How to make a resume: What information should be included?
What's in a resume?Optional resume contentEducation and work experience in your resumeInclude further training on your resumeShowcasing skills in your resumeNo signature required on a resume
Your resume should provide an overview of your personal details as well as your educational history and work experience. That's why many recruiters will skip your cover letter initially, choosing to read your resume first even though it technically comes later in your application portfolio. Your resume provides recruiters with a good summary of your qualifications, making it the single most important part of your application. Thus, your resume should only include information relevant to the specific job you're applying for.
Note: Many employers in the US have moved away from requiring job application portfolios, relying on (online) application forms instead. Some require both. The information presented here may still be useful to you, however, as these forms usually require you to provide the exact same information.
Whether you're aiming for an internship or a full- or part-time job, there are some pieces of information that should always be part of your resume. First of all, your resume should include your personal contact details.
You need to include the following information in your resume:
If you're trying to save space in your resume, you can put your contact information in the header. As an added benefit, this ensures that your personal details are easy to locate on every page of your job application.
Note: Use a reputable email address in your application. A combination of your first and last name works best.
Your resume should also include your educational and professional background, as well as your skills and knowledge. The level of detail in your resume depends on your experience and the job you’re applying for.
Due to various laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it's illegal to discriminate against anyone based on characteristics such as race or gender. For the purposes of job applications, job interviews and job application forms, this means that your prospective employer cannot legally ask you about these characteristics unless the job in question requires it. For example, an employer may ask about your age if the job requires you to sell alcoholic beverages. While you’re free to provide additional information, keep in mind that many companies explicitly discourage this, as they want to avoid any possibility of (even subconscious) discrimination.
Think carefully about whether disclosing certain types of information about yourself might provide you an advantage or a disadvantage with your future employer.
For example, some companies may be thrilled to hear you have many children, while others might be concerned that your work performance could suffer because of your personal responsibilities.
Likewise, most employers like to know how old you are and how much life experience you bring to the table, even if they're not legally allowed to ask for your age or date of birth. That's because this information can give them an idea of how well you might fit in with an existing team.
In some countries, job application resumes traditionally include a job application photo so recruiters can get a visual impression of you. In the US and many other countries, this is generally discouraged, though, as a photograph may be the basis for discrimination. When applying for a job in these countries, it's best not to include a photograph in your resume unless your prospective employer specifically asks you to include one. When applying for jobs in other countries, you should check beforehand whether a photograph is expected, as not providing one may be considered bad form.
In some countries, including a photograph in your resume may be considered optional in legal terms, but it's still expected culturally. In such cases, it's advisable to use a photograph shot by a professional, ideally one acquainted with these cultural expectations. That's because recruiters in highly conservative business environments like Japan may prefer photos that present you as a professional. At the same time, countries like Germany may expect you to look professional, but also prefer an honest smile to a stoic expression.
The most important job of your resume is to provide information on your education and work experience. Depending on how much work experience you already have and what type of job you're applying for, you may emphasize specific stages of your life.
For example, if you're applying for job training after school, you probably don't have a lot of relevant work experience yet. Your resume should, therefore, focus on which schools you've attended, as well as your performance. Be sure to mention your favorite subjects if they're relevant to the job, as well as your final grade if it's particularly good. Also include any part-time jobs or internships you've completed. These may not be directly related to the training position you’re applying for, but they show that you're committed and can be relied upon to arrive to work on time every day.
You don't need to mention your high school grades if you have a college degree and several years of work experience. Even your high school diploma may be irrelevant then. Instead, focus on providing information on your highest level of educational or vocational training and any additional information that's directly related to the job which you're applying for.
Make sure to provide a complete picture of your educational and work experience, even if you decide to put more emphasis on specific stages. And don't leave out any gaps in your resume.
Resumes are typically structured in anti-chronological order. This means you start with the most recent stage of your career. Summarize your main responsibilities and achievements in concise bullet points. You should always use exact dates (month and year) for any entry on the list. You can start with your work experience or your educational experience – whichever is more important to your resume and more relevant to the job which you're applying for.
Keep in mind: Your resume should reflect your skills and personality. This applies not only to the content, but also to the design and structure of the document. That said, there are some guidelines you can follow when structuring your resume.
If you have little experience with word processing software such as Microsoft Word, our resume templates can help you. You can find many examples of creative and classic resumes here. And if you're looking for other job application documents, we also have templates with coherent layouts that you can fill out.
Periods of two months or more during which you were not employed are considered gaps in your resume.
Young people looking for their first job often find it difficult to quickly find full-time work that matches their needs and skills. However, you can make good use of longer periods of unemployment by improving your skills through language and training courses.
Parental leave, sick leave and times during which you cared for sick relatives can certainly also disrupt your job search. It’s best to be open about these stages of your life with your employer. Leaving unexplained gaps in your resume typically looks worse than providing a good explanation which your future employer is likely to accept.
If you've dropped out of college, this information is also relevant content for your resume. Though as time passes between then and now, these stages of your life become less and less relevant to your employer.
Under no circumstances should you lie on your resume to hide gaps in your employment history. If your lies are uncovered after you've been hired, this may constitute grounds for dismissal. We strongly recommend that you include any gaps in your resume and explain them truthfully, either in the resume or, if asked, during the job interview.
Participating in training, courses and seminars that lead to professional qualifications emphasizes your motivation and willingness to learn, helping you find the right job for you. You can prove your successful participation with certificates and references at the end of your resume. Retraining is also part of the resume content. In general, however, you should only include courses in your resume that are still up-to-date and relevant to the job.
A successfully completed typing course may be important information for applying as an office administrator, but if you're aiming to be an engineer, this skill holds less significance.
Skills that aren't directly relevant to the job don't need to clutter your resume. For example, if you're applying to be a postal carrier or a delivery driver, your resume should showcase which driver’s licenses you hold. But if you're applying to be an engineer, it's usually up to you how you plan to get to work every day.
Likewise, if you list all the skills you have acquired in your life, your resume may end up looking overloaded and unstructured. This may even give recruiters the impression that you haven't considered which skills are truly relevant to the position you're applying for.
Make sure your cover letter doesn't simply repeat the information from your resume. There is little point in simply listing soft skills in your resume. Instead, try to give specific examples proving your soft skills in your cover letter or resume.
Information regarding your native language and any foreign languages you’re proficient in, should be included in your resume. However, it's important to assess your language skills realistically. Basic command of a language may be considered "basic knowledge", while being able to write, speak and converse fluently justifies calling yourself "fluent in speech and writing".
There are various standardized tests in common use to ascertain your proficiency in any given language. These include tests performed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) or the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Proficiency Level Descriptions which are widely used by US government agencies.
Certificates or test scores from such recognized bodies allow you to prove your proficiency in a foreign language to recruiters. If you think your language skills can be useful to a prospective employer, you should try to get a certificate from one such organization, as these have more weight than simply stating that you’re proficient in a language on your resume. And keep in mind: even with a certificate, you might still be required to prove your language skills to your employer during the job interview.
Today, virtually every job requires some level of computer skill. Therefore, your resume should always include information about your computer skills and your experience using relevant software.
When applying for a job as a programmer or IT administrator, for example, it's vitally important for your employer to know which programming languages and operating systems you're proficient in, and at what level. That's why employers usually ask applicants to list such specialist knowledge in job advertisements.
Professional skills are the focus of any job application, but hobbies can be an important part of your resume.
That's because your personal interests allow your future employer to draw conclusions about your personality. Do you enjoy an active lifestyle, or do you prefer relaxing activities? Are you a team player, or do you work best on your own? Ideally, your hobbies can underline qualities that are important to the job, such as the stamina of a marathon runner or the organizational talent of a book club president.
Always think about which of your hobbies cast you in a good light for the job for which you're applying. As previously stated, don't overload your resume with superfluous information. If you're applying for a position at an advertising agency, your love for video games may be greatly appreciated. However, a recruiter for a bank with a conservative business culture may get a much more negative impression of you.
Potential employers usually like to see voluntary work on your resume, as most societies tend to value people who are committed to social work. If you're applying for a demanding position that requires your full attention, however, the additional workload of being a volunteer can be seen as a disadvantage.
You can demonstrate your social commitment even as a job applicant who has just graduated from school. For example, if you used to be a class representative or volunteered as a tutor, you may want to mention this in your resume. These things can be used to demonstrate qualities such as confidence and responsibility.
Make sure you include any long-term job-related stays overseas in your resume. Such work experiences can demonstrate your language skills and social competence, making them valuable parts of your resume if you're applying for a job with a large international company.
If you have experience with work or internships abroad, you'll want to include information on where you worked and for how long in your resume. If you took part in a student exchange or studied abroad for a semester, this information belongs in the education segment of your resume.
If you have several years of international work experience, it's unnecessary to detail earlier or very brief stays abroad.
In some cultures, it's standard practice to sign your resume in the same way you'd sign the cover letter. However, this is not common in the US as most recruiters view your resume simply as a list of your experiences and accomplishments. When applying for a job overseas, you should check whether signing your resume is standard practice there, as a missing signature may be interpreted negatively.
Leaving out your signature from your resume gives you more space for information that's actually useful to recruiters. However, always remember to sign the cover letter.
It's become common practice in the US to submit application portfolios digitally, even when the company doesn't use online application forms. If you need to include your signature with your cover letter or add it to your resume when applying for jobs abroad, you can use our resume editor to make sure it fits into your resume.
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