What is a Resume?
A resume is a brief summary of personal and professional experiences, skills, and education history. Its main purpose is to show off your best self to potential employers.
When applying for a job, you’re (in most cases) going to be asked for a resume accompanied by a cover letter.
If you manage to create a “good” resume, you’re going to 2x your chances of getting hired.
How to Write a Resume for Your First Job?
The process of writing a resume might seem super scary to you. After all, most resume examples you see on the web are 80% about work experience. So, what the heck can you include in your resume if you have none?
Well, here’s some good news. If you’re applying for an entry-level job or an internship, no one expects you to have ANY work experience.
Instead, you should focus on what you DO have: education, projects, volunteering experience, hobbies & interests.
What to Put on a Resume?
The most common sections on a resume are:
Contact information
Resume summary or objective
Work experience
Education
If you want to personalize your resume a bit more, you can also include the following sections:
Projects
Volunteering experience
Hobbies & interests
Portfolio
How Long Should a Resume Be?
Ah, the most popular resume question in the world: “how long should your resume be?”
Short answer: one page. If you have a lot of work experience (10 years +), sometimes it makes sense to make it 2 pages MAX if everything you mention is super relevant for the position you’re applying for.
How to Write a Resume Summary?
Your resume summary is a “hook” that goes on top of your resume. Think of it as an introduction to the rest of your resume. It should, in 2-4 sentences, explain what your background is, and why it’s relevant for the position you’re applying for.
Want your resume summary to stand out? Use this proven formula:
“Professional [job title] with X+ years of work experience in [job responsibility]. In the past Y years, I have [your top 1-2 achivements]. Seeking a position of [job title] at [company name]”
How to List Work Experience on a Resume
Each work experience entry should contain the following:
Position title
Company name/description/location
Achievements or responsibilities
Dates employed
Now, if you want to create a work experience section that stands out, you want to focus on quantifiable achievements. What this means is, instead of creating an entry like:
“Carried out sales operations”
You list an achievement:
“Hit and exceeded monthly sales KPIs for 5 months in a row.”
This shows the employer that you’re not just a random candidate, you’re an A-player!
How to Make a Cover Letter For a Resume?
Every job application asks for a cover letter (in addition to your resume). Here are some of our tips on how to do this right:
Customize your cover letter to the employer. The more personalized it is, the more likely it is for the recruiter to like you
Outline your general background (work experience, profession, etc.) and mention your top 2-3 achievements to show off your skills