How to Craft a Business Resume That Will Land You the Job

How To Structure A Business Resume

The first point you need to consider in structuring your business resume is the resume format. If you have lots of work experience, the chronological resume format is likely your best option. Applicants with less experience, however, may want to opt for a functional or combination resume. Regardless of the specific resume format you choose, however, your sections will be the same.

1. Header

   The resume header goes at the very top of the resume and is technically part of the resume design. It includes your full name and your contact information, including your phone number, email address, and professional social media profiles, such as your LinkedIn.

2. Resume summary or objective

   Next is your resume summary or resume objective. A resume summary is a short paragraph that provides an overview of your top skills and achievements. A resume objective also includes your career goals. For jobs that require some experience, you’ll typically want to opt for a resume summary, while a candidate for a more entry-level job might want to opt for a resume objective.

3. Skills

   The specific skills that you include in a resume will vary significantly based on your actual job title. However, to create a great resume, you may want to include some of these bullet points in your skills section:

   • Teamwork
   • Team management
   • Communication
   • Leadership
   • General sales skills
   • Data analysis
   • Financial accounting

   Your resume should include both soft skills and hard skills. This shows a recruiter that you can handle both the duties of your job and working with other people.

4. Work Experience

   List up to the last 10 years of relevant experience, and include 3-5 bullet points for each job, describing major tasks and achievements. Remember to list your work experience in reverse-chronological order, putting the most relevant and recent job first.

5. Education

   Last is your education section. This section should include your college experience or any other specific education credentials you’ve completed, including specific certifications that are common in your industry (e.g., project management).

6. Tips For Creating A Better Business Resume

   Here are some additional tips to help you write a better business resume:

   • Highlight specific skills and achievements that make you unique. You need to make a case for why the company should hire you and not someone similar to you.
   • Do the research necessary to personalize your resume to a specific company. Think about your resume “look” too; your resume template may change depending on the company you’re submitting your resume to, with a more creative or more simple resume design available.
   • Incorporate specific metrics that give a qualitative reason why you should be the person the business hires (e.g., “Implemented processes that increased revenue by 14%”). This is a great way to give a sense of authority to your resume.