Resume Outlines For Any 2024 Job Opening
The best resume outline can help you quickly share the most important information hiring managers want to see. These free resume outlines will help you write an effective resume for most jobs, including experienced, entry-level or recently graduated job seekers.
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Best Resume Outline Examples
There’s no one-size-fits-all outline for every job opening. Our three resume formats article covers why some resume outlines benefit some job seekers over others, but the following free resume outline examples can help you start your resume immediately.
Use these free outlines to help you learn how to write a resume quickly. Or, consider saving even more time by using our interactive Resume Builder to unlock professional resume templates, step-by-step advice and job-specific, prewritten drafts.
Basic resume outline
The chronological resume format is the oldest and most recognized resume outline, making it the perfect basic resume outline to start your job search. We strongly recommend using this professional resume outline if you have over 10 years of experience.
Professional resume outline
Most resume outlines are professional if they include relevant information about your qualifications. However, most hiring managers prefer the chronological or hybrid resume formats. The following ATS-friendly resume outline example uses a hybrid structure to demonstrate the equal importance of your skills and previous job history.
Entry-level resume outline
If you’re a first-time job applicant, you might be worried about your lack of formal job experience. The following entry-level resume outline follows a functional format to prioritize your transferable skills and volunteer experience.
Student resume outline
Writing a universal student resume outline is tricky since most students have varying degrees of formal work experience. A student with work-study experience can use a hybrid resume format. In contrast, a student with solely academic experience should use the following simple resume outline to prioritize their education and skills.
Free Resume Outline Template
As seen in the previous resume outlines, no one-template-fits-all design works for every job seeker. Multiple resume formats feature unique strengths and weaknesses.
If unsure which job resume outline best meets your experience, start with the hybrid/combination format. This resume format lends equal importance to your job-relevant skills and previous experience, although it’s best suited for job seekers with over three years of experience.
See the following resume outline example for a strong starting point:
Your Full Name
Email: professional.email@email.com
Phone: ###-###-###
Location: City, State
LinkedIn Profile (Optional)
Job-Relevant Social Media (Optional)
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
A professional introduction that includes your top three job-relevant skills or accomplishments. These three skills or accomplishments should align with the advertised needs in the open job’s description.
SKILLS
- Skill #1
- Skill #2
- Skill #3
- Skill #4
- Skill #5
- Skill #6
- Optional Skill #7
- Optional Skill #8
WORK HISTORY
JOB TITLE, Name of Employer
Employer Location, Month 20XX – Month 20XX
- Add three to four brief descriptions of your responsibilities or career achievements in a bullet list format.
- Add quantifiable information to help hiring managers visualize these accomplishments.
- Quantifiable information can include percentages, statistics or profit growth.
- Examples include “Identified and removed redundancies in store opening and closing procedures that saved 45 minutes per staff member in scheduling.”
JOB TITLE | Employer or Club
City, State | Month 20XX – Month 20XX
- Description of responsibilities or accomplishments with quantifiable information.
- Description of responsibilities or accomplishments with quantifiable information.
- Description of responsibilities or accomplishments with quantifiable information.
EDUCATION
Degree, Name of School
School Location, Date Degree Issued
OPTIONAL
Job-relevant Certification, Name of School
School Location, Date Degree Issued/Attended
Job-relevant Training, Name of School
School Location, Date Degree Issued/Attended
How to Create a Resume Outline in Five Steps
As we’ve seen before, how to write and structure your resume sections depends on your circumstances and formal work experience. However you structure your resume outline, most sections will follow these basic outlines. Visit our resume-writing guide to see real-world resume samples of how to frame your experience for each unique job application.
- 1Contact information
Your contact information is always the first information you provide. This information helps hiring managers reach out if your resume matches their hiring requirements. This section should include:
- Your full name.
- Home or cell number
- A dedicated email with a professional handle such as
First_Name.Last_Name@email.com - Your physical location. Modern resumes only need your current city and state.
- Hyperlinks to job-relevant resources such as a professional website, online portfolio or professional social media.
- 2Writing a professional summary
Your professional introduction sits immediately below your contact information and can use one of two strategies: a resume objective or summary statement. You can format this introduction in one of two ways:
- A two- to three-sentence paragraph summarizing one or two job-relevant skills.
- A three-item bulleted list that outlines two or three transferable skills or accomplishments.
- 3Listing employment history
Your work history section will include your previous jobs, backed with three core work achievements related to both the previous job and the open job that interests you. This section will include the following information:
- Full job title.
- Name of your employer or company.
- City and state location of your employment.
- Month and year of your employment.
- Bulleted descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments.
- 4Education section
Your education section includes formal degrees, certificates, and job-related training and classes to help you perform your job’s responsibilities. This section will consist of:
- The name and focus of your degree.
- The name of your school or training program.
- The location of your school or training center.
- Your dates of attendance.
- Optional information related to the topics covered by your training.
- 5Skills section
Although you can organically mention job-specific skills throughout your resume, a standard resume outline includes a dedicated skills section. Most skills sections will follow a simple structure:
- Bulleted list of six to eight skills.
- Combination of soft, hard and technical skills.
- Lack of repeated skills mentioned in your previous sections.
