How To Write A Resume That Will Get You Your Dream Job (Complete Guide For 2022)

In most cases, the difference between a dream job and your backup choice is the quality of your resume. Get it right, and you’ll get responses from every company you apply to. You’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you get a single response if your resume game is weak.

You probably wonder how to write a resume that gets HR managers to invite you to interviews every day. The resume is a document that is commonly used during the hiring process. In a clear, easy-to-read format, it should describe your background and qualifications and include the most relevant, important details about you. It is important to communicate quickly why your skills and experiences make you a uniquely qualified candidate.

Follow these simple steps and best practices to create a resume that employers will notice. Keep in mind that your resume should be relevant and readable. Here are some tips on how to write each of these sections.

Are you ready to learn how to write a resume that will get you the job you want? Let’s get started. 

How To Write A Resume

1. Choose the right format

Your resume’s format refers to how you present information. A chronological (or reverse-chronological) resume, a functional resume, or a combination of both are the most common resume formats.

It is ideal if you have a rich professional work history with no gaps in your employment to use a chronological resume format. Functional resumes emphasize skills and are a good option for those switching industries or with gaps in their work history.

When you have some professional experience, and both skills and work history are equally important, the combination resume format is a good choice.

2. Your name and contact information should be included

You should begin your resume with your name and contact information, including your email address and phone number. You can choose whether or not to include your mailing address. You should put your name at the top of your resume in a bold or larger font than the rest of the document, but no larger than 14 points. If you are applying for creative jobs, you may also include a link to your online portfolio.

3. An objective or summary should be added to the resume

Following your contact information, you can include a resume summary or objective statement. Those with limited professional experiences, such as recent college or high school graduates, can use an objective statement to explain their career goals quickly. In a resume summary, you describe your relevant work experience and skills in a short statement.

4. Make a list of your soft and hard skills

Think about your skills that make you a great candidate for the job. Review the job description and highlight keywords that you have proven successful with in the past. When changing careers or industries, consider both hard (technical) and soft (interpersonal) skills. Include keywords that are relevant to the employer in the skills section. The first thing you should do is list any required skills, such as certifications or licenses.

5. Provide a keyword-rich list of your professional experience

The professional history section should be written in reverse chronological order. Provide a short description of your most recent job, including the company name, your job title, and a few key achievements during your tenure at the company. During your tenure there, you might also have experienced relevant learning opportunities.

There are a few best practices you should follow when listing your professional history:

When possible, measure your impact using numbers. Employers can better understand your potential value by including specific numerical achievements. 

6. Take keywords from the job description and use them 

In your job history bullets, you should also include information from the job description. You might include information about how you’ve met or exceeded sales quotas in past positions if the job description mentions it.

7. Keep it short

It takes employers just a few seconds to review your resume, so make sure your descriptions are concise and relevant. Instead of listing multiple lines describing your role, try removing filler words like “and” and “the.”

8. Make use of action verbs

 When describing your professional accomplishments, use action verbs. Examples include “developed,” “saved,” “drove,” and “managed.”

9. Include a section on education

It is especially important to include an education section if you have limited work experience (such as recent college graduates or high school graduates), or if you are transferring into a new field. Your education section should include the name of the institution, dates of attendance, and degree or area of study. You might remove all but the name of your school and dates of attendance from your resume if you are applying for mid- or higher-level positions.

You can also include certifications and licenses relevant to the job description in this section. Leave off any credentials that are not directly related to the job requirements to save space.

10. Add optional sections if possible

Consider adding an achievements or interests section if your resume has significant white space. A shorter resume can be complemented by this, especially for those with limited work and educational experience. Be sure your achievements and interests are relevant to potential employers and support your career goals.

11. Make your resume look professional

The layout of your resume is important, but you should also pay attention to formatting details such as font style, font size, margins, and spacing. When you format your resume, it will look clean, professional, and be easier to read. In order to keep an employer’s attention, you must do this. To make your resume look polished, follow these tips:

• You should use a font size between 10 and 12 points.
• You should use a clean, easy-to-read font like Arial or Helvetica; you should avoid stylized fonts.
• You should leave a margin of one to 1.5 inches around your document.
• Your name and section headers should be bold or slightly larger in font size (no larger than 14 points).
• Under your education and professional history sections, use bullet points when listing several different pieces of information.

12. Make sure your resume is error-free

Make sure your resume is free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. When you read your resume backward, you can identify errors by rearranging the words. You should also ask trusted friends, colleagues, professors, and family members to review your resume. It is possible to uncover new information by getting third-party opinions.

Consider eliminating filler words or extraneous information from each section of your resume if it exceeds one page. For high-level positions or industries like health care or academia, two pages may be acceptable.

13. You should tailor your resume for each position you apply for

Whenever you apply for a new position, you should revise your resume. For each job, adjust the keywords in the skills section so that they are exactly what the employer is looking for. Depending on the job description, you should also emphasize different things in the professional history and educational experiences sections.

Once you’ve mastered how to write a resume, you can get started on the perfect cover letter with our complete guide. Want more employability advice? We’ve written guides on how to write better emails, how to improve your listening skills, and how to apologize for a mistake at work.