How to make a resume in 2022 - Complete Guide

Mastering the most desired skills, getting an education from a renowned institute, and having successful work experience is essential to finding your dream job. But many job seekers forget about the importance of a resume in the journey of hunting down their desired jobs and take it just as a formality.

It’s crucial to pay proper attention to the process of making a resume; otherwise, your application to join any company will become a part of hundreds of ignored resumes. If you are willing to join any job position, you just need to know how to write a resume. By getting your resume right, you will increase your chances of getting a response from the HR manager and call for an interview.

So, the question is, how to create a resume? Are there any special methods to follow in the resume-making process? If these questions are popping into your mind, then there’s no need to worry anymore. We are here to serve you as a guide on how to make a resume that will catch recruiters’ attention and get you calls for interviews.

In this blog, we will let you know how to build a resume using the SmallSEOTools resume generator where you will be free for creating a resume without any charges. Check out the resume tips discussed below to make your resume perfect before sending it to companies. So, let’s get started without any further ado!

Pick the Right Resume Format & layout

You can get started with the resume writing process by picking out the right format and layout for your resume. The decision to pick the right resume format depends upon the level of experience you have and the type of job you’re applying to.

For resume creation, there are three main formats, which include functional, reverse-chronological, and combination resume format. Each of these formats has distinct features and meets the needs of different kinds of job seekers. So the question is, which resume sample is the best fit for you? You can figure it out yourself by looking into the details given below.

 Functional Resume Format

A functional resume format is a type of resume in which you can write about your skills rather than your experience because you have no experience or you just graduated. This is also referred to as a skills-based resume format which means you can create a resume including all your professional skills in it without any layout hesitation.

Besides recent graduates, a functional resume is an ideal format for people looking forward to changing their careers. By portraying the skills in this professional resume format, you can relate to the job you’re applying for.

Reverse Chronological Resume Format

If you are hunting down a job and you have an extensive range of work experience and accomplishments, then the reverse chronological resume format is the best option. In reverse chronological resume format, the job seekers have to list down their most recent or current job first and list the other work in reverse order.

This format is admired by most recruiters as they are looking forward to exploring the employment history of the applicants. However, it doesn’t mean that recent graduates with little or no work experience have no chance of getting hired. You can use the reverse chronological resume formats to catch the recruiter’s attention and fulfill job positions that demand fresh graduates.

Combination Resume Format

A combination resume, also known as a hybrid resume, combines functional and reverse chronological resume formats to help individuals with a diverse set of skills. Sometimes, employers look for dedication, and the combination resume format can help you portray it in the best manner. With this professional resume format, you can put emphasis on both your experience and skills which will allow the hiring managers to understand your profile.

After picking up the resume template that you think will work best for you, it’s time to decide on its layout. Many people believe that a resume would work even in black and white and without any proper formatting.

However, it’s not true at all! If your resume’s layout is ordinary or doesn’t please the eyes of a recruiter at all, your chances of getting a call for the interview would be minimal. Hence, you need to work on organizing the resume layout in the best manner. Let’s take a look over some must-haves in your resume layout.

• One page in length.
• Clear and bold headings.
• Easily readable font style.
• Consistent and right font size.
• Ample white space.

Mention Your Personal Details & Contact Information

Now, after getting the right format and layout, you need to move forward toward the first section of your resume, i.e., personal details and contact information. This section is considered a crucial part of your resume, as, without it, the HR manager won’t be able to reach you.

For instance, if you haven’t written your email address correctly on your resume or made a typing mistake, you will never receive a call for an interview. Similarly, there are other things you need to get right in this section. Let’s discover what you need to cover.

DOS:

1. Write down your full name, contact number, email address, and location.

2. Use your professional title as a highlight of your position or to portray your desired job.

3. Include the link to your LinkedIn profile if it’s up to date and can add value to your resume.

4. In the fields like designing, development, and writing, you will have to showcase your work in the online portfolio. The best way to do it is by including the links to your work profile, such as online blogs, Behance, Dribble, GitHub, etc.

Don’ts: 

1. Birthplace and date of birth.

2. Unprofessional email address.

Use a Resume Summary or Objective

A resume summary or objective comes right across your contact information at the top of your resume. Therefore, it’s essential to get it right because this will leave the first impression on recruiters, and they will decide whether to explore your resume further or not.

According to a survey, an HR manager will spend around 5 seconds scanning a single resume. It means that during these 5 seconds, the only thing that can capture the interest of employers is the resume summary or objective.

Is there any difference between a resume summary and an objective? Is there any proper way of writing them down? Let’s figure out the difference between them and what you should choose.

Resume Summary

All individuals with little or vast work experience can use a resume summary while applying for any job position. A quality resume summary is basically a summary of your career that needs to be covered in two to three sentences while resume creation.

The things that must be mentioned in your resume summary involve the years of experience you have, your job, top achievements (1 or 2), and your desired goal of working for the company you’re applying to.

Resume Objective

If you’re looking forward to changing your career or have recently graduated, then you can opt for a resume objective to start your resume instead of a summary. The resume objective should also be covered in two to three sentences, but it must communicate your goal and motivation for getting the job position you’re applying to.

You can state the skill or education relevant to the job to make a resume objective. Moreover, you can mention the experience of working with tools or handling tasks that will allow you to fulfill some responsibilities mentioned by the employer in the job description.

List Your Work Experience & Achievements

Your working experience is an essential part of your resume, and many hiring managers are only interested in going through this section alone, as they have hundreds of resumes to scan. In this section, all you need to do is market yourself and capture the reader’s interest in buying what you are selling.

So, what’s the proper way of writing a resume with proper work experience? Don't worry! Just go through the information given below thoroughly to write a work experience brilliantly and stand out from the competition.

The basics that must be followed while listing your work experience are as follows:

Job Position – At the top of each work experience you have, you should highlight your job title while creating a resume. It will allow the recruiters to easily scan and figure out your relevant job experience.

Company Name & Location – After writing the job title, describe the company you have worked for by mentioning its name and where it is located.

Employment Dates – The month and year you started working for a company and ended working should be mentioned alongside each entry. It is extremely important to mention, as many recruiters take your employment timeframe for each company seriously, to examine whether you are a short-term or long-term worker.

Achievements and Responsibilities – Listing down achievements or responsibilities vary from job to job. At some job positions, it’s hard to list down achievements, as the work doesn’t have much to achieve from the employees.

In this scenario, you can write down your responsibilities during creating a resume. However, for some job positions, employers are willing to observe the achievements of applicants. They would like to see how you have helped a company grow with your input.

Mention Your Top Soft and Hard Skills

The skills section is like a cherry on top of a good resume. Many people leave out this section and don’t pay any heed to it. But you should know that mentioning skills are as important as mentioning work experience. You need to come up with the skill level that will satisfy the recruiter, and you will become the perfect candidate in his/her eyes.

There are basically two types of skills that can come with a good resume, which are hard skills and soft skills. If you want your resume to stand out from the other applications, make sure to cover both of them. Hard skills are basically the measurable abilities you have acquired in your careers, such as Adobe Acrobat and Illustrator. On the other hand, soft skills are your personal abilities that can prove to be beneficial for the company, like team working and leadership.

If you think that you can mention skills in your resume for a job with bullet points, then you should know that it wouldn’t capture the HR manager’s attention at all. Now what you need to do is make a resume interesting by mentioning the skill level you have for each listed skill. It can be done through infographics, but you don’t need to worry about creating them manually. You can use any free resume templates and easily tailor it as per your preference.

There’s a possibility that you might possess some extraordinary skills for multiple fields, but you shouldn’t mention them all in your resume template. Depending upon the job you are applying for, make sure to tailor your skills that relate to the job. You don’t need to showcase your account management skills while applying for a graphic designer’s job.

List Your Education

The education section must come right after work experience, but if you don’t have much work experience to show on your resume for job application, you can bring it above. You should start listing your education with the latest academic accomplishment.

First of all, write down the program name. After that, state the university name and the years you have attended it. You can also mention your achievements in academics if you don’t have much to portray in the work experience section. 

(Optional) Include Additional Resume Sections

The sections discussed above should be included in your resume without any second thought. However, we are going to add some more sections that can uplift your resume’s worth in several situations.

Languages

Can you communicate in multiple languages? If yes, then while creating a resume it must be included, whether it’s a job requirement or not. Gripping on multiple languages can catch the recruiter’s eye, as you can be helpful for them at some point with this ability. With each language you’re listed, make sure to write down the proficiency level. Be honest and let the recruiter know whether you are native, fluent, proficient, intermediate, or basic in the listed languages.

Awards & Certificates

While completing your degree, have you taken any courses or certifications relevant to your niche? Do you think your awards can encourage the recruiter to hire you? If you think that the company will be interested in such information, don’t miss out.

Hobbies & Interests

Besides knowing you as a professional, the companies are also interested in knowing about the person they are about to hire individually. What do you do in your free time? If you have some extra space left on your professional resume template, don't leave it blank and fill it with your hobbies and interests.

Tailor Your Information for the Job Ad

If you are applying to a company after looking at its job advertisement, you must tailor your information as per the job description. Technological innovation has blessed companies with an applicant tracking system (ATS) software that allows them to pick the best-matching resumes out of hundreds of applications submitted by job seekers every day.

If the information in your resume isn’t tailored as per the job description, the chances are that the hiring manager will never be able to come across it. To avoid such a thing from happening during writing a resume, make sure to use the right keywords for each job you are applying to.

If you thoroughly go through the job description, you will find certain terms that the recruiter would be willing to see in the applicants’ resumes. Your job is to extract those terms and use them in your resume.

Proofread Your Resume

Proofreading is the final step in your resume writing. Don’t ever send out a resume for job application to any company without thoroughly proofreading it. You need to extract the grammar and technical mistakes while proofreading your resume and rectify them before submission. The best way to proofread your resume for grammatical errors is through a grammar checker. You can easily find an online service that helps you in the detection and correction of your grammar mistakes. 

To pick out the technical issues while resume writing, you can do it by yourself or with the help of a friend. The best way is to go through your resume and this blog simultaneously. You can easily cross-check whether you have covered everything in your resume or if something is missing out. This way, you can bring perfection to your resume and boost your chances of getting hired.

Final Words

So here, we are wrapping it up! The process of making a resume for a job has been all summed up in this blog. We have tried to portray the things you need to do while writing a resume and the things that must be avoided. You don’t need to waste time manually making a resume, as you can find your desired resume template on this tool. This online resume builder comes with stunning resume templates for people working in different sectors. You can select any professional resume template and build a free resume without paying or going through any hassle.