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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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Top 10 Resume Builders of 2024: We Tried Them All so You Don’t Have to

Hi! I’ve just used 10 different resume builders to create 10 different versions of my resume. Why?

Choosing the right resume builder for you and your CV can be a struggle. I wanted to test each of them so you don’t have to waste your precious time.

Speaking of which, let’s do this fast: I'm Martin, I'm the lead career writer at Kickresume , and these are the ten most popular resume builders I could find. I have looked at both free and paid resume builders so I could tell you what makes each of them great. Here we go!

What is a resume builder?

Resume builder is a tool that makes your life and job search much easier. You don't have to spend hours writing your own resume in programs that you're not too familiar with. Instead, you can use one of the resume builders that will do the work for you! You can choose from pre-existing visually attractive templates that will captivate your future employer immediately. There are free and paid resume websites that offer this service, depending on what you are looking for. Now, let’s find the perfect one for you!

1. Kickresume

Yes, I work for Kickresume . Because of that, I don't want to review Kickresume myself.

Instead, I’m going to show you what other people had to say about Kickresume.

“Quite honestly one of the best and most useful products I have come across. The resume templates are amazing! Too good :). I created a new version and within 3 days, I had interviews with GitLab, Salesforce, Heroku, Red Hat, and IBM!” — Brandon Stephan

“This is one of the best companies ever. They charge around 700 percent less for a resume rewrite over Monster, Indeed, etc… $4 a month, I am one happy customer.” — Cody Noyes (Although, technically, it’s not really a rewrite. We prefer to call it “proofreading”.)

“Honestly, I don’t review things, ever. But this site is next level. I actually have been raving to my friends about it. So simple, so intuitive, so well designed, tons of options, zero messing around with spacing and alignment. Made the best resume I’ve ever had, took me half an hour. Just info in, gorgeous resume out. Worth the price hands down.” — Keith Allan

You can also have a look at other free services that we offer, such as tips for job searching that can be found in other articles at our blog . Here, you can also find plenty of resume examples, and many other helpful tools! 

If you're not convinced yet, what follows is what our direct competitors had to say about the pros and cons of Kickresume. We’re in the same market. We fight over the same customer. Yet, they had to admit this (thank you guys):

What others liked about Kickresume:

“[Large] number of templates ” (Source: Zety )

"AI resume writer" (Source: Rezi.com )

“Website maker” (Source: Zety )

“A lot of strong features, resume and cover letter templates available for the freemium version.” (Source: Novoresume )

“Pre-written phrases to help you out in case you’re not sure how to phrase your achievements.” (Source: Novoresume )

“Grammar correction proofreading services available, if needed.” (Source: Novoresume )

What they didn’t like about Kickresume:

• “Very basic pre-written content.”(Source: Zety )
• “Limited options when making a free resume.” (Source: Zety )
• “Most templates are creative and sometimes too vibrant — can be a bad thing depending on where you’re applying.” (Source: Novoresume )

With Kickresume, you can choose free resume tools, as well as premium ones, for which you have to pay.

Kickresume’s Pricing

• Free: get unlimited free downloads, 4 customizable resume (and cover letter) templates, 1 website template
• 6 Months Free Premium for students and teachers
• 1 Month Premium: $19 per month
• 12 Months Premium: $5 per month  (billed $60 every year)

Also, there's a bonus for you! If you choose the yearly subscription, up to 5 of your friends get a month of Kickresume Premium for free!

Kickresume’s Templates

• 4 free templates
• 40 premium templates

To begin with, for all of the Zety’s resume templates, you have to pay. In return, this is what you get:

What I liked about this resume builder:

• Impressive auto-suggestion feature which comes handy when writing the section about work experience and skills.
• Very good guides and resume content (and it’s available to anyone without having to sign up for it).
• Clean templates that are well-constructed, simple, and no-nonsense.
• Resume score. Once you’re done, Zety will score your resume and tell you how you can make it better. (But from my experience, this is a bit hit or miss.)

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

• Clunky copy&paste. The rich text editor started acting up on me when I tried to copy-paste my information into it.
• Confusing UI. It’s easy to get lost in the interface sometimes.
• Not-so-smart editor. The editor was sometimes trying to be too clever but ended up being stupid (e.g. forced capitalization in “University Of Amsterdam”).
• No page breaks. In the preview, the resume page seems to continue indefinitely, not giving you a proper idea of what it is going to look like when printing it out.
• Unsuitable for creatives. All templates have a very similar, conservative, and rather a dry vibe. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. On the other hand, if you’re looking to create a resume that’s a bit more “out there”, you should probably look elsewhere.
• Poor customization options. In most cases, you can only change the color of some parts of your resume.
• Little misleading. Zety allows you to create a whole resume for free but in the end, you cannot download it unless you pay.  

Zety’s Pricing

• 14-Day Full Access Trial: $2.70 (you have to cancel, otherwise it will auto-renew and you’ll be billed $23.70 every 4 weeks )
• 12 Months Full Access: $5.95 per month ( $71.40 paid upfront )

Zety’s Templates

• 0 free templates
• 13 paid templates. They say they offer “20+ best resume templates”. I couldn’t find more than 13.
• All templates customizable

Finally, you should know that I didn’t pay for their Full Access. Because of that, there may be some features that I didn't mention.

Also, here's a more in-depth comparison of Kickresume vs Zety .

3. VisualCV

Onto the next one!

• Live preview. You can edit your resume directly in the live preview if you want.
• Rich text copy/paste works flawlessly and there are no hiccups.
• Varied templates. A nice, varied collection of templates.
• Customization options. Templates are customizable. I was even able to change paragraph margins, which is quite rare.
• Clear webpage information. All the information was easy to find.
• Sometimes, the template construction was confusing. It wasn’t always clear what some of the buttons do. Because of that, I accidentally deleted my content twice. But that could just be me.

VisualCV Pricing

• Pro Quarterly: $15/month (billed $45 for 3 months)
• Pro Monthly: $24/month

VisualCV Templates

• 1 free template and cover letter
• 20+ PRO templates

4. ResumeGenius

Another paid resume maker website!

• I liked how it encourages you to mention your extracurricular activities, GPA, and awards when filling in the Education section.
• MS Word download. Some people may like the option to download their resume in the MS Word format and not in PDF
• 1 on 1 help. They offer “1 on 1 help from an experienced career consultant”. That’s something that no other resume builder offers. On the other hand, I'm not sure how expensive it is.
• Step-by-step editor. Instead of allowing me to enter all my information at once, it required me to fill it in step-by-step. This has quickly become time-consuming, as I had to go through every single possible section, whether I wanted to include it or not. And it made me do it every time I wanted to make changes to my resume.
• Preview possible only at the end. I was able to see a preview of my resume only AFTER I had given them all my information. I hated this.
• Couldn't leave any fields blank. Why can’t I leave the “State/Province” field blank? It just wouldn’t let me. Not every country is divided into states or provinces. Also, it required me to enter my home address even though I wanted to leave that field blank. Fortunately, it didn’t check if the address was real. 
• No rich text formatting. Okay, I’m going to say it one more time and more clearly: I honestly really hated this editor. It’s clunky and doesn’t support rich text editing. I guess Resume Genius was not that genius after all.

Resume Genius Pricing

• 14-Day Trial Plan: $2.95 (you have to cancel, otherwise it will auto-renew and you’ll be billed $24.95 every 30 days )
• 1 Month Plan: $7.95 per month (billed annualy at $95.40)
• 12 Months Plan: $95.40

Resume Genius Templates

• 17 Pro Resume Templates

5. Resume.com

What I liked about this completely free resume builder website:

• Classic look. Classic templates that make great use of basic typography.
• Emphasis on content. The templates put more emphasis on how your information is organized, instead of being visually stunning. The templates are organized into four categories: Experience, Education, Skill, and Personality, depending on which one you want to emphasize.
• It's completely free. 
• Color of the interface. Oh man, that purple-ish color. I almost got a headache just looking at it. But who knows, could be your cup of tea.
• Broken copy&paste. The text editor started acting up when I tried to copy/paste.
• No page break. The preview screen doesn’t show you what your resume is going to look like after printing.
• Step-by-step editor. Yet another resume builder with a step-by-step editor. I would prefer to be able to edit all parts of my resume on a single screen.
• Not visually appealing. The resume templates are not what you’d expect them to be. They don’t have much to offer in terms of visuals
• Lack of support and guidance.

Resume.com Pricing

Resume.com templates.

• 12 free resume templates

6. Resume.io

What I liked about this paid resume builder:

• UI navigation. The progress bar at the top of the page allows you to see exactly where you are and what you need to do before you can download your resume.
• Live preview. You can see the changes you make to your resume in real-time. Almost no other resume builder has that.
• Excellent editor. It suffered from none of the problems other resume builders did.
• High level of polish. UI and its high level of polish
• Forces you to sign up from the get-go. It doesn’t let you create a resume without signing up first. On the other hand, it allows you to save any changes you make to your resume.
• Limited customization options. The resume builder only lets you change the color of a template and font size.
• A small number of templates. Only has 12 and, as I've already mentioned, you can't even customize these.

Resume.io Pricing

• 7-Day Trial: 4.70$ (if you don't cancel before the 7 days, you will automatically be enrolled in a monthly premium subscription and billed $24.95 every 4 weeks )
• 6 Months Full Access: $44.95 (one-time payment, no need to cancel)
• 12 Months Full Access: $74.95  (one-time payment, no need to cancel)
• Free Plan: Only 1 resume and cover letter, download only in TXT format

Resume.io Templates

• 1 free template
• 18 premium resume templates

7. myPerfectresume.com

What I like about this paid resume builder:

• Template recommendations. They recommended me specific templates based on my years of experience. Also, the templates were organized into categories, such as “traditional”, “modern”, and “creative”.
• PDF import. You can import your resume from a PDF file. It’s not perfect but it works quite well.
• Nicer templates than Zety. Although it’s the same resume builder as Zety, in my opinion, this one had nicer resume templates.
• Almost identical to Zety. There are minor differences but none of them justify separate branding.
• The same editor as Zety. Since it’s the same rich text editor, it’s no wonder that it started acting up as soon as I tried to copy/paste my information. 
• It's Zety with different templates. I’m not going to include any more upsides or downsides since it’s the same thing as Zety, apart from the templates.

myPerfectresume Pricing

Despite everything, the pricing is slighly different from Zety’s!

• 3 Months Full Access: $5.95
• Yearly Access: $71.40

myPerfectresume Templates

• 31 premium templates (which is more than you get from Zety)

What I liked about this (completely free) resume builder:

• Design-driven. Canva is not exactly a resume builder. Instead, it's a graphic design software that designs stuff when you don’t want to pay for a graphic designer. It's really pretty.
• It’s free. That is unless you decide to pay for a premium subscription. Still, all resume-related features are free. 
• Super large number of templates. I tried to count the number of resume templates. I couldn’t. There are too many.
• Limitless customization. Canva is great if you already know what you’re doing and only seek to give your already perfect resume a nice visual boost.

What I don’t like about this resume builder:

• It's not a resume builder per se. Sure, it can be used to create nice resumes or cover letters. Still, if you decide to use it, you’d be missing out on many career-specific features like proofreading, career-oriented customer support, pre-written phrases for your resume, guides, etc.
• Is it ATS-ready? Would a resume created with Canva pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS)? I can’t be sure.
• No career tools or resume-specific features.
• No rich text copy-paste. When I tried to copy and paste my information, it didn’t preserve my formatting.
• Overwhelming and easy to make a mistake. It’s VERY easy to make your resume look bad if you’re not careful. In fact, sometimes I wished I had fewer customization options.
• More difficult to navigate in comparison to other resume tools.

Canva’s Pricing

• Free: All resume-related features you may need are free

Canva’s Resume Templates

• Too many to count.

9. Novoresume

What I liked about this (mostly) free resume builder:

• Live preview. I could edit my resume directly from the live preview screen.
• Holds your hand. If this was my first time writing a resume, I would have appreciated Novoresume’s advice. If you’re a beginner, they can be very helpful.
• Built-in feedback. I loved Novoresume’s “Content Optimizer”. It analyzed my resume and suggested possible improvements.
• Resume management. Novoresume also allowed me to save individual parts of my newly created resume in case I’d like to create versions customized for specific employers. Actually, Novoresume had the best resume management tools out of all resume builders in this test.
• Labeled premium features. All premium features were clearly labeled and I was able to avoid using them since I wanted to create a free resume.
• Customization options. There's a lot of them!
• Sometimes too "helpful". The editor was trying to help me by structuring the work experience section. Unfortunately, that was more of a hindrance than a help.
• No rich text copy-paste. Yet again, the rich text copy and paste didn’t work.
• Character limit in certain sections. It wouldn’t let me enter as much text as I wanted where I wanted.
• A small number of resume templates. Although I have to say, this is to some extent mitigated by your ability to customize each of them.

Novoresume’s Pricing

• 1 Month: $19.99
• 3 Months: $39.99
• 12 Months: $99.99
• Free Plan: 1 (one-page) resume, no cover letter available, pre-defined layouts

Novoresume’s Templates

• 8 free templates
• You pay for additional customization options.

10. CakeResume

And finally, the last resume tool website! Despite its name, CakeResume is not really a resume builder. Instead, it will help you create an online career profile similar to LinkedIn.

• The personal profile. First, you create a “profile” where you enter all your information. Once you’ve done that, you don’t have to do it ever again. It’s somewhat similar to what Novoresume.
• The editor. CakeResume’s editor is, well, satisfying. You begin with a blank page onto which you drag and drop various resume snippets.
• Online resume. You can either download your resume as a PDF file or get a shareable link.
• No rich text copy-paste. At this point, I consider that the norm.
• Missing keyboard shortcuts.  Every time I wanted to make a part of the text bold, I had to click on an icon at the top of the screen.
• Basic in terms of visuals. CakeResume’s default template works well, but if you’d like to make your resume a bit more visually appealing, you may want to look elsewhere.

CakeResume Pricing

• Free: 1 resume limit
• Advanced Features: $10 per month, billed quarterly at $30 (Remove CakeResume branding, 20+ additional snippets, unlimited number of resumes)
• PRO Features: $15 per month, billed quarterly at $45  (track your resume via Google Analytics)

CakeResume Templates

• 1 Basic Template
• You can subscribe to get additional “snippets” to customize your resume.

And there you have it! The best 10 resume builders of 2024. You're welcome and good luck with your own CV!

A resume builder can help you create a professional and polished resume with little effort. It also helps you format your resume to make sure it looks professional and organized, by choosing the right font, spacing, margins, layout, or color scheme.

A resume builder is an online tool that helps users create a professional-looking resume in minutes, usually with the help of customizable templates and intuitive design tools.

Some resume builder tools offer a free version (e.g. they have a limited number of free downloads or templates), however, you usually have to pay to be able to use additional features that require a paid subscription. 

Kickresume lets you  create an unlimited number of resumes for free  as long as you stick to our free customization options. All paid customization options are clearly labeled inside the Kickresume resume builder tool so you can easily avoid using them if you want to download your resume for free.

The best resume builder depends on your needs. Popular resume builder sites include Kickresume, Resume Genius, and Zety. 

Resume builders typically do not provide content writing help. However, Kickresume’s  AI Resume Builder  is able to generate a whole resume based on a provided job title. All you have to do is enter your job title, click “Use AI Writer” and the AI will generate a number of bullet points for your work experience subsection. 

Martin Poduška

Martin is a resume expert and career advice writer at Kickresume. In his five years at Kickresume, he has written hundreds of in-depth, painstakingly researched resume advice articles and, as chief editor, he has also edited and revised every single article on this website. Tens of thousands of job seekers read Martin’s resume advice every month. He holds a degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Amsterdam .

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How to write a professional resume summary [+examples], how to put your education on a resume [+examples], how to describe your work experience on a resume [+examples], let your resume do the work..

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12 Best Resume Writing Services in India (2024)

Find the best resume writing services in India. Compare cost and customer reviews of the top India resume writing services.

2024 Winners: Add your badge to your marketing materials.

Searching for the best professional resume writing services in India can be overwhelming.

After all, India is large and so is its roster of professional resume writers.

Who has the time to sift through the myriads of options to find the best resume writers in India?

But at the same time, you can’t settle for mediocre.

That’s why we are here!

We want to help eager job seekers like you to avoid that hassle.

Wanna be writers are a dime a dozen, but true talent is always hard to find.

We’ve done the legwork for you. Here’s a list of the top professional resume writing services in India.

Best India Resume Writers

Best resume services in india.

How We Choose Winners

Each of the India resume services below was reviewed by a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) taking into consideration the following:

The cost of the service compared to other India resume writers.

The speed at which the resume is completed.

Overall experience, awards, and certifications.

The design, style, and overall look of the resume.

Guarantees, number of edits, and reviews.

This list was hand-curated to serve all industries, professions, and career levels. While many of the writers on this list are from major cities in India, these services are virtually available whether you are in Chandigarh, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Agra, Visakhapatnam, Patna, or any other Indian city.

Average India Resume Cost

India resume writer reviews.

Find My Profession

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.

You will work one-on-one with an elite and certified resume writer based in the U.S. Find My Profession is committed to ensuring that every client is 100% satisfied with their resume, which is why they do not limit the number of edits or time spent working with your writer.

Find My Profession is a virtual company allowing them to provide services worldwide. While they do not have a physical office for in-person visits, they ensure direct communication with your writer through email and phone calls.

4.9/5 based on 521 Trustpilot reviews 4.9/5 based on 319 Sitejabber reviews 4.9/5 based on 151 Google reviews 5/5 based on 52 Facebook reviews

3 – 5 business days (can expedite to 2 business days)

$395 – $995 USD

(831) 888-0967 or [email protected]

Check out some of our 5-star reviews:

Alex on January 4, 2024

Resume & LinkedIn Profile

Belda Villalon on July 1, 2022

Michael on December 19, 2023

Exceptional resume

Michelle T on November 10, 2022

Professional Resume

Brigit on October 25, 2023

Highest quality of work

Beh on September 20, 2021

Professional. Experts…

Matt B on July 17, 2023

Excellent Experience

Chad B on May 2, 2022

Wonderful investment

ResumeZest is trusted by professionals from companies like 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. Each resume is also ATS compliant and keyword-optimized.

ResumeZest is a very well-rounded company. They offer 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).

ResumeZest is one of the newer companies on this list. While they do a great job and their writers have many years of experience, the company was only founded in 2020.

4.8/5 based on 175 Trustpilot reviews 4.8/5 based on 93 Google reviews 4.9/5 based on 91 Sitejabber reviews 5/5 based on 12 Facebook reviews 5/5 based on 4 Yelp reviews

$279 – $479 USD

(888) 530-4911 or [email protected]

Need Help With Your Job Search?

Did you know there are companies you can hire to help with your job search? Whether you need resume help or want someone to apply to jobs for you, we’ve reviewed the 20 best agencies to help you find a job.

Avon Resumes

Avon Resumes has offices across India and three international locations. They have been in business for since 1999. The team of resume writers is experienced in nearly all common job sectors. Avon Resumes is a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC).

The company promises to pair you with a writer experienced in your industry. The service offers unlimited modifications with all resume packages. Also, there are multiple resume samples on the website for you to review.

Depending on the services you purchase, Avon Resumes can be one of the more expensive resume writing services in India. This is something to keep in mind if you’re on a budget.

4.4/5 based on 1,085 Justdial reviews 4.5/5 based on 1,112 Google reviews 3.9/5 based on 90 Facebook reviews 5/5 based on 55 Indiapl reviews

3 – 5 business days

₹2999 – ₹11999

+91 98891 01010 or [email protected]

Excel CV, based in New-Delhi, easily secures a spot on our list of the best resume writing services in India. They have a team of writers coming from diverse backgrounds. So the company is able to assign you a writer who is familiar with your field of work. Their resumes and CV are ATS-optimized.

You will have direct contact with your resume writer. They have a relatively quick turnaround time compared to most professional resume writers in India.

The website doesn’t detail the qualifications and certifications of the individual resume writers. Entry-level job seekers can find this service a bit costly.

4.8/5 based on 144 Google reviews

2 – 5 days (can expedite to 24 hours)

₹4999 – ₹8999

+91 9899 644 084 or [email protected]

Get Set Resumes

Get Set Resumes partners with you and supports you till you get your targeted job. The company writes a lot of resumes. In fact, they have written 25000+ resumes since 2011! Based in India, they serve clients globally. They have been featured in major media outlets like  The Times of India  and  The Indian Express .

Get Set Resumes has been nominated for numerous resume writing awards in Asia and India. You will get unlimited revisions with the resume packages and a revision period of 6 months.

Though the website provides details about the board of advisors, there are no details about the individual resume writers. Identifiable details about the writers are always reassuring.

4.8/5 based on 741 Justdial reviews 4.8/5 based on 735 Google reviews 5/5 based on 23 Facebook reviews 4.5/5 based on 14 Trustpilot reviews

5 – 8 business days (can expedite to 3 days)

₹1999 – ₹5199

+91 99537 76253 or [email protected]

Mentorrd launched in 2017 and believes that talent is not scarce but presentation is. That’s why they strive to present Indian job seekers in the best light possible through resume writing services. Their resume writing team consists of career coaches, resume writers, and industry experts.

The resume writing process includes two phone consultations at the higher package options. They provide an “Ownership Call” so you can master the content on your resume. The company also offers a free AI resume review.

A discovery call is only included with some resume packages. Also, they do not offer any satisfaction or interview guarantees and we couldn’t find any specific information about their writers.

4.9/5 based on 92 Google reviews 4.6/5 based on 30 Trustpilot reviews 5/5 based on 11 Facebook reviews

+91 8349009547 or [email protected]

Is Your Resume Working Properly?

If you are having trouble landing interviews, it might be time to hire a professional resume writer. Check out our list of the 750+ best resume writers and start landing more interviews!

Make My Resume

Make My Resume has over 21 years of experience writing resumes for India and 30+ other countries. Their resumes have covered 100+ roles in 50+ industries. The team members have experience in HR and recruitment. Make My Resume offers resume writing for all career levels and face-to-face consultations.

This service is affordable for entry-level job seekers. It can be a great option while applying to your first job. Also, you will have a month to request resume edits.

Make My Resume has a long turnaround time when compared to other resume services. Also, there are no resume samples to review on the website.

4.3/5 based on 421 Justdial reviews 4.8/5 based on 65 Google reviews 4.5/5 based on 35 Facebook reviews

7 – 12 days (can expedite to 3 days)

₹1199 – ₹4999+

+91 98333 77701 or [email protected]

Book Your CV

Book Your CV has been providing resume writing services to the world from Kolkata since 2012. They’re unique in that they offer free resume service for professionals who are new to the workforce. That’s pretty cool if you ask us. In general, Book Your CV offers some of the lowest-priced services on our list.

The company offers 2 years of free updates once you get your resume or CV written by them. You will also get unlimited revisions during the writing process.

There are a few negative reviews online for Book Your CV, which may be a bit concerning. Also, there are no details about the individual resume writers.

4.3/5 based on 573 Google reviews

3 – 6 business days (can expedite to 24 hours)

Free – ₹2390

+91 80100 86090 or [email protected]

CV Designer

CV Designer   was founded by Deepak Josey and Sushana Adurthi. Deepak has over 18 years of experience in executive search and recruitment. Sushana comes with vast experience in career coaching. Headquartered in Chennai, the company has offices across India.

Your resume passes through four departments within the company. The departments include evaluators, writers, and designers. The company offers free support for 12 months after your resume/CV is complete.

This may not be a good option for entry-level professionals as the cost is one of the highest on our list. The 24-hour rush premium is also the highest among the services on our list.

4.5/5 based on 137 Trustpilot reviews 4.6/5 based on 37 Facebook reviews 3.8/5 based on 13 Google reviews 5/5 based on 5 Justdial reviews

10 business days (can expedite to 24 hours)

₹8000 – ₹10000+

+91 844 844 8780 or [email protected]

Writrox is a team of skilled professionals based out of India but that provides CV writing services globally. They are one of India’s most recognized CV writing services that offer high-quality CV services at competitive rates. Their core expertise is visual CV writing.

Writrox provides customized CV services as per industry standards and trends. They have affordable CV writing packages and they strictly follow the Indian CV format and latest CV styles to create personalized visual CVs.

They are a team of experienced CV writers, but we could not find any specific information on any of the writers on their website. Also, the turnaround time for their national package CVs is not mentioned anywhere.

4.4/5 based on 176 Google reviews

₹1499 – ₹5499

+91 78278 33397 or [email protected]

CV Guys is a Faridabad-based resume service that was started in 2020. With over 20 years of combined writing experience and satisfied clients in over 40 countries, they’ve become a force to be reckoned with. Their writers are versed in writing ATS-compliant resumes in a range of industries.

CV Guys offers free resume assessments. That way, you know if your current resume is up to the task, or if you need a new one. Their resume/CV services come with a satisfaction guarantee. There are also lots of resume samples on the website.

Unlike most services, you only get a maximum of three revisions. If you want any further revision, you may have to pay extra. Also, details about the resume writing team and their certifications are not available.

4.9/5 based on 54 Google reviews

5 – 6 business days

₹2,000 – ₹8,000

+91-9999976790 or [email protected]

MaxeCV is a Noida-based writing and editing service created by Jasmine Gupta. Since 2006, they have written more than 25,000 resumes. Jasmine has more than 10 years of HR experience. Their writers keep up with modern hiring trends and are experts in their various industries.

MaxeCV has a 60-day guarantee period. This means that if you’re not satisfied with the resume they create within 60 days, you can get your money back. Their website also mentions unlimited revisions.

They only mention that their writers are skilled, but there’s no mention of them possessing any industry-recognized certifications. Also, they do provide any details of individual resume writers.

5/5 based on 17 Facebook reviews

2 – 3 business days

₹999 – ₹5,999

+91-9717-055-936 or [email protected]

Previous Years Winners

Resume writing winners (2023).

Find My Profession, ResumeZest, Avon Resumes, Excel CV, Get Set Resumes, Mentorrd, Make My Resume, Book Your CV, CV Designer, CV Guys, MaxeCV, Uppercase Resume

Resume Writing Winners (2022)

Resume writing winners (2021).

Find My Profession, Avon Resumes, Excel CV, Get Set Resumes, Mentorrd, Make My Resume, Resume Master, Book Your CV, CV Designer, Uppercase Resume

Key Takeaways

Looking for a job in India? Make sure you have a standout resume that can catch the attention of recruiters.

At Find My Profession , we offer personalized resume writing services to job seekers in India and around the world. Our team of expert writers works closely with clients to create resumes that highlight their strengths and achievements and help them stand out in a competitive job market.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and take the first step toward your career success.

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