How to Write a Resume in 2026

The format you choose sets the foundation for your entire resume and directly influences how hiring managers perceive your candidacy. There are three primary resume formats, each suited to different career situations. The reverse-chronological format is the most widely recommended because it lists your most recent experience first, making it easy for recruiters to see your career progression at a glance. This format works best for professionals with a consistent work history and clear upward trajectory within their field. The functional format, also known as a skills-based resume, organizes your qualifications by skill categories rather than job titles. This is particularly useful for career changers, recent graduates, or professionals with employment gaps who want to emphasize transferable skills over a linear timeline. However, many recruiters and ATS systems prefer the chronological approach, so use the functional format only when your circumstances strongly warrant it. The combination format blends both approaches by featuring a prominent skills section followed by a chronological work history. This hybrid approach works well for experienced professionals who have both deep expertise and a strong employment record. Whichever format you choose, ensure your resume is clean, well-organized, and easy to scan in under ten seconds, which is the average time a recruiter spends on an initial review.

Your professional summary sits at the top of your resume and serves as your personal elevator pitch to the hiring manager. In three to four sentences, you need to convey who you are, what you bring to the table, and why you are an ideal fit for the role. Start with your professional title and years of experience, then highlight your most impressive achievements and core competencies. For example, instead of writing a generic statement like 'Experienced marketing professional seeking a challenging role,' write something specific and results-driven such as 'Digital marketing manager with 7 years of experience driving revenue growth through data-driven campaigns, increasing lead generation by 150% and reducing customer acquisition cost by 35% for SaaS companies.' The key to a powerful summary is specificity. Include quantified achievements, industry-relevant keywords, and a clear value proposition. Tailor your summary to each job application by incorporating keywords from the job description. This not only catches the recruiter's eye but also helps your resume pass through Applicant Tracking Systems. Avoid first-person pronouns and cliched phrases like 'team player' or 'hard worker.' Instead, let your concrete accomplishments speak for themselves. If you are a recent graduate or career changer, focus your summary on relevant coursework, certifications, transferable skills, and career objectives that align with the target role.

The work experience section is the heart of your resume and the area where most hiring decisions are made. Rather than listing job duties, focus on specific accomplishments that demonstrate the impact you had in each role. Use the CAR method (Challenge, Action, Result) to structure each bullet point: describe the challenge you faced, the action you took, and the measurable result you achieved. Strong bullet points always begin with a powerful action verb such as 'Spearheaded,' 'Implemented,' 'Increased,' or 'Reduced.' Follow the verb with a specific task and close with a quantified result. For example, 'Reduced customer churn by 28% within six months by implementing a proactive outreach program and redesigning the onboarding workflow.' Include three to five bullet points for your most recent position and two to three for earlier roles. Prioritize achievements that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. When quantifying results, use numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, or time savings wherever possible. If exact figures are confidential, use approximations or ranges. Each bullet point should tell a mini-story of value you created. Avoid vague statements like 'Responsible for managing a team' and instead write 'Led a cross-functional team of 12 engineers and designers to deliver a product feature that generated $2.4M in annual recurring revenue.' Tailor this section for each application by mirroring the language and priorities found in the job posting.

The skills section is your opportunity to showcase technical proficiencies, tools, and competencies that are directly relevant to the role. Organize your skills into categories such as Technical Skills, Tools and Software, Languages, and Certifications to make them easy to scan. Include a mix of hard skills (programming languages, software platforms, data analysis tools) and soft skills (leadership, communication, project management), but lean heavily toward hard skills since these are what ATS systems scan for. Research the job description carefully and include exact keyword matches where your skills genuinely align. For example, if the posting mentions 'Salesforce CRM,' list that exact phrase rather than a generic 'CRM software.' Aim for ten to fifteen skills total, organized into clear groupings. For the education section, list your degrees in reverse chronological order, including the institution name, degree type, major, and graduation date. If you graduated within the last three years, you may include GPA if it is 3.5 or higher, relevant coursework, honors, and academic projects. For experienced professionals, keep the education section brief since your work experience carries more weight. Include relevant certifications and professional development courses, especially industry-recognized credentials that add credibility to your application. Certifications like PMP, AWS Solutions Architect, or Google Analytics demonstrate ongoing professional growth and commitment to your field.

Applicant Tracking Systems are used by over 98% of Fortune 500 companies and a growing number of mid-sized businesses to filter resumes before a human ever sees them. Understanding how these systems work is critical to getting past the initial screening. ATS software parses your resume for specific keywords, job titles, skills, and qualifications that match the job description. To optimize your resume for ATS, start by carefully analyzing the job posting. Identify the most important keywords, including required skills, tools, certifications, and job-specific terminology. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your resume, especially in your summary, skills section, and work experience bullet points. Avoid keyword stuffing, which looks unnatural and can be flagged by both ATS and human reviewers. Use standard section headings that ATS systems recognize, such as 'Work Experience,' 'Education,' 'Skills,' and 'Certifications.' Creative headings like 'My Journey' or 'Where I Have Been' confuse parsing algorithms and can result in your information being miscategorized or lost entirely. Stick to clean, simple formatting without tables, text boxes, columns, headers, footers, or embedded images, as these elements can cause parsing errors. Save your resume as a PDF unless the application specifically requests a Word document, as modern ATS systems handle PDFs well while preserving your formatting.

Before submitting your resume, conduct a thorough review to catch errors and ensure everything is polished. Start with a spelling and grammar check using tools like Grammarly or the built-in spell checker, but do not rely on automated tools alone. Read your resume out loud to catch awkward phrasing and ensure every sentence flows naturally. Have a trusted colleague or mentor review it with fresh eyes, as they may catch issues you have become blind to after multiple edits. Common mistakes that can cost you an interview include typos in your contact information, inconsistent formatting such as mixing date formats or bullet styles, and including irrelevant personal information like age, marital status, or a photo, which are not standard in US resumes and can introduce bias. Avoid using an unprofessional email address; create a clean, professional one if needed. Do not include references or the phrase 'References available upon request,' as this wastes valuable space and is assumed by default. Ensure your resume fits on one page if you have fewer than ten years of experience, or two pages maximum for senior professionals. Every word should earn its place on the page. Finally, save your file with a professional naming convention such as 'FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf' so hiring managers can easily find and identify your document in their files.