How to write a resume: A step-by-step guide to standing out in 2026

A resume is a concise summary of your work history, skills, education, and relevant accomplishments. Its purpose is to show an employer you’re a strong fit for a specific role. 

 

A resume is different from a curriculum vitae (CV). Where a CV is a complete, detailed record of your academic and professional history, a resume is a shorter, targeted document designed for job applications.

 

A resume is the most requested document in any job search — followed by the cover letter, of course. In fact, recruiters scrutinize job candidates’ resumes more closely than their cover letters. So let’s move on to how to structure it right.

Choosing the right resume format helps recruiters quickly understand your background, and helps you emphasize the experience that matters most for the role. Most professional resume writers group resumes into three common formats: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination.

 

3 common types of resumes

 

1. Reverse-chronological format 

A reverse-chronological resume is the most common resume style: It lists your most recent experience first and works backward through your history. (If you ever worked with a career counselor at school, this is probably the version you learned.) This is typically the best choice if you:

• Have a relatively steady work history
• Want to show career progression
• Are applying within your same field or function

The reverse-chronological format is the most recruiter-friendly and ATS-friendly format.

 

2. Functional resume

A functional resume, on the other hand, emphasizes the relevance of your experience. To create a functional resume, you’ll prominently feature your professional summary, your skills, and a work experience section organized by how closely the positions relate to the one you’re applying to. 

 

This format is best for those who want to minimize resume gaps or are transitioning into a new industry.

 

3. Combination format

As you might guess, a combination resume borrows from both of the aforementioned formats. You’ll combine the professional summary and skills section of a functional resume with the work experience section of a chronological resume. This format is a powerful way to stand out to recruiters by emphasizing both your experience and skills, and is useful for many different types of job seekers.

 

For most job seekers in 2026, a reverse-chronological or combination resume will be the best option.

 

A strong resume structure helps hiring managers find what they need quickly and improves your chances of making it through initial resume scans.

 

While no two resumes should look exactly alike, most effective resumes follow a similar structure. Here’s how to build your resume, section by section.

6 essential steps for structuring your resume

Step 1: Create a high-impact header

 

Your header should be simple, clean, and clearly identify who you are and how an employer can reach you.

 

Include:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• City and state (or metro area)
• Relevant online profiles, personal brand websites, and portfolios.

 

Avoid:

• Unprofessional email addresses
• Full mailing address
• Irrelevant social profiles
• Placing critical contact details in document headers/footers if you’re concerned about ATS readability.

 

Note: Freelancers seeking contract work on gig sites may need a slightly different header. In many cases, those site terms and conditions do not allow applicants to include contact information, such as an email address and a phone number. Check the rules and customize your resume for each platform.

 

Step 2: Write a value-driven professional summary vs. an objective statement

 

Your professional summary is one of the first things a recruiter sees, so it should quickly explain what you do and what kind of value you bring. A strong professional summary should:

 

• Be 2–4 lines long
• Mention your experience level or specialty
• Highlight strengths relevant to the role
• Include role-specific keywords naturally

 

Example: Marketing manager with 7+ years of experience leading content, SEO, and lifecycle campaigns for B2B SaaS brands. Known for improving conversion rates, increasing organic traffic, and building high-performing content programs that drive pipeline.

 

If you’ve been job searching for a while, you may remember resume objective statements. In most cases, professional summaries are more effective in modern resumes than objective statements. The difference between a  professional summary and. objective statement is:

 

• Objective statement: Focuses on what you want
• Professional summary: Focuses on what you offer.

 

Finally, a word to the wise: Don’t exaggerate your professional summary, especially if you’re just getting started in your career. A resume summary for a student or less-experienced professional can reflect more on academic experience, internships, projects, and strengths. 

 

Step 3: Understand how to address hard skills vs. soft skills 

 

A dedicated skills section helps recruiters quickly confirm that you have the qualifications they’re looking for. When building your skills section, it helps to understand hard skills vs. soft skills:

 

• Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities like SQL, financial modeling, UX research, or project management software
• Soft skills are interpersonal or behavioral strengths like communication, adaptability, or leadership

 

Both types of skills are important, but recruiters expect you to communicate them in different ways. It’s best to directly list your hard skills in your skills section, and indirectly explain soft skills through your accomplishments and work experience bullet points.  

 

For example, instead of listing “leadership” as a soft skill on its own, reference it through a bullet like:

 

• Led a cross-functional team of 8 to launch a new onboarding workflow that reduced customer drop-off by 18%

 

For more ideas, review examples of impressive skills to include on your resume and role-specific ideas around skills for young professionals.

 

Step 4: Focus on quantifiable achievements and action verbs for resumes 

 

Your work experience section is the core of your resume. It should detail both your responsibilities and your accomplishments. For each role, include:

 

• Job title
• Employer name
• Location
• Dates of employment
• At least 3–6 bullet points highlighting your impact.

 

One of the biggest resume mistakes is writing job descriptions instead of outcomes. Recruiters want to see quantifiable achievements—e.g., results you can measure—such as:

 

• Revenue generated
• Costs reduced
• Time saved
• Projects completed
• Customers supported
• Growth percentages
• Team size or scope.

 

Verbs like launched, improved, analyzed, built, led, streamlined, increased, reduced, created, and managed make your experience more specific and credible. If you want ideas for stronger wording, review these words to include in your resume. Small tweaks can make a big difference in how recruiters view your experience.

 

Instead of…	Try…
Responsible for managing email campaigns	Launched and optimized email campaigns that increased click-through rates by 24% and generated 18% more qualified leads
Helped improve team processes	Redesigned internal workflows, reducing project turnaround time by 30% across a 12-person team

 

Step 5: Include your education

Your education section should be clear and concise. In most cases, this section doesn’t need to take up much space, especially if you have several years of work experience. Include:

 

• School name
• Degree or credential
• Graduation year (optional, if you’re concerned about age bias)
• Relevant honors, coursework, or certifications, if applicable

 

If you’re a student, recent graduate, or career changer, you may want to move this section higher on the page. 

 

Step 6: Add relevant additional experience

This optional section can help round out your resume if it adds context or shows initiative. Consider including:

 

• Volunteer work
• Certifications
• Professional associations
• Awards
• Publications
• Relevant side projects
• Languages
• Technical projects or portfolios

 

This section can be especially useful if you’re earlier in your career or trying to show transferable strengths. Just make sure everything included supports your candidacy in some way. Earning a black belt in taekwondo is a type of certification, but it’s probably not relevant if you’re applying for a job as an accountant.

Why formatting matters

Formatting affects more than appearance. A clean layout makes your resume easier for recruiters to skim and easier for software to process. Use these practical formatting rules to keep your resume polished and readable:

 

• Length: 1–2 pages maximum
• Font size: 10–12pt for body text; 14–16pt for headers
• Margins: 1-inch on all sides
• File format: Save as a PDF to preserve layout
• Use consistent spacing and alignment

• Stick to simple, professional fonts
• Avoid dense blocks of text
• Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs
• Don’t overuse color, graphics, icons, or columns if ATS readability is a priority
• Make section headings easy to scan

 

A good resume should feel polished and be easy to read.

If you’re going to print out copies of your resume, invest in good paper and use a high-quality printer.

 

Want some specific examples? You can find attractive and effective resume templates here and here.

Why tailoring your resume matters

One of the fastest ways to improve your resume is to stop sending the exact same version everywhere.

 

Tailoring your resume means adjusting your content so it reflects the language, priorities, and requirements of the job you’re applying for. This doesn’t mean keyword stuffing or rewriting your background to sound like someone else; it means making it easier for employers to see what you can offer.

 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Read the job description carefully
2. Highlight repeated keywords and must-have skills
3. Match your summary and skills section to the role
4. Reorder bullet points so the most relevant accomplishments appear first
5. Mirror the language of the job posting where it accurately reflects your experience

 

To save time, many job seekers find it helpful to keep one strong “master resume” and then customize it for each role.

 

Why using caution with AI matters

AI can help job seekers strengthen a resume, but it should not replace your judgment or voice. Glassdoor Community members repeatedly call out the difference between using AI as an editor and using it as a ghostwriter.

 

 

In 2026, many job seekers will use AI tools to brainstorm bullet points, rate their experience against a job posting, tighten wording, identify missing keywords, or improve structure. But there are also questionable ways to use AI to edit your resume.

Good uses of AI	Poor uses of AI
Sharpening a vague bullet point Identifying missing role-relevant keywords Checking formatting consistency Improving grammar and readability	Fabricating metrics or responsibilities Using jargon you wouldn’t be able to explain in an interview Submitting a resume full of vague, repetitive phrasing

The strongest resumes feel specific, grounded, and human. As a rule of thumb, use AI to help you organize, refine, and proofread; don’t let it invent accomplishments or reduce your experience into generic corporate-speak. Most importantly, don’t blindly copy and paste AI results. Like humans, AI makes mistakes. In the end, you are responsible for the tone and accuracy of the resume you submit.

Why editing your resume matters

 

Even a strong applicant can lose credibility fast if their resume contains typos, inconsistencies, or outdated information. Once you’ve drafted your resume, take time to edit it carefully.

 

Resume-editing checklist

 

• Step away before revising
• Review for spelling, grammar, and consistency
• Check job titles, dates, and company names
• Make sure bullet points are concise and results-focused
• Confirm that contact info and links are current
• Ask someone you trust to review it

 

One especially useful tip from the Glassdoor Community: Read your resume as if you were a recruiter seeing it for the first time. Could you understand the candidate’s value in 10–15 seconds?

 

“I heard a recruiter say to look at your resume for literally 15 seconds and see what you can get out of it. Because that’s how long someone may look at it before deciding if it goes into the discard pile. Sounds like harsh advice, but it’s a good tip to make sure what matters is prominent and everything is easy to skim and scan.” – Enrollment Specialist 1

If you’re still unsure about what to include, review these frequently asked questions about resumes.

Why ATS optimization matters

Many employers now use software to help sort, search, and prioritize applications before a recruiter reviews them. Modern resume structure isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about visibility.

What is ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software employers use to manage applications. These systems often scan resumes for:

• Relevant keywords
• Job titles
• Skills
• Certifications
• Education
• Experience alignment

 

Tailoring your resume for ATS optimization improves your chances of your resume getting past the software and in front of a human. With the increasing popularity of AI-powered job application assistants, there are often thousands of applications for a single job post. Glassdoor Community members warn that every resume today should be designed to be scanned by software.

 

ATS optimization is not about beating the algorithm; it’s about writing a resume that communicates your qualifications in a way that both software and people can understand. ATS-friendly resumes:

• Use standard section headings like work experience, skills, and education
• Include keywords from the job description in a natural way
• Avoid overly complex formatting
• Make qualifications easy to identify quickly
• Add keywords
• Focus on specifics and real accomplishments
• Are easy to skim

In other words, a good resume is not just a list of jobs, but a clear case for why you’re a strong fit.