Recruiters often spend less than ten seconds on a first look at a resume. A clear structure, achievement-focused bullet points and a clean design make sure those seconds count. Follow these steps to write a resume that is easy to read for both people and applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Step 1: Choose the right format
- Reverse-chronological (most common): your latest job first. Best for most people with steady work history.
- Functional / skills-based: focuses on skills over job history. Useful for career changers, but some recruiters distrust it.
- Hybrid: a strong skills section followed by reverse-chronological experience.
Keep it to one page if you have under 10 years of experience, and two pages at most for senior roles.
Step 2: Write a clear header
Include your full name, job title, phone number, professional email, city and state, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link. You do not need your full street address, photo or date of birth for jobs in the US and UK.
Step 3: Add a short professional summary
Two to four sentences that say who you are, your strongest skills and the value you bring. Example:
Results-driven marketing manager with 7+ years of experience leading multichannel campaigns for B2B and consumer brands. Skilled at turning data into strategy, managing budgets up to $1.2M and building teams that consistently beat growth targets.
Step 4: Turn your experience into achievements
For each role list the job title, company, location and dates, followed by 3–5 bullet points. Start each bullet with a strong action verb and add a number whenever you can.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Responsible for email marketing. | Increased email revenue 32% through segmentation, A/B testing and automated journeys. |
| Managed a team. | Led a team of 6 across content, paid media and email with a $1.2M annual budget. |
| Helped with reports. | Built a monthly dashboard that cut reporting time by 10 hours per week. |
Useful action verbs: led, launched, increased, reduced, built, designed, negotiated, streamlined, trained, delivered.
Step 5: List your education
Degree, school and graduation year. Recent graduates can add GPA (if 3.5+), honors and relevant coursework. Experienced professionals can keep this section short.
Step 6: Add skills that match the job
Read the job description and mirror its key skills and tools — for example “Google Analytics”, “Budget Management” or “Salesforce”. Mix hard skills (software, languages, certifications) with a few relevant soft skills.
Step 7: Make it ATS-friendly
- Use standard section headings: Profile, Experience, Education, Skills.
- Use common fonts such as Calibri or Cambria.
- Single-column layouts are the safest choice for large companies that rely on ATS software.
- Save and send your resume as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word.
- Name the file clearly: FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf.
Step 8: Write a matching cover letter
A short cover letter (three or four paragraphs) explains why you want this specific job and highlights one or two achievements. Using the same header and colors as your resume makes your application look polished and consistent.
Common resume mistakes to avoid
- Typos and inconsistent dates — read it out loud before sending.
- Listing duties instead of results.
- Using one generic resume for every application.
- Unprofessional email addresses.
- Dense blocks of text with no white space.
Start with a professional template
A good template takes care of layout, spacing and fonts so you can focus on content. Our resume templates are fully editable Microsoft Word files in US Letter and A4, each with a matching cover letter:
- Executive — classic, ATS-friendly single column
- Sage — minimal and modern, ATS-friendly
- Horizon — bold teal header
- Navigator — navy two-column sidebar
- Terracotta — warm two-column sidebar
Want options for different applications? The Resume Template Bundle includes all five designs and cover letters for 50% less. You may also like our guides on how to write a cover letter and how to write a two weeks notice letter.