Resumes · 4 min read
Resume template
A resume does not need to be clever. It needs to be clear, relevant and easy to scan in the few seconds it gets on a first pass. This template gives you a structure that works for almost any role. Copy the shape, fill it with your own evidence, and tailor the top to each job you apply for.
The sections, in order
Keep it to one or two pages, in this order. Anything that does not help a reader decide to call you can come out.
- Name and contact: name, email, phone, city, and a link if it is relevant
- Short summary: two or three lines on what you do and what you are looking for
- Experience: most recent first, with results rather than just duties
- Skills: the ones that matter for this role, not an exhaustive list
- Education and anything else: kept short, and only if it helps
Win the top third
A reader looks at the top of the first page first, and decides there whether to keep going. Use that space for your summary and your strongest, most recent experience. A generic objective or a role from a decade ago wastes the one piece of space you cannot afford to waste.
Write experience as results
Under each role, lead with what changed because you were there, not a list of tasks. A line like "cut the monthly close from ten days to four" beats "responsible for monthly reporting" every time.
You do not need a number on every line. A few concrete results lift the whole resume from a job description into a track record.
- Led the rollout of a new system used by 200 staff
- Grew the account from one product to four
- Reduced support tickets by a third in six months
Keep it easy to scan
Clear headings, consistent formatting, real white space and a simple single-column layout. Columns, tables and graphics can confuse the software many employers use to read resumes, sometimes badly enough that your details come out scrambled. Plain and well organised wins.
Tailor the top to each job
You do not rewrite the whole thing every time. You adjust the summary and reorder the top few points so the most relevant evidence is the first thing a reader sees. Ten minutes of tailoring beats an hour of polish.
The short version
Use one clean structure every time: contact, a sharp summary, results-led experience, relevant skills. Win the top third, write outcomes not duties, keep it scannable, and tailor the opening to each role.