How to write a resume in 8 simple steps

Choose chronological if you have steady experience, functional if you're switching careers, or combination to highlight both skills and history.

Include your name, phone number, professional email, city, and LinkedIn URL. Skip your full address, photo, or birthdate — they're not needed and can introduce bias.

Open with a 2–3 sentence pitch tailored to the job. Lead with your title, years of experience, and the biggest result you've delivered.

Start with your most recent role. For each job, list company, title, dates, and 3–5 bullet points focused on measurable achievements — not duties.

Mix hard skills (tools, software, languages) with soft skills (leadership, communication). Pick the ones the job actually asks for.

Include school, degree, and graduation year. List GPA only if it's 3.5+ or you're early in your career. Add relevant coursework and honors when useful.

Add certifications, languages, volunteer work, projects, or publications when they support your target role. Keep it relevant — every line earns its space.

Run a spell check, read it aloud, and ask someone else to review. Save as a PDF named FirstLast-Resume.pdf and tailor it for every application.