How to write a resume, step by step

A resume has one job: to get you a call. It does that by letting a busy stranger see, in half a minute, that you fit the work.

Before you type anything

Read the job advertisement twice and underline what it asks for: the role, the skills, the experience, the qualification. Your resume is an answer to that advertisement. The same resume sent to fifty different jobs answers none of them well. Keep one master copy with everything in it, and for each application make a version that brings forward what that job wants.

The sections, in order

1. Name and contact. Full name, mobile number, email, city and state. A link to a profile or portfolio if it helps. Nothing else is needed at the top.
2. Headline. One line under your name: what you are and your main strength. "B.Com graduate | Accounts and GST" or "Sales executive | FMCG | 3 years".
3. Summary or objective. Two to four lines. Experienced people summarise their record; freshers say what they have learned and what work they want. See summary and objective.
4. The strongest section first. For someone with a work record, that is work experience. For a fresher, it is education followed by projects and internships.
5. Skills. Grouped and specific. See skills.
6. Achievements and certificates, only those relevant to the job.
7. Additional information: languages, and anything the job specifically needs such as a driving licence or willingness to relocate.

How to write each line

Three rules cover almost everything.

• Start with an action word. Prepared, handled, sold, built, taught, reduced, trained. Not "responsible for".
• Say what and how much. "Entered 40 vouchers a day for six clients" tells the reader far more than "did data entry".
• End with the result, where there was one. "…reducing pending invoices from 60 to 15."

Length and look

One page for freshers and for most people with under ten years of experience. Use one common font, black text, clear headings and normal margins. No photo, borders, tables for layout, or coloured backgrounds unless the employer asks. A plain page is easier to read and easier for the software that many employers and job portals use to search resumes. The one page and ATS guides go into detail.

What to leave out

• Father's name, religion, caste, marital status and date of birth, unless the application form asks. See personal details.
• Salary, current or expected.
• Reasons for leaving earlier jobs.
• "References available on request".
• Hobbies that say nothing about you as a worker.
• Anything untrue. Claims are checked, and one false line can cost an offer even after joining.

Check before sending

1. Read it aloud once, slowly. Typing errors hide from the eye and jump out to the ear.
2. Ask one other person to read it.
3. Call the phone number and send a mail to the address on the page, to be sure both are right.
4. Save as PDF with a sensible file name: Neha_Kulkarni_Resume.pdf.
5. Open the PDF on a phone. Most recruiters will first see it there.

The final checklist has the full list. When you are ready, the builder lays everything out on one A4 page and tells you if it fits.

Questions people ask

Open the resume builder

More guides

Sample resumes

General guidance. This page gives general suggestions on writing a resume, reviewed in November 2026. Employers differ: if an advertisement or application form asks for a particular format or detail, follow it. Every name, employer and college in our examples is invented. Nothing here promises an interview or a job.