How to Write a Resume That Gets Interviews

US resumes follow a few conventions that differ from other countries.

• No photo. US employers generally don't expect one.
• No date of birth, age, marital status or children. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says information about age, sex, race, national origin and religion is irrelevant to whether someone is qualified for a job. Federal law protects workers 40 and older from age discrimination. Leaving these details off keeps the focus on your work.
• No full street address needed. City and state are enough. Many people also leave off their ZIP code.
• Keep it short. CareerOneStop, the career site sponsored by the US Department of Labor, recommends 1 to 2 pages, and says to use a second page only if your experience calls for it. For most people, especially early in their careers or in hourly roles, one page is right.
• References go on a separate sheet. You don't need to write "references available upon request."

Contact details

Your name, phone number, a professional email address, and your city and state. Add a LinkedIn URL or portfolio link if it's relevant and up to date.

Summary (optional)

Two or three lines at the top that say who you are and what you're good at. Write it for the job you want. "Warehouse lead with 6 years in high-volume distribution, forklift certified, experienced in training new hires" tells a reader more than "hard-working team player seeking new opportunities."

Recent graduates can use a short objective here instead, naming the type of role they want and the skills they bring from school, internships or part-time work.

Work experience

List jobs in reverse order, newest first. For each one, include:

• Job title
• Employer name and city
• Start and end dates (month and year)
• 3 to 5 bullet points about what you did and achieved

CareerOneStop notes that some applicant tracking systems look for months as well as years in employment dates, so include both. If you have a long career, it suggests focusing on the past 10 to 15 years.

Education and training

Degrees, diplomas, certificates and licenses. Include trade certifications, CDLs, food handler cards, CPR certification and similar credentials if the job uses them. If you graduated recently, education can go above work experience.

Skills

A short list of hard skills relevant to the job: software, equipment, languages, licenses. Skip vague words like "motivated" or "detail-oriented" here. Show those qualities in your bullet points instead.

CareerOneStop describes three common layouts:

• Chronological: focuses on your work history. Best if you have steady experience in the same field.
• Functional: focuses on skills, with little detail on work history. It can make your career harder for a reader to follow.
• Combination: a summary and skills section at the top, followed by a detailed work history. A good choice if you're changing careers or want to highlight transferable skills.

For most job seekers, chronological or combination works best.

Weak bullets list duties. Strong bullets show results. A simple pattern is: action verb + what you did + the result, with a number if you have one.

Worked example

Here is the same job described two ways.

Before: - Responsible for customer service - Handled the cash register - Helped with inventory

After: - Served 150+ customers per shift at a high-traffic grocery checkout, keeping wait times under 5 minutes during peak hours - Balanced cash drawer with zero discrepancies across 18 months of closing shifts - Ran weekly stock counts for 3 aisles and flagged low inventory, cutting out-of-stock items on the shelf

The "after" version uses the same job but gives the reader evidence. If you don't have exact figures, a reasonable estimate you can explain in an interview is fine. Never invent numbers.

Useful action verbs: managed, trained, built, reduced, increased, scheduled, resolved, delivered, organized, launched, repaired, supervised.

Many employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to collect and sort applications. These systems read your resume as text and match it against the job posting. A few habits help:

• Use the job posting's words. If the listing says "patient intake," don't write "front desk check-in." Mirror the exact skills and titles where they honestly apply to you.
• Use standard section headings. "Work Experience," "Education" and "Skills" are easier for software to read than creative labels.
• Keep the layout simple. One column, no text boxes, no tables, no graphics or icons. Put contact details in the main body of the page rather than in a header or footer.
• Use a common font. CareerOneStop suggests fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Garamond or Times New Roman, at size 10 to 12.
• Save in the format requested. If the application asks for Word or PDF, use that. CareerOneStop notes that some systems need a plain-text version if they can't read a Word file.
• Don't game it. CareerOneStop specifically warns against hiding extra keywords in white text. Recruiters see it when they open the file.

You don't need to rewrite everything for every application. Keep a master resume with all your experience, then for each job:

1. Read the posting and highlight the main skills and requirements.
2. Reorder your bullets so the most relevant ones come first.
3. Adjust your summary to match the role.
4. Swap in the posting's terms where they fit.

It usually takes a few minutes per application and makes a real difference. Job listings that name the employer and state the pay make this easier, because you know exactly who you're writing for. On Joboru, jobs are posted directly by employers, and pay is shown when the employer states it.

• Gaps: Be truthful about your dates. A short line such as "Family caregiver, 2023 to 2024" or "Career break for relocation" is fine. You can explain more in an interview.
• Career changes: Use the combination format and lead with transferable skills. A retail manager moving into logistics can lead with scheduling, inventory control and staff training.
• First job: Include school projects, volunteering, sports, clubs and informal work such as babysitting or lawn care. Reliability, responsibility and skills all count.

• Name, phone, email, city and state at the top
• No photo, date of birth or personal details
• 1 page for most people, 2 only if your experience needs it
• Bullet points that show results, with numbers where you have them
• Terms from the job posting used honestly
• Simple layout with standard headings
• Proofread twice, and ask someone else to read it once
• Saved as a file named clearly, such as "Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf"