Resume Basics: A Plain-Language Guide to a Clear, Honest Resume

A resume has one job: help a busy reader decide, quickly, that you are worth a conversation. It does not need to list everything you have ever done. It needs to show the most relevant things clearly and honestly. This guide covers the structure, the writing, and the final checks.

How resumes are usually read

Two kinds of readers may see your resume:

1. Software. Many employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to store and search applications. These systems read text, so formatting tricks like text boxes, images, and unusual fonts can cause information to be lost.
2. People. A recruiter or supervisor often scans a resume in well under a minute on a first pass. They look for job titles, employers, dates, and evidence that you can do the work.

Write for both: plain formatting for the software, clear and specific content for the person.

The sections you need

1. Contact information

At the top: your name, city and state, phone number, and a professional email address. A link to a professional profile or portfolio is optional. You do not need your full street address.

Do not include your date of birth, Social Security number, marital status, or a photo. Employers in the U.S. do not need them at this stage, and including them can create problems.

2. Summary

Two or three lines that say who you are, what you are good at, and what you are aiming for. Tailor it to each role.

Customer support specialist with four years of experience resolving billing and account questions by phone and chat. Known for clear explanations and steady performance during high-volume periods. Looking to grow into a team lead role.

3. Skills

A short list of the tools, abilities, and knowledge most relevant to the role. Use the same terms the job posting uses, as long as they are true for you. Group them if the list is long (for example, “Software,” “Equipment,” “Languages”).

4. Experience

List roles in reverse chronological order, newest first. For each:

• Job title
• Employer name and city
• Month and year you started and finished
• Three to six bullet points

5. Education and training

Degrees, diplomas, certificates, apprenticeships, and relevant courses. If you have significant work experience, this section can go after Experience. If you are new to the workforce, it can go first.

6. Optional sections

Certifications, volunteer work, languages, or projects, if they strengthen your case for the role.

Writing strong bullet points

Weak bullets describe duties. Strong bullets show what you did and what happened as a result. A simple pattern:

Action verb + what you did + result or scale

Weaker	Stronger
Responsible for answering phones	Answered 60+ customer calls per day, resolving most issues on the first call
Helped with inventory	Reorganized stockroom layout, cutting average restock time from 30 to 20 minutes
Worked on social media	Planned and posted weekly content for a local nonprofit, growing followers by about 40% in six months

If you do not have exact numbers, honest estimates (“about,” “roughly”) are fine. Do not invent figures.

Useful action verbs: organized, resolved, trained, built, reduced, improved, coordinated, maintained, prepared, scheduled, repaired, analyzed, led, launched.

Choosing a format

• Reverse chronological is the most common and the easiest for readers and software. Use it unless you have a strong reason not to.
• Combination (hybrid) puts a skills section near the top, followed by work history. It can help career changers highlight transferable skills. See Planning a career change.
• Purely functional resumes that hide dates are often viewed with suspicion. If you have gaps, a short honest explanation usually works better. See Returning to work after a gap.

Formatting rules that help

• One page if you have under about ten years of experience; two pages is fine beyond that
• A clean, common font (such as Calibri, Arial, or Georgia) at 10 to 12 points
• Clear section headings and consistent date formats
• No tables, text boxes, headers, or graphics that software may not read
• Save and send as a PDF unless the employer asks for a Word document
• File name: FirstLast-Resume.pdf

Tailoring for each role

You do not need a new resume every time, but you should adjust it:

1. Read the posting and highlight the top five requirements.
2. Make sure your summary speaks to them.
3. Move your most relevant bullets to the top of each role.
4. Mirror the posting’s terms for skills you truly have.

Keep a “master resume” with everything, then copy and trim it for each application.

Mistakes that get resumes skipped

• Typos and inconsistent dates
• An unprofessional email address
• Long paragraphs instead of bullets
• Listing every duty instead of results
• Claims you cannot back up in an interview
• Missing contact details

Be honest

Never exaggerate titles, dates, degrees, or certifications. Employers often verify these, and a false claim can end your candidacy or, later, your employment. Your real experience, described clearly, is enough.

Your next steps

1. Pull your task list from your self-assessment.
2. Draft each role with three to six result-focused bullets.
3. Run through the Resume Readiness Checklist.
4. Ask someone you trust to proofread it.
5. Pair it with a short cover letter when one is requested.