Okay. So.
How do you make a resume?
Honestly… I had no clue either. First time I sat down to make one, I opened Google Docs, stared at a blank page for like 40 minutes, typed “My Resume” at the top (why??), added some bullet points like “Good at teamwork” and “Hardworking,” and… yeah, I kinda thought that was enough. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
Back then I didn’t know what I was doing. I just needed something because everyone kept saying, “You need a resume if you want a job.” Right, but no one told me how to actually make one. Like, step-by-step. Or how it’s supposed to look. Or what “professional” even means when all you’ve done is work at a pizza place and maybe interned once for free.
Anyway, fast-forward through a few job rejections (some didn’t even email back 😑), I realized my resume wasn’t bad — it was invisible. Not bad enough to be laughed at, not good enough to be remembered. Just… meh.
That’s when I started digging. Watching YouTube videos. Reading stuff. Noticing what words job ads use. Turns out, it’s not just about listing what you’ve done — it’s about how you say it. And formatting. And keywords. And honestly? It’s like a weird science mixed with marketing. You’re kinda selling yourself without sounding like you’re trying too hard.
So if you’re sitting there thinking, “How do I make a resume that doesn’t suck?” — I’ve been there. And I’m gonna walk you through it. No jargon. No BS. Just what works. Especially if you’re a student or just starting out.
Let’s mess it up first and fix it later. That’s how most good things get built anyway.
2. What Is a Resume?
Okay so—what is a resume? Honestly, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to really get it. Back in college, I thought it was just… like… a list? Of stuff I did? I remember Googling “what is a resume used for” while panicking before a career fair, sitting in the library with my hoodie up and an iced coffee that tasted like regret.
But now, after sending out maybe 200 versions of mine (some good, some terrible, some that looked like a Word doc exploded), I kinda get it. A resume is basically your personal marketing document—you’re selling yourself, but in that awkward professional way where you don’t want to sound too desperate or too proud. Fun, right?
It’s not a biography. It’s not your life story. It’s just a snapshot. One page, maybe two. You stack your experience, skills, education, and hope to God some hiring manager sees it before the bots toss it. That’s why people keep saying make it ATS-friendly (which means robots can read it, btw).
And the format? Everyone screams about reverse-chronological, so I just stick with that. Jobs listed newest to oldest. Clean. Boring. Safe.
Also—side note—resume vs CV? Don’t get me started. Here:
- Resume = short, focused, job-specific
- CV = long, academic, like a resume that won’t shut up
Anyway, if you’re sitting there staring at a blank doc… yeah, I’ve been there. Just start messy. You can clean it up later. Or don’t. It’s still your story.
3. Key Sections of a Resume
3.1 Header & Contact Info
Alright, let’s start at the top — literally. The resume header. You’d think it’s the easiest part, right? Like, “Just slap your name on it and move on.” Yeah… I once forgot my phone number. Not even kidding. Sent out five resumes before realizing. No wonder nobody called.
Anyway, your header should feel like your little digital handshake. Name (duh), phone number that actually works, email that isn’t “[email protected],” and ideally a LinkedIn or portfolio link — if you have one. That’s it. Keep it clean. No need to label it “Resume” — we all know what it is.
3.2 Professional Summary / Objective
Okay, so this part’s weird. It’s supposed to be a quick “Here’s what I’m about” blurb. But when I first wrote mine? It was like a weird dating profile. “Motivated, enthusiastic, results-driven…” 😵💫 bro what? Who talks like that?
Try this instead: one or two sentences that say what you do (or want to do) and why you’re not totally clueless. If you’re just starting out, use an objective. Something like: “Recent marketing grad passionate about storytelling and making data suck less.” That’s it. You’re not writing a TED Talk. Just be real, be clear.
3.3 Work Experience
This one gets tricky — especially if your past jobs were, you know, not super fancy. I used to work at a bookstore. Then a cafe. Then a startup that ghosted me after 3 months.
But here’s what helped: Don’t just list tasks like a robot. Tell ‘em what you actually did. Use bullet points. Use action words. “Organized X,” “Improved Y,” “Increased Z by 30%.” Even if you worked retail, there’s stuff in there — problem-solving, handling chaos, keeping customers from screaming.
Oh, and quantify when you can. Numbers hit different. “Managed \$5,000 in daily transactions” sounds legit, right? Way better than “Worked the cash register.”
3.4 Education & Certifications
Honestly? If you’re fresh outta college, this is your highlight. If not, it’s just a checkpoint.
Put your degree, school, and graduation year. Done. If you did something extra — a cert, bootcamp, whatever — throw it in here. Don’t stress if it’s not Ivy League or fancy. Nobody cares if you can actually do the work.
And please don’t lie. Someone once told me they “graduated top of their class” and I googled it. Spoiler: they didn’t.
3.5 Skills & Keywords
Here’s where it gets… frustrating. You have to play the ATS game. You know, those resume scanners that decide if you’re worth a second glance? Yeah. They’re picky.
So you gotta drop in resume keywords that match the job description. It’s like keyword bingo. Don’t overdo it, though. No one wants to read: “Project management, project managing projects using project management tools…”
Stick to what you actually know: Canva, Google Analytics, Excel (but like, real Excel, not “I know how to bold stuff” Excel). Sprinkle those in. And soft skills? Add a few — teamwork, problem-solving — but don’t make it a therapy session.
Oh, and if you see the word “Python” on a job ad and don’t know what that is… don’t lie. Learned that the hard way in an interview. 😬
Anyway, yeah. Building this thing feels like you’re trying to impress someone without sounding like you’re trying too hard. But keep it honest, clean, and maybe even a little weird (in a good way). That’s how you stand out.
4. Step-by-Step Resume Crafting Process
Okay, so here’s how it actually went when I tried to make a resume for the first time: I opened a Word doc, stared at the blinking cursor, and typed “RESUME” in size 16 bold at the top. That’s it. That was the whole plan. No clue what I was doing. No template. No idea that a recruiter would probably spend like 6 seconds looking at it. I just knew I needed a job and people said “you need a resume.” Cool. How?
So anyway. If you’re like me—messy, figuring stuff out as you go, probably googling “how do you make a resume step by step” at 2AM—this is for you. Not polished. Just real.
Step 1: Look at job ads. Like, actually read them.
Don’t do what I did and just blindly write a list of “skills” like “hardworking, team player, punctual.” Ugh. You gotta dig into actual job listings for the thing you’re applying for. Copy-paste the words they use. “Data analysis,” “CRM systems,” “cross-functional teams” — yeah, that kind of stuff. If five listings say “SQL,” maybe your resume should too (if you actually know it, I mean).
I used Jobscan once — that site’s wild, it literally shows you how much your resume matches the job post. Kinda felt like cheating. Still used it though.
Step 2: Use reverse-chronological format. Period.
Unless you’re some creative unicorn applying to be an abstract artist or something, just… don’t get fancy. Start with your most recent job or project. Then go backward. Nobody wants to scroll through your part-time gig from 2014 before they see your current internship. That’s like giving spoilers before the movie starts.
Step 3: Bullet points. But with action. And numbers.
This was hard. I kept writing stuff like “helped with marketing.” Helped HOW? Did you run campaigns? Did you increase anything? Did you build something? Start with a verb. Then say what you did. Then — if you can — slap a number on it.
I changed mine to “Increased email open rates by 23% using A/B testing.” Felt cooler. And weirdly satisfying. Like I did something, you know?
Step 4: Tailor your summary or objective for each job. Yes, every. single. time.
I hated this. I still hate it. But if you write “Looking for a challenging role in a dynamic environment” — you might as well write “please ignore me.” Be specific. “Aspiring software engineer with 2 years of Python experience, looking to build AI tools for healthcare.” Way better. Sounds like a person. Not a resume generator.
Step 5: Test it with ATS scanners.
This part freaked me out. Like, now I’m writing not just for humans but for robots?? Whatever. Tools like SkillSyncer or ResumeWorded will show you if your resume is even readable by machines. I ran mine through and it straight up said “low keyword match.” Ouch.
So I added more relevant phrases. Kept it natural though. No stuffing “project management” 12 times. That just feels… embarrassing.
Step 6: Show it to a human. A real one.
Not your mom. Not your dog. I mean someone who’s hired people before. Or a friend in HR. I sent mine to an ex-colleague and they were like, “Dude, this sounds nothing like you. You’re funnier than this. Where’s you in here?” And that hit. So I rewrote it. Loosened it up a bit. It’s still professional — but not robotic.
I guess what I’m saying is: your resume’s not a trophy. It’s a tool. To get in the door. You don’t need to be perfect — you just need to be clear. Tell your story. Be honest. Use real words. And for god’s sake, don’t list “proficient in Microsoft Word” like it’s 2006.
Anyway. That’s how I learned to make a resume. You’ll figure it out too. Probably better than I did.
5. ATS Optimization Tips
Okay so — applicant tracking systems — or like, “ATS” if you’re trying to sound like you know what you’re doing — they’re kind of a pain, honestly. I didn’t even know what the hell they were the first time I sent out resumes. I just had this pretty PDF with fancy lines and a cute little icon by my email (why??) and I was like yep, this’ll do it… yeah, no. It got eaten. Like, vanished. Never heard back. Ghosted by a robot.
I found out later that these ATS things are like resume bouncers. They scan your file before a human even sees it. And if they don’t like what they see? Buh-bye. You don’t exist.
So, basic survival tips: Use a .docx format. Not a PDF unless the job specifically says it’s fine. Yeah, I know PDFs look nice and crisp but sometimes ATS software just chokes on them like a hairball. Word docs are like, boring, but safe.
Also — fonts. I used to use this thin fancy one, like “Lato Light” or whatever because I thought it looked modern. No. Just… no. Stick to Arial, Calibri, Georgia — fonts that feel like an old school textbook. Not sexy, but readable. That’s the whole point.
Oh and dude — tables? Avoid. I had this gorgeous side column layout once — like a two-column resume with a grey box on the left for skills and contact info. Looked like I paid someone \$300 for it. The ATS saw it and went, “??? beep? error?” and just scrambled everything. Lesson learned.
Don’t get me started on keyword stuffing either. I once copy-pasted the job description into my resume footer (in white text, lol) thinking I was being clever. Nope. Got flagged. Probably looked like spam. Felt like such a fraud afterward.
Anyway — you want an ATS-friendly resume? Keep it boring. Clean lines, no graphics, straight to the point. Use keywords, but in sentences that sound like, y’know… a human wrote them. Which I guess you are.
I still mess this up sometimes. It’s weird how something so basic can feel like a test you didn’t study for.
Read More: How to write a Cover Letter?
6. Resume Templates & Examples
Okay, so… resume templates. Yeah, I used to Google “free resume template Word” like it was a magic spell. You know, hoping one of those clean, fancy ones would somehow make me look like I had my life together. Spoiler: it didn’t. The first one I downloaded had Comic Sans in it. Comic Sans. I almost sent it to an actual job. I still have nightmares.
Anyway, I found this one resume template on Google Docs — super minimal, just name at the top, bold job titles, and neat spacing. That’s the one I used for my first interview. And weirdly? It worked. I didn’t even realize it was an entry-level marketing resume sample until later. I just followed the structure: summary, skills, job stuff, education — bam. One page. No fluff. Recruiter didn’t even flinch. Hired me two weeks later.
Now, for the “experienced” folks — I helped my cousin tweak his two-pager recently. He’s been around longer, had six jobs, lots of acronyms. We kept it sharp: added bullet points, metrics (like “increased revenue 22%” blah blah), and linked his portfolio. Used a Word template he got from some random Reddit post. Honestly? Looked like a resume a grown-up would send.
Moral of the story? Templates help. But you still gotta sound like a human. Even if you barely feel like one today.
Read More: How to Build Your Resume Using ChatGPT?
7. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Okay, so. I’ve messed up my resume more times than I wanna admit. Like, stupid stuff. One time I sent out 30+ resumes with the wrong phone number on them. THIRTY. I was wondering why no one was calling back and then boom—realized I swapped two digits. Felt like throwing my laptop out the window.
Another time? I used this super fancy template with colors and boxes and icons. Thought I was being slick. Turns out the stupid thing looked amazing to me but was unreadable to the ATS bots. You know, the ones that actually decide if a real person sees your resume? Yeah. Straight to digital hell.
Oh—and please don’t write “responsible for” in every bullet. Everyone’s “responsible for” something. Say what you did. Like, did you fix something? Did you save time or money? I had this one job where all I did was organize spreadsheets, but once I phrased it like “streamlined data tracking,” it sounded 10x more legit. Dumb trick. Works.
Common resume mistakes? Typos. Generic summaries. Listing jobs from 2007 like they still matter. Not customizing it at all. Seriously—copy-pasting the same thing to every job is lazy. I’ve done it. It doesn’t work.
Anyway, proofread it. Then send it to someone else. Then read it out loud. If it sounds fake or stiff, it is.
And for the love of god, don’t use Comic Sans.
8. Wrapping It Up + Call to Action
You make the resume. You sweat over it. You rewrite that same stupid bullet 10 times because “streamlined team workflows” sounds fake but “I helped my team not lose their minds” isn’t… resume-y enough. You try to make it look like you’ve done something impressive — even if you’ve just been barely surviving your first gig or hopping between contracts or whatever. It’s weird. Feels like lying sometimes. But it’s not, not really. It’s just… selling yourself to software companies, right? Or to someone out there who thinks “Oh cool, let’s hire this software engineer” and not “Next.”
Anyway, I’d say: start messy. Fix later. Use that template if it helps. I’ve linked one I actually used. Also—seriously—run it through one of those scanner things. IT jobs are notorious for ghosting resumes that don’t pass the robots. Learned that the hard way.
If you’re still stuck, drop a comment or email me or whatever. I don’t bite. And if your resume somehow actually gets you an interview — tell me. Brag. I wanna hear about it. It’s not just words on paper. It’s your damn future. And yeah, that sounds dramatic, but also… true.