How to write each section
A clear resume has the same few sections in the same order every time. Here is what goes in each one, with lines from Maya’s sample resume: a new marketing graduate applying for a coordinator role.
Summary: two lines
Say what you do, who for, and the one strength that matters most for this job. Write it last, once the rest of the page shows what your strongest point is.
Marketing graduate who plans, writes and reports on social media and email. Two years running a student club’s Instagram and TikTok, with steady growth, on-time posting and monthly results reports.
Experience: verb, task, result
List jobs from the most recent back. Give recent jobs three to five bullets and older ones one or two. Each bullet starts with a verb, says what you did and ends with what changed, ideally as a number.
Wrote and sent the weekly email newsletter to 3,100 subscribers; open rate rose from 21% to 34%.
Internships, volunteer roles, club leadership and freelance projects all count as experience. Give them a job title and bullets like any other role.
Education
Degree, school, city and graduation year. Add a GPA of 3.5 or higher, honors or relevant coursework while you are a student or a recent graduate; after a few years in work, the degree line is enough. Students can tick Put Education above Experience in the builder.
Skills
List the tools, software and skills you really use, in the words the job post uses. If the post asks for “Google Analytics 4” and you know it, write “Google Analytics 4” exactly as the post does.
How to keep your resume to one page
- Keep three to five bullets for recent jobs and one or two for older ones.
- Merge two short bullets about the same task into one line with a result.
- Keep the summary to two lines, and list skills on one or two lines.
- Move older roles into a single line, or let them go once they no longer support the job you want.
The builder shows Fits on one page while it fits, and tells you as soon as it runs over.
Open it in Google Docs, Word or as a PDF
Word (.docx) opens in Microsoft Word, Word on the web and Apple Pages. For Google Docs, upload the file at drive.google.com and open it; it becomes an editable Google Doc. PDF is best for most online applications: click Download PDF and choose Save as PDF in the print window. Prefer to start in Google Docs? Copy one of the free Google Docs resume templates in the same three designs.
Send it with a matching cover letter
The free cover letter builder uses the same three designs and header, so your application reads as one set. For six designs with matching cover letters, references pages, filled-in examples and a writing guide, see Resume and Cover Letter Templates for Google Docs. Applying to several jobs at once? The Job Application Tracker keeps every application, follow-up and interview in one spreadsheet.