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.