1 Learn the concept
Your resume tells employers about your work history and gives a sense of the kind of person you are. A hiring manager may look at it for only moments, so clarity matters more than length. In this lesson you learn a simple structure, how to describe your work in terms of results instead of duties, and how to tailor a resume to each role.
2 See it in action
- Structure: contact details, a short summary, skills, experience, education and projects.
- Results over duties: "Wrote and scheduled 12 posts that raised event sign-ups" beats "Helped with social media."
- Tailor: mirror the language of the job post wherever it is true.
- Keep it to one page for early-career roles, and proofread it twice.
Worked example
Rewriting three lines
Before: "Helped with social media." After: "Wrote and scheduled 12 posts that raised event sign-ups."
Before: "Worked in the cafe." After: "Served up to 80 customers a shift and trained two new staff."
Before: "Group project on marketing." After: "Led a four-person team to build a campaign plan, presented to the class and earned top marks."
Check: each line should answer "so what?" in the reader's mind.
3 Study an example
Example scenario
Two versions of the same line. Before: "Responsible for the club's email." After: "Wrote a monthly newsletter for 300 members and raised average open rates by changing subject lines." The second tells a hiring manager what changed because of you.
4 Apply it and download
- Pick three past activities and rewrite each as a result.
- Draft your summary in two sentences.
- Fill in the resume template.
Worksheet Resume templateOpen, print or save as PDF