How to write a resume that gets you an interview
A resume has one job: to show an employer, quickly, that you can do the work they need. These steps work for a first job, a career change or a senior role.
1. Start from the job advert
Read the advert twice before you write anything. Mark the tasks, tools, certificates and qualities it mentions, and note the words it uses for them. Those words tell you what the employer will look for first.
Keep one main resume, then adjust it for each application: change the summary, move the most relevant experience up, and use the advert's own words for skills you really have. Never add skills you do not have.
2. Put your contact details at the top
Your name, phone number, email address and city are enough. Add a LinkedIn profile or portfolio link if it helps. Leave out your full street address, date of birth and marital status unless employers in your country expect them.
Whether to add a photo depends on the country: resumes in the US, the UK and Canada usually have none, while in much of Europe, Asia and the Middle East a photo is common.
3. Write a short summary
Two or three sentences under your name should answer: who are you professionally, what are you good at, and what do you bring to this job? Mention years of experience, the kind of workplace and one or two strengths that match the advert.
Avoid empty phrases such as "hard-working team player". Show it instead: "Line cook with four years in busy 120-seat kitchens, trained in food safety and fast prep for large groups."
4. Describe your experience with results
List your jobs newest first, each with the job title, employer and years. Under each job, write two to five short lines that start with an action verb: served, built, trained, repaired, sold, organised.
For each line, say what you did and what changed because of it. Numbers help when you have them: tables per shift, orders per hour, customers per day, money saved, errors reduced, people trained. A modest, true number is better than a big guess.
Informal work counts. Caring for a relative, running a small online shop, volunteering or helping in a family business all show skills. Describe them the same way as paid jobs.
5. Add education, skills and certificates
Put your highest qualification with the school and year; early in a career it can go above experience. Then list skills the job asks for: software, equipment, languages, licences and certificates, with the level where it matters (for example "Spanish: fluent").
Extra sections such as projects, volunteering, languages or awards are useful when they support the job you want. Leave out anything that does not.
6. Keep the layout simple and readable
Use standard headings (Summary, Experience, Education, Skills), a clear font, enough white space and one or two pages. Many employers read resumes on a phone or run them through screening software, so plain text reads better than text inside images, charts or tables.
Save the file as a PDF unless the advert asks for Word, and name it with your name, for example "maria-lopez-resume.pdf".
7. Check it before you send it
Read your resume aloud, check every date and number, and ask someone else to read it. Look for spelling mistakes in names of employers, schools and tools. Make sure your phone number and email work.
The check in the builder shows what is missing, such as contact details, a summary, results in numbers or skills. It is a guide, not a prediction of how an employer will decide.