How to Write a Resume in 2025 — Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Choose Your Resume Format

Before you start writing, decide on a format. There are three main resume formats used today:

• Chronological: Lists work experience in reverse order (most recent first). Best for steady career progression.
• Functional: Emphasizes skills over work history. Best for career changers or gaps.
• Combination: Mixes skills and chronological work history. Best for showing both expertise and progression.

Pro tip: Chronological format is most ATS-friendly and preferred by recruiters. Use it unless you have a specific reason not to.

Step 2: Add Contact Information

Include at the top of your resume:

• • Full name (as a header, centered or left-aligned)
• • Phone number (one you answer regularly)
• • Professional email address
• • City and state (or country if international)
• • LinkedIn profile URL (optional but recommended)
• • Portfolio website or GitHub (if applicable)

Don't include: photo, birthdate, marital status, or social media handles. These are outdated and can introduce bias.

Step 3: Write a Professional Summary or Objective

A 2–3 line summary at the top tells recruiters who you are and what you're looking for. Examples:

"Experienced marketing manager with 5+ years driving growth for B2B SaaS. Skilled in demand generation, product launches, and team leadership. Seeking a Senior Marketing Manager role at a growth-stage startup."

Skip this section if you're early career (under 2 years experience). Jump straight to work experience.

Step 4: List Work Experience

This is the most important section. Format each role like this:

Job Title | Company Name
Month Year – Month Year | City, State
• Achievement bullet with measurable result
• Achievement bullet with quantified outcome

Write 3–5 bullets per role. Focus on what you achieved, not what you did. Always include numbers when possible: percentages, dollar amounts, user counts, or time saved.

Wrong: "Responsible for managing social media accounts"
Right: "Grew Instagram following from 5k to 50k followers (10x), increasing monthly website traffic by 34%"

Step 5: Add Education

List your highest degree first:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley | Graduated May 2020

Include: degree name, major/field, university name, graduation date. Optionally: GPA (if 3.5+), relevant coursework, academic honors.

Put education before experience if you're still in school or just graduated. Put itafter experience if you have 5+ years of work history.

Step 6: Highlight Skills

Create a skills section with 10–15 relevant skills. Group by category if it helps clarity:

Languages: Python, JavaScript, SQL, Go
Frameworks: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL
Tools: Git, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS

Mirror keywords from the job description you're applying to. ATS systems scan this section to rank you against other candidates.

Step 7: Format for ATS & Readability

Your resume needs to pass both ATS systems and human eyes. Follow these rules:

• • Use standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman)
• • Single column layout only
• • No graphics, images, or tables
• • No fancy colors or unusual formatting
• • Use standard section headings ("Experience," "Education," "Skills")
• • Save as .pdf or .docx (never .doc or image files)
• • Keep it to 1 page (2 pages max if 10+ years experience)
• • 0.5–1 inch margins all around

Check your resume's ATS compatibility score before applying.

Step 8: Tailor for Each Job

Don't use the same resume for every application. Customize it for each role:

• • Update your professional summary to match the role
• • Reorder bullets to highlight most relevant achievements first
• • Use keywords from the job description in your skills and bullets
• • Remove experience that's not relevant to this specific role

This takes 10 minutes per application but dramatically improves your odds of landing an interview.

Step 9: Proofread Ruthlessly

Typos tank your credibility. Before you apply:

• • Read it out loud
• • Use a spell-checker
• • Check for consistent formatting (spacing, punctuation, tense)
• • Have a friend review it
• • Print it and review on paper

One typo can cost you an interview.

Build Your Resume Now

Follow this guide to write a strong resume, then use ResumeCraft AI to format it professionally, check its ATS score, and export as PDF.