How to write a Resume
Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Perfect Resume in 2025
About the writers:
BuildMyCV is a leading platform for writing personalized resumes. Many
satisfied users have successfully taken a significant step forward in their
careers by creating a professional resume that clearly showcases their skills
through our innovative platform. Job search is not easy, but BuildMyCV can make
it easier for you!
A well-written resume gives you a significant advantage in
your job search. We have broken down the steps to perfecting your resume so
that you can write a professional, effective and impressive resume, easily and
quickly.
Resume writing - 7 important steps:
1.
Major principles
2.
Where to create a resume
3.
General looks and design templates
4.
Resume structure
5.
Content
1.
Personal details
2.
Introduction
3.
Professional experience
4.
Expertise
5.
Education
6.
References
6.
Recruiters and recruitment systems
7.
Resume for relocation positions
Major principles
Many candidates send resumes to a variety of positions but
do not get a response, while others receive a response each time they apply –
so why does this happen? Sometimes it can be a result of a well-connected
network, other times it can be just pure luck. Regardless of the reason, having
a strong resume will make a positive impression on hiring managers and
recruiters and set you apart from other candidates.
A resume is a self-marketing tool that is essential in any
job search. Not only does it showcase your skills and achievement, but also
with the right template and guidance, can help you stand out from other
candidates and get you through the first screening stage. Research shows that
in the job market, most resumes do not pass the initial screening stage.
Recruiting agencies receive hundreds of resumes daily for
each open position, and this number heightened following the Covid-19 pandemic.
These resumes undergo an initial screening from the agency, and then passed
along to in-house recruiters to screen for their internal positions. However,
the screening process does not end there. Recruiters use additional screening
methods, such as interviews and assessment tests, to ensure they are finding
the right fit for their open positions. Given this lengthy process and the
large amount of resumes received for each role, an experienced recruiters take
only 5-10 seconds to screen a resume. If a resume is not impressive and
professional, the likelihood of the resume moving past the initial screening
stage is slim.
To help make sure your resume stands out and moves past the
initial screening stage, we have outlined the three major parts in a resume- -
look, structure, and content - and we will discuss them in detail.
Where to create the resume?
The first step to landing your next career opportunity is to
create the resume – but where should you create it? It is not recommended to send a resume in a
Word format, text or image, as it looks unprofessional and may also lead to:
· Problems in
receipt of the resume format by recruiting systems of recruiting agencies.
· Recruiting
agencies can edit the file without your knowledge.
· The file can
be viewed differently on a phone, tablet or computer.
· Such formats
store personal information, including the name of the last person who saved the
file, date and time of creation, and location of file. These details are
unnecessary and make the file look unprofessional.
So what should you do?
You should submit your resume in PDF format. This is also
the format we use in our platform, for a number of reasons:
· The design is
final and looks the same in any system.
· There are
professional designs that save you valuable time.
· The file
cannot be edited.
· No personal
information is stored in the file properties.
General look and design templates
A resume should be neat, grammatically correct, clear, and
concise. Sloppy writing will leave a negative impression on the recruiter, as
they may think you are not professional enough, and therefore reduce your
chances of continuing to the next stage in the recruiting process.
It is important to invest in your resume’s format, as a
professional format will greatly increase recruiters’ interest in your resume.
Although an impressive resume does not automatically get your foot in the door,
it does give you a competitive advantage that will set you apart from competing
candidates.
The good news is that you don’t need to have fancy graphic
design skills to achieve the impressive resume you are looking for. With our
platform, you can easily choose from several templates that were designed by
recruiting experts to emphasize your strongest skills. These designs are
available on our website, so you can focus your time and energy on your job
search.
Resume structure
Now let’s discuss how your resume should be structured. This
is an important element to creating your resume as it will help recruiters get
straight to the details that matter. Specifically, a logical order will give
recruiters an accurate picture of the various stages of your career, regardless
of content at this point.
The most common structure worldwide, which is the foundation
of our resume writing platform, is to list your personal details, introduction,
work experience, courses, education, hobbies and references.
You should write your resume in reverse chronological order
- Each category should start with your most relevant experience (job, degrees,
courses), while your first job, degrees or courses should appear last. This
order is particularly useful as it presents your most relevant skills at the
very beginning, therefore allowing recruiters to use their 5-10 seconds of
screening into good use. It will help them understand your experience without
having to go through other roles that may not be relevant to the position you
are applying for.
This structure is incredibly dynamic, and you can make some
changes in ways you see fit. For example, if you are a recent college graduate
with no professional experience, and the main skill you possess is the degree
you have successfully completed, you may want to move the education section
under the introduction and before your work experience (if there is any).
Content
The content of your resume helps recruiters decide whether
or not you are suitable for the position. Here are some of the fundamental
elements that should be included, followed by some ‘nice to have’s.
Mandatory parts:
· Personal
information (phone number, email etc.)
· Introduction
(not required but recommended)
· Experience
· Skills
· Education
Optional parts:
· Additional
personal details
· Volunteering
work
· Certificates
of excellence and participation in research
· Hobbies
A resume should not include all the positions you have held
since the start of your career, but it should spark the interest of recruiters
and help them understand your experience. In an interview (telephone or
frontal), you will be able to further elaborate on your experience that was
briefly discussed in your resume.
A useful tip is to create several versions of your resume to
tailor the requirements of each role you are applying for. You want to be sure
that you are not sending out a generic resume to roles that differ in their
scope of responsibility, rather highlight the content that is relevant for each
role. For example, you may be just the right candidate for the position of
‘sales manager’, as well as ‘sales representative’, but you should present a
different toolbox for each position.
Another tip to strengthen the content of your resume is to
remove pronouns entirely - you don't need to use 'I', 'he' or 'she' because its
use is implied. After all, you're writing a CV about your skills and
experience.
Personal and contact details
It is recommended to include contact and personal details
that are relevant to either the country where it is located or the position you
are applying for. There are different practices in each country (a resume with
or without a photo, including country prefix, etc.). Certain positions require
you to specify the type of driving license you hold, while other places may
find this information irrelevant.
For most positions, the following details are mandatory:
full name, telephone number and email. You may also include a city or country,
foreign citizenship, and year of birth, but this information is optional and
you should add it if you believe it can increase your chances to be considered
for the position.
Summary
Based on reviews of numerous resumes, a resume summary is
beneficial to the overall impression on recruiters. Since recruiters go through
many resumes and may feel overwhelmed as a result, a resume summary helps
provide clarity to the chaos. A summary that sums up your professional
experience can help recruiters regain their focus and understand quickly who
you are and what type of job you are looking for.
Also, a summary adds a personal touch to a resume. It is the
place to write about your particular accomplishments or any statistics you want
the recruiter to pay attention to. For example: "Proficient Administrative
Assistant with over 9 years of office experience, specializing in
administrative work, problem solving, planning and optimal assistance. Proven
efficiency with an ability to quickly learn and navigate any computer software
program, or office filing system".
You should include the position in the introduction (for
example - "Sales Manager" or "Charismatic Manager"),
significant achievements ("Outstanding Graduate", "PhD in
Physics"), your most important skills ("Human Relations
Specialist", "Specialized in Web Development ") and a focus on
your search ("Full Time", "Manhattan, NY").
It is recommended to add one line to convey your motivation,
energy and desire to be accepted for the position. Do not write long
introduction because it can do more harm than good. Be short, clear and to the
point and remember that the introduction should give the recruiter a sense of
who you are as a candidate.
If you are not sure that you need to include an
introduction, do not add it at all. An irrelevant introduction can give
recruiters the wrong impression.
Professional experience
Your professional experience tells the recruiters whether
you are suitable for the job. Be meticulous in writing this part.
It is unnecessary to include your entire professional past,
but only of the last 10 years and only the relevant positions, for example, if
you worked for a while during high school as a waiter, then studied accounting
and now you are looking for a job as an accountant, do not mention it. This is
not about writing an autobiography, rather about giving the recruiter the
relevant information to decide if you are suitable for the job. Keep your
resume short, clear and concise.
As stated before, you should write in reverse chronological
order, with your last or current position appearing first on the list, as it
most likely will be the one to elaborate on later in an interview.
You should bear in mind that recruiters prefer bullet point
writing style and not a descriptive paragraph. Each bullet point should be
different and provide details about the different aspects of your role.
Examples:
· Leading a
global sales team of 10 employees in NYC and abroad.
· Developing
complex web systems using Python, Java, and Node.JS technologies.
· Store shift
supervisor, in charge of employees' shifts and inventory work.
· In charge of
cross-organization projects, meeting objectives and managing an annual budget
of 25 million dollars.
It is important to include all the main aspects of the job;
do not undersell yourself, but do not overstate areas you have no experience
in. You may be asked about the specifics during an interview and you should
feel comfortable to elaborate on what you wrote.
This is where you should state your expertise, projects you have worked on, special achievements, productivity, saving time and money for a company, professional leadership, improving a particular process, and all other points that enrich your experience.
The contact details of the references can be stated in the
resume as the last category, however, in most cases, it is not customary to
specify names or contact details. Instead, you may say "References will be
provided upon request".
Recruitment systems - ATS
The current technology used nowadays to scan and filter
resumes is an applicant tracking system (ATS). This system is designed to
assist recruiters in the complex process of reviewing and sorting resumes, and
ultimately help them manage the process efficiently.
When you send a resume to the company's Jobs e-mail, or
submit it through a company's website, your resume reaches a recruitment system
that automatically analyzes, filters and processes it, as well as extracts
information from it in order to decide if it should be passed to the hiring
manager – all without human contact.
This is the reason why you should only work with official
resume makers, such as our platform, which has the ability to go through the
initial screening stage of such systems. You can also "beat the
algorithm" by including keywords in your resume (if you have the relevant
experience). Do not include keywords if you do not have the right experience
just to "beat the system".
Resume for relocation positions
There are specific job search practices in each country,
including how to write a resume. There can be different requirements in
different fields of occupation. You should conduct preliminary research and
understand how the process is conducted in a specific country before you submit
your resume to a company that is located in that country, look at examples of
resumes, talk to people who live in that country and learn the practices.
The US and Europe have different requirements, at times even
within the countries themselves. For instance, some view a photo of a candidate
as mandatory and some do not. Some require a cover letter and even an
indication of your marital status it needs to estimate the cost of your move.
Conclusion: We have provided you with important information needed to build a professional resume that will grab any employer attention in seconds. Check out our top-notch Resume Examples and try amazing resume builder which will save you time and land you an interview for your dream job!
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