How to Write a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

A resume is a short, targeted argument that you deserve an interview — not a complete history of everything you have ever done. The goal is to show, in one page and a few seconds of skimming, that you can do this specific job. That means leading with relevant, quantified achievements and presenting them in a layout both a recruiter and an applicant tracking system can read.

Here is how to write one from scratch, section by section, then tailor and export it so it actually lands.

Step 1: Add your contact details

Put your name and contact information at the top of the page body — not in the header or footer, which many ATS parsers ignore. Keep it to the essentials.

• Full name, phone number, and a professional, name-based email address.
• City and country (a full street address is no longer expected).
• A LinkedIn URL or portfolio link if it is current and relevant.
• Skip a photo, date of birth, and marital status (in the US and UK especially).

Step 2: Write a short professional summary

Open with a two- to three-line summary that frames who you are, your specialty, and your single biggest relevant result. It is the first thing read, so make it count — and skip the first-person "I".

• Use a summary if you have relevant experience; use a brief objective if you are a student or career changer.
• Include at least one number — a result, not just a label.
• Tailor it to name the target role and your strongest matching strength.

Step 3: Build out your work experience

This is the core of your resume. List roles in reverse-chronological order — most recent first — with the company, your title, and dates, followed by three to five achievement bullets each.

• Start every bullet with a strong action verb (led, built, cut, grew).
• Show achievements and impact, not duties — quantify with percentages, dollars, time, or scale.
• Mirror the language of the job posting where it honestly describes your work.
• Give the most space to your most recent and most relevant roles.

Weak: "Responsible for managing the team’s reporting." Strong: "Automated weekly reporting in SQL, saving the team roughly 6 hours a week."

Step 4: Add skills, education, and extras

• Skills: a scannable list of the tools, languages, and methods the role names — prioritize hard skills the ATS matches.
• Education: degree, institution, and graduation year; new graduates can add a strong GPA, honors, or relevant coursework.
• Optional sections: certifications, projects, volunteering, or languages — include them only when they strengthen your case for this job.

Step 5: Choose an ATS-friendly format

Most applications are screened by software before a person sees them, so the layout has to parse cleanly. Reverse-chronological is the safest format for almost everyone.

• Use a single-column layout with standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills).
• Stick to a common, readable font and roughly 1-inch margins.
• Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, and graphics that parsers choke on.
• Keep it to one page (two only if you have 10+ years of relevant experience).

Step 6: Tailor, proofread, and export

• Tailor a copy to each posting — reorder skills and bullets so the most relevant come first.
• Proofread for typos and consistent formatting, then have someone else read it.
• Export as a text-based PDF (or .docx if the posting asks) — never an image or scan.
• Confirm you can select the text in the exported PDF; if you cannot, neither can the ATS.

Put it into practice: browse resume examples by role, start from a free ATS-friendly template, and generate a tailored letter with our AI cover letter generator.