Professional Resume Templates: Writing Guide and Tips

Professional Summary: The professional summary is your formal introduction to your employer. It consists of two to three sentences that summarize your professional background. You should include your most impressive features, such as your years of experience, your top skills, and any notable professional achievements. To get an idea of which features to include, check out your desired role’s job description and search for the skills and requirements they’re specifically looking for.

Work History: Your work history section is a list of your previous jobs organized in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most recent role and work backwards. Instead of noting generic tasks and responsibilities in your work history, maximize this section’s content by adding three to four bullet points with quantifiable achievements and detailed accomplishments that make you stand out. For example, try writing something like “Created strategies to expand product sales to existing customers, resulting in a 40% increase in annual revenue.”

In the case of functional resumes, the work history is minimal and would not include an outlined description of your achievements in each job.

Skills: Your skills section should include six to eight skills in a variety of the three skills categories: soft, hard, and technical.

Soft skills describe the way you perform your tasks or interact with coworkers. They demonstrate that, besides knowing how to do your job, you can do it efficiently. Some examples of soft skills are negotiation, problem solving, leadership, and time management.

Hard skills are learned through education or practical experience. They relate more closely to your specific job’s tasks. A few examples of hard skills are computer programming, proficiency in a foreign language, sales skills, copywriting, or data analysis.

Technical skills refer to your grasp of technological and digital tools such as MS Office programs, mass mailing systems, and software programs. Some specific technical skills can be expertise in Adobe Photoshop, advanced knowledge of QuickBooks, or proficiency in Javascript.

Education: Your education section generally includes your degree, the institution you attended, and the graduation date or dates of attendance. If you graduated high school or completed a GED, we recommend that you simply keep the name of the school you attended and your diploma.

Custom sections: Although you can have a compelling resume with just these five sections, you can share more important information by adding custom sections. If you have any certifications like Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), or Project Management Professional (PMP), you can list them in a separate “Certifications” section. Professionals that need licenses to practice, like teachers, engineers, or real estate agents should include a “Licenses” section for these, as well.