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How to Make a Resume: 2025 Resume Writing Guide

Written by 糖心vlog官网观看 Staff 鈥� Updated on

Learn how to identify important resume keywords, format your resume, and write each section with this comprehensive guide.

[Featured image] Job seeker sitting on a sofa chair with her laptop open in front of her reviews a copy of her printed resume in hand.

Your resume is a document that encompasses your entire professional journey, showing where you currently are in your career, how you got there, and where you hope to go next. Since it鈥檚 meant to be a concise brief鈥攐ften condensed to just one page鈥攖hat can feel like a lot of storytelling for a small space.

To make a resume that fully demonstrates your experiences and goals, it鈥檚 important to be strategic with the language, format, and sections you include. In general, you鈥檒l follow three broad steps to making your resume:

  1. Identifying keywords and important skills

  2. Choosing a format

  3. Writing each section

Explore tips and resources to ease you through the process.

Free resume templates

If you鈥檙e starting with a blank page, use these free customizable templates for a or to make your resume in a Google Doc. Simply log into your Google account and select the 鈥楳ake a copy鈥� prompt.

How to make a resume

The key to creating an effective resume is considering your audience. First, consider who the people (and technologies) will be reading it.

When you鈥檙e applying for jobs online, your first audience member will often be an applicant tracking system (ATS), which is a screening program that uses an algorithm to 鈥渞ead鈥� incoming resumes and sort qualified candidates. After the ATS deems you qualified for a role, a human recruiter鈥攜our second audience member鈥攚ill review your application materials and decide whether to invite you to interview.

Now that we鈥檝e established your likely audience, let鈥檚 take a closer look at how to determine the information the ATS and human recruiters may be looking for and how they will best receive that information.

1. What to put on a resume: Keywords and important skills

You can find much information about a role directly from the job description. Within the listed responsibilities and qualifications, you can get a strong sense of the language and experience a successful candidate will have on their resume.

As you read a job description, highlight the action words, keywords, and specific workplace and technical skills mentioned. The ATS is likely programmed to look for the same or similar language as that which appears in the job description, so this analysis can help shape the way you approach writing your resume.

Some resources that may help as you research your desired job include:

Choosing action words and keywords听

Identifying key job skills

Industry-specific job skills

2. What should a resume look like? Resume format

Regarding formatting, you can choose from three common types of resumes鈥攃hronological, functional, and combination鈥攁long with several more specialized options. With your audience in mind, choose the format that best demonstrates how your experience aligns with your desired role鈥檚 job description.

If you鈥檙e applying for jobs online, ATS software is generally programmed to interpret chronological resumes. The software may still identify important keywords in alternative formats, but potentially less accurately.

If you鈥檙e unsure of the resume format you should choose, a chronological resume with standard 1-inch margins, black text, and a common font like Times New Roman or Arial is typically a safe choice.

For more on resume formats, check out these additional articles:

Types of resumes

3. Write your resume sections.

Guided by your keyword list and format, you鈥檙e ready to start filling out your resume sections. You鈥檒l typically want to include sections for your header, work experience, education, and skills, but you can add other optional sections to amplify the story you want to tell.

Take a look through the below resources for more specific information about shaping each section:

How do you make a cover letter for a resume?

You can write a cover letter for your resume with three or four paragraphs that introduce you in a more human way and make the argument that you鈥檙e a good fit for the position. In the opening paragraph, you can introduce who you are, what your career goals are, and how they align with the position you鈥檙e applying for. In your second and/or third paragraphs, you can talk about some of your key achievements or provide additional context for the skills you鈥檝e listed on your resume. The closing paragraph is a chance for you to summarize why your achievements would be an asset to the company.听

Learn more: How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job (With Examples and Tips)听

Resume checklist

At this point, you are almost ready to submit your resume. Before you do, taking time for one final check is good practice. Ask yourself:

  • Did I write my resume with my audience in mind?

  • Did I strategically select action words and keywords?

  • Have I clearly demonstrated my relevant skills and experience?

  • Are my margins set to one inch on all sides?

  • Is my font easy to read?

  • Did I include all of the key resume sections?

  • Did I edit for proper spelling and grammar?

If you can answer 鈥測es鈥� to all these questions, save your resume as a PDF file with a title that includes your name and 鈥渞esume.鈥� Check that the file is saved correctly, then prepare to submit it.

For any lingering questions, check out these additional tips and specific resume guides:

Additional tips and resources

Specific resume guides

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