How To Build A Professional Resume (Plus Examples and Templates)

The job market is becoming more competitive and a well-crafted professional resume will be key to securing an interview. This comprehensive resume writing guide will teach you how to build a professional resume that can beat Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and catch the eye of hiring managers. We’ll walk step-by-step through examples, offer effective resume writing techniques, and provide templates to get you started.

Understanding the Basics of a Professional Resume

Definition and purpose

Think of a professional resume as an ad that targets potential employers. This concise document presents your relevant skills, experiences, achievements, and qualifications in a compelling way.

It should catch the hiring manager’s eye and position you as a serious candidate. No matter your career goals, occupation, or industry, creating a professional resume is your first step toward your dream job or internship.

Key components

Every resume will vary depending on your unique background, industry, and occupation, but a few key elements should be included no matter what type of position you’re applying for. A great professional resume template will have the following sections:

• Contact information
• Summary or objective statement
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

Steps To Building a Professional Resume

Choose the right format

When deciding on your professional resume format, choose one that highlights your strengths and downplays any potential weaknesses. The three most common formats for a professional resume:

• Chronological: Also called “reverse chronological,” this format focuses on your career progression, making it a good choice for anyone with a long track record of employment. This professional resume layout is easy for hiring managers to read but isn’t ideal for those with employment gaps or lack of experience.
• Functional: Focusing on your skills rather than work history, a functional format is best for recent graduates with limited work experience, career changers, and people returning to work from significant time away. However, some employers may find it less trustworthy.
• Combination: Merging the best of both formats above, the combination resume presents a healthy balance of skills and professional experience. This is a solid option for individuals making a horizontal career change or those who have highly technical abilities that deserve more space on the page than that offered in a traditional template.

Gather necessary information

As you prepare for building a resume, sit down at your computer or with a notebook and pen to compile all of your professional information. List your past jobs and any impressive achievements you’ve made throughout your career.

Note any diplomas, degrees, and certifications you’ve earned. If you’ve taken relevant coursework or received specialized training in your field, get it all out on paper.

Finally, create a list of skills, both hard and soft. Don’t limit yourself here, list all interpersonal and technical abilities you have.

Selecting a professional template

Choosing the right template isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s your first impression on hiring managers and more important than many job seekers realize. A professional resume template should be polished, well-designed, and suitable for your specific industry. While a more conservative field such as law would benefit from a traditional style, a graphic designer could select a more creative professional resume design.

Detailed Guide To Filling Out Each Section

Contact information

Keep your personal contact information simple and straightforward. Never include additional details such as age, marital status, or social security numbers.

Begin with your full name listed prominently at the top of the page. Next, list your best phone number and professional email address. Including a physical address is optional, but provide at least your city and state.

If you’re submitting a digital resume and linking to a LinkedIn page, digital portfolio, or personal website, double-check that all your links are correct and active.

Writing a compelling summary or objective

Although similar in function, summaries and objectives are different. A resume summary gives a brief overview of your professional persona and unique value proposition. It focuses on what you can offer potential employers based on years of experience and skill-building.

On the other hand, an objective statement is a declaration of what you’re seeking in a position. It communicates what you hope to gain and how you plan to contribute. This is a better option for entry-level professionals, teens, and recent graduates.

Choose the one that makes the most sense and tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for. Keep it brief and impactful. Aim for no more than four sentences and use adjectives, action verbs, and achievements to create a robust narrative description.

Detailing your work experience

Always list your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position first. Include the job title, company name, and dates employed. Then, create bullet points under each entry to describe the scope of your responsibilities and the extent of your achievements. Using action verbs and numbers will make these job descriptions impactful and memorable.

Before listing your past positions, consider the types of experiences required for the job — hiring managers will be looking for these. It’s important to be strategic with this section and tailor it to meet the employer’s needs.

For example, say you’re applying for a marketing manager job where experience with social media campaigns is needed, and you have it. Instead of focusing on general marketing duties, you would highlight successful social media initiatives and improvements in engagement, follower growth, and conversion rates. Speak to the employer’s needs for the biggest impact.

Highlighting your education

The education section of a professional resume is another opportunity to show hiring managers that you have the knowledge and qualifications needed for the job. Begin with your highest degree first and include all the basic information: your major, the school’s name and location, and your graduation date.

If you’re working on a degree, provide the month and year you expect to graduate. Or, maybe you’re a current student or recent graduate with limited professional experience. You can expand this section to include relevant coursework, honors, leadership roles, and GPAs over 3.5.

Showcasing your skills

Most professional resumes have a skills section where you can list your abilities. This should include both hard (technical) and soft (interpersonal) skills. If you’re not sure where to start, use the job description as a guide. Employers will provide the main job requirements there; show how your skills match their needs. Here are some examples:

Adding extra sections

If you have the space and believe it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for, you can venture beyond the basic professional resume elements to add more sections. These extra facets of your background can provide a more comprehensive overview for hiring managers. Here are a few examples of the sections you can add to your resume:

• Certifications
• Volunteer work
• Languages
• Professional affiliations
• Interests

Tips for Making Your Resume Stand Out

Customizing your resume

To stand out from other well-qualified candidates, it’s important to customize your professional resume. That means every time you submit an application, the main sections of your resume should be slightly adjusted to align with that job description.

Before applying, research the company and role responsibilities. How do you line up with the job requirements? Identify how your current skills and experiences match those listed in the posting. Prioritize those qualifications over others to make it easy for hiring managers to see you’re a great fit for the role.

Using keywords

Sprinkle keywords throughout your professional resume to catch the attention of hiring managers and get past ATS. You can find these keywords by studying the job description. MonkeyLearn’s WordCloud Generator can help you analyze job postings and prioritize keywords based on frequency and relevance.

Once you have your list of keywords, weave them into your resume organically. This isn’t just hitting copy and paste but a strategy that illustrates how you’re a well-qualified candidate.

For instance, say you’re a nurse applying for a job in the cardiac unit, and the posting mentions “patient monitoring” and “EKG interpretation.” In that case, weave these phrases into your resume as you describe past achievements, skills, and responsibilities. Keywords are important for ATS, but your resume should still be natural and compelling for human readers.

Highlighting achievements over duties

Taking a results-driven approach to your professional experience section will help your resume stand out. While it’s important to communicate the scope of your past job duties, focus on your achievements instead. So, rather than listing job duties, consider the difference you’ve made in the workplace.

Each bullet point of this section should begin with an action verb. This dynamic language helps hiring managers understand what you did instead of what was expected of you.

Also, quantify your accomplishments by using numbers to describe past success. Stating you were “Responsible for training a team of baristas” is not as powerful as saying you “Trained a team of 15 baristas and reduced order errors by 25%.”

Proofreading and editing

Making a positive first impression is key during the application process, so ensure your resume is error-free before submission. With only one or two pages of information, there’s no excuse for any grammatical issues or misspellings.

After your first draft, take a break from writing and come back to it with fresh eyes to read it aloud. This strategy helps you catch any errors and listen for awkward phrasing or missing details. If you’d like an outside perspective, ask a friend or family member to review it. Digital tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly are another great option to help you refine and edit.

Professional Resume Examples

Entry-level resume example

Are you a recent graduate, teen, or early-career professional? Your resume should highlight your education, relevant coursework, internships, and extracurricular activities. The example below will give you a good idea of how to structure an entry-level resume.

Mid-career professional resume example

Professionals at a career midpoint typically have a solid work history to display. If you’d like to emphasize your career progression and key achievements, the following example illustrates how to present mid-level professional experience effectively.

Senior-level executive resume example

If you’re a senior-level professional, your resume must demonstrate an ability to lead, think strategically, and impact a business’s bottom line. A focus on industry influence and a track record of business success is in the following executive resume example.

Career change resume example

When changing careers, it’s best to feature your transferable skills and show how past experiences relate to the job you’re applying for. You might benefit from a combination or functional format like the one in the example below.

Free Professional Resume Templates

Basic template

If you’re looking for a simple structure to get you started, a basic resume template is a great choice. It will include all the essential sections of a traditional resume, making it a great starting point for job seekers across all industries and occupations.

Industry-specific templates

Each field will often have standard expectations for resume format, content, and design. Whether you’re in tech, health care, or a creative industry, look for a resume template that will stand out to hiring managers in your sector.

Customizable templates

Offering both professional structure and flexibility, customizable templates are the perfect way to showcase your unique skills and personality. These resumes provide a solid foundation you can easily modify to fit your specific design, industry, and occupation needs.

Building a professional resume requires careful thought and a clear strategy. From choosing the right format to customizing your content for each job, your goal is to create a resume that communicates your unique value proposition.

Use the examples, templates, and professional resume tips we’ve provided here as your starting point. With a well-crafted resume, you’ll be equipped to navigate the job market and take the next step in your career journey.

Frequently Asked Questions About Professional Resumes

What is the best professional resume format?

The best format will depend on your career level, industry, and individual experience. However, a common choice is the chronological format. Unless you’ve never held a job before, this can be a good option for most occupations across all industries. Choose the format that will present your professional potential in the best light.

How far back should a resume go?

In general, your resume should focus on the last 10 to 15 years of your career. Unless earlier experience is particularly relevant, there’s no need (and likely not enough room) to go back that far. Too much information can overwhelm the reader, and some may be seen as outdated. Feature your most compelling career highlights from the last decade to keep your resume relevant.

What is a resume red flag?

Resume red flags are things that could cause a hiring manager to question your qualifications, professionalism, or credibility. Here are a few examples:

• Frequent job-hopping
• Inconsistent dates and names
• Outdated or obsolete skills
• Spelling and grammar mistakes
• Unexplained employment gaps
• Unprofessional email address

You can avoid these red flags by following a few resume writing tips. First, always be honest and prepared to answer for any gaps or frequent job changes. Instead of including everything from your professional past, focus on your latest and greatest career achievements. Finally, remember to proofread your resume before submitting it to catch any potential red flags.