitted as either a PDF or Word document (.docx not .doc). These are the formats that can be most easily opened and most easily parsed by an ATS.

The choice between the two is up to you (again, unless the company you’re applying to requests one format over the other). If you’re emailing your resume, however, PDFs are a bit more likely to maintain your formatting across different computers and programs.

42. Name your file clearly

Ready to save your resume and send it off? Save it as “Jane Smith Resume” instead of “Resume.” The hiring manager is going to have plenty of “Resumes” on their computer, so make it super easy for them to find what they’re looking for. You can even go a bit further and put the position title in your file name (e.g., “Jane Smith Marketing Analyst Resume).

Read More: The (Simple) Guidelines You Should Follow When Naming Your Resume and Cover Letter Files

43. Keep your resume outline fresh

Carve out some time every quarter or so to pull up your resume outline and make some updates. Have you taken on new responsibilities? Learned new skills? Add them. When your resume is updated on a regular basis, you’re always ready to pounce when opportunity presents itself. And even if you’re not job searching, there are plenty of good reasons to keep this document in tip-top shape.

Best Resume Layout For 2024 [Free Template]

HR managers receive a ton of resumes each day.

And going through every single one of them is a slow and time-consuming process they’re not going to commit to.

So, in most cases, they simply glance through them instead, for as little as 6 seconds .

Now, let’s be real, 6 seconds is really not enough time to take in a resume and decide if they’re going to make for a good candidate or not. If anything, 6 seconds is hardly enough time to read one section of a resume. And that’s the point, HR managers are not reading your resumes.

That’s right. 

They simply scan through them and then decide if it’s actually worth reading or not.

This is why your resume layout is so important.

Because let’s face it, even if you have the best resume in the world, the HR manager is just going to put it away and never come back to it unless it looks easy to read at first glance.

They typically check if the resume layout looks simple , well-organized and if it’s easy to scan through, and then go from there. 

And if they don’t see the simple resume layout they’re looking for - it’s definitely getting discarded, no matter how good it is.

So, read on to learn how to get your resume layout right.

How to Take the Easy Way Out - Use a Resume Builder

Resume layout design rules: margins, spacing, fonts, font size, and more, 3 best resume layout examples and templates (updated for 2024), how to format your resume - 3 main formats.

• Content to Put on Your Resume
• Key takeaways

Why use a resume builder?

Well, if you’ve used the default Word resume template before, then you’re probably all too familiar with what it’s like to craft something presentable, only for the whole layout to go haywire with just a single tweak.

With a resume builder, the formatting is done for you right off the bat. And if you want to handle the formatting on your own - you’re in charge of all of the sections and elements that go in a resume as well.

So what are you waiting for? Give the Novorésumé resume builder a try!

If you’re still interested in formatting the resume on your own, though, that’s fine too! Read on to learn how to get your resume layout right.

You don’t have to be a designer for this, but by the end of it, you should have an idea of how your resume layout should look like. 

First, let’s take a look at what the design part includes:

• The right font
• The right font size
• The right line spacing
• Consistent design
• The right length

As general advice, aim for consistency , try to have white space around the margins, and include fonts that stand out , but not too much .

Now, let’s take a look at the design sections in more detail:

You’ll want your resume to have some space in between the sections so that everything is spread out evenly. There needs to be spacing throughout the resume so that it’s easy on the eyes and there is enough room to breathe.

Using the Right Font

Sounds pretty obvious, right?

The font you choose has a direct effect on the readability of your resume.

So, as a rule of thumb, stick to fonts that won’t give the HR manager an eyesore. Instead, pick something easy to read on PDF as well as on paper, 

We recommend using Ubuntu , Roboto , and Overpass .

And, of course, never use Comic Sans .

What’s the Right Line Spacing

To save space, go with a 1.0 or 1.15 line space for most text.

Keep Your Resume Design Consistent

The resume design includes things mentioned until now: margins, font, font size, spacing, colors and more. 

Once you stick to a design choice, make sure it’s the same throughout the whole resume.

Use Bullets in Each Section (Up to 6-10)

You can use bullet points to sum up your work experience in each section. 

Just make sure you don’t overuse them - stick to up to 6-10 bullet points in each.

Keep Your Resume The Ideal Length

The best resumes are 1 page in length.

HR managers get thousands of resumes per month - when an extra page for every resume adds up, they’re not going to spend their valuable time going through them.

Whether you’re an experienced CEO with 20 years of experience, or an intern looking for your first job , you should always try to keep your resume to the 1-page max.

Creating your own resume layout from scratch can be a tough and slow process. Instead, if you want a smoother alternative, you can use a creative resume template to speed it up.

Using a resume builder also gives you the advantage of being able to customize your resume based on your profile and the job you’re trying to get. 

If you’re not sure what your resume layout should look like though, here are a few examples to get you started:

Looking for a simple resume layout for all industries?

This functional resume template will emphasize your strengths and work experience professionally, while still managing to stand out from the masses.

This is a great approach if you want to emphasize your skills and abilities. As a skill-based resume format , it allows you to focus on what you’re good at, while also allowing you to list your work experience in a structured way.

Depending on where you’re applying, you can opt-in for a more creative resume layout. 

For example, if you want to get a job at an online startup where imagination and innovative thinking are valued, feel free to let your creative side shine. 

Simple doesn’t mean bad.

If you’re applying for a job in a more conservative industry, this minimalistic resume layout might be the way to go.

It’s a step up from the traditional resume, and professional enough to stand on its own.

Once you’ve got the best resume layout down, depending on where you’re applying, you also need to do some formatting,

What does this mean?

Well, essentially, there are 3 main formats your resume can follow. Each one is ideal for a specific case, and they are as follows:

Reverse-Chronological Resume Format

This is the resume layout most job seekers go with and probably the one you’ve been using so far. It’s pretty much the industry standard.

With this format, you’re putting more emphasis on the work experience section than all the other ones.

99% of the cases, you’d want to stick to this format. You might want to consider the other two if you’re either a student / recent graduate (functional) or very senior in your field (combination). 

Functional Format (skill-based)

Feeling unsure about your work experience?

If you’re a recent college grad or someone who doesn’t necessarily have a whole lot of work experience, a functional resume format might be the one for you.

The functional resume format, often also called a skill-based one, focuses on your skills and abilities . 

The functional format often has the following sections:

• Resume objective 
• Skills summary
• Work experience

Combination Resume Format (Hybrid)

Finally, the combination format, as the name implies, is a hybrid of the other two resume formats. 

It is a very middle-ground approach as it gives equal weight to your skills as well as your experience by combining the two formats above.

The combination resume is rarely used, as it’s mainly good for experienced professionals in very specific situations. 

If you have 10+ years of experience in different fields, and are applying for a position that requires skills / experiences in 3-4 different fields, that’s when you use the combination format.

Otherwise, we recommend sticking to reverse-chronological or functional.

What Content to Put on Your Resume

Now that we got all the formatting out of the way, it’s time to get started with the contents. 

Here’s what you should put on a resume :

Contact information

Even if you have the best resume in the world, it’s not going to matter a lot if the hiring manager can’t contact you

Make sure your full name , professional job title , email address , and any relevant social media handles (LinkedIn, Twitter, Medium, etc.) are all spelled correctly, are accurate and sound professional.

Resume summary or objective

What’s the difference?

Basically, if you have more than 2 years of experience, then you need a resume summary that describes what you have done in the past.

If not, you need a resume objective that defines your motivations and what you hope to gain from the job.

This is your attempt at an elevator pitch within your resume. It should be 2-3 sentences at most and in a very straightforward manner, explain why you’re the best applicant for the job.

Here’s what a brief resume summary might look like:

Work Experience

Arguably the most important section of any resume.

This is where you get to brag a little about your qualifications and past job achievements .

If you want to convince the HR manager you’re the right fit (as you should), try to list your experience in a more actionable way.

Well, look back on your time at the previous job.

Did you somehow move the company from point A to point B? Did you increase social media engagement by a certain number? Did you generate more leads in record time?

These are all things the hiring manager might want to know.

Chances are, they already have an idea of what your daily responsibilities were (they are the HR manager, after all). So, try to look for ways to make your work experience more presentable.

Here’s what this would look like in practice:

With that said though, there are some positions where you just can’t make a huge impact and you have to list your daily tasks instead. If that’s the case, don’t exaggerate and be straightforward within your responsibilities.

There are 2 types of skills: soft skills and hard skills .

Hard skills simply mean skills gained through any technical knowledge or training. They are often specific and essential for completing particular tasks (e.g. specific machine skills, tools, software, etc.)

Soft skills , meanwhile, refer to skills that can be gained from life experience and working with people (e.g. leadership, communication, adaptability, etc.).

Most job ads typically list what skills they’re looking for in candidates. So, be sure to tailor your skills section in your resume based on that.

The education section is fairly straightforward, but can be easy to mess up as there are a few optional sections you can include.

Here’s what you should include:

• University name
• Program name
• Year attended

Here’s what you can include (optional):

• GPA - if it’s high (3.5+)
• Honors - if you have any noteworthy ones
• Academic achievements - again, if anything stands out
• Minor - if it’s relevant

Now, here’s what that might look like:

If you don’t have a lot of professional work experience, feel free to place your education on top of the work experience section.

Some of the other nice-to-have sections include:

• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteering Experience
• Certifications and Awards
• Publications

Key Takeaways

There is no such thing as the best resume layout. 

There are a lot of things you can customize, and still leave an awesome impression. What counts, though, is whether the HR manager can read your resume at a glance.

If they were to look at your resume for 6 seconds would they be able to get a general idea of who you are and your experience?

If your resume is simple , follows a clear format , and is easy to scan through - then the answer is most likely - yes .

To recap, here’s what you should keep an eye on when working on your resume layout:

• Resume layout design: is everything consistent and does it give the reader enough space to breathe?
• Resume layout templates: is your resume going to be functional? Creative? Or simple? Use a resume template so that you don’t have to build everything from scratch
• Resume format: reverse-chronological if you have plenty of work experience and are not afraid to show it. Functional if that’s not the case and you prefer to let your skills shine, and finally, the hybrid format if you know what you’re doing and want to show off both.
• Content on a resume: include your contact information , resume summary or objective, work experience, skills, and education.

Now that you have the resume layout down, the job search continues.

After all, getting your resume layout right is only the first step. There’s a lot more to learn if you want to land that dream job .

So, check out our career blog for the latest advice on job search and keep learning!

Suggested readings:

• CV vs. Resume - What are the Differences & Definitions [+ Examples]
• How to Write a Resume & Land That Job [99+ Real-Life Examples]
• How to Pick the Best Resume Format in [+Examples]

To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.

• Resume Templates Simple Professional Modern Creative View all
• Resume Examples Nurse Student Internship Teacher Accountant View all
• Resume Builder
• Cover Letter Templates Simple Professional Modern Creative View all
• Cover Letter Examples Nursing Administrative Assistant Internship Graduate Teacher View all
• Cover Letter Builder

Job-winning professional resume templates

Propel your career prospects with our precision-designed professional resume templates, offering the perfect blend of professionalism and style for ambitious job seekers.

Reviewed by the community. Trusted by professionals

Professional resume templates.

A classic, streamlined look well-suited for formal positions at traditional companies. 

Does your dream job require a suit and tie? Dress pants and a blazer? Those are good signs that your application requires a professional resume. The best resume templates are expertly crafted with muted color palettes and clean lines to send the message that you are a refined candidate with the right decorum and experience to get a serious job done.  

When writing a professional resume for a serious company, it’s important to include only your most relevant professional experience. It’s a good idea to leave off student work or entry-level positions that don’t demonstrate your achievements in the field where you intend to work.

To get the most out of your professional template, it’s important that you maximize the space to include only the most relevant details and accomplishments that will show a potential employer how you can add value to their company. Make sure your writing also carries a professional tone, and don’t be afraid to ask a friend for help with proofreading and editing.

When to pick a professional resume template

Let’s say you’re not sure whether a professional resume template is right for you. One way to decide is to really get a feel for the image of the company. Check out their website and social media. Even just the logo can give you a sense of what type of workplace you might be dealing with. Does the company strike you as prim and proper and more conservative than flashy?

These are good indicators that a professional resume template is in line. Professional templates are most often in use in the administration , law and medical fields. If the position requires an advanced degree, it’s a good bet that you’ll need a professional resume template. However, there are other situations that call for these templates as well. For example, a recent grad applying as a receptionist for a large accounting firm may also benefit from a professional resume template.

If you’re still not sure, it’s best to err on the side of caution and pick a more formal resume template. Unless you are applying to a highly creative company, a professional template with its clean color scheme and streamlined design will virtually never be out of place. A hiring manager or recruiter will thank you for keeping the focus on your skills and achievements.

Top 5 why choose a professional layout

• You want to present a formal, polished image
• You work in a field like law, administration, finance, or medicine
• You’re applying to a company with a serious image
• You are a candidate for an executive or upper-level position
• You hold an advanced degree in a serious field

What makes a professional resume template

A professional resume template is characterized by a focus on the candidate’s skills and experience. One accent color may be used but overall, the emphasis is placed on the text with minimal distractions from icons or other flourishes.  The resume format may have room for a headshot or logo but there should be enough white space on the page to effectively balance out large chunks of text. Candidates should focus on writing their professional experience and summary in a professional tone, using strong action verbs that connote leadership and competence.

Top 10 parts of a professional resume template

• A strong focus on your name and title
• Space for a headshot or logo
• An even balance of white space and text
• Color is used without being overwhelming
• Plenty of room for employment history
• Enough space for a thorough profile summary
• An emphasis on the skills section
• Clean and sharp fonts
• Neatly placed lines and blocks of color
• Focus placed on the candidate’s qualifications

Free to download and use in Microsoft Word, as a PDF, or in Google Docs

Choosing the right template is the first step in crafting your perfect resume. Try out our easy-to-use builder tool to add your work history, work experience, education section, soft skills, hard skills, and achievements, and show an employer what makes you truly unique. Our builder tool has already been tested by thousands of satisfied customers who have found their dream jobs hassle-free. A professional template calls for a professional file resume format . Luckily, Resume.io has got you covered. Within our builder tool, you can download your resume as a MS Word or Google Doc version completely free. You can also download your resume as a PDF. 

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to find your perfect template , add your personal touches, and land your dream position in a few easy clicks! Don't forget to create a matching cover letter after you have written the perfect resume. Using our Resume.io builder you can create a perfect resume that will impress hiring managers. That’s why more than 14 million jobseekers use our free resume templates. 

Get access to winning resume examples that will inspire you during the writing process. Our Resume Writing tool will even help to organize and manage your job search more efficiently. 

Try our professional Resume builder now!

ATS Resume Templates

Download an ATS-friendly resume template for free. These templates can be edited in Microsoft Word and can be accurately scanned by an applicant tracking system.

If you’ve made it to this page, then you probably already know more about applicant tracking systems (ATS) than the average job seeker. That gives you an advantage! Why?

Many companies use ATS to manage resumes and applications. In fact, Jobscan research shows that over 97% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS.

If an ATS can’t read or understand the information on your resume, then your application might not be seen when a recruiter searches for candidates with specific skills or experience – even if you have those skills or the experience!

Your resume needs to be ATS-friendly in order to give you the best chance of getting a job interview. That means that you need an ATS resume template.

We’ve designed 15 ATS resume templates that can be downloaded as Microsoft Word files and easily edited. Download one for free or use our free resume builder to get a customized ATS-friendly resume in minutes.

Free ATS Resume Templates

Executive and Management ATS-Friendly Resume Templates

As a leader, you want your experience and accomplishments to shine. These resume templates give you opportunities to show the measurable results you’ve achieved, as well as your hard and soft skills .

Using correct formatting is critical here. The ATS needs to be able to parse all of that vital information and categorize it correctly. You also need your resume to be searchable by an ATS so that when a recruiter filters candidates by skills, your application stays on the list.

Entry-Level ATS-Friendly Resume Templates

You might not think you have a lot to show on your resume, but you do! These templates provide sections where you can highlight your education, internships, volunteer experience , personal accomplishments, and more.

An ATS-friendly resume will help you get found by recruiters and hiring managers. This is important because an entry-level position could have hundreds of applicants! Use these templates to make sure the ATS picks up your skills and experience.

Make your resume faster with our free resume builder

Write your resume the free and easy way with the only resume builder designed specifically with ATS-compliant resume templates.

Jobscan users have been hired by:

ATS Resume Templates - What You Need to Know

How to make the perfect ats resume.

Remember, an ATS is just a computer filing system. It needs to be able to scan and understand the text on your resume in order to correctly parse the information and sort it properly.

An ATS will never auto-reject a resume, but an ATS optimized resume does make it easier for a recruiter to find you among the sea of applicants.

Even more importantly, an ATS-friendly resume naturally follows expert-recommended resume writing standards as well. That means that when the recruiter personally views your resume, it will include the relevant information they’re looking for and will be formatted in a way that makes it easier to read

Follow these tips for making the perfect ATS resume :

1. Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for

Focus on quality over quantity. Each job you apply for is unique, even if they all have the same title. Every company has different needs for that role. The job description will make it clear which hard skills, soft skills, experience, and education the company is looking for. So tailor your resume to show them that you are the perfect candidate.

Tailoring each and every resume can be time consuming, but it’s worth the effort!

You can speed up this process by using a tool like Jobscan’s resume scanner . Powered by AI-technology , this tool analyzes your resume against the job description and provides you with a resume score that tells you how closely your resume matches the job description. It also tells you exactly what you need to do to increase your score.

2. Match your resume keywords to skills found in the job description

Recruiters might use an ATS’ search function to find applicants with specific skills. How do you know what skills they will search for? By examining the job listing. Use a resume scanner to automatically pick out the hard and soft skills the recruiter might search for, and then include those on your resume.

Even if the recruiter doesn’t search applications for those skills, they’ll definitely be looking for mentions of them on each resume they review.

3. Use long-form and acronym versions of keywords

Some ATS will only return resumes with the exact keywords the recruiters would search for. For example, if you included “Search Engine Optimization” in your resume but the recruiter searched for “SEO,” your profile may not appear in the results. Try to include both the acronym and the unabbreviated form of the term.

Use a tool like Jobscan’s resume fixer to make sure your resume doesn’t contain mistakes that will eliminate you from consideration.

4. Use Chronological or Hybrid resume format to write your resume .

Recruiters do not like the functional resume format . Unless you’re making a career change, a functional resume is going to work against you. (And even then, we recommend you steer clear of the format for a career change resume .)

The best format for the ATS is traditional reverse chronological. You can also use chronological and hybrid resume formats as these are familiar to most recruiters.

5. Use an easy-to-read, traditional font

For readability, use a traditional serif or sans serif font. Untraditional or “fancy” fonts can cause parsing errors, which means the full text of your resume won’t be searchable.

6. Use standard resume section headings

Section headers like “Where I’ve Been” in place of “Work Experience” will confuse applicant tracking systems, causing them to organize information incorrectly.

7. Save your file as a .docx if possible

A docx file is most compatible with ATS.

What is the best resume format for ATS?

There are three standard resume formats to choose from in your job search. They shape your first impression and determine the way recruiters and hiring managers view your fit as an applicant.

Your resume formatting can also determine how well your resume is parsed within an applicant tracking system (ATS) and how likely you are to be noticed as a result.

Regardless of the format you use, the most important thing is to use standard section headings like Experience, Skills, and Education. That will make it easier for the ATS to categorize the text.

How to tailor your ATS-friendly resume to a job

Tailoring your resume proves to recruiters that you’re an experienced professional. Most importantly, it shows them that you’re the perfect fit for this role.

Follow these three steps for tailoring your resume to a job description:

1. Examine the specific job description of the position

Go line by line through the job description and ask yourself these questions:

• “Does my resume experience section clearly state that I can do what’s required of this role?”
• “Am I using the same language found in the job description or job posting?”

You might find several different or missing skills and keywords in your generic resume.

2. Match skills and keywords from the job description

Mirroring the language, keywords, and buzzwords found within the job description is the easiest way to demonstrate you’re a better match than the competition.

The best way to show you’re the best fit for the position is to take words from the job posting and strategically put them in your job descriptions and other resume sections. A resume scanner will automatically pull out these keywords in seconds and speed up this process.

3. Write your job title clearly

Recruiters might search for people who have done the job they’re hiring, so list your job titles clearly and match the titles to the one in the job posting when possible. If you haven’t held the job before, list it under your name at the top or as part of your summary section.

What is Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software used to assist with human resources, recruitment, and hiring. While each system offers a different package of features, applicant tracking systems are primarily used to help hiring companies organize and navigate large numbers of applicants.

For example, an ATS stores job candidate information like resumes, cover letters, references, and other recruitment and hiring data that HR teams can easily access and organize. It will also track job candidates and their application status throughout the hiring pipeline.

Ultimately, an ATS automates time-consuming administrative tasks such as manually screening applicants, reading resumes, scheduling interviews, and sending notifications and emails to job candidates and employees.

Can you add graphics to your resume?

When it comes to creating an ATS-friendly resume , the rule is: The simpler, the better. ATS are improving at scanning different formatting features, but not all of them are good at this.

Adding graphics and images could cause ATS parsing errors , which means the text on your resume won’t be fully searchable or accurately categorized by an ATS. We recommend that job seekers err on the side of caution. Avoid graphics, images, and photos.

Are Google Docs or Microsoft resume templates ATS-friendly?

They can be. We talked about some formatting features to avoid on your resume – fancy graphics and non-traditional fonts. Those features can trip up an ATS, even if they’re on a Word document or Google Docs file.

However, as long as you follow the guidelines on this page, or use one of these ATS resume templates, you’ll be fine.

How to get your cover letter past the ATS?

To increase your cover letter’s chances of passing an ATS, focus on using a clean format without complex formatting, incorporate relevant keywords and phrases from the job description, and ensure that your content is easy for the ATS to parse.

Consider using a tool like Jobscan’s cover letter generator to help you create an ATS-friendly cover letter. If you already have a cover letter, run it through our cover letter checker tool to get personalized feedback on how to improve your cover letter and make it more compelling to employers.

More Resume Resources

Google Docs Resume Templates

Professional Resume Templates

Resume Builder

Resume Writing Guide

Score your resume and start optimizing it to get more job interviews