20+ Resume Tips for Creating the Best Resume Possible in 2025 

A few smart tweaks can elevate your resume from good to great.

The difference between a good resume and a great one comes down to strategy — the kind that instantly grabs a hiring manager’s attention, makes it past hiring software filters, and lands you interviews faster.

This guide is packed with must-know resume tips and expert advice. Some tips may feel like common sense, others might just blow your mind. 

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• The biggest resume dos and don’ts. 
• Expert tips to craft the perfect resume. 
• Sample achievements to include in your resume, tailored to your role. 

23 Resume Writing Tips to Make Yours Stand Out

Here are the top resume tips for 2025:

• Make your contact info clear and space-efficient. 
• Skip personal details such as age, gender, and religion (unless stated as mandatory). 
• Tailor your summary or objective section based on your experience level. 
• Show employers that you can do the job by providing evidence of your accomplishments. 
• Prioritize measurable achievements over duties, and use clear action verbs to convey your impact. 
• Include relevant education, certifications, and transferable skills, especially for career changes or entry-level roles. 
• Customize your resume for each job, align it with keywords, and consider adding job-relevant hobbies if you’re light on experience. 
• Keep your resume as concise as possible. 
• Stick to a clean, professional resume format. 
• Always proofread your resume. 
• Send a follow-up email after your job application. 

Below, we’ve rounded up the best tips to get your resume noticed by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), hiring managers, and future employers. 

Whether you’re a fresh graduate, a mid-career professional, or someone looking to make a career change, these tips will help you create a polished, professional resume that actually gets read. 

Once your resume’s ready, you’ll have to prep yourself for interviews. Check out one of our detailed guides: 

• 60+ Unique Interview Questions to Ask Employers 
• Phone Interview Questions to Prepare For 
• Advice for Writing a Follow-Up Email Post-Interview 

1. Make your contact information clear and space-efficient

Your contact details should be crystal clear so employers can easily get in touch. Include your full name, email, phone number, location (city, state, and zip code), LinkedIn, and any relevant portfolios or social media. 

However, to save space, all contact details — except for your name — should fit on a single line.

What this means for you: 

• Use a bold, slightly larger font (20–24 pt) for your name and double-check everything’s correct. 
• List a professional email like “firstname.lastname@gmail.com” (sorry, but swiftiefan13@hotmail.com has got to go). 
• Don’t have a LinkedIn yet? It only takes about 10 minutes to set one up (trust me, it’s worth it). And if you need a hand, check out How to Make a Good LinkedIn Profile. 

For more header tips, explore our guide on Resume Header Best Practices. 

2. Skip the personal details 

Leaving out personal information keeps your privacy intact and ensures hiring managers focus on what matters — your skills and experience. 

What this means for you: 

• Don’t include your age, gender, marital status, religion, ethnicity, or social security number. 
• Only add a photo if it’s explicitly required (like in modeling or acting). 

3. Use either an objective or summary section

Choose a summary or objective based on your experience level. It’s the first thing employers see, so keep it brief (two to three sentences) and job-focused. 

What this means for you: 

• New to the field? Write a resume objective highlighting transferable skills, certifications, and your eagerness to learn and contribute to the team. 
• Experienced? Go for a resume summary emphasizing top skills, key achievements, years of experience, and relevant stats (like “managed 150+ customers daily” or “boosted customer satisfaction by 20%”). 
• Whether it’s an objective or summary, tailor it to each job by using the keywords and lingo from the job description. 

If you need help writing yours, try Rezi AI Resume Summary Generator. 

4. Show employers you can do the job 

Keep one crucial goal in mind when crafting your resume: your potential employer is looking for someone to get the job done. Show them that you can — and that you’ve already proven it in the past. 

What this means for you: 

• Don’t just list your skills, provide evidence of how you’ve applied them. For example, if you include “project management” as a skill, share how you applied that skill, like “led a project that boosted efficiency by 30%, saving $50,000 annually.” 
• Highlight your successes and measurable outcomes, e.g. “mentored a team that boosted sales by 25% in 6 months.” 

Which leads us to the next important point. 

5. Focus on achievements, not just duties 

Stating just your responsibilities won’t help you stand out because it’s what everyone in that role does — hiring managers can guess that. They want to know how you’ve made an impact and contributed uniquely to your previous workplaces. 

What this means for you: 

• Replace generic duties with specific, measurable accomplishments on your resume. For example, instead of “answered customer inquiries,” write “increased customer retention by 15% through targeted outreach.” 
• Focus on outcomes. Each bullet point should show what you did, how you did it, and the results. For instance, “optimized the onboarding process by implementing new training materials, reducing training time by 25%.” 
• Use action verbs to start each bullet point, like “managed,” “developed,” “implemented,” or “optimized.” Keep your bullet points concise — aim for 3–8 per job. 
• Quantify wherever possible. Even if you didn’t necessarily improve anything but maintained standards, you can highlight it, e.g. “sustained 99% accuracy when filing tax returns.” 

If you’re unsure, think about the following: 

• Did you get a promotion? 
• Solve a major problem? 
• Save time, money, or resources? 
• Lead a team or project? 

There’s always an accomplishment to share. 

Here are some examples of achievements by role: 

• Waiter: Streamlined the ordering process, cutting table turnover by 10 minutes, which increased customer capacity during peak hours. 
• Barista: Achieved a 95% customer satisfaction rating through attentive, personalized service. 
• Sales clerk: Introduced upselling strategies that led to a 15% increase in daily sales during busy shifts. 
• Paralegal: Conducted comprehensive legal research that contributed to winning a significant case, saving the firm potential damages of $500,000. 
• Architect: Managed multiple projects simultaneously, completing all within budget and ahead of schedule, resulting in increased client satisfaction and repeat business. 
• Psychiatric nurse: Developed a patient feedback system that led to a 25% reduction in reported incidents of distress among patients. 
• ESL teacher: Introduced interactive learning activities that increased class participation rates by 40%, fostering a more dynamic classroom environment. 
• IT support: Identified and resolved recurring technical issues, leading to a 30% reduction in support tickets over six months. 
• Volunteer coordinator: Organized community events that increased volunteer participation by 40%, strengthening community support for the mission. 
• Administrative assistant: Developed a weekly update newsletter for the team, improving interdepartmental communication and collaboration. 

Your achievements don’t always have to be monumental — they just need to show how you added value. Whether you saved time, improved efficiency, or kept things running smoothly, it’s worth including on your resume. 

6. If you have no experience, focus on your potential 

Worried because you think you don’t have “real” experience? Don’t stress — there are plenty of ways to showcase your potential and impress employers. 

What this means for you: 

• Include volunteer work, internships, or unpaid jobs like babysitting or yard work. For instance, “organized a neighborhood clean-up event with 50+ participants,” which demonstrates your initiative and organization. 
• Emphasize transferable skills like communication, teamwork, or problem-solving from school, extracurriculars, or hobbies. An example: “led a group project that improved our class presentation scores by 20%.” 

For more help, explore our guide on How to Write a Resume With No Experience. 

7. When switching careers, prove that your skills and experience fit the target role

When updating your resume for a career change, show how your background and skills fit into your new role while highlighting your passion for the change. 

What this means for you: 

• Start with a resume objective that explains your current role, years of experience, and transferable skills that align with your new career path. Frame your background to show how it sets you up for success in the new field. For instance, “dedicated sales professional with 5+ years of expertise seeking to move into front-end web development, having built user-friendly websites for 10+ local businesses.” 
• Highlight relevant projects and skills from your previous role. For instance, if moving from sales to marketing, mention strengths like communication, customer insights, and project management that apply to both fields. 

8. Showcase transferable skills from non-traditional work experience 

Non-traditional roles like freelancing, volunteering, or side gigs highlight valuable skills that prove your adaptability and creativity. 

What this means for you: 

• Connect the experience to the job. Explain how babysitting built time management or how organizing charity events sharpened your project management, teamwork, and leadership skills. 
• Highlight the results from these roles, like “designed and managed social media campaigns for a nonprofit, increasing engagement by 30%.” 

Recommended resource:

• How to Put Freelance Work on a Resume

9. Frame gaps in a positive light 

Addressing gaps on your resume is key to keeping your career story positive. Be honest, strategic, and ready to explain during interviews if it comes up. 

What this means for you: 

• Use years only (2020–2021) to downplay shorter gaps and make sure to keep your formatting consistent. Or leave them out altogether unless they’re highly relevant. 
• Talk about skills or experiences gained during breaks, like volunteering, pursuing personal projects, or taking courses. 

10. Use keywords from the job description 

Including keywords from the job description ensures your resume matches what employers are looking for, helps you pass Applicant Tracking System (ATS) filters, and signals to hiring managers that you fully understand the role’s requirements. 

What this means for you: 

• Analyze the job description for must-have skills, tools, and qualifications, then naturally weave these into your summary or objective, experience, and skills sections to show you’re a perfect match. 
• Be specific and detailed. If the role mentions tools like “AutoCAD,” go beyond listing it by saying something like “designed structural blueprints using AutoCAD for residential and commercial projects.” 

If you need help, AI Keyword Targeting can scan the job description and provide you with a list of keywords to include. 

11. Customize your resume for every job 

A tailored resume shows employers you’re genuinely interested in the role. By focusing on how your experience and skills directly benefit the employer, you can show you’re the right fit for the position. 

What this means for you: 

• Prioritize relevant accomplishments, projects, and skills that align with the job. Leave out unrelated details, and adjust your wording to reflect the company’s language and values. 
• Revise your summary or objective to highlight the most important skills for the position. For example, if leadership is emphasized, mention something like “proven ability to lead teams and manage projects successfully.” 

For more tips, read our guide on How to Tailor Your Resume. 

12. List your relevant education 

Your education shows you meet job requirements and value growth. If you’re a recent grad with little experience, put your education section before your work experience. 

What this means for you: 

• Start with your highest degree, including the school, degree type, and graduation date. Don’t include your high school if you’ve got a college degree. 
• Add honors, awards, or relevant coursework and projects. Include your GPA only if it’s over 3.5 and within the past 10 years. 

13. Add your certifications and licenses 

Listing licenses and certifications on your resume proves you’ve got the skills, training, and credentials to do the job. It also emphasizes your dedication to learning and staying current in your field. 

What this means for you: 

• Put your certifications and licenses in a separate section or subheading under the education section. Add the name, issuing organization, and completion or expiration date (if applicable). 
• Focus on job-specific credentials, like a CDL for truck driving or CPR for healthcare, and leave out unrelated ones. 

14. Highlight your skills with proof 

Your skills section should be a well-balanced mix of hard and soft skills that prove you’re technically capable and a great collaborator. However, you should back up your skills with examples of how you’ve used them in your work experience or education sections. 

What this means for you: 

• Hard skills are your technical abilities — things you’ve learned through training or experience. For example, if you list social media management, mention how you “boosted Instagram engagement by 35% in 6 months.” 
• Soft skills reflect how you navigate challenges and connect with others. For example, instead of just putting down communication skills, explain how you gave a presentation that helped secure a new client. 

15. Touch on valuable hobbies and extracurriculars 

If you’re light on work experience, hobbies and extracurricular activities can help fill the gap. They emphasize transferable skills and might even spark conversation in an interview. But if you’ve got solid experience, they’re not necessary. 

What this means for you: 

• Detail hobbies on your resume that highlight useful skills, like photography (creativity), sports (teamwork, leadership), or coding (technical ability). Make them job-relevant — such as mentioning guitar playing for a role at a music company. 
• List extracurriculars that display initiative or leadership, such as coordinating the debate team or student council. Avoid anything potentially controversial, like political affiliations, religious activities, or social causes. 

16. Use extra sections that can elevate your resume 

Beyond hobbies and extracurriculars, other optional sections also let you highlight skills and experiences that don’t neatly fit under work or education. 

What this means for you: 

• Awards and honors: Show off achievements like “Employee of the Month” or “Best Latte Art” at a local competition. 
• Volunteer work or personal projects: Mention volunteer experiences like helping out food banks or starting a blog to demonstrate creativity, initiative, and your drive to give back. 
• Languages: List your languages and proficiency level (fluent, intermediate, or basic). 

17. Keep your resume as concise as possible

Your resume shouldn’t be a detailed document of every job you’ve ever had. A one-page resume is concise and keeps your best qualifications front and center, making it easier for recruiters to see your value at a glance. But if you’ve got over 10 years of solid experience, go for a two-page resume. 

What this means for you: 

• Prioritize your top accomplishments and skills — ditch anything outdated or unrelated. 
• Spotlight the last 10–15 years unless older jobs are critical to the role. 

• Leave off unnecessary details like hobbies, minor courses, or irrelevant education. 

18. Format your resume professionally 

A clean, well-organized resume makes a great first impression and helps recruiters skim through your details quickly. 

What this means for you: 

• Stick to professional fonts like Arial or Calibri, with body text at 10–12 and headings at 14–16 pt. Use single or 1.15 spacing and one-inch margins. 
• Avoid graphics, tables, or images — opt for clear headings, bullet points, and a reverse chronological order layout. Add a hint of color to your headings or a simple design to spice it up if you like. 

19. Get inspired by resumes in your industry 

Checking out resume examples from successful candidates in your field helps you understand what works, how to structure yours, and what recruiters are looking for. It’s also a great way to spot key things you might’ve missed. 

What this means for you: 

• Look at how industry resumes are formatted — focus on their length, layout, and language. 
• Browse through our ATS-friendly resume examples to see how they showcase measurable results, and use that style to highlight your impact. 

20. Drop “references available upon request” 

Why state the obvious with the antiquated “references available upon request”? 

Employers already assume you’ll provide references if asked. Adding it takes up valuable space and might make your resume seem a bit old-fashioned. 

What this means for you: 

• Leave “references available upon request” off entirely. Use the extra space to highlight your skills, experience, and accomplishments. 
• Prepare a separate document with three to five professional references and their contact information. If you don’t have this yet, start asking for references from past colleagues or supervisors. 

21. Final check before you hit “send” 

Double-checking your resume is crucial to make sure it’s polished and error-free. A tiny typo can hurt your chances, so take your time. 

What this means for you: 

• Proofread, take a break, then come back and review again. Don’t just trust spellcheck — ask a friend for their thoughts. If you’re unsure about your bullet points, let our AI Bullet Point Editor help out. 
• Save it as a PDF and use a clear file name like “Ana-Rivera-Resume.” 

22. Always follow up 

This isn’t a resume tip per se, but following up after your application or interview shows you’re proactive and interested. It’s quick, easy, and might help pull your resume out of the abyss — maybe they’re just waiting for a nudge. Or they’re in a coma, kicking themselves (figuratively) for not responding to you when they could. 

What this means for you: 

• Send a polite follow-up email a week after you apply or interview. Reaffirm your interest and ask for any updates. 
• If they still don’t reply, accept you’re being ghosted (it happens) and move on to the next application. 

23. Use Rezi AI Resume Builder 

Let’s be honest — long job applications are tough enough without the added stress of perfecting your resume. That’s where our AI Resume Builder comes in. 

What this means for you: 

• It’s free, and in minutes, you’ll have an ATS-friendly, recruiter-approved resume. 
• Just enter your details, copy and paste the job description, and voilà — you have everything you need to create a resume that’ll grab attention. 

Summary 

Here’s a recap of the most important tips and advice for writing your resume: 

• Ensure your name, email, phone, location, and LinkedIn profile are easy to find and professional. 
• Avoid personal details like age, gender, marital status, or a photo unless explicitly requested. 
• Write a brief, tailored objective or summary based on your experience level, focusing on job-specific keywords. 
• Highlight measurable outcomes instead of just listing duties. 
• Start each bullet point with clear action verbs like “implemented,” “developed,” or “optimized” to show your impact. 
• Tailor your resume to each role by focusing on relevant skills and achievements, and using keywords from the job description. 
• If you have employment gaps, highlight activities like volunteer work, freelancing, or personal projects to show growth. 
• List your highest degree, relevant coursework, and any industry certifications. 
• For career changers or those with no formal experience, emphasize skills from volunteering, school, or hobbies. 
• Keep your resume as concise as possible. Focus on the most relevant skills and achievements. Avoid unnecessary details. 

FAQ 

What are five format tips for a resume? 

Keep it simple with a clean, easy-to-read font like Arial or Calibri and standard sizes (10–12 pt for body text, 14–16 for headings). Break up sections with clear headings like “Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.” Use bullet points to list your accomplishments and make your resume more scannable. Leave some white space around your text to make it easier to read. And be consistent in your formatting — same font, size, and spacing throughout — so your resume feels cohesive. 

What is the 30-second rule for resumes? 

The 30-second rule refers to the idea that a hiring manager will spend about 30 seconds scanning your resume initially. While this might not be as accurate today due to ATS filtering many resumes, it’s still important to make those first few lines count. Highlight your most impressive skills, achievements, and qualifications so both recruiters and ATS can easily spot your strengths right away. 

What are the three C’s of a resume? 

The three C’s are Clear, Concise, and Consistent: 

• Clear: Make your resume easy to read with straightforward language and organized sections. 
• Concise: Keep your content brief and to the point — don’t include unnecessary details or fluff. 
• Consistent: Use consistent formatting and language throughout, ensuring everything flows smoothly. 

How far back should a resume go? 

Typically, your resume should cover the last 10–15 years of experience. If you have more experience than that, consider condensing older roles or emphasizing the most relevant ones. For newer professionals, focus on your recent positions and education. 

To read more on this topic, check out How Far Back Should a Resume Go?

What’s the most common mistake to avoid when writing your resume? 

One of the biggest mistakes when writing your resume is having a one-size-fits-all approach. Employers want to see how your skills and experience specifically match the job they’re offering. So make sure to tailor your resume for each role by highlighting the most relevant skills, achievements, and experience that align with the job description. This shows you’re serious and genuinely interested. 

What are resume tips when you have no experience? 

Focus on transferable skills you gained from volunteering, internships, or school projects. Highlight any relevant coursework or certifications and emphasize your enthusiasm to learn and grow in the role. Show them you have a strong work ethic and you’re eager to contribute. 

What is ATS? 

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System — a type of software many companies use to screen resumes before they even reach a hiring manager. ATS scans your resume for keywords from the job description, so make sure you use terms that match the job you’re applying for. That way, your resume has a better chance of making it past the system and into human hands.