A resume should be clear, professional, and easy to scan, emphasizing your most marketable qualifications with a clean and readable format. The most common format is chronological, where experience is listed starting with the most recent. Key components include a header with your name and contact information, a concise professional summary, work experience with bullet points highlighting accomplishments, a skills section, and education details. Use a professional font, consistent formatting, and strategic use of white space and color to enhance readability and visual appeal. Tailor the resume to the job by focusing on relevant skills and achievements and keep it concise, ideally one to two pages. It’s also important to proofread to avoid errors. For mobile-friendly resumes, use simple design, legible fonts, and bullet points for easy scanning on small screens.
Basic Structure:
- Header: Name, contact info
- Summary: Brief professional overview
- Experience: Reverse chronological, job title, employer, dates, and bullet points of achievements
- Skills: Relevant technical and soft skills
- Education: Degrees, institutions, graduation dates
Design Tips:
- Use clean, professional fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman
- Keep font size between 9-12 points for readability
- Use bullet points to break up text
- Incorporate white space for clarity
- Use color sparingly and strategically for headers or highlights
- Consistent formatting throughout
Content Tips:
- Focus on measurable achievements and relevant skills
- Tailor the resume for each job application
- Limit resume length to one or two pages
- Proofread carefully to avoid typos and errors
This provides a comprehensive guide on what a resume should look like in 2025.
