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How to make a resume?

A resume is a gateway to your dream job. Drafting a job-winning professional resume can feel quite challenging and overwhelming, especially if you are making it for the first time.

A few industry-standard resume building strategies can help you in jotting down your skills and experience in a professional document, tremendously boosting your chances of getting shortlisted.

Read to learn the key points of the article on creating a job resume:

• Choose a suitable resume format with appropriate line spacing, margin, and font as it is essential for drafting your resume.
• Read the job description carefully and inculcate keywords in your resume to make it ATS friendly.
• If you are a fresh graduate or changing career path, opt for writing an objective statement rather than a resume summary.
• Mention your key achievements and provide numbers to heighten the impact of your contribution.

This article will answer the following questions in details:

• How to build a resume?
• What to include in a resume?
• How to get your resume shortlisted?

How to Build a Resume?

Creating a resume can feel like a daunting task, and being unaware of the right process can make you feel clueless. We are here to guide you to the right path of creating a resume and give you some comfort amidst so much confusion.

Here is a 'how to make a resume' checklist that you can follow:

Pick the Right Resume Format for Creating a Resume

There are 3 standard resume formats:

• Reverse Chronological Format: This format lists your recent education and work experience first and then highlights the rest of the details dating back to the oldest one.
• Functional Resume Format: It focuses on your skills and achievements instead of work experience.
• Combination Resume Format: This format gives equal weightage to your skills and work experience.

Out of the 3 above-mentioned resume formats, the reverse chronological format is the most used resume format and is a safer bet.

You can use a functional resume format if you are changing careers or have career gaps but in general, always opt for a reverse-chronological format.

Choose the Right Resume Layout to Build a Resume

Failing to choose the suitable resume layout can make your resume look cluttered and cramped & ultimately pave its way to the rejected piles of resumes.

Read the best practices to choose the right resume layout:

• Line Spacing: Go for a single or 1.15 line spacing between text and double line spacing after subheadings
• Margin: Ensure a one-inch margin on all four sides of your resume to maintain the right balance between text and space.
• Text Font: Use a 10-12 point font size and keep the size consistent throughout.

Note: Keep the font size of your name, job title, and section headings larger than the text font to maintain a clear distinction between the stated features of your resume.

Read the Job Description Before Creating a Resume

Read the job description of the profile you are interested in to get an insight into what skills and experience are required for getting shortlisted for the specific job.

Sort out companies you want to work with and understand what those companies are looking for in a candidate.

As you send the resume to the companies, tweaking it as per job requirements and then sending it can increase your chances of getting more interviews.

How to Make a Resume?

Let us learn the essentials of creating a resume:

A professional resume is divided into the following sections:

• Header
• Personal information
• Profile title
• Education
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (if any)
• Awards & recognition (if any)
• Volunteering Experience (If any)
• Additional information (if any)

Also read: Must have sections in a resume.

How to Make a Resume: Resume Header?

Your name occupies the top section of your resume, giving it a unique identity.

Ensure the following points while writing the resume header:

• Use a font size between 16 and 20.
• Do not write "CV" or "Resume".
• If you have a middle name, write the initials followed by a full stop. Example: "Noah June Bownas" should be written as "Noah J. Bownas".

Also read: How to craft a perfect resume header?

What to Include in the Personal Information Section of Resume?

Ideally, the personal information section includes the following details:

• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Location
• LinkedIn Url (Optional)
• GitHub Url (Optional)
• Website/Blog Link (Optional)

How to Create a Resume: Profile Title

Your profile title is the 2nd largest text on your resume and is in the range of 14-16 font size.

Your most recent job title should ideally be the profile title of your resume. Do not commit the mistake of exaggerating your profile title, hoping to get a better pay.

How to Present Work Experience in your Resume?

The professional experience section is one of the most critical components of your resume. Your work experience can go all waste if you do not know how to succinctly mention it in your resume in the most effective manner.

Let us see the best approach to write the professional experience section:

• Use the STAR format
• Frame one-liner points
• Use Grouping & Highlighting

Also read: Step-by-step guide on crafting a professional experience section

How to Build a Resume: Education Section

Mention the below-mentioned details in the education section of your resume:

• Name of your school/university
• Name of the courses you have pursued
• The location of your school/university
• Date of enrollment and graduation in month and year format

This is how you need to put your educational details in your resume:

Also read: How to list eduction section on a resume?

How to Make a Resume: Certifications Section

Mention the following information in the certifications section of your java developer resume:

• Name of the certification you have pursued.
• Name of the certification issuing body.
• Location of the certifying authority.
• Enrollment and completion date in the month and year format.

Align the information as specified below

{Name of certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (in month & year format)

Also read: Should we add certifications to resume?

How to Make a Resume: Skills Section

This section gives the recruiter a broad view of your professional skills.

If you are applying for a technical profile, make two separate sections viz. 'KEY SKILLS' and 'TECHNICAL SKILLS', or you can create a technical skills subhead under the key skills section and mention your technical skills.

It is highly recommended to read the job description and identify the relevant keywords to design your skills section. It will help you beat the bots but make sure that you do not exaggerate or add any skill that you do not possess.

Resume sample for skills section:

Also read: Is there a correct way to add skills to a resume?

How to Build a Resume: Summary Section

The resume summary is an overview of your achievements and past roles & responsibilities.

Follow the guidelines mentioned below to draft the perfect resume summary:

• Always draft your resume summary at the end.
• Write the resume summary only if you have experience of 3 years and above.
• Scan the most relevant skills and achievements from your professional experience section to highlight in the summary section.
• Keep it between 3-5 lines.

Have a look at the snapshot below to help you design your resume summary:

Also read: Tips for curating a perfect resume summary

Is Your Resume Not Getting Shortlisted?

Are you not getting enough calls for the interviews that you should be getting? Do not worry. We will share some proven tips and tricks that can do wonders for you.

Let us see what you might be doing wrong:

• Not Using Enough Keywords

Use words in your resume based on the requirement of the job position you have been eyeing on. For instance, if the job description states the requirement of presentation skills, you can mention the same in your professional experience and skills sections.

• Not Customizing

Sending the same resume to all the companies can be one of the biggest reasons for not getting enough interview calls. Customizing your resume can enormously improve your chances of getting shortlisted.

• Not Providing Numbers

Provide figures around your achievements to give an idea of the value of your contribution to previous organizations. For example, you can provide ballpark numbers around the number of clients you handled, issues you resolved, etc.

• Not Proofreading

It is crucial to review the final draft of your resume before sending it to the hiring manager. A simple grammatical error or spelling mistake can set the wrong impression and can affect your shortlisting rate.

Hiration Pro Tip: Send your resume in pdf format unless specifically mentioned to send it in word format.

Resume Sample: What to Include in a Resume?

Key Takeaways

• Choose reverse chronological resume format unless you have gaps in your career or you are changing industries.
• Opt for the resume layout with appropriate line spacing, margin, and font.
• Read the job description and customize your resume for each company to make it ATS friendly.
• Quantify your key achievements in your past jobs wherever possible to have the recruiter's attention.
• Proofread your resume before sending the final draft to avoid any spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.

Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and an AI-powered resume builder, along with a ChatGPT-powered interview prep platform.

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