What is a resume?
A resume is a concise document that summarizes your professional experience, education, skills and other information relevant to a job application.
Its purpose is not to document every detail of your career. Instead, it should help an employer quickly understand your background and why your experience may be relevant to the position.
That means a strong resume is usually selective. The information you include should support the type of role you are applying for.
Choose a clear resume format
Before writing, choose how your information will be organized. For many candidates, a structure that presents recent work experience clearly is a useful starting point.
Your design should make important information easy to find. Use consistent typography, spacing and section headings throughout the document.
Keep the design readable
Visual design can give your resume personality, but decoration should not compete with the content. A recruiter should be able to identify your experience, education and skills quickly.
Explore professional resume templates available in Make Resume.
Add your contact information
Your contact section tells an employer who you are and how to reach you. Keep it simple and make sure every detail is current.
Common information to include
- Full name
- Phone number
- Professional email address
- City or general location when relevant
- LinkedIn or professional portfolio when useful
A typo in your email address or phone number can prevent an employer from contacting you.
Write a professional summary
A resume summary is a short introduction near the top of your resume. It can highlight your experience, strengths and the type of value you bring to a role.
Keep it focused. A few strong sentences are generally more useful than a long paragraph that repeats information from the rest of your resume.
Supply chain professional with experience in materials planning, inventory management and cross-functional coordination. Skilled in improving planning processes and supporting reliable production through data-driven decision-making.
Describe your work experience
Your experience section is often one of the most important parts of your resume. For each relevant position, include your role, employer, dates and a concise description of your work.
Go beyond responsibilities
Instead of listing only what you were responsible for, explain what you did, how you contributed and, where appropriate, what changed as a result.
Responsible for inventory planning and working with suppliers.
Managed inventory planning and coordinated with suppliers to support material availability and production requirements.
When you have meaningful results that can be described accurately, numbers can provide useful context — for example, improvements in inventory, delivery performance or project outcomes.
Learn how to write resume work experience →Add your education
Include relevant education such as a degree, institution and field of study. You can also include graduation dates when appropriate.
If you are early in your career, education may deserve more space. As your professional experience grows, your work history will often become the stronger focus.
Select relevant skills
Your skills section should help an employer quickly identify capabilities that matter for the role. Prioritize skills that are relevant to the job instead of creating a very long generic list.
Read the job description carefully. When a required skill genuinely matches your experience, use terminology that clearly communicates that match.
See how to choose skills for your resume →Add sections that strengthen your resume
Not every resume needs the same sections. Depending on your background and the position, additional information can help demonstrate relevant experience.
Useful when language ability matters for the role.
Show relevant professional training or credentials.
Highlight work that demonstrates practical skills.
Add meaningful professional or academic recognition.
Review and tailor your resume
Before submitting your resume, compare it with the job description. Make sure the most relevant experience and skills are easy to find.
Check spelling, dates, formatting and contact information. Reading the document once as a recruiter might can also help you spot information that is unclear or unnecessary.
Learn about clear resume formatting, relevant keywords and applicant tracking systems.
Final resume checklist
Now build your resume.
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