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Best Companies That Help You Find a Job

Need help finding a job? We review the best companies to help find jobs through reverse recruiting, staffing, resume writing, and more.

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Not everyone will need help finding a job…but many job seekers will.

If you have a friend or family member who can make an introduction and get you hired, trust me, you are one of the lucky ones!

There are a variety of reasons why someone might need help finding a job and want to know which companies can provide that help.

Some of these reasons have to do with job search struggles. Many reasons are more about convenience and efficiency. In other words, getting help finding a job is a way to work smarter, not harder.

Depending on the kind of help you are looking for and your overall budget, some job search agencies may be better for you than others.

In this article, we break down the most common agencies that help you find a job:

Reverse Recruiting – Reverse recruiting is the only service on this list that executes job search tasks for job seekers. This service includes searching for jobs, applying for jobs, and networking on behalf of the applicant.

Recruiting & Staffing – Recruiting and staffing agencies help hiring managers fill open positions. Recruiters source the most qualified candidates and match them with the companies that require their talents.

Career Coaching – Career coaches give expert advice and counseling to guide professionals through their career journey. Coaches can help with everything from career discovery to leadership coaching.

Resume Writing – Professional resume writers create modern, easy-to-read, ATS-friendly resumes. Writers draw on their years of experience and resume writing certifications to create effective resumes.

Free Services – Websites that provide free resources and tips to help job seekers find jobs and advance in their careers. Examples include job boards, career blogs, and resume builders.

Best Job Search Companies

Best companies to find you a job.

Top Reverse Recruiting Companies

A reverse recruiter is someone who assists a job seeker in performing a job search, applying to jobs, and finding interviews.

While this is the most expensive option for someone seeking a job, it’s also the most hands-on. 

Reverse recruiters act as your personal job search assistant. Their job duties include searching for jobs on your behalf, applying to those jobs, networking with key decision-makers, and more.

For the most luxurious option to manage your job search (with a price tag), look no further.

Find My Profession

Find My Profession is a pioneer in the reverse recruiter world. They take job help to a whole new level offering the most white-glove service on the market for executives.

For anyone who has ever asked the question, “Can I just hire someone to find me a job?” Find My Profession is the answer.

Here is how a reverse recruiter will help you find a job :

• Job Searching: Your dedicated reverse recruiter will identify highly targeted job opportunities for you. The job search is conducted with your preferences at the forefront.
• Job Applying: Once you have approved the jobs presented to you, your reverse recruiter will customize your resume. They will also apply to jobs on your behalf. You’ll never have to fill out a pesky application again!
• Networking: Your reverse recruiter will find key decision-makers to share your resume with. The goal is to gain additional exposure for you and get your resume in front of the hiring manager(s).
• Interview Prep: One-on-one personalized interview training is available to you. Once an interview is secured, your interview preparation will be customized to the job and company.
• Salary Negotiation: Receive advice to discover your true salary potential and effectively negotiate your salary. Your reverse recruiter will provide guidance for every offer you receive!

This service was designed to take all of the heavy lifting out of your job search and be your dedicated reverse recruitment agency.

Superstar Resume

Superstar Resume, based in NYC and led by Steven Mostyn, offers specialized reverse recruiting and resume writing services aimed at enhancing job seekers’ visibility and opportunities in the job market.

Superstar Resume offers reverse recruiting services that actively connect job seekers with employers seeking to fill positions. This proactive approach focuses on the job seeker’s skills and career goals, allowing them to receive tailored job opportunities without applying directly.

Each client benefits from personalized support, ensuring alignment with their professional aspirations. The service also leverages a network of employers, enhancing the chances of finding suitable roles.

$999 – $4999

More Reverse Recruiting Services

Although reverse recruiting is a fairly new concept, there are a few more services to learn about. Check out the best reverse recruiting services .

Recruiting & Staffing Companies

Recruiting and staffing agencies are traditionally not considered a service for job seekers. However, you may still be able to get some help from them. So we included them on our list of companies that help you find jobs.

Recruiters work for organizations to fill open positions. So, they won’t work directly for a job seeker. You’ll never have to pay them a fee, but it’s unlikely they will go out of their way to help with your job search.

It still doesn’t hurt to network with a few industry-relevant recruiters in your target location. You can let them know that you’re on the job hunt, and the types of roles you are targeting, should they ever come across anything that’s a fit.

Randstad was founded in 1960 by Frits Goldschmeding. They are in the business of matching smart people with great jobs at all career levels.

Randstad is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to recruiting and staffing. They have an internal staff of 5,700+ in North America and a presence in 38 countries.

You can directly use the Randstad website to browse open jobs. A variety of industry-specific filters makes your search very easy.

Most of the job postings have a recruiter’s contact information so that you can reach out if you are a good fit.

Robert Half

Robert Half is another very well-known staffing agency the world over.

It was founded in 1948 by Bob and Maxine Half. Since then, Robert Half has grown into the world’s largest specialized staffing firm. The company has offices across the globe.

A publicly-traded company, Robert Half has been recognized as one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” for 23 consecutive years.

Robert Half recruiters are also some of the most knowledgeable recruiters you’ll find out there.

More Recuriting and Staffing Agencies

There are a ton more options for recruiting and staffing agencies. Check out the best staffing agencies in America to get started.

Career Coaching Companies

Career coaching businesses are also companies that help you find a job.

Professional career coaches adopt the “teach a man to fish” philosophy.

Rather than doing all the work for you, coaches will teach you some of the valuable skills and best practices on how to find a job on your own.

There are different types of career coaches . Some of them focus on leadership coaching while others hone in on interview training. There are also coaches who dive deep into your passions to determine what job types may fit you.

These services will typically be more affordable than reverse recruiter services. However, you should expect to devote more hours to your job search with this method.

Below, we’ll highlight some of the best career coaching services available on the market.

The Muse is a very well-respected career resource for job seekers around the world.

Most career coaching services employ coaches internally, but The Muse is a platform hosting a variety of freelance career coaches.

This method can take away from quality control and uniformity; however, it does allow for a bit more customization.

You’ll be able to choose from a variety of career coach levels. The levels are Mentor (least experience), Coach (mid-level), and Master Coach (most experienced).

Their coaching services include interview coaching, salary negotiation coaching, leadership coaching, and job search strategy.

$99 – $599 per 60 to 75-minute session

A Path That Fits

A Path That Fits has helped 1000+ people over the last 15 years. All of their career and life coaches are seasoned experts with at least 10 years of experience.

The coaching options include career discovery, leadership coaching, and job search coaching.

They offer group sessions as well as one-on-one coaching. Their one-on-one coaching option actually combines one on one coaching with all the benefits of their group coaching.

The company uses a mindfulness-based approach to bring clarity and concrete action to your career to get results.

A Path That Fits is confident that you will be happy with the services you receive. They offer a 14-day money-back guarantee on their group coaching packages.

$1,995 – $4,500 per program

More Career Coaching Services

There are many great career coaching services to choose from. Check out our complete list of the best career coaching services .

Resume Writing Companies

Professional resume writing services are the most common places to help you find a job. They create marketing materials with an expert touch that is sure to land interviews.

A quick LinkedIn search for “resume writer” in the US yields more than 493,000 results. With so many people out there claiming to be professionals, it can be hard to know how to choose a resume writer .

Positive online reviews, resume certifications , interview guarantees, and attractive resume samples are some of the most important factors when choosing a resume writer.

Find My Profession is much more than a resume writing service. They are a global career services company whose work has been featured on sites like Forbes, Inc., Zety, Fast Company, and more.

With their team of elite resume writers who have experience in over 85 industries and professions, they can match you with a writer who understands your unique background and experience. Additionally, every resume comes with a one-on-one phone consultation with your writer.

Find My Profession has an impressive track record of successfully landing clients jobs at top companies such as Apple, Amazon, EA, Oracle, GM, Facebook, DoJ, Morgan Stanley, and Tesla. 

Their 900+ 5-star reviews speak to their commitment to delivering high-quality service. They also offer a 60-day interview guarantee and ensure that every resume created is Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatible and highly customized to meet your specific needs.

$395 – $995

ResumeZest is trusted by professionals from companies including Google, Amazon, Apple, Oracle, GE, Adobe, Uber, and Facebook.

Their resume writing team has written resumes for more than 75 industries.

A 60-day interview guarantee backs up every resume they write, and each resume is also ATS compliant and keyword-optimized.

The company offers affordable pricing and quick turnaround times. You will work with a high-quality, certified writer and receive excellent customer service.

They are also members of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC).

$279 – $479

More Resume Services

There are hundreds of amazing resume writing services to choose from. Check out our complete list of the best resume writing services .

Free Services That Help Find Jobs

It’s important to note that the most value will come from a paid service (especially one of the services mentioned above).

However, that doesn’t mean there are no free places to help you find a job.

Beyond recruiting and staffing agencies, the Internet is filled with free resources for job seekers including career blogs, job search sites, and resume builders.

Below, we recommend some top resources to follow and explore if you can’t find a job.

Government Resources

There are several state and federal government branches that offer free and virtual resources to help you find a job. This list is not extensive, however, we identified some of the top resources with the broadest reach to help the largest number of job seekers.

• CareerOneStop – Allows you to locate a local chapter in order to talk with a counselor who can help you determine what help is available specific to your location.
• MyNextMove – Utilize a free tool that can help you determine what type of career is best for you to pursue next.
• ApprenticeshipUSA – Find apprenticeships that will pay you an income while you participate in trainings that lead to an industry recognized certification of completion.
• New York State DoL – The New York State Department of Labor website offers dozens of virtual career centers available to individuals across the county. You can sign up online and browse more than 250,000 jobs.

Career Blogs

Career blogs offer free online advice for your career and job search. Be aware that not all career blogs are written by credible career experts. Below, we’ve highlighted some of our favorites.

• Find My Profession – Leading career advice blog. Their career advice has been featured on Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, and more. Topics include job search, resume writing, interview questions, and career site reviews.
• Zety Blog – Features a large database of articles organized into various categories including resume help and career advice. Find advice based on authors’ experiences and interviews with leading hiring experts.
• Career Sidekick – Contains practical career advice from the perspective of different authors. Their main blog categories focus on getting more interviews, interviewing, and other topics.
• The Muse – Get access to career advice and company information written by career coaches, strategists, and recruiters. Their topics include job search, succeeding at work, career paths, and more.

Job Search Sites

Job search sites, also known as job search engines, are free platforms for job seekers to find and apply for jobs. Like everything else on this list, all job search sites are not created equally, but here are a few well-established ones.

• LinkedIn – Best place to connect with recruiters and conduct a targeted job search. Easily research companies, show off your accomplishments, and expand your network.
• Indeed – Largest job board with almost 10 new listings per second. This website allows you to save your resume, apply for jobs quickly, and read real reviews of potential employers.
• ZipRecruiter – Mobile-friendly site that lets you search for jobs based on salary. Matches you with personalized jobs and lets you apply quickly with a one-click-to-apply feature.
• USAJOBS – The official job posting website of the U.S government. Find and apply for federal government jobs and set up customized job alerts via email.

More Job Search Sites

Looking for even more job search sites to find your dream job? Check out our complete list of the best job search sites .

Resume Builders

Resume builders provide you with unique resume templates to write your own resume. If you’d like to save money and craft your resume without the help of a professional, a resume builder might be a good option.

• Resume.com – 100% free resume samples arranged by job titles. You can choose from hundreds of available templates based on modern hiring trends.
• Novoresume – Get personalized suggestions on how to improve your resume. The smart tools and templates make it easy  for newbies who are not familiar with resume writing.
• CVMaker – Resume builder with one of the most affordable premium plans. Access a simple interface with an option to share your resumes through customized URLs.
• Visme – Create infographic resumes without any design skills. Combine an easy drag-and-drop interface, built-in icons, and a pictograph maker to create your resume.

More Resume Builders

Want more fantastic resume builders to choose from? Check out our complete list of the best resume builders .

Key Takeaways

If you need help finding a job, we recommend using at least one of the resources on this list.

Take a second to figure out what exactly you need by asking yourself, “I need a job, but where am I struggling in the job search process?”

• If you don’t have time to search for a job, or would like a professional to do the work, you may want to consider hiring a reverse recruiter.
• If you need some career guidance or aren’t sure what to do next, you may need a career coach.
• If you have been applying to jobs but aren’t receiving interviews, you may want to take a good look at your resume.

If you don’t have time to search for a job or are struggling with your resume, Find My Profession can help. Our resume and reverse recruiting services can take the stress out of your job search and help you land your dream job. Keep at it; with our help, you’ll be hired in no time!”

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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Perfect Resume (With Examples!)

Your resume is arguably the most valuable piece of paper for your career. But this document can be daunting for many. Maybe you’re not sure how to fit in all your information onto one page. Maybe you’re not sure about the right way to format and write your resume. Maybe you don’t even know what the heck a resume is!

Whatever your concern, we’ll break down everything you need to know about making the perfect resume, from scratch.

What Is a Resume?

What are employers looking for in a resume.

• Pick Your Format
• Start With Your Basic Information
• Add in Your Work Experience
• Consider Including Volunteer Work or Other Experience
• Don’t Forget Your Education
• Top It Off With Some Skills and Interests
• Write a Resume Summary Statement (if Relevant)
• Tailor It to the Job (and the ATS)
• Edit and Refine It

What Are Some Examples of a Good Resume?

A resume is a summary of your career, whether yours is just getting started or has been going on for years. Coming in at around one page in length (two only under specific circumstances), it showcases the jobs you’ve held and currently hold, the responsibilities you’ve taken on, the skills you’ve developed, and the qualities you bring to the table as an employee. Together, those things make it super easy for any hiring manager to see your qualifications and fit for a role.

For all the work you may put into writing one, hiring managers actually spend very little time—mere seconds in many cases—looking at your resume. But despite this sad fact, it’s safe to say that creating a great resume (rather than hastily throwing one together) still matters.

“If you miss the mark, your resume may never be read. Even worse, you might be removed from the applicant pool by a computer before a human even knows you exist,” says Muse career coach Heather Yurovsky , founder of Shatter & Shine. So you want to get it right because, as she explains, isn’t the goal to “spend less time looking for a job and more time in a role you love?”

You might be wondering if you can lean on your LinkedIn profile instead of writing a resume. The answer, sadly, is no. Most hiring managers still expect you to submit a resume, even if they also look at your LinkedIn. Even if you don’t need a resume for a job you’re applying for now, you’re going to need one at some point in your career—they’re not anywhere close to going out of style. So it’s best to always have one at the ready should an opportunity pop up.

And although LinkedIn has plenty of benefits, a resume has one clear advantage: While your LinkedIn is usually a broader picture of your career trajectory, your resume gives you the opportunity to tailor your career story to a specific role or company (more on that later).

Oh, and you’ve probably heard of something called a CV? It’s slightly different from a resume , and usually more common with academics and job seekers outside the U.S.

Hiring managers look for three things on your resume, “What did you do? Why did you do it? And what was the result?” says Muse career coach Martin McGovern , owner of Career Therapy. “If you can answer all three of these questions in...your resume bullet points, you’re going to be on the right track.”

Clear, easy-to-understand language is key. “The truth is that most resumes make no sense. They are stuffed with jargon, they are too technical, and they are filled with redundancies. Try to read a resume that isn’t yours and you will quickly realize that it feels like an alien wrote it,” McGovern adds. Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter who has no idea how your role works—how can you make your resume accessible to them?

The hiring manager also cares about more than just you and you alone—they care about you in relation to them. “Hiring managers want to see if a candidate matches the requirements” of the role they’re hiring for, Yurovsky explains. “Your resume should paint this picture so the hiring manager not only knows what day-to-day responsibilities you can handle, but why you, above other[s], bring value to their organization.”

How Do You Write a Resume?

Whether you’re someone who’s never written a resume in your life, or you need a nice, thorough refresher on the process of creating one, follow these steps to go from a blank page to a complete—and dare I say beautiful—document.

Related: This Free Worksheet Makes It Easy to Create (or Update) Your Resume

1. Pick Your Format

Before you start typing one single thing, you have to decide what you want the overall resume to look like.

Resume builders can be helpful for this step—they’ll take all your basic information and organize it for you, eliminating some of the legwork. You can also use a pre-made outline, such as one of these free Google Docs templates .

But it’s often safest to start with a clean slate all on your own and eventually upgrade to a more advanced layout. (If you'd still like a place to write all the relevant information before you get started, check out our resume outline .) This allows you to course correct, edit and re-edit, and choose a resume format that best fits your particular situation (after all, not everyone has a career trajectory that’s easy to compartmentalize).

In general, you’re most likely to cover and/or include sections on the following:

• Your work experience
• Your non-work experience, including professional organizations, community involvement, or side projects
• Your education and certifications
• Your skills (specifically hard skills) and interests

So how do you format and organize all of that information?

By far the most common (and safest, if you’re not sure which route to take) option is reverse chronological order . This means you organize your experiences from most recent to least recent. So your work experiences would go above your education, and your current role would go above previous roles you’ve held. This of course has its exceptions—maybe you went back to grad school between jobs, or your most recent role is irrelevant to the job you’re applying for. So the whole page may not be exactly in reverse chronological order depending on your situation. It’s just a guideline.

There’s also something called a functional or skills-based resume . This is used pretty rarely, mainly with career changers and those with limited or complicated work histories. It gets its name because it’s primarily about listing your skills rather than experiences, and showcases them above your work history and education.

You can also opt for a combination resume , which is a mix between a reverse chronological resume and skills-based resume. It highlights your skills at the top, but allows just as much room below to cover your job and school experience.

Use caution when choosing these two formats: “Combo and skills-based [resumes] can be hard to follow, because [they force] the reader to hunt for connections between your skills and experience, and [don’t] provide the full context of your work,” says Muse Career Coach Angela Smith , founder of Loft Consulting. “I’ve also heard a lot of recruiters say that they automatically discount skill-based resumes because they feel the candidate is trying to hide something. I don’t necessarily believe that, but I think it’s important for job-seekers to know that perception is out there.”

2. Start With Your Basic Information

Your contact information should always go at the top of your resume. In this header you’ll want to include anything that could be helpful for a recruiter to get in touch with you. Usually, this means adding in:

• Your full name (preferably the name you use across the web)
• Your phone number
• Your personal email address

You might also choose to include other basic information, such as your LinkedIn or personal website URL, your GitHub (for technical roles), your social media profiles (if relevant to the job), or your address. If you’re looking to move for a job, you may choose to leave out your address or write “open to relocating” to better your chances of getting an interview.

The key is to make this part as clear as possible. If a hiring manager can’t reach you, there’s no point in perfecting the rest of your resume.

3. Add in Your Work Experience

This section will most likely be the bulk of your resume. Even if you’re changing careers, employers still want to see where you’ve worked, what you’ve done, and the impact of that work to get a sense of your background and expertise.

Your “Work Experience” might be one entire category, or you might choose to break it up into “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience” to highlight the jobs that are most important for hiring managers to focus on. Either way, you’ll almost always want to have your most recent experience at the top and your older experience down below.

Within your work experience, you’ll want to include each official job title, the company (and possibly its location), and the years you worked there. Below that, you’ll add in two to four bullet points explaining what you did in that job, the skills you built and exercised, the tools you used, and the results of what you did. If you accomplished a lot during your time there, focus on the responsibilities that made the most impact or you’re the most proud of, as well as the ones that best align you with the job you’re applying for (more on that in the following sections). It’s key here to list, if relevant, quantitative as well as qualitative accomplishments.

For example, you might write:

Associate Accountant, Finances and Co., Ann Arbor, MI September 2017 – Present

• Manage billing and invoicing for more than 50 clients, ensuring the deadlines and needs of our enterprise partners, including Big Company and Super Star Org, are met
• Collaborate closely with sales, account management, and project management teams on project setup, maintenance, and invoice management
• Assist in the streamlining of invoicing guidelines and procedures through documentation and the implementation of new software, resulting in an average two-week decrease in total time spent per client

Your resume bullets should be in past tense if you’re referring to past jobs and present tense if you’re talking about your current roles. In addition, your bullets should always start with a strong action verb that best describes what you did. And if you have examples of your work, consider hyperlinking them here as well.

If you have a ton of experience and this category is starting to run long (read: over one page), consider kicking out your oldest jobs unless they’re super relevant to the job you’re applying for, or extra impressive for your field.

Not sure where to start? “It’s helpful to do a brain dump and create a document that has everything and anything you consider as experience or an achievement,” says Yurovsky. From there, she explains, you can start to whittle down what is and isn’t important. And you can refer to this document later if you ever decide to update your resume for a specific role.

Need more specific advice on listing your work experience on your resume? Check out these additional resources:

• When you’ve held multiple jobs at the same company: 2 Jobs, 1 Company: How to Show Multiple Positions on Your Resume
• When you’re not sure what your accomplishments are or how to explain them: Resume Revamp: How to Turn Your Duties Into Accomplishments
• When you want to spruce up a boring or insignificant job: How to Make Your Most Boring Jobs Sound More Interesting on Your Resume
• When you’re considering fudging a job title: The Answer to “Can I Change My Job Title on My Resume to Make It More Accurate?”
• When you’ve had a bunch of short-term gigs: How to List Temporary Jobs on Your Resume

4. Consider Including Volunteer Work or Other Experience

Anything you’ve done that’s not work experience—your side gig, volunteer work, special projects—can be hosted under clearly-labeled sections (“Volunteer Experience” or “Activities,” for example). Depending on how robust your work experience is, these things may be worth including, particularly if they’ve helped you level up your skill set or better align you with your dream job. Plus, they make you look that much more well-rounded, passionate, and hardworking.

If you’re a recent grad, you might also build out a section for on-campus activities, such as clubs, organizations, or leadership experience. This can be a great supplement if you’re lacking in the jobs department. You can frame these just as you would professional jobs—including your title, the organization’s name, and bullets describing what your role was and what you accomplished.

Read More: This Is Exactly How to List Volunteer Work on Your Resume

5. Don’t Forget Your Education

If you’re still in school or just graduated, your education can go at the top of your resume, but for pretty much everyone else, this goes near the bottom. Most people include their school, graduation year (for folks less up to about a decade out of school), major, and degree. Brand-new grads might also write in their GPA, honors and awards, study abroad, thesis, or other notable achievements. But keep this section super simple, as you don’t want it to take up too much space over your work experience.

It’s possible you have unique education experience, such as taking an online course or certification. If you did this specifically as a way to boost yourself within your industry, definitely include it. Again, list everything more or less reverse chronologically—so a grad school degree would go above an undergrad degree, and a more recent relevant online course would go above that.

Learn more about the ins and outs of listing your education on your resume:

• How to (and How Not to) List Education on Your Resume
• How to List Online Courses on Your Resume the Right Way (Because Yes, There Is a Wrong Way)

6. Top It Off With Some Skills and Interests

The skills section of a resume gets a bad rap, but it’s just as important as the rest of the stuff you include. It’s a quick list a recruiter can scan to see if your skill set aligns with what they’re hiring for. And it’s super ATS-friendly (ATS stands for “applicant tracking system,” the robot that in some cases reads your resume before a human does) because it allows you to add in keywords the machine is scanning for.

Usually this section goes at the bottom of your resume, but in special cases—such as a skills-based resume or when someone’s switching fields—you may place it further up.

What exactly do you throw in here? You’ll want to list any hard skills and applications you’re familiar with (Photoshop, SEO, JavaScript, to name a few examples), and, if relevant, your level of expertise. Avoid including soft skills here, like time management or public speaking—save those for your bullet points instead.

Be strategic when filling in your skills. Don’t list things you actually couldn’t do at a high competence level (I’m looking at those of you who say you’re “great” at Excel), and maybe nix skills that are completely irrelevant to the job you want. For example, you may not even need to include Excel if you’re applying for say, a design position, unless it’s listed as a job requirement.

Maybe you’re thinking, I’m a really good volleyball player, but that’s not a “skill,” right? No, it’s not, but it is a hobby. Adding in a hobby section at the bottom of your resume is underrated, and frequently a smart choice. It can be a great conversation starter with a hiring manager, and it can show that you’re a good culture fit—or a culture add—for the company. Also, it’s just a nice way to add in some of your personality. So tack on a bullet point listing out some of your interests, such as hiking, rowing, or crafting (no more than five to seven work-appropriate verbs), and you’re all set here.

7. Write a Resume Summary Statement (if Relevant)

You may have heard of a resume summary statement . They’re not super common, but they can be useful to include near the top of your resume if you’re looking to add clarity or context to your resume. If you’re a career changer, you might find a summary statement helpful in explaining your leap and tying your experience to your new path. Or if you’re a more experienced professional, you can use a summary statement to highlight a theme that brings your career trajectory together.

Overall, you probably won’t need a summary statement if your career is pretty linear and your bullet points do a great job of emphasizing what you have to offer in terms of skills and experience. But if you think it makes sense to include one, “Take the time to think about what the person reading your summary wants to know before you write it,” says McGovern. “Good summaries explain why you do what you do and how it can help. For instance: Merging a background in ABC, I help companies improve XYZ through 123. Summaries shouldn’t be any more complicated than that.”

So, taking McGovern’s example, you might say:

Merging a background in social media marketing and PR with seven years in the consumer tech space, I help companies improve their internal and external communication and brand awareness through data-driven, quality content and strategies that align with the modern trends of the space.

Yurovsky adds that “you don’t want your summary statement to be a dense paragraph with too much information. You want it to be easy to read, concise, and memorable. Almost like a tagline.”

Read More: 3 Resume Summary Examples That’ll Make Writing Your Own Easier

8. Tailor It to the Job (and the ATS)

Once you have your resume written out—you’ve broken down your work experience, tagged on some activities and additional experiences, and listed out your skills—it’s important to go back to the job description (or multiple job descriptions, if you’re applying to several similar jobs) and make sure that what your resume says matches up with the kind of candidate the employers are looking for. In other words, tailor it .

Let’s explain further. You’ll want to begin by tackling the ATS . This means combing the job description to see if individual words and phrases line up. What skills are they asking for, and have you listed them (so long as you actually have them)? What words are they using to describe their ideal hire, and do you use similar language in your resume?

Next, take a bird’s-eye view. If you were the hiring manager for the role, where on your resume would your eyes be drawn to? And what would you be looking for? Whatever you think will be most important for the recruiter, make sure it’s near the top of your resume, or otherwise emphasized.

Finally, dig into the role and responsibilities of the job. Does your resume reflect similar experience? If not, is there a way you can spin it so that it’s clear you’re capable of doing the job (and doing it well)?

These articles can help you if the word “tailoring” makes you start to sweat:

• What It Really Means to “Tailor Your Resume”
• Your Guide to Making Unrelated Experience Look Relevant on Your Resume
• A Cool Trick: How to Spin 1 Resume Bullet 5 Different Ways

9. Edit and Refine It

Please, please don’t just write your resume and shoot it out without giving it a second glance. Hiring managers may not spend hours browsing it, but if there’s one thing that sticks out more than anything else it’s a glaring typo.

The best approach? Write a rough draft, then leave and come back to it later with fresh eyes to give it an edit.

Cover the basics: Is your contact information correct and updated? Are you using the right verb tenses? Does everything look consistent and accurate in terms of spelling and grammar?

Then do some cutting if your resume’s quite long. It’s no longer a hard-and-fast rule that all resumes must be only one page—but consider it a smart guideline for most applicants, especially if you've got less than 10 years work experience. The exception is if you’re very senior or very established in your career; in this scenario, a two-page resume isn’t completely out of the question. Everyone else, read this article for advice on how to cut your resume down.

Formatting-wise, it’s key to consider a couple things. First, what font are you using , and is it legible (for a human and a robot)? When in doubt, go with one of these simple, but sleek, options: Arial, Arial Narrow, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, or Helvetica.

Second, are you going to save it as a Word document or PDF ? Neither option is wrong, although a PDF helps ensure that your formatting is maintained, no matter what type of computer the hiring manager uses to open the document.

Third, is your resume formatted in a way that it’s skimmable? If it’s feeling crowded or overrun with words, read this: 12 Tiny Changes That Make Your Resume Easy for Recruiters to Skim .

Once you’ve given it a few good looks, it may be worth sending it to a friend or colleague (or even a career coach ) to get a second opinion. Don’t just have them edit it for spelling and grammar—they should dig into your bullets and offer feedback on whether or not your resume is showing you in the best possible light (it’s smart to also send them the job description for something to compare it to).

Here’s the thing: Your resume won’t ever look exactly like someone else’s, nor should it. How you choose to format it, organize your information, and talk about specific experiences depends not just on your career path, but on your field, the job you’re applying for, the company that job is at, and more.

So there isn’t a universal way to do a resume. But there are common themes. To give you some context as to how yours might turn out, here are three examples of different kinds of resumes.

The Most Popular: A Reverse Chronological Resume

As previously mentioned, a reverse chronological resume is preferred by many coaches and HR experts, mainly because it’s super readable. When everything’s in a clear order, it’s easy to skim and even easier to draw lines between experiences.

Who it’s good for: Just about everyone—from students applying to internships all the way up to senior-level executives (with an optional resume summary statement)

Download an Example Chronological Resume for a Software Engineer

The Unorthodox Route: A Functional or Skills-Based Resume

Rather than listing out your experience in reverse chronological order, a functional or skills-based resume has bullet points that reflect how each of your skills is demonstrated by the work you’ve done over the course of your career. At the bottom, you’ll include everything else, such as your education, job history, professional achievements, community involvement, and other technical skills. This is a good option if you have a somewhat all-over-the-place work history and want to tie everything together neatly.

Who it’s good for: Career changers whose work experiences may not appear to be relevant and people with an abundance of temporary jobs or gaps in their work histories.

Download an Example Functional Resume for a Project Manager

The Creative Angle: An Infographic Resume or Resume Website

This resume type is characterized by how it’s formatted visually. You may choose a reverse chronological order or skills-based style to organize your information, but also use graphics, colors, unique fonts, and even multimedia elements to help that information pop. Keep in mind that any creative resume is still likely subject to an ATS—and certain elements may be unreadable by a robot. So consider going this route only if you know a human will be reading your resume (and that said human might enjoy it).

Who it’s good for: People applying to creative roles (designers, editors, writers, marketers, video producers, for example), startups, or fun companies, or to jobs where a creative resume is encouraged, if not required.

Download an Example Infographic Resume for a Designer

Not a designer but want your resume to look just as pretty as this example? Check out these articles:

• 5 Sites to Create an Awesome Infographic Resume (Even if You’re the Least Creative Person Ever)
• How to Build a Resume Website That Will Impress Every Hiring Manager Who Sees It
• 5 Digital Tools That Will Make Your Resume Infinitely More Beautiful

Your resume is a living, breathing document. So while you won’t go through this whole process every time you apply for a job, you should be thinking about all these things as you go to update your resume for your next career step. You might decide later on to switch up the order, or remove or add things, or even get creative and try out a whole new format. If you’re not getting the calls back you expect, you may decide to scrap it and start over —and that’s totally OK.

Regardless of where this piece of paper goes and how it grows, when you give it the care and attention it deserves, you set yourself up for success. And you’ll make it that much more likely that you’ll land an interview and get the chance to prove to the hiring manager—over the phone or in person—what you’ve got to offer.

How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

• The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
• 11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
• 27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

• Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
• Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
• Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
• Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
• Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
• Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
• Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
• Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good. 

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
• Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
• Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume. 

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

• Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
• Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
• Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
• Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
• Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

• Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
• Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
• Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

• Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional. 
• LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate. 
• Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
• Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
• Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
• Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Your job title and years of experience.
• A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
• Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary: 

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

• Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
• Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
• Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
• Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with: 

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

• Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
• Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
• Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
• Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
• Generated leads through cold-calling
• Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

• Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
• Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
• Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

• Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
• Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
• Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

• In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
• Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
• In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

• No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
• Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
• Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
• Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

• Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
• Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
• Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
• Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go! 

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

• Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
• University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
• Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
• Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
• GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
• Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
• Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
• Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

• If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
• You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
• If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
• Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
• Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
• Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

• Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
• Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

• Agile Methodology
• SCRUM Framework
• Waterfall Project Management
• Microsoft Project
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Risk Management

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
• Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
• A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
• Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

• Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
• Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
• Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
• Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better  – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

• Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. 

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

• Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
• Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
• Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
• Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
• Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
• Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
• Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
• Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
• Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
• Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
• Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
• Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
• Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture. 

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking. 

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example 

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Bartender Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

• Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
• Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
• Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
• Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible. 

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template . 

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should: 

• Open MS Word
• Click “file” from the menu bar 
• Select “new”
• Type “resume templates” in the search bar 

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go! 

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format. 

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume? 

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five. 

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume? 

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address. 

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume. 

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

• Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
• Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
• Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
• Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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I tested 5 AI resume builders to help get a job — here's what happened

Here’s how to apply for a job using AI

I long for the day when I’ll wake up in the morning and get my AI ready to go to work for me . Until that time comes, the least AI could do for me today is to help me land a job I like.

Not everyone is a fan of resume and cover letters, but they remain staples in many recruitment processes.

For years, employers have also been using forms of AI to filter through these documents in order to narrow down the pool of applications they receive for any given vacancy. 

The latest advances in generative AI mean that right now employees can leverage AI tools at their disposal to empower themselves in the job-hunting process.

I wanted to see how powerful these tools are. To find out, I created a shortlist of AI resume and cover letter builders that I wanted to try. Tom’s Guide believes in fair fights, so I used each of them as though I was applying for the same job with the same profile.

A target was required and I found a LinkedIn ad for a real job as a remote Software Engineer with generative AI responsibilities at Meta (formerly Facebook) that looked promising.

The role asked for a candidate with over two years of coding experience and over two years of building large-scale applications. More experience was required in designing and completing medium to large features without guidance. Meta was looking for a candidate with, or in the process of obtaining, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent practical experience. In exchange, the company was offering a salary between $116k and $168k per year.

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I created a fictitious aspiring Meta software engineer, Tamsin Smith, in order to have some kind of profile I could submit to the AI. Smith holds two Stanford University degrees in computing science, completed an internship with Twitter and has been working at Google as a software engineer since 2019. 

If that’s not enough for Mark Zuckerberg to give her an offer, she also leads a local scouting group in her free time.

With an actual job ad and an alter ego in hand, I was ready to start reviewing AI tools. Read on to find out which tools I used, what they produced and my thoughts on their performance.

My first attempt was with Rezi.ai since it offers a free basic service and I wanted to check if the way I designed the review could work in principle. And it did!

Right after confirming my email, I was creating Tamsin Smith’s first resume.

I was presented with a choice between a “Job-Tailored Resume” and a “General Purpose Resume”; I went with the first choice as it was exactly what this test was about. It asked me for the role and company I’m targeting but I was blindsided when Rezi asked me to insert a job application I’d written for the role. Isn’t this something the AI should be doing for me?

I finished this side quest and then added basic details like my name and email, followed by my previous work experience. Here’s when I first encountered signs of AI life in the form of a bullet point generator to further explain my role. 

Rezi went on to ask me to add details on projects I’d worked on, my education history, certifications, coursework, involvement in other organizations, and my skills.

The next exciting step was the summary section, where I gladly let the AI take control. It was nothing I couldn’t have come up with myself if I simply wanted to summarize my resume, but it at least merits a pass mark. (I wanted to ask the AI to write a cover letter for me based on the finished resume but that feature requires a subscription.)

Overall Rezi marked the resume it produced at 87 out of 100, which I think is a bit too generous. If you have a rough idea of what you want your resume to look like, by all means, use Rezi so you don’t have to worry about the formatting. It might also provide a helpful AI-generated bullet point or two along the way.

If you were worried that not using Rezi’s AI was the one thing stopping you from getting your dream job, rest assured that (at least with its free version) this is not the case.

My score: 3/5

Resumaker.ai

“Designed templates that will get you hired at the world's leading companies,” Resumaker proudly displayed on its homepage. I also had to pay ($0.99) to download my resume and cover letter. Surely, I was on the verge of getting Tamsin hired?

By now I’d gotten the hang of inserting details like my education and work history. In this regard, little separates the resume builders tested here.

The AI kicked in to provide me with text I could insert as accomplishments in my jobs and as the headline summary. The latter left much to be desired but at least it was presentable. Resumaker didn’t offer to beef up my volunteering section so I had to write that part manually. As a whole, the resume felt a bit dry but at least it was presentable.

However, it’s a good thing this service isn’t called Coverlettermaker. Every sentence it generated started with either an “I am” or “I have”. When you’re working with such a structure, there’s only so much you can do to make the rest more exciting. Furthermore, it left the [Company Name] field for me to fill in. AI that’s supposed to help me land a job in a highly competitive market should come with higher standards. 

Resumaker.ai claims that thousands of applications it created landed people jobs. If there’s any truth to that, then on the bright side we really shouldn’t be overthinking what we’re sending to hiring managers.

The main question I asked myself before deciding whether each AI builder deserved a pass mark was: Can I send out the résumé as is? 

Teal didn’t quite make the cut here.

It asked me to connect the specific job I was applying for from LinkedIn to the resume and it started analyzing the job ad for keywords I should include. Fantastic! I was ready for a made-to-measure summary, past accomplishments, and cover letter — the areas where I wanted the AI to work its magic.

Unfortunately, this is where I felt let down. In the headline summary, Teal ended up giving me a compilation of the achievements it had previously generated but also prominently added that I had expertise in “work authorization”. The AI thought the right to work in the U.S. requirement from Meta’s job description was a hard skill. 

It scored its own resume at 79%.

As far as its cover letter goes, I appreciated that I could generate it for free without having to spend time adding more details than I already had. However, the result was something I could have just as easily written myself.

My score: 2/5

Kickresume.com

The last AI resume maker I wanted to test was Kickresume, which had the highest monthly fee out of the lot at $19 per month. You can bring that down by paying an annual lump sum that brings the pricing down to $9 a month or, as I did, utilize the free trial version. 

Right when I was losing hope in the resume generators, Kickresume lifted my spirits.

Its helpful AI writer was alongside me from start to finish, offering handy suggestions for work accomplishments, explaining my certifications, and also suggesting skills I should list specifically for a software engineering position. I ended up with a clean-looking CV and I didn’t even have to break a sweat.

Kickresume gave the resume it generated a score of 88/100.

If I’m in a pinch and need a new resume that I don’t have to scan for AI-generated sentences that would land me in the "rejected" pile, Kickresume.com is the first website I’ll be visiting.

I wanted to add a nice cherry to the cake, so I asked Kickresume to create a cover letter using the great resume it made. But this is where I was underwhelmed. 

While devoid of grammatical errors, I felt as though the AI didn’t take the résumé and job description I gave into consideration. It provided me with a few short lines that didn’t even name-drop Tamsin’s fictitious stints at Twitter and Google. You wouldn’t even know she completed two degrees at Stanford. Based on my positive experience with the résumé, I couldn’t believe this was the same AI content generator.

My score: 4/5

No subscriptions. No plugins. I wanted to see how well the free version of OpenAI ’s ChatGPT would do against the four dedicated AI resume and cover letter generators listed above.

I tweaked a prompt that I found online and, in 161 words, I asked the AI for a first draft of my new resume. I then asked the chatbot to refine its work based on the job description I gave it to make my resume less generic. In seconds, I had my second draft.

Since ChatGPT only gave me a plain text version of my resume, I then pasted what it gave me into a template from one of the previous builders.

I’m happy to announce that both myself and Tamsin were very pleased with the results. The resume easily rivals the ones generated from the other services I tested. I wouldn’t have minded some text to beef up the education section to explain what I had learned at Stanford. Also, the line pointing out that Meta was previously called Facebook is something I would never have included in a resume intended for Meta’s eyes. Other than that, ChatGPT gave me decent results in the shortest amount of time.

I was especially impressed with the cover letter I asked ChatGPT to craft for me. It was perhaps a bit too long for some tastes but it was arguably the most well-rounded out of the five.

Honorary score: 4/5

The verdict

There have already been reports of people using AI to write resumes and cover letters who ended up getting hired for the positions they’ve applied for, and I’m not surprised. But as this test has shown, a website’s claim that it uses AI to provide a service is not some kind of guarantee of the level of service you can expect. 

Shop around when looking for AI resume and cover letter writers. Perhaps combine two or more of them to leverage each one’s specific strengths. But add the finishing touches yourself.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google's new Gemini AI could beat ChatGPT — here's why
• Google’s plan to train its AI now includes the entire public internet
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Where can i get resume help 14 free and affordable options.

This article originally appeared on My Life, I Guess and has been republished here with permission.

Your resume is your introduction to a potential employer. A weak or ineffective resume will make the wrong first impression and will likely prevent you from getting a job. It's not something that you can just quickly throw together or copy off of Google. Developing a strong resume takes time, as it's unique to you and your experiences.

That's why it's essential to get help with your resume, especially if you've been looking for a job for a while. The good news is there are plenty of free and affordable ways you can get resume help.

DIY Free Resume Help

Assisted free resume help, resume builders, professional resume writers.

Making an effective resume can feel complex, but it doesn't have to be.

This is particularly true if you are updating your current resume, when you're applying for student jobs or entry-level-type jobs, or have a straightforward work history.

If you're comfortable with the more "do-it-yourself" approach and are looking for a bit of help, here are a few of your options:

Your Friends and Family

At a minimum, you should have another person review your resume. They can help you catch typos and other grammatical mistakes, even if they know nothing about writing resumes or the industry you're applying for.

Sometimes, not knowing much about your chosen field is a good thing. The person reviewing your resume can pinpoint any time you use industry jargon or acronyms which may be unclear. Someone in the HR department may not be familiar with these terms, either.

You should be using keywords from the job posting or job description to help avoid any confusion.

Your friends and family can also tell you whether or not your resume passes the 6-second glance test . If they can't tell you within a few seconds what type of job you're trying to get, your resume isn't doing its job and needs fixing.

Your Colleagues

Asking a trusted colleague or co-worker for help with your resume is smart because they know more about the industry and job responsibilities. This is particularly true for specialized and technical roles.

You do need to be careful, though. Unless you are applying for a promotion or internal transfer, you might not want your coworkers to know that you are applying for jobs elsewhere. This information could get back to your manager, and you probably don't want that to happen.

You could reach out to a former colleague or someone from your network instead.

Grammarly is a free program that is essentially an elevated spell-checker and grammar-checker. It will catch the common writing mistakes for you and offer suggestions to make your sentences more concise. The clearer and easier your resume is, the better.

You can use Grammarly with the browser extension, copy and paste your text into their website editor, in Google Docs, or install the Microsoft Word and Outlook add-in. It even works on your text messages and social media updates if you download the app on your phone!

If you do a lot of writing, the paid premium version is absolutely worth it, in my opinion. I use Grammarly every day on every article, email, and resume I write at my day job and for this blog.

Reddit Resumes

Yes, strangers in the Reddit Resumes community will help you with your resume. With over 285,000 members, you can "Post your résumé for critique, critique someone else's, or look for examples of résumés in your field."

And I have to say, as a long-time lurker and occasional commenter, I have been really impressed with the advice people in this community give.

You can upload a version of your resume (with your personal details removed), and people will offer their advice and suggestions.

If you're not comfortable posting your own resume, browsing through the threads is also incredibly helpful, especially if you can find people applying to similar jobs.

Career Blogs

Career blogs offer tons of advice and resources, usually for free. You can browse through the articles for resume tips or sign up for their email lists and job-related resources.

Some resources and services may come at a cost, but signing up to an email list is usually all you need to get access.

Sign up to access my free resource library or browse through my career and unemployment articles for advice!

Resume & ATS Scanning Websites

There are plenty of free (or free trial) sites that will review your resume and compare it to the specific job posting you're applying for. The algorithms will tell you exactly what needs work, as well as what keywords you're missing.

Most employers use scanning software (Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS) to initially screen applications. While these scanners won't catch spelling mistakes or other errors, they will tell you if you are using the right keywords for the job. And you need those keywords to make it to the next step in the hiring process.

Sites like ResumeWorded.com , Jobscan.co , and ResyMatch.io are my personal favorite and are easy to use. (You will need to create a free account, but they don't ask for a credit card or any payment info.)

You don't have to search for a job alone. There are many different ways you can get assisted, professional help with your resume and job hunting for free.

Employment Centers

Employment centers, unemployment centers, career centers, American Job Centers , employment agencies, employment assessment centers, training centers, skill development centers, workforce development…

No matter what they're called, these organizations are government-funded and free for everyone to use.

The specific services offered at each location will vary, but generally speaking, you can expect to find:

Access to computers, photocopiers, printers, fax machines, and telephones

Local job postings and online job banks

Resources and templates for creating a resume and cover letter

Resume samples

Interview preparation tips

Information on the labor market

Workshops on various job-related topics

Referrals to other agencies and support services

Career assessment tests

Skills training and identification

Staff available to answer your questions and assist you

Employment counseling may also be available, but there might be eligibility criteria (such as being unemployed, working part-time, or within a specific age group).

And as a bonus, if your local center also works with hiring managers and employers, you can get access to job opportunities in the hidden job market .

Related Read: These 10 Great Jobs All Pay at Least $40,000

Social Service Organizations

If you belong to a specific demographic, many social service organizations provide career and job search support. These groups include:

Immigrants, refugees, and newcomers

People with disabilities

People with mental health illnesses

People with crim i nal records

Youth (typically ages 15-25, but can go up to age 29)

People of Aboriginal descent

Homeless people or those living in shelters

People with barriers to employment

In North America, you can call "211" and be connected with the right help, or visit www.211.org (US) or www.211.ca (Canada).

The Library

Most libraries offer training workshops on various topics, including filing your taxes and writing resumes. Unlike the do-it-yourself approach, attending workshops gives you the chance to ask questions and get the specific answers you need.

Libraries usually provide job-related information, resume examples, and helpful links on their website. They also have books and other resources to help with your career development beyond the hiring process.

You should also ask or check out what other free training courses they offer or can refer you to. Learning new job skills will make your resume stronger!

Adult Education Centers & Literacy Centers

Continuing education centers and community centers run various workshops, including job readiness, soft skill development, resume and cover letter assistance, and job searching tips. Depending on the center, they may also provide free career coaching.

If your local adult education or literacy groups don't offer these services, they can tell where you can go to get free resume help.

The employment center I work at has a close partnership with all education, upgrading, and training service providers in our region and will often run workshops for their participants.

College Career Services

If you are a student, soon-to-be grad, recent grad, or alumni, see what career services your college or university provides.

A benefit of working with your school's career center is that they will be more familiar with the degree or diploma program you took and can provide more targeted assistance.

Staffing Agencies

Also known as temp agencies, staffing agencies are designed to match job seekers with employers who are hiring.

As a job seeker, you can meet with a recruiter (for free) who will ask about your skills and experience. They will do a resume critique and provide feedback on how to make your resume stronger, as well as what types of jobs you're best suited for.

If there is a match between your qualifications and an open vacancy, you may not even need to worry about fixing your resume. You could be hired directly for the role!

Related Read: 12 Jobs Working with Animals That Pay Good Money

EMSI Skills is a free skills-based resume builder and optimizer with over 30,000+ skills in its library. Their tools make it easy to add your in-demand and related skills to your resume.

The other resume builders I recommend are not free, but they are super affordable starting at only $3.

Resume Companion , My Perfect Resume , and Zety are very similar, and I like them all a lot. They will walk you through building your resume and cover letter and provide helpful tips and examples that you can click to add. The sites also let you quickly change your template with the click of a button.

A 14-day trial (which may be all you need) is only $3, or pay $96 per year.

My Perfect Resume also has a Chrome extension that works with the major job sites (including Indeed, ZipRecruiter , Monster , Snagajob , and more) that will auto-fill your applications. That alone is worth a few bucks a month, isn't it?

Resumonk is another good option. It has a simple interface that provides resume writing tips, and you can import your LinkedIn profile to make the process even faster. There is a limited free option, but otherwise, it costs $29 per year or $99 for lifetime access.

If you really just want your resume written for you, getting a professional resume writer might be worth the investment (especially if it means you get hired). Depending on what level you are at and what is included, expect to pay anywhere from $100 – $500.

You can get a free resume review through the Job Sauce that includes a phone consultation with a real person and resume expert (US only). They also offer professional resume writing starting at $250 but have mixed reviews.

According to the Balance Careers, the best resume writing services available online include Let's Eat, Grandma , Monster.com , and The Muse .

Resume Writers has been around since 1999 and is also considered one of the top resume writing services. They charge $170 – $300 for a resume and cover letter that will be delivered to you within 72 hours.

If you prefer to work with someone who knows more about your local economy, search online for "professional resume writers near me" and read through the reviews.

Unfortunately, anyone can call themselves a professional resume writer, even if they don't have the qualifications. So if you decide to go this way, asking for a personal recommendation is your best bet, if you know anyone who has hired a resume writer before.

In Conclusion

There are plenty of options available to you to get free help with your resume and job search. Don't be afraid to take advantage of them so that you can stop looking and start working at a job you enjoy!

Make a Mistake-Free Resume with Our Resume Fixer

A full list of all the mistakes our resume fixer has found in your resume

Make sure your resume is error-free and compelling with Enhancv’s AI Resume Fixer

Resume fixer is a free and quick tool that can help you fix mistakes easily, comprehensive grammar and spelling fixer, repetition fixer, buzzwords and cliche fixer, quantifiable impact fixer.

Enhance your resume with our comprehensive resume improvement toolset

Content analyzer.

Our resume fixer tool does more than just rectify spelling mistakes — it offers actionable guidance to improve your content. If you've overlooked the inclusion of measurable achievements, our tool will highlight these areas. With insights gathered from thousands of successful resumes, our fixer tool ensures your qualifications and skills are showcased optimally.

Referral Link

Sharing your resume with someone who can offer a fresh perspective is a step towards securing that job. Use the referral link to your resume and send it to someone who’s been employed at the same company, or even better, in the same department or position. Connect with ex-employees on LinkedIn or join relevant Facebook Groups. By asking their opinion on your resume, you can gain valuable insights and feedback.

In This Guide:

What are the most common resume mistakes that need to be corrected, is hiring a resume writer the only way to fix a resume.

• Poor Spelling and Grammar : This is perhaps the most common mistake, and one of the most detrimental. Poor spelling and grammar can give a employer the impression that you lack attention to detail or professionalism. Always proofread your resume before sending it out.
• Being Too Vague : Your resume needs to clearly show what you've achieved in your previous roles. Statements that are vague and don't contain specific results or actions can weaken your resume. Always try to quantify your achievements.
• Too Long or Too Short : Ideally, a resume should be one to two pages long. If it's too long, it might be seen as unfocused or filled with irrelevant information. If it's too short, it may appear that you don't have much experience or achievements.
• Using an Unprofessional Email Address : Your contact information should reflect your professional identity, and an unprofessional email address can undermine that.
• Not Tailoring the Resume for the Job : It's important to customize your resume for each job application , highlighting the skills and experience that are most relevant to the role you're applying for. A generic resume can come across as uninterested or unfocused.
• Including Irrelevant Information : Information that's not related to the job you're applying for can make your resume look unfocused. This includes irrelevant job experience, hobbies, or personal information.
• Lying or Exaggerating : While it can be tempting to inflate your achievements or skills, this can backfire badly if you're caught, and it's often easy for employers to verify this information. Always be truthful on your resume.
• Poor Formatting : A poorly formatted resume can be difficult to read and can give the impression of unprofessionalism. Make sure your resume is neat, well-organized, and uses consistent font and style.
• Using Clichés : Using cliché terms or phrases like "hardworking", "team player", or "detail-oriented" without supporting them with specific examples can make your resume seem generic.
• Not Including Keywords : Many companies use software to screen resumes, and these systems often look for specific keywords related to the job. Make sure your resume includes keywords that are relevant to the job description.

Remember, your resume is often the first impression a potential employer gets of you, so it's crucial to make it as polished and professional as possible.

No, hiring a professional resume writer is not the only way to fix a resume. While it can be helpful for some people, especially if you're struggling with the format, language, or selling your experience effectively, there are several other strategies you can employ to improve your resume:

• Self-Review : Spend time going through your resume meticulously. Look for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. Make sure that your resume is accurate, clear, concise, and professional-looking.
• Tailoring : Always customize your resume for each job you apply for. Use the job description to identify what the employer is looking for, and tailor your resume to match those needs.
• Peer Review : Have someone else, such as a trusted friend or mentor, look over your resume. They may spot errors or areas for improvement that you may have missed.
• Enhancv’s Resources : There are numerous of free Enhancv resources online, including templates, guides, and advice from career experts, that can help you write and format a strong resume.
• Career Centers : If you're a student or recent graduate, your university's career center can provide guidance and feedback on your resume.
• Workshops and Seminars : Look for resume-writing workshops or seminars in your area. These can provide valuable tips and feedback, and some are free to attend.
• Professional Feedback : If you're in a professional organization or network, consider asking for feedback from peers or mentors in your field.
• Using Resume Builders: There are several online resume builders that provide structured templates and guidance to help you create a professional resume.

Remember, the goal of a resume is to present your skills, experience, and qualifications clearly and succinctly to potential employers. You don't necessarily need a professional writer to achieve this, although they can certainly help if you're struggling.

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Enhancv Executive has changed my life: One week & four interviews later, I will be making 150% more doing the job I chose.

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Is your resume any good? Compare your resume against other successful resumes in our database and discover your resume score. Get instant feedback and personalized tips on how to improve it.

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Turn your resume into a personal website with a single click. Let your future employer look you up online. Create a strong online presence and make sure they see you in the best possible light.

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Automate your resume writing with AI Writer.

See for yourself how our AI Resume Writer can drastically speed up your resume writing process. Thanks to artificial intelligence, we were able to automate the process of writing a resume (and cover letter) to the point of it being almost entirely effortless and faster than ever.

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Here’s a million design combinations. Do what you want. Whether you’re a nurse or engineer, your resume will always stand out.

“Not only does Kickresume provide templates, it also makes you think vigorously about yourself as a candidate, thus getting the best out of you. I would highly recommend Kickresume to every enthusiastic jobseeker — give it a try and you'll fall in love with it.“ David Mantic, Product Manager at Telekom

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“When I was changing careers, I wanted a resume with a modern look and feel that would set me apart from other applicants. When I came across Kickresume, I absolutely loved their designs and the ease of use. What's more, interviewers would often tell me how pleased they were with the look of my resume.“ Steve Dominguez, Graphic Designer at K-Brite

“Kickresume is by far the most powerful resume editor on the web. It helped me create my resume really fast and people are always "Wow" when they see it. Moreover, having a portfolio website is awesome and it's easy to create. A must-have tool for anyone who changes jobs regularly.“ Bastien Vidé, Full-stack Developer & Team Manager at Airfrance

“When I was looking for my first job after finishing university, I struggled to stand out from the crowd of other graduates. Kickresume gave me the edge I needed. Suddenly I would get invited to interviews! I can't recommend it enough. Great designs, incredibly easy to use and totally worth the upgrade.“ Peter Trenkner, Product Line Manager at Dell

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Why is Kickresume the best resume builder online?

Because it has the best, most polished, and fundamentally functional product that will make every step of your job search journey easier. Here's how:

Kickresume’s online resume builder offers you a wide range of professionally-designed resume templates and cover letter templates with features and elements that let you customize it however you like.

These features include:

• Resume templates & cover letter templates with more than a million possible design configurations designed by a team of HR experts and typographers to ensure optimal readability, a visually-appealing design, and an optimization for ATS software.
• Kickresume Autopilot lets you assemble your resume from more than 20,000 pre-written phrases for more than 3,200 positions. This helps you find the right words right from the start and write your resume quickly.
• AI resume writer which will generate a relevant work experience section for a specific job title.
• AI cover letter writer that can generate role-specific cover letters that look and feel a lot like cover letters written by real people.
• AI resume checker which will analyze your resume to find out what needs to be improved.
• LinkedIn data import option which makes it easy to create a resume in a few clicks, saving you the hassle of starting from scratch.
• Resume and cover letter samples that you can use to create your first draft or get inspired. Our database holds 1,500+ job-specific resumes belonging to real people.
• A website builder which can turn your resume into a personal website for free with a single click.
• Mobile resume building app is the ideal tool for building a resume on a phone.

If you’re not convinced yet, we dare you to take a look at other resume builders. See how many of them let you download a resume an unlimited number of times or that can do something as basic as an automatic page break.

Oh, and did we mention that Kickresume has already helped more than 2,000,000 people get hired, with many in the world’s top companies like Google , SpaceX , or Apple ? We take pride in that.

How to write a resume?

If you don’t know where to begin, don’t worry. Kickresume will guide you through every stage of writing your resume, one section at a time. Here's a simple guide to creating your resume:

• First, you sign up or log in to your Kickresume account. When logged in, on the dashboard scroll down to Your Documents and click on Create New.
• Next, you can choose among:
• creating a brand new resume using the template and customization options of your choice
• importing your existing data from LinkedIn and choosing your preferred design
• using one of 1,500+ existing resume samples and tweaking the details to match yours
• Finally, you add resume sections and populate each one with relevant content. You can also assemble the first draft of your resume just by clicking or using AI:
• We’ve got more than 20,000 pre-written phrases for more than 3,200 jobs. Simply start editing your resume, click “Add Phrases”, look up your job title, and watch your resume write itself.
• AI resume writer will generate a relevant work experience section for a specific job title. You can then edit it and tweak the details to make it more you.

If you're not sure about how to write the individual sections of your resume, you can visit our Help Center , read the ultimate resume guide , or click the chameleon icon inside the app.

How to make your resume stand out?

It comes down to two things: design & content . Kickresume can help with both.

• First, give your resume an eye-catching yet professional look. The easiest way to do that is to use a resume builder and pick a professionally designed template that fits your industry and profession. All of these are visually appealing and ATS-friendly.
• Second, write your resume in a way that emphasizes your strongest points. With Kickresume, we want to make your life easier, which is why our features let you:
• Assemble the first draft of your resume just by clicking. We’ve got more than 20,000 pre-written phrases for more than 3,200 jobs. Simply start editing your resume, click “Add Phrases”, look up your job title, and choose relevant phrases.
• Choose from our 1,500+ job-specific resume samples and tweak the information to make it more you. And, if you really can't be bothered,
• Use Kickresume's AI resume writer which will generate a relevant work experience section for a specific job title. Watch your resume write itself.

What is a cover letter?

Your cover letter is a one-page document that you attach to your resume as part of your job application. It can take many forms: the text inside the body of your job application email, a filled out website form, or a standalone document.

The purpose of a cover letter is to:

• Introduce yourself to your future potential employer;
• Illustrate your background;
• Explain why the offered position would be a good fit for you;
• And explain why you would be a good fit for the company.

In a cover letter, you have a unique chance to present yourself, show your personality, and add details that one cannot fit into a structured resume. Finally, a well-written cover letter is an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants and increase your chances of landing an interview.

If you dread having to spend time writing one, let our AI Cover Letter Builder make one for you or get inspired by 1,250+ cover letter examples from real people.

If you'd like to know more, read our comprehensive expert guide: What Is a Cover Letter and How to Write One?

How to create a cover letter?

With Kickresume, there’s nothing easier. Simply log in to your account, click “ Create Cover Letter ” and choose from 3 options:

• You can pick from a large number of cover letter templates that match your resume design and customize your new cover letter in every possible way.
• Alternatively, check our 1250+ job-specific cover letter samples , pick the one you like, and tweak the details to make it more you.
• And, if you dread having to spend time writing one, let our AI Cover Letter Writer make one for you.

If you'd like to know more and see cover letter samples , head over to our Help Center .

How does the AI Resume Writer work?

Kickresume’s AI Resume Writer is able to generate a work experience section based on a provided job title.

All you have to do is:

• Sign up or log in to your Kickresume account. When logged in, on the dashboard scroll down to Your Documents and click on Create New.
• When filling in the Work Experience section, enter your job title, click “ Use AI Writer ” and the AI will generate a number of bullet points for your work experience subsection.
• If you don't like these bullet points, you can either edit them or delete them and click the button again.
• If you like the bullet points but feel like that section is still too short, simply click the button again and the AI will add more phrases to it.

Our AI Resume Builder is easy to use, generates unique resumes every time, and uses natural language indistinguishable from resumes written by human writers.

What is the best AI Resume Builder?

Definitely Kickresume's AI Resume Builder . Here are the reasons why:

• Kickresume AI Resume Builder is based on OpenAI’s GPT-3 neural network, which is the world's most powerful natural language processing model .
• The texts produced by this language model are indistinguishable from texts written by human writers.
• Each resume that is produced by our AI Resume Builder is unique and custom-built for you.

What is an AI Cover Letter Builder?

Kickresume’s AI cover letter writer is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3 natural language processing model. It can generate role-specific cover letters that look and feel a lot like cover letters written by real people.

On the other hand, it has its own limitations. Artificial intelligence doesn’t know you. It cannot tell your story the way you’d be able to.

That's why you should use this cover letter writer with caution. Nevertheless, it can produce a decent-enough cover letter that you can use as your first draft in case you’re struggling with writer’s block. However, remember to edit your AI-generated cover letter and make it more you.

Learn more about the AI cover letter writer or try it out for yourself and generate your cover letter .

How does an AI Cover Letter Builder work?

Simply enter your most recent job title, press the “Use AI Writer” button and the AI writer will generate a cover letter for you.

If you don’t like that cover letter, simply press the button again. It will generate another set of sentences or rewrite the cover letter from scratch.

Let your resume do the work.

Join 5,000,000 job seekers worldwide and get hired faster with your best resume yet.

195 Resume Power Words That Will Get You Hired (+ Examples)

3 key takeaways

• Power words in resumes can significantly increase your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers.
• Tailor your power words to your specific industry and job role for maximum effectiveness.
• Teal’s AI Resume Builder helps make every resume bullet point impactful with AI.

Power words are to resumes what headlines are to a newspaper—they highlight key details and orient the reader. Resume action words grab the attention of the hiring manager and applicant tracking systems—increasing your odds of standing out.

In this guide, you'll learn 195 resume power words, how to use them effectively, and the nuances of industry-specific power powers to help you craft a compelling resume that lands job interviews.

Struggling to land interviews? Write a more impactful resume with Teal's resume builder AI .

What are resume power words?

Resume power words are strong, descriptive words that highlight your skills, achievements, and qualifications. These words help you make an impact because they: 

• Grab attention: They draw the reader's eye to your key accomplishments.
• Convey confidence: You appear self-assured and capable by using assertive language.
• Showcase specificity: Power words are precise and help hiring managers skim your resume without missing important details.
• Improve ATS performance: Power words often align with keywords that applicant tracking systems are programmed to identify. This increases your chances of passing initial screenings. 

195 resume power words to supercharge your application

To make your resume stand out, use words that showcase your achievements. Here's a list of resume power words designed to help your application leave a lasting impression on hiring managers.

Resume action verbs

Strong action verbs communicate your exact responsibility in a job role. They help hiring managers assess your accomplishments in context. Here are 100 powerful verbs that can make each bullet point on your resume more compelling.

• Spearheaded
• Orchestrated

Communication

• Articulated

Problem-solving

• Troubleshot
• Streamlined
• Conceptualized

Achievement

• Outperformed
• Accelerated
• Investigated
• Benchmarked

Improvement

• Coordinated
• Administered
• Consolidated

Customer service

• Implemented

Project management

• Facilitated

Collaboration

Accomplishment, descriptive adjectives.

The right adjectives can paint a vivid picture of the candidate's personal qualities and strengths. These 50 descriptive words will help you make an impact.

• Collaborative
• Resourceful
• Enterprising
• Conscientious
• Accomplished
• Results-oriented
• Detail-oriented

Industry-specific buzzwords

Each industry has its own language, and using the right buzzwords can demonstrate your expertise and familiarity with the field. These 45 industry-specific terms can help you speak directly to hiring managers in your chosen field.

• Machine learning
• Cryptocurrency
• Risk management
• Quantitative analysis
• Content marketing
• Brand equity
• Conversion rate
• Customer acquisition
• Telemedicine
• Electronic health records (EHR)
• Patient-centered care
• Clinical trials
• Population health
• Differentiated instruction
• Blended learning
• Formative assessment
• Inquiry-based learning

Human resources

• Talent acquisition
• Employee engagement
• Diversity and inclusion
• Performance management
• Succession planning
• Due diligence
• Intellectual property
• Arbitration

Manufacturing

• Lean manufacturing
• Supply chain management
• Quality assurance
• Just-in-Time (JIT)

Environmental

• Sustainability
• Renewable energy
• Carbon footprint
• Circular economy
• Green technology

How to use power words effectively in your resume

Now, you can’t just replace regular words with their “powerful synonyms” and call it a day. You have to place them strategically to gently compel the reader or impress hiring managers. Here’s how:

Identifying key responsibilities in job postings can help you tailor your resume effectively, ensuring alignment between your skills and the specific demands of the job.

Using power words effectively requires strategy and balance. Here’s how to make the most of them in your resume.

Tailor power words to job descriptions

To maximize your chances of getting noticed, align power words closely with the specific job description:

1. Analyze the job posting: Identify key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities emphasized in the listing.

2. Highlight relevant keywords: Note industry-specific terms and power verbs used in the description. Tip: Teal's Matching Mode does this for you.

3. Match your experiences: Select power words that accurately describe your achievements and align with the job requirements.

4. Incorporate naturally: Weave these words into your resume, ensuring they fit contextually and don't appear forced.

5. Prioritize placement: Use the most impactful power words in prominent sections like your professional summary and recent job descriptions. If you're writing a cover letter, sprinkle power words throughout but don't stuff them in any one section.

Balance action words with concrete examples

While power words add impact, they must be supported by specific, quantifiable achievements:

• Start with a power word: Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb.
• Follow with a specific accomplishment: Provide context and details about what you achieved.
• Quantify results: Include numbers, percentages, or other measurable outcomes whenever possible.
• Show impact: Explain how your actions benefited the company or contributed to larger goals.

Power word example in a sentence

• Weak: Responsible for sales increase.
• Strong: Spearheaded sales initiative that boosted revenue by 35% in Q3, outperforming targets by 20%.

Avoid overuse and maintain authenticity

While power words are effective, overuse can diminish their impact and make your resume seem insincere:

• Use variety: Avoid repeating the same power words throughout your resume.
• Be truthful: Only use words that accurately reflect your experiences and abilities.
• Balance with simpler language: Mix power words with more straightforward language to maintain readability.
• Consider context: Ensure the power words you choose are appropriate for your industry and career level.
• Read aloud: Review your resume by reading it out loud to catch any awkward phrasing or overuse of power words.

Replacing weak words with power words

Not all words are created equal when it comes to your resume. By replacing weak, vague words with stronger alternatives, you can create a more impactful narrative. Here’s how to make those crucial swaps:

Common weak words to avoid

Frequently used weak words can dilute the impact of a resume by making your accomplishments seem vague or unimpressive. Here are some common weak words and why they are ineffective:

• Responsible for : Implies duty, not action
• Helped : Lacks specificity and doesn’t highlight your role
• Worked on : Vague and does not convey the impact of your initiative
• Assisted with : Implies a secondary role, not leadership
• Participated in : Does not show your direct contributions or the extent of your role
• Job duties included : Focuses on tasks rather than achievements
• Familiar with : Suggests a basic understanding and not proficiency
• Involved in : Does not clarify your specific role
• Handled : Too general; does not indicate outcomes
• Dealt with : Vague and non-specific

Power word alternatives

Replace weak words with powerful alternatives to make your resume more dynamic and impactful. Here’s a list of common weak words and their power word alternatives:

Examples of how to rewrite sentences using power words:

Weak: Responsible for managing team projects. Strong: Orchestrated cross-functional team projects, consistently delivering results 15% ahead of schedule. ‍ ‍ Weak: Helped with customer service issues. Strong: Resolved complex customer service issues, achieving a 98% satisfaction rate and reducing escalations by 30%. Weak: Worked on marketing campaigns. Strong: Developed and executed integrated marketing campaigns, driving a 25% increase in customer engagement.

Industry-specific power word examples

Tailoring your resume with industry-specific power words can draw the reader's attention to relevant achievements. These examples show how to align your language with the expectations and standards of various fields.

Technology and IT

In the world of technology and IT, precision and clarity are key. Here’s a selection of power words that can help you articulate your technical expertise and accomplishments.Power words

• Architected

Sample resume statements

• Architected scalable cloud infrastructure, reducing downtime by 99% and cutting operational costs by 30%.
• Debugged complex legacy code, improving system performance by 40% and eliminating critical security vulnerabilities.

Finance and accounting

Accuracy and attention to detail are crucial in finance and accounting. These power words will help you highlight your analytical skills and financial acumen:

Power words

• Diversified
• Strategized
• Forecasted quarterly revenue projections with 98% accuracy to aid expansion initiatives.
• Streamlined accounts payable processes, to reduce  processing time by 35% and eliminate $50,000 in annual late fees.

Marketing and sales

Success in marketing and sales depends on driving engagement and converting opportunities into results. These power words will help you showcase your ability to innovate, persuade, and achieve impressive outcomes:

• Transformed
• Revolutionized
• Launched an innovative social media campaign that led to increased brand engagement by 150% and drove 10,000 new qualified leads.
• Negotiated strategic partnerships with key industry players, resulting in a 40% boost in annual revenue and expanded market share.

Healthcare and medical

In the healthcare and medical sectors, your resume usually needs to reflect both your technical skills and your dedication to patient care. These power words emphasize your expertise in delivering quality healthcare and improving patient outcomes.

• Rehabilitated
• Collaborated
• Implemented new patient care protocols, reducing average hospital stay duration by two days and improving patient satisfaction scores by 25%.
• Researched and introduced cutting-edge treatment methods, resulting in a 40% increase in positive outcomes for chronic condition management.

Education and teaching

Educators are not just teachers—they are mentors and leaders shaping the future. Use these power words to highlight your contributions to student learning, curriculum development, and educational excellence.

• Differentiated
• Developed and implemented inquiry-based science curriculum, increasing student engagement by 45% and improving standardized test scores by 30%.
• Mentored struggling students through targeted intervention programs, resulting in an 80% improvement in academic performance over one semester.

How to add power words to different resume sections using AI

Strategically incorporating power words throughout your resume can make it seem more personalized and human. Here's how Teal helps:

Professional summary

The professional summary is your chance to make a strong first impression. Use power words to concisely convey your value proposition:

Example: "Dynamic marketing strategist with a proven track record of developing innovative campaigns that drive engagement and boost ROI. Skilled in leveraging data analytics to optimize performance and deliver measurable results across diverse industries."

You can add a professional summary by using Teal’s in-built summary generator. Follow these steps: 

• Import your existing resume into the Resume Builder

Import your LinkedIn profile or create a resume from scratch in minutes if you don't have one. Your summary will be more accurate if you provide more details about your career. 

• Update your work experiences and add achievements

Be sure to include multiple accomplishments related to your recent roles for the best results from the Resume Summary Generator.

• Generate your resume summary with AI

Save the AI-generated resume summaries to your Teal Resume Builder.

• Review and regenerate your summary

By clicking "Re-generate with AI", you can generate a new professional summary based on the existing settings. 

You can save multiple resume summaries so you can use different ones for different applications. 

Work experience

In your work experience section, use power words to highlight your achievements and responsibilities.

Teal's AI Assistant makes this easy, automatically adding power powers to the beginning of every bullet point.

• Before: Responsible for managing team and completing projects.
• After: Spearheaded a cross-functional team of 12, delivering complex projects 20% under budget and one week ahead of schedule.
• Before: Helped with customer service and solved problems.
• After: Resolved critical customer issues, achieving a 98% satisfaction rate and reducing churn by 15%.

Skills section

Enhance your skills section by using power words that align with industry-specific competencies:

• Proficient in data visualization and predictive modeling techniques
• Adept at agile project management methodologies
• Skilled in negotiating high-stakes contracts and partnerships

Achievements and accomplishments

Use power words to make your achievements and resume stand out:

• Pioneered company-wide sustainability initiative, reducing carbon footprint by 30% and generating $2M in cost savings.
• Orchestrated merger and acquisition strategy, resulting in 50% market share growth within 18 months.
• Revolutionized customer onboarding process, slashing time-to-value by 60% and boosting retention rates by 25%.

The impact of power words on applicant tracking systems (ATS)

In today’s job market, your resume must pass through ATS before reaching human eyes. Understanding how power words interact with these systems can give you a crucial edge in landing an interview.

How ATS process power words

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) play a crucial role in the initial screening of resumes. Here’s how they interact with power words:

• Keyword matching: ATS scan resumes for specific keywords related to the job description.
• Relevance scoring: Resumes are ranked based on the presence and frequency of relevant terms.
• Contextual analysis: Advanced ATS can understand the context in which words are used, not just their presence.
• Skill identification: Power words often signal specific skills or experiences that match job requirements.

Strategies for ATS-friendly power word usage

To ensure your resume is both ATS-friendly and impactful:

• Incorporate relevant keywords: Use keywords from the job description naturally throughout your resume.
• Balance power words and keywords: Mix industry-standard terms with relevant power words.
• Avoid overstuffing: Don’t overuse keywords or power words to the point of reducing readability.
• Use standard formatting: Stick to simple, ATS-compatible formatting to ensure all keywords and power words are recognized.

Measuring the effectiveness of your power words

Crafting the perfect resume requires continuous refinement. A/B testing and gathering feedback are essential for measuring the impact of your power words and ensuring your resume resonates with employers.

A/B testing your resume

A/B testing your resume can help determine the effectiveness of different power word usage:

• Create variants: Develop two versions of your resume, each using different sets of power words.
• Submit both versions: Apply to similar jobs with both resume versions.
• Track responses: Monitor the response rate from employers for each version.
• Analyze results: Determine which version received more positive feedback or job interview invitations.

Gathering feedback

Professional feedback is crucial for refining your resume:

• Ask for reviews: Request input from career coaches, mentors, or peers.
• Use online services: Utilize professional resume review services for expert advice.
• Interpret feedback: Analyze the feedback received to understand how your power word usage can be improved.

Power up your career with resume power words

To create a distinct resume, use words that pack a punch and highlight your achievements with precision. Power words tailored to the job and industry can elevate your resume’s impact. But remember, balance is crucial—combine these words with metrics and case studies to avoid sounding superficial.

Start by refining your resume and adding or improving power words where needed. Teal’s AI-powered Resume Builder can streamline this process, helping you craft a resume that grabs attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many power words should you include in your resume.

Balance is crucial when incorporating power words into your resume. Aim for one to two power words per bullet point to maintain a strong yet natural tone. This ensures your resume is impactful without appearing exaggerated.

Can using too many power words hurt your chances of getting hired?

Yes, overusing power words can hurt your chances by making your resume seem insincere or cliché. It’s important to use power words genuinely to reflect your true experiences and achievements. Mixing power words with straightforward language helps maintain a natural flow.

Are there any power words you should avoid in your resume?

Avoid overused or cliché power words like "committed dynamic," "synergy," "hardworking," and "go-getter." These terms can make your resume seem generic and unimpressive. Instead, choose more industry-specific and impactful alternatives that accurately describe your skills and achievements.

How can you use power words if you're just starting your career?

If you're starting your career, focus on highlighting transferable skills gained from internships, volunteer work, or academic projects. Use power words to emphasize your enthusiasm and potential for growth. For example, instead of "participated in a marketing project," say "spearheaded a marketing project that increased social media engagement by 20%."

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18 Résumé Writing Tips to Help You Stand Out

By  Allison Pohle

Updated May 11, 2021 2:15 pm ET

• A résumé isn’t just a list of every job you’ve ever had. It should demonstrate your accomplishments.
• Mirror language used in the job posting so your résumé isn’t discarded by an applicant tracking system.
• Use a clean and simple format. 

Companies increasingly  rely on software  to sort through applicants, which is why it is essential to tailor your résumé to ensure it makes the cut. Applicant tracking systems sort, scan and rank applicants by looking for keywords in applications. Although these programs can save time and money for employers, about 60% said such tools cause them to miss some qualified candidates, according to a 2016 survey of 1,200 job seekers and managers by CareerArc, a human-resources technology company, and Future Workplace, a research firm. Here’s how to make your résumé stand out to robots and humans alike. 

1. Highlight your achievements in your résumé. 

A common mistake job seekers make is believing a résumé is a recap of your career, when in reality, it should convey what you have accomplished, says Christy Noel, a career expert and author of “Your Personal Career Coach.” 

“I always say, spend less of your real estate describing your job, and more time describing your results,” says Ms. Noel.  

2. Customize your résumé.

Read over the job posting, and think about the work experience you have had that is most directly relevant to the position you are pursuing. You can leave out some past jobs and internships if the experience you had wasn’t related. Whatever you do: Don’t submit a generic résumé to dozens of postings. “Even if you have the best experience, if your résumé isn’t speaking directly to the position in which you are applying, there is a strong chance you’ll never even get an interview,” says Demisha Jennings, a certified professional résumé writer and founder and owner of She Assists LLC.  

The same applies to your cover letter. It is your chance to provide more detail on how your experience will help you succeed in the job.  Read our cover letter guide  for how to write one that makes you stand out.

3. Decide how to format your résumé.

Most of the time, a chronological résumé will work well for communicating your past experience. But, in some cases, a functional or hybrid résumé might be more appropriate.  Read more about résumé formats here.

4. Make your contact information easy to find.

Include your name, phone number, email address, city and state. It may also be appropriate to include the URL to your LinkedIn profile. You want it to be easy for hiring managers to reach out.

In addition to making it easy to connect with you, it is important to your job search that you grow your network.  Read our networking guide  for tips on how to do so.

5. Consider adding a summary. 

Many résumé templates leave space for an objective statement, outlining career goals, but that approach is outdated, says Ms. Jennings. Instead, consider a carefully worded summary. The summary is often the first place a hiring manager will look, and gives you an opportunity to introduce your skills high up on the page. You can also work in relevant keywords from the job description. “Recruiters are looking for what you can bring to the table and what you’ve done, rather than you saying, ‘I’m seeking a position,’” Ms. Jennings says. 

6. Great résumés should stand out to skim readers.

Most recruiters spend just a few seconds skimming through a résumé—with an average in one study of  7.4 seconds.  

To have the best chance of making an impression, ensure your job titles, company names and dates of employment are easy to read. The sections of your résumé should be adequately spaced, too, says Dana Leavy-Detrick, founder and director of Brooklyn Resume Studio. 

For additional ways to make a good impression on recruiters and headhunters, read  our guide on how to work with headhunters .

7. Make your résumé robot-friendly. 

Structure your résumé to meet the requirements of an applicant tracking system to give yourself the best chance of having it reach an actual human. Ms. Leavy-Detrick suggests the following:

• Optimize keywords.  Use the same words and language that are in the job description. For example, three different companies might describe the same role as “programmer,” “developer” or “software engineer.” 
• Use a straightforward format.  Avoid tables and text-based graphics, which might not get picked up by a scan of the résumé. Sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica are also best to ensure readability.
• Think about order.  When formatting each line item of work experience, list the company name first, followed by the job location (city, state), your job title, and your start and end dates. Some résumés can get lost if the dates are listed before the job title. 

8. Prioritize relevant keywords. 

Tailoring your skills to include language from the job posting is an important way to let both the applicant tracking system and, eventually, a hiring manager, see how your prior qualifications tie into the job requirements. But just because you have a résumé full of keywords doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get an interview. “The ATS isn’t there to help the job seeker, it is there to help the employer review your skills against their most important qualifications,” says Ashley Watkins, a career coach and résumé writer with Write Step Résumés LLC. 

9. Craft compelling and concise bullet points.

The goal of a résumé is to list your accomplishments, rather than every duty you performed in the role. Résumé-writing experts recommend including no more than five bullet points per prior job listed. 

• Don’t focus on tasks.  Many job seekers describe what they did every day, such as answering phones or creating marketing materials, Ms. Watkins says. “Simply copying and pasting the job description doesn’t account for the things you did great, that you did above and beyond your peers,” she says.
• Instead, explain what those tasks achieved.  Emphasize your results. Ms. Watkins suggests asking yourself “Did I save [the employer] money? Did I save time? Did I improve a process? Did I build a relationship?” These will help you format your bullet points.
• Use metrics.  Say what you achieved, then contextualize it—with figures if possible. You might not be able to put a monetary value on every accomplishment, but you can frame it by sharing details like the time it took or how many people were involved. “If you raised sales 50% in two months, that means a whole lot more than ‘I’m in charge of sales,’” Ms. Watkins says. 
• Don’t omit accomplishments that aren’t quantifiable.  Not every achievement will have metrics to show success. If there are figures, you might not always have access to them. But that shouldn’t stop you from including them, says Ms. Leavy-Detrick. Perhaps you had a positive impact on the culture of an organization, or improved a struggling relationship with a client. These efforts could help to demonstrate your  soft skills.

10. Focus on transferable skills if you lack experience.

If you are applying for a job in a new field or you are an entry-level applicant and don’t have much direct experience, don’t worry. Highlight transferable skills you have developed in the past that will serve you well in the position, says Ms. Leavy-Detrick. For example, you could play up leadership skills you developed participating in an extracurricular activity or time-management skills you learned in a prior job.

11. Go beyond your work history, and include all relevant experience.

If you are new to the workforce, or are job-hunting after being laid off, you could also include related experience that was outside of a traditional full-time job, says Ms. Watkins. For example, you can highlight volunteer work, consulting projects or educational training, all as part of making the case for your unique value, she says.

12. Don’t worry too much about gaps in your résumé.

The Covid-19 pandemic economy resulted in many people being laid off or furloughed. Ms. Watkins says the 2020 job market reminds her of 2008, when she worked as a recruiter. The expectation at that time, she says, was that candidates would have  gaps  on their résumés or list more short-term positions. While it isn’t necessary to directly address the gaps in your résumé, you should be  prepared to talk about them in an interview . “The focus should not be centered on the fact that you were furloughed or laid off, it should be focused on you and your skills and what you do that impacts the company’s bottom line in a positive way,” Ms. Watkins says.

While it is common to list the months and years you started and ended positions in the job history section, you could just use years. This will draw less attention to a six- or eight-month gap, says Ms. Leavy-Detrick. 

13. Highlight relevant skills.

It is common to  add a skills section to your résumé , outlining expertise relevant to the position. You can include languages you speak, technical skills or courses you have done. If you lack experience, you can also complete some trainings, which you can find on LinkedIn and elsewhere, related to the job you are applying for and add the courses in this section, says Ms. Jennings.

14. Prioritize work experience over education.

The professional experience you have had is often more relevant to the position than your education history, which is why the work experience should be listed first. In the “Education” section, you should list where you attended college, if applicable, or the highest level of education you have attained. If you graduated with honors, you can flag that, but it isn’t necessary to list your GPA.

15. If you are early on in your career, a key résumé tip is to limit it to one page. 

If you are early on in your career, you should limit your résumé to one page. It is OK to start spilling onto a second page after you have eight to 10 years of experience, says Ms. Leavy-Detrick. 

16. Add some color for a stylish résumé that sets you apart. 

Your résumé should look clean and professional and you should keep applicant tracking systems in mind when formatting the document. But, if it is appropriate, you can add subtle accents of color in the section headings or in bars that separate sections as a way to differentiate your résumé. Ms. Leavy-Detrick doesn’t overstress the need for good design with her clients. “But it can definitely help,” she says. “When I say design, I don’t mean crazy graphic design. I mean having a polished application,” she says. “Think of it the same way you would coming dressed to an interview, it is part of your presentation, and so many people overlook this on the résumé.”

It may be appropriate to incorporate a more creative and graphic-based layout depending on the field in which you work and where you are applying. If you are applying for a position in a creative field, and you are emailing your résumé directly to a hiring manager, then it can be appropriate to use more designs, says Ms. Jennings. But if you are applying to a large company that uses an applicant tracking system or job portal, she says it is best to avoid using graphics unless you are working with a résumé writer who can help you get your resume through the system.

17. Proofread and double-check the formatting.

You may be eager to send your résumé or submit your application, but you should take the time to first check for typos and grammatical errors. You could also have a friend or family member look over it. When you are checking for errors, be sure to double-check the formatting. Sometimes the spacing can get thrown off when you save the file, so check how it looks as a saved document and, if you can, save it as a PDF before sending. 

18. Make sure the saved file name includes your name. 

Make less work for the hiring manager by including your full name in the file name of the résumé document.

What to read next

• How to Prepare for a Job Interview
• What Questions to Ask During a Job Interview
• Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
• How to Dress for a Job Interview
• How to Write a Thank-You Email After a Job Interview  
• How to Negotiate and Counter a Job Offer
• How to Negotiate Salary for a New Job: The Do’s and Don’ts
• Severance Pay: What It Is and Why You Should Negotiate a Package Before Accepting a Job

Corrections & Amplifications Ashley Watkins is a résumé writer with Write Step Résumés LLC. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Write Steps LLC. (Corrected on Nov. 20)

Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the November 23, 2020, print edition as '11 Résumé Tips to Help You Get Noticed

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How to use ChatGPT to write your resume

Back-to-school season is here, which means applications to their next academic ventures, internships, or first jobs are top of mind for many students. Whether you're seeking to launch your career or you've been in the labor market for decades, there's one thing we can all agree on -- creating a resume that attracts the eye of recruiters is a challenge.

How to use ChatGPT to write:  Cover letters  |  Code | Excel formulas | Essays  

Landing a job that aligns with your qualifications and expectations is hard enough. You also have to sum up all your professional experiences and strengths in one application -- and the heart of that application is your CV or resume. 

The ideal resume is a concise one-page document that highlights your academic, professional, and leadership achievements, which is just as difficult to assemble as it sounds. OpenAI's  ChatGPT  can make the resume-building process a breeze.

How ChatGPT can help build your resume

You can use ChatGPT to generate ideas and bullet points for your role from scratch or to refine and optimize your current points that are not hitting the mark. Beyond key points, the AI tool can help you answer questions about putting together your resume. Here's how to get started.

Side note:  We are using ChatGPT, but you can use any AI chatbot -- there are plenty of capable AI chatbots to choose from .

1. Choose a resume template

ChatGPT will help you with the text in your resume, but you'll need to pick a template before you get started. The program you're using to write the resume -- such as Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Canva -- will likely have a resume template already.

Also: How to use ChatGPT to digitize your handwritten notes for free

A quick Google search for resume templates will also bring up hundreds of editable templates you can import into your program of choice.

2. Sign in to ChatGPT (optional)

On April 1, 2024, OpenAI stopped requiring you to log in to ChatGPT. You can now access ChatGPT simply by visiting ChatGPT's website . However, if you want to take advantage of certain perks, such as being able to revisit the chat later, analyzing PDFs , or digitizing hand-written notes , you need to sign up to access those features. 

Also:  How to save a ChatGPT conversation to revisit later

Signing up is easy. Go to OpenAI's ChatGPT homepage and open an account by creating an OpenAI login or using your existing Google or Microsoft account. ChatGPT is free, so the sign-up process is simple, requiring no credit cards or obscure information. 

3. Add text

If you want ChatGPT to generate text for your resume from scratch, all you have to do is ask. 

Whether you want it to generate your professional summary or an individual bullet, ask it directly. For example, I asked ChatGPT, "Can you write a short, professional resume summary about my role as a tech reporter?" Within seconds, it generated what you see in the screenshot below.

Also:  How to get ChatGPT to browse the web for free

Although ChatGPT can create content ready to be copied and pasted into a resume, you should tweak the text so it is personalized to your experiences and doesn't look like a chatbot wrote it.

Employers want to learn about what makes you unique. Without your assistance, the chatbot can only access generic content about your role. You can also use the  Custom Instructions  feature to share some details about your role and interests that ChatGPT can reference when outputting the text to give it a little more nuance. 

4. Use ChatGPT to revamp your text

Whether you fill out the template yourself before using ChatGPT's assistance or have an existing resume you want to enhance, ChatGPT is a great resource for polishing up text. 

All you have to do is copy and paste your text and ask ChatGPT to make it better. 

Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT and other interesting alternatives to try

For example, I asked ChatGPT, "Can you make this resume bullet sound better: 'I write stories about technology.'" Within seconds, it outputted an elaborate bullet point that incorporated a professional tone and made that simple sentence more complex, as seen in the screenshot above.

Once you get your result, you can always tell ChatGPT to tweak it further with prompts like, "Make it shorter" or "Can you include [additional details]?" 

How much does it cost for ChatGPT to write my resume?

ChatGPT is currently free to use regardless of what type of writing you use it for, which includes resume-building assistance. 

How can ChatGPT help me with my resume?

ChatGPT can generate text for different parts of your resume, including your professional summary and individual bullet points for each experience.

Also:  How to nail the 'Do you have any questions for me?' part of the interview

The chatbot can also help enhance your current resume by optimizing your text. If you have any questions about how to format your resume and what to include, ChatGPT can give you some answers.

What should I put in my resume?

Ideally, you want a resume to highlight all your career accomplishments. This can include any educational, professional, and leadership experiences that are meaningful to you. You should also include as much detail about your unique experiences to make you stand out from other applicants.

How I test an AI chatbot's coding ability - and you can, too

How to use chatgpt to analyze pdfs (and more) for free, how to use chatgpt: everything to know about using gpt-4o and gpt-4o mini.