Business
Standard resume format
This is an opiniated set of guidelines for English-language resumes that effectively communicate high-value information at a glance. They are released under CC BY 4.0 and may be freely adopted by any person or organization.
Table of Contents
Style and structure
Rule of thumb: If you use the default settings in your word processor, you’ll be fine.
Page layout
Standard paper size in the employer’s country should be used.
- North America; parts of Central and South America: US Letter (8.5 in wide, 11 in tall)
- Everywhere else: A4 (210 mm wide, 297 mm tall)
Page margins on all four sides should be no smaller than 0.5 inches or 1.2 centimeters, and no larger than 1 inch or 2.6 centimeters.
Why: A resume on standard paper is easiest to print at full size. Margins that are too small can cause text to be cut off when printed, and margins that are too large reduce the available space for information.
Alignment
All text should be aligned to the left margin, including name and contact information. Wherever bullet points are used, the bullets may be left-aligned with other page text or indented a quarter-inch (0.7 cm) or less, and text should be indented from bullets a quarter-inch or less.
Why: Resumes are skimmed from top to bottom along the left edge. Uneven spacing or inconsistent alignment makes this more difficult.
Page headers and footers
If your resume is longer than two or three pages, it may be helpful to put your name and a page number in the header or footer of all pages except the first.
Otherwise, do not use page headers or footers.
Why: Long resumes are at a higher risk of getting out of order or mixed up with others. A simple header or footer can help with this.
Bullet style
Bullet points may use any of the following styles:
- Hyphen
• Filled circle
○ Outlined circle
Other styles, like triangles or diamonds, should not be used.
Why: Bullets are a presentational element and shouldn’t distract from the contents of your resume.
Colors
Contrast between text and background is essential for all resumes.
A normal resume should have black or off-black text on a white or off-white background. If color differentiation improves readability in certain headers and bold text, one other grayscale shade may be used, as close to the main text color as possible.
Clickable links may be blue or purple to show interactivity.
For resumes in art and design, moderate use of other colors may be appropriate.
Why: Colorblindness and impaired vision shouldn’t be impediments to reading.
Typeface
Any serif or sans-serif typeface may be used, so long as:
- It has roughly the same proportions as one of the following well-known typefaces: Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, Aptos, or Open Sans. When in doubt, use one of these.
- It’s not a “gimmick” typeface—that is, it doesn’t resemble handwriting, painted lettering, bubble letters, scratches on a wall, liquid, etc.
If two typefaces are used, one should be used for all headings and the other should be used for all paragraph text. No more than two typefaces should be used.
Why: Resumes should be easy to read. This isn’t the place to show your personality; a “boring” aesthetic is best. Excessively artistic typefaces, or too many different typefaces, slow down reading and distract from your achievements.
Font
Body text should be in standard, normal-weight, unitalicized, undecorated font. Its font size should fit at least 40 rows of text per page and (on average) at least 45 characters per line, including spaces. It should also be readable at 100% zoom and from a distance of 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) on a desktop computer. When in doubt, print it out and ask someone over 65 if they’re able to read it.
For most typefaces, a font size of 12 to 14 points will fit these requirements.
Section headers, item headers, and item subheaders should be in bold, italics, and/or a larger font size.
Links may be underlined. No other text should be underlined.
Why: Readability is the most important aspect of a resume. Fonts in their default style are optimized for reading. Bold and italicized text are meant to be used infrequently, for text that should stand out.
Separators
Separation between sections should be communicated with section headers and spacing. Horizontal lines or borders typically aren’t necessary.
If you’re determined to use horizontal lines between sections, make them semi-transparent or a lower-contrast color than the body text.
Why: Horizontal lines often make a resume feel crowded without adding any information. If your resume doesn’t make sense without them, it indicates a problem that lines probably can’t fix; you need more space between sections or more obvious section headers.
File format
Your resume should be distributed as a PDF, named according to this template:
Resume - Firstname Lastname - yyyy-mm-dd.pdf
So if your name is Jane Doe and the current date is October 15, 2010, the filename would be:
Resume - Jane Doe - 2010-10-15.pdf
Why: PDFs are most likely to look the same on someone else’s computer as they do on yours. The person reading your resume may be reviewing several others at the same time, so including a name and date helps them find yours quickly.
Content
Rule of thumb: Order your resume from “most impressive” to “least impressive.”
Personal statement
A “personal statement,” “objective,” or “about me” should not be included in your resume. Your skills and accomplishments should all be represented elsewhere.
Why: Personal statements weaken your resume. They’re unprovable, they obscure information, and they take too long to read.
Sections
Divide your resume into clearly-labeled sections. You may include any of the following sections that are relevant to you:
- Job History
- Education
- Certifications
- Volunteer Experience
- Research
- Published Work
- Personal Projects
- Languages
- Top Skills or Technologies
This isn’t a complete list. Don’t hesitate to add a section for anything that represents a meaningful qualification, clarifies your fit for a team or role, and/or sets you apart from other candidates.
Why: An organized resume helps potential employers find information more quickly. Everyone has unique skills and experiences, and all relevant qualifications belong on your resume.
Section order
There is no predetermined, one-size-fits-all order for a resume.
Start with your name and contact information. Your most impressive and relevant qualification should come immediately afterward, whether that’s a previous job, a college degree, a Nobel Prize, or a volunteer role.
Why: Most employers won’t read your full resume on the first pass. They’ll pay the most attention to the topmost information on the first page, so start off as strong as possible.
Length
Your resume should be long enough to include all your qualifications, but no longer. Students and career-starters often have a resume of one page or less; people with a long career in the sciences often have a resume of five pages or more.
Why: Substance matters more than length. Don’t waste time trying to pad or trim your resume if it accurately describes you.
Contact information
At the top of the first page, put your name, phone number, and email address on separate lines, left-aligned. Do not put them on the same line. Do not use labels like “Name:”, “Email:”, or “Phone:”. Optionally, you may also put your state, province, or territory of residence; a link to your website, portfolio, or professional networking profile; and/or your desired job title.
Do not include your street address, P.O. Box, city, or zip/postal code.
Why: Contact information is easiest to find when it’s well-structured and separated. It doesn’t need to be labeled, since email addresses and phone numbers are rarely confused. Employers don’t need to know where you live unless they extend an offer; volunteering this information could result in “zip code discrimination.” Relocation, commute, and remote work are topics that are best handled by direct conversation, and don’t belong on a resume.
Employment history (general)
Previous jobs are typically ordered from most recent (or current) to least recent. However, if your most relevant or impressive job isn’t your most recent one, put it at the top anyway. Order is flexible.
Include all the relevant jobs you’ve held. “Relevant” isn’t an exact target, so figure out what that means to you, but include at least five jobs if you’ve had that many.
Completeness is not mandatory. If you’ve held jobs that aren’t relevant to your current career goals, you may skip them. Also, no commentary or justification is needed for a gap in employment. You are not expected to work for your entire life.
Why: Employers have no way of knowing which or how many jobs you’ve held, other than consulting your resume. It’s important to give them a clear picture of the scope and length of your career. They also care less about details than you think. On the first read, they’re mostly looking at job titles and how long each job was held.
Employment history (each job)
For each job, start the line with your job title. Follow it with the company name, city (optional), and dates of employment (month and year). For example:
Principal Database Administrator, Standard Innovations (Jul 2023 – present)
-
(Top accomplishment)
-
(Second accomplishment)
-
(Third accomplishment)
If multiple similar jobs were held at the same company, you may combine them:
Principal Database Administrator, Standard Innovations (Jul 2023 – present)
Senior Database Administrator, Standard Innovations (Oct 2021 – Jul 2023)
Database Administrator, Standard Innovations (Jan 2020 – Oct 2021)
-
(Top accomplishment)
-
(Second accomplishment)
-
(Third accomplishment)
List accomplishments and core job responsibilities in bullet points underneath the job title. Start with your most impressive responsibility or accomplishment. Do not list responsibilities that can safely be assumed from the job title.
Phrase these points in a way that emphasizes quantity, leadership, and outstanding achievement.
BAD EXAMPLE:
- Stood by the door
- Showed customers to their seats
GOOD EXAMPLE:
- Trained and supervised four other hosts
- Seated over 300 guests per night
- Rated “Excellent” on policy compliance and customer satisfaction in every annual review
Your topmost job will usually have the most bullet points. Older or less impressive jobs can have fewer bullet points (or none). If your employment history extends beyond a single page, be extremely sparing with bullet points on page 2 and beyond.
Where possible, make sure your bullet points include specific skills and terminology from the description of the job you’re applying for.
Why: Your previous job titles are the most important piece of information in this section and should be easy to find at a glance. No one who’s hiring for a role needs to have it explained back to them; they’re most interested in knowing how you’ve stood out from your peers.
Education
List all degrees, certificates, diplomas, honors, and titles received from any college, trade school, certification program, exam, or apprenticeship. List the title first, then the date of completion:
B.A. Interior Design, South Mayberry Community College (2016)
Minor: Finance
Dean’s List, Fall Semester 2015
If you’re currently enrolled in any postsecondary programs, include the name of the program and your expected date of graduation:
B.A. Interior Design, South Mayberry Community College
Expected graduation: July 2028
Minor: Finance
Dean’s List, Fall Semester 2015
If you’re currently enrolled in an undergraduate program or seeking your first job after graduation, you may optionally include your GPA. Otherwise, leave it out.
Why: Educational credentials are meaningful, whether they’re completed or currently in progress. GPA loses relevance as soon as you start your first job after graduation.
Skills and technologies
If you work in a field where required competencies vary widely across jobs, it may be valuable to list the ones you are most experienced with or most eager to work with. List no more than 10, and preferably five or less.
For each skill or technology, include its name and how many years of experience you have with it. Don’t use bars, dots, or percentages as a proxy for years of experience.
BAD EXAMPLE:
- Super Point-of-Sale [95%]
- SmartLive CRM [60%]
- HTML [20%]
GOOD EXAMPLE:
- Super Point-of-Sale (7 yrs)
- SmartLive CRM (5 yrs)
- HTML (4 yrs)
When counting years of experience, include all work experience, coursework, certifications, and anything you’ve done on your own time. It all counts.
Don’t list skills that aren’t directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re a computer programmer, don’t list Microsoft Word.
Don’t list skills you have less than 6 months of experience with.
Why: Listing specific skills can help set you apart as an especially qualified candidate, but including too many will dilute the list to the point of uselessness. Potential employers need to see your strongest and most relevant skills in a few seconds or less.
Other qualifications
Other sections in your resume should have a similar structure. In general:
- Always start the line with the most important piece of information.
- State the year when the event or qualification occurred, if relevant.
- State the number of years of experience represented, if relevant.
- If neither year nor number of years is relevant (e.g. with native language proficiency), find another way to indicate scope or level of experience (e.g. “Native Fluency”).
- Be extremely consistent with formatting, alignment, grammar, and spacing.
- Don’t try to make a section look bigger or longer by adding things that won’t make an impact. Delete anything obvious, trivial, or shrug-worthy.
Why: Resumes are skimmed more often than they’re read in detail, so it’s important to make the main points easy to find. Visual consistency will make your resume easy to skim as well. Padding your resume with fluff will make it seem unfocused and weak.
License
Standard resume format © 2024 by Isaac Lyman is licensed under CC BY 4.0.