How to Set Up a Resume in 2025: With Steps & Examples

Knowing how to set up a resume is a basic skill that many candidates fail to master. Though it may seem easy, some still overlook key details that make a resume effective.

With rising competition in the job market and 79% of employers and hiring managers being cautious about hiring in 2025, it's important for candidates to stand out. This article explains how to set up a clear and effective resume that gets noticed.

What to Include in a Professional Resume

A resume is a summary of your education, work experience, and skills. Job candidates use it to show they are qualified and ready for the role they are applying for.

Here are the elements to include in a compelling resume:

• Contact information: Include your name, email address, and phone number.
• Dates and locations: Provide specific months and years, along with the locations, for all work and education experiences.
• Education section: List your school, degree, major, and graduation date. Include GPA only if relevant. You may list high school if you're a first-year or sophomore. Also include studying abroad or previous schools.
• Experience: Include paid and unpaid work, internships, volunteer work, and military service. List your role, organization, location, dates, and a brief description. Start with action verbs and focus on the results.
• Additional skills: List relevant hard skills like computer programs, data entry, tools, lab techniques, or research methods. You can also add soft skills, such as communication or teamwork, if shown in your experience.

How to Make a Professional Resume: Steps

Understanding how to set up a resume is key to making a strong impression. Here are the steps to creating a professional and well-structured one.

1. Choose your resume format and structure: Use a reverse chronological format to show your most recent work history first. A combination resume format works well to highlight both skills and experience, while a functional resume focuses on skills if you have employment gaps or are changing careers. Use clear headings and keep the layout clean and consistent.
2. Create your contact information section: Include your full name, a professional email address, and a phone number. You may also add a LinkedIn profile or online portfolio link if relevant to the job.
3. Detail your education: List your school, location, degree, major or minor, and graduation date. Add your GPA only if it's strong and relevant to the industry. You may also include study abroad, community college credits, and relevant coursework, especially for early-career candidates.
4. Describe your experience (work, internships, volunteer): Include all relevant paid or unpaid experience. For each role, provide your title, organization name, location, dates, and a few bullet points showing what you accomplished. Use action verbs and focus on results, keeping descriptions short and concrete.
5. Highlight your skills: Include job-relevant skills like software proficiency, programming languages, lab techniques, or foreign languages. Group them clearly so potential employers can quickly assess your capabilities.
6. Consider optional sections: Add extra sections if they strengthen your application, such as a profile summary, honors and awards, leadership roles, projects, publications, or professional affiliations. You can also include interests if they are specific and relevant.
7. Proofread and refine: Tailor your resume for each job application by aligning it with the job description. Carefully proofread to catch typos, formatting issues, and inconsistencies. If you're using Google Docs, download your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting, unless the employer requests a different file type.

Free Resume Format Template for 2025

Now that you know how to set up a resume properly, use this template to create your own professional resume, designed with expert-backed formatting and structure:

First name, Last name
________________________________

Education

University Name - City, State
Bachelor of Arts in [Concentration], Minor in [Optional] - GPA: [Optional]
Graduation Date: Month Year
Thesis: [Optional]
Relevant Coursework: [Optional - list up to 3 courses]
Honors & Awards: [Optional]

Study Abroad - City, Country
Study abroad coursework in [Field or Program]
Month Year - Month Year

High School Name - City, State
Graduation Date: Month Year
[Include GPA, SAT/ACT, academic achievements, or honors if relevant]

Experience

Company Name - City, State or Remote

Position Title

Month Year - Month Year

• Begin with your most recent position. Use bullet points to describe your relevant accomplishments.
• Start each bullet with a strong action verb (e.g., "Led," "Developed," "Increased").
• Focus on results and quantify where possible.
• Avoid personal pronouns.

Organization Name - City, State

Job Title

Month Year - Month Year [Employment date]

• Describe the scope of your role and highlight key outcomes.
• Mention tools, technologies, or skills used.
• Use consistent bullet formatting and verb tenses.

Leadership & Activities

Organization Name - City, State

Role or Title

Month Year - Month Year

• Format like your professional experience section or simply list roles without bullet points.
• Highlight leadership, initiative, or teamwork.
• If highly relevant, this section may be placed above Experience.

Skills & Interests (Optional)

Technical: List software, platforms, or programming languages (with fluency level)
Language: List foreign languages and your proficiency (e.g., fluent, conversational)
Laboratory: List specific lab or research techniques (if applicable)
Interests: List personal interests that are unique or conversation-worthy

Expert Insights and Tips on Making a Resume

Here are some expert tips to help you when writing a resume that is clear, professional, and effective:

1. Use clear, active, fact-based language
   A good resume should have strong and direct statements. Write with specific action verbs ("coordinated," "analyzed," "designed") rather than passive phrases. Quantify achievements where possible.
2. Make it scannable
   Keep formatting consistent font, spacing, headings. A great resume uses white space and reverse-chronological order for easy skim-ability.
3. Show impact, not just duties
   Highlight results: "increased sales by 20%," "reduced processing time by 30%," etc.
4. Avoid common mistakes
   No spelling or grammatical errors. Always include contact info. Don't use pronouns or refrain from narrative styles and slang.
5. Tailor to the role
   Instead of using the same resume for every job, research the job description and highlight key skills, keywords, certifications, or GPA when relevant. This helps show you're a good fit and increases your chances of passing applicant tracking systems (ATS).
6. Use strong headings and bullet points
   Organize sections into clear headings (Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications). Bullet-point accomplishments under each role.
7. Include only relevant content
   Leave out unrelated information, e.g., old high-school jobs if you're experienced, or irrelevant certifications. A clear professional summary or resume summary can also help highlight what matters most and show how your career goals align with the job.
8. Consider certification placement
   Put required/relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, CompTIA A+) either under a separate section or in Education if they bolster your candidacy.

Common mistakes to avoid

According to experts from Harvard University, these are common resume mistakes to watch out for:

• Grammar and spelling mistakes: Typos can make you look careless. Always check your resume before sending it.
• Missing contact info: Do not forget to add your email and phone number.
• Weak verbs: Use action words like "Led" or "Created" instead of passive language.
• Hard to read: Keep your layout clean, clear, and easy to skim.
• No results shown: Highlight what you achieved, not just what you did.
• Too long: Keep it to one page unless you have a lot of relevant experience.

Learning how to make a resume is an important step to getting the job you want. Use the tips above to keep your resume clear, professional, and effective. Customize it for each job and try a resume builder to organize your content. For extra help, a certified professional resume writer can improve your resume and layout for prospective employers.