How to Create a Winning Resume (+ Tips on Resume Formatting)

Your resume can speak volumes about your capacity to do a certain job. So even a simple element, such as resume formatting, can make or break your application. With so much at stake, make sure you have a sleek and substantial document that increases your chances of getting hired. Learn the steps to make a resume and the tips to stand out.

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1. Choose a Ready-Made Format or a Resume Builder

One huge perk of living in a technological era like today is that you don’t have to do things from scratch. Of course, that includes making a resume for job applications. 

You can simply type job resume examples and templates on Google search, and you can get a hold of various choices to use, customize, and fill out. But you can make the process even easier than it already is by using a resume builder or maker.

Perhaps the simplest way to use a free resume maker is by heading to Google Docs (GDocs). There, you’ll find different templates, including those already formatted based on the content that employers look for. 

Google Docs' selection of resume examples and templates 

But make sure to tweak the design so it won’t appear as if it was copied or made from a template. Hiring managers value originality. Add your own brand, which may include your preferred element color and font type. 

Expand your choices, especially in terms of aesthetics and brand customization, and choose platforms like Canva. Using Canva’s free online resume builder, you can create your resume using professional-looking formats, then download it for printing, or directly share it with employers when applying for online jobs.

Choose from Canva's sleek and modern resume templates (Source: Canva)

If you’re looking to create a resume offline, Microsoft Word got you covered. But instead of starting from a blank document, click on “More Templates”, and type “resume” in the search bar. Then choose from plenty of options, from simple resume examples to templates with bold designs. 

Microsoft Word's choices of resume templates

2. Start With Your Personal Details, Title, and Contact Information

A winning resume begins with the essential information. This includes your full name and job title. For online resumes, your personal details can be limited to the following:

3. Add a Brief Career Summary 

A career summary usually follows your personal information. It’s a short paragraph of about three to four sentences that encapsulates the value you bring to the table by mentioning your skills, years of experience, and specific expertise.

A career summary differs from a resume objective statement as the latter usually focuses on your career goals. On the other hand, a career summary is a tad bit comprehensive and provides an overview of your professional experience. Check out our example below:

Between the two, hiring managers often get more enticed reading a career summary than an objective statement because it’s easier to align the job description with your career preview than merely your goals. 

4. List Down Your Work Experience 

Your work history adds significant weight to your overall professional desirability. Therefore, it’s crucial to organize your work experience in the best way possible for hiring managers and employers to understand your development. 

Naturally, the simplest and most efficient way to do this is by listing down your employment history from the most recent to the latest.

Include the type of job first and then the company you worked for. Below add your years/months of stay. Then describe your role. You can summarize it in a short paragraph or identify your responsibilities in a bulleted list.

5. Add Your Educational Background

Formal education still matters for many job positions, especially highly technical ones. While it’s debatable whether its value has diminished in skill-based online jobs, the idea that you’ll have a better edge in the competition if you’ve completed higher education stands still. 

With that in mind, make sure you prep your educational background in your resume starting with your highest attainment. 

If you’ve finished college, graduate, or post-graduate, write the degree you’ve completed, followed by the school and its address that granted your diploma. Then add your length of stay. If you’ve graduated with honors or have taken a position for a particular club, add them to a bulleted list. 

The rule of thumb is that you should showcase your highest educational attainment, which means you don’t have to go as far back as your elementary school years.

You can start with Senior High School, as this is the educational level where most of your job-related skills are highlighted in the curriculum. 

6. Create a Section for Your Skills Tailored to the Job Ad

Your chances of getting hired without fully understanding what skills are needed for the job are close to, if not zero – and hiring managers can detect this in your resume. On the flip side, you can show them you have what it takes to do the job by outlining your skills. 

Create a section that briefly describes your technical and soft skills. Put them in a bulleted list for easier readability. Arrange the skills in the order of their relevance to the job you are applying for. 

For example, if you’re applying as a content writer, it makes more sense to put your technical writing skills (research, outlining, editing, and proofreading) higher than your skills in graphic design.  

This may sound like a small act, but it could go unnoticed in the eyes of a keen hiring manager. As such, it could make your resume more memorable than the others. 

7. Include Your Professional Affiliations and Certifications

Adding affiliations related to your job or the role you’re applying for adds extra points to your credibility.

For example, if you’re a bookkeeper and you’re part of a professional network focusing on Quickbook users, you’re desirability as a candidate goes up the roof, especially for companies that use the software. 

In addition, if you have certifications or completed courses related to the position, then it will be within your best judgment to include them as well.

For example, say you’ve earned a  certification for Google Data Analytics, and you’re applying for a job as a web or search engine optimization (SEO) analyst. Having mentioned that certification can boost your chances of getting hired. 

Types of Resume Formatting

You can identify resume formatting based on three types: reverse chronological, functional, or a combination of the two. Of course, no one format is superior to the other, but consider factors such as employment history when choosing the most suitable one for your case. 

Below is a brief rundown of when to use each format:

An example of a reverse chronological resume (Source: Canva)

An example of a functional resume (Source: Novoresume)

An example of a combination resume (Source: Canva)

10 Must-Know Tips For Writing an Amazing Resume

Covering the basics of resume formatting is just the tip of the iceberg if you want to truly impress employers and hiring managers. Whether you’re applying for a full-time or a part-time online job, make sure you follow these tips.

To create a winning resume, the rule of thumb is simple: keep it accessible, aligned with the job requirements, and make things easier for the hiring manager. Remember that the scope of first impressions is often limited to your resume and cover letter. 

Unfortunately, first impressions do matter when outshining other candidates for any job position, be it in content writing, online teaching, etc. With that in mind, follow these tips to ensure your chances of getting noticed in the job market remain steadily high. On top of that, take inspiration from the following resume examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

In a Nutshell

Your resume is your ticket to the next job that may define your career. Therefore, you should ensure that it contains relevant information encouraging employers to consider you for the job. If you’re unsure what resume formatting to adopt, head over to resume builder websites like Canva and try out some of their ready-made templates. Don’t forget to customize it so it doesn’t look like a run-of-the-mill.