What Is a Resume? | Definition, Tips & Template
A resume is a 1–2 page formal document that summarizes your skills, experience, and achievements when you’re applying for a job, internship, or other career opportunity.
Resumes are divided into sections that categorize different aspects of your professional background (e.g., work history, technical skills, and education). Each resume section includes a bold heading and lists of concise phrases.
The purpose of a resume and the concise resume format is to quickly inform job recruiters or other decision makers about your qualifications.
Learning more about what a resume is will help you submit applications that make a positive and memorable impression. QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can also make your resume shine!
Resume definition
A resume is a document that you create to showcase your skills and qualifications when you’re applying for a career opportunity. Whether the opportunity is a job, an internship, or a scholarship, a resume helps decision makers evaluate your credentials.
In most cases, a resume should demonstrate these characteristics:
- An eye-catching heading with your name and contact information
- A scannable layout with bold headings and sections that summarize your skills, work history, and education
- Bulleted lists that briefly describe each relevant job, degree, or other experience
- Keywords from the job posting or application requirements throughout the document
- A one-page resume length when you have five or less years of experience or two pages if you’ve been working in your field for over five years
A resume does not usually include full sentences or paragraphs, which aren’t as scannable as phrases and bulleted lists.
Types of resumes
Depending on your career stage and the opportunity (e.g., a job or an internship), choose from two main resume types—chronological and functional resumes.
Chronological
In a chronological resume, most of the information is about previous jobs. The work history section has a subsection for each past job, and these are arranged in reverse chronological order. Each subsection has a heading with the company, job title, and dates followed by a bulleted list of your main role and biggest achievements.
Functional
In a functional resume, most of the information is about your skills, and there usually isn’t a work history section (especially if you haven’t been employed in your field yet). Instead, the skills section has a heading and subsection for each skill. Beneath each heading, include a bulleted list of when you demonstrated each skill (e.g., during college coursework).
| Chronological | Functional | |
|---|---|---|
| When to use | You’ve held jobs, internships, or volunteer positions that are relevant to the field where you’re applying | You haven’t held formal positions that are relevant to the field, but you’ve completed relevant coursework and demonstrated the skills in other capacities |
| Layout | Name and contact info | Name and contact info |
| Professional summary (2–4 lines about your main background) | Professional summary or objective (2–4 lines about your background and goal) | |
| Skills (2–3 lines that list your technical skills, separated by commas or vertical lines [ | ]) | Skills (a subsection for each skill with several bullet points showing when or how you demonstrated each skill) | |
| Employment history (a subsection for each job with a bulleted list of your achievements at that job) | No employment history or a list of past jobs without bulleted lists/details | |
| Volunteer or internship positions (if applicable) | Certifications (if applicable) | |
| Education (list of your postsecondary degrees) | Education (list of your degrees with a bulleted list of relevant courses, honors, or awards |
Why is a resume important?
A resume is important to the success of an application for a few reasons:
- Demonstrates your writing and organization skills
- Saves recruiters time with the reader-friendly layout
- Prepares you for interviews and conversations about your skills
By writing a resume, you’ll be more prepared to talk about your qualifications and help recruiters quickly see why you’re a great fit. The easier it is for recruiters to evaluate your skills, the better your chances of getting an interview.
When do you need a resume?
Writing a resume can be time consuming, so it’s important to know when you need one and when you don’t. Three situations that often require resumes include job applications, internships, and career fairs.
Job applications
Always write a resume when a job posting asks for one (e.g., “submit your resume and cover letter to … “) or when the application portal has a space for you to upload one. When a job posting or online portal doesn’t mention a resume, and the job doesn’t require special credentials, you can probably omit it, especially if the portal has application questions for you to answer instead.
Internships
Internships usually require resumes because the recruiting team is looking for students who already have some experience with the necessary skills. For example, internships for CAD designers require some coursework or extracurricular work in CAD, while programming internships require coursework and knowledge of programming languages.
When you apply for internships, review the job posting and application portal carefully to find out if a resume is required. You can also email your resume to the hiring manager if you’re unsure.
Career fairs
Career fairs are events (usually at colleges) where recruiters from different companies set up information booths and chat with students about entry-level positions. Anytime you attend a career fair, bring fresh copies of your resume on clean, white paper so that you can leave them with each recruiter you talk to. In this situation, a one-page resume is best.
When you give a paper resume to a recruiter at a career fair, introduce yourself and ask one or two relevant questions about job opportunities or company culture. (Hint—most colleges advertise in advance which businesses will be at the fair, so you can research the company and choose questions or conversation starters ahead of time.)
Then, take a brochure or business card from the recruiter’s table, and send the recruiter a follow-up email to thank them for meeting with you and reviewing your resume.
Parts of a resume
Traditional resumes (aka chronological resumes) usually include the sections illustrated below.
Contact information
Put your name at the top center of the page in a large, bold font. On the next line or two, add your city and state, email address, LinkedIn profile (if applicable), and phone number.
Amanda LaRusso
Denver Metropolitan Area
alarusso@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/alarusso-235 (333) 444–5555
Professional summary
Label this section “Professional Summary” or with the title of the job you’re applying for. In three to four lines or a few phrases separated by commas or semicolons, summarize your main background, years of experience, and key achievements.
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Meticulous digital marketing expert with 3 years of success delivering engaging and informative nonprofit campaigns; diligently analyzes performance across multiple social media platforms and collaborates across teams to produce high-quality SEO content
Technical skills
Also list your technical skills, such as the software and tools that are required for the job. Examples of skills for a resume include programming languages, content management tools, CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce), and project management tools (e.g., Slack or Asana).
Work history
For each of the relevant jobs you’ve held, include a subheading with the employer, location, title, and date. Beneath the subheading, add three to seven bullet points about your main achievements that each begin with action verbs for a resume.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (2023-2025)
Taught 12 sections of first-year public speaking courses to help undergraduates hone essential skills in speech writing and oral communication
- Supported student growth through engaging lesson plans and interactive exercises
- Personalized instruction to meet diverse educational needs
- Maintained student evaluation ratings of 95% or better
Education
List the degrees you’ve earned after high school (unless your high school diploma is also relevant to the career opportunity). One option is to include bullet points with your GPA, awards, or relevant coursework.
Extracurricular activities
This section is optional but sometimes helpful if you’re attending career fairs or just starting your career. Limit this section to clubs, organizations, and achievements that are relevant to your application (e.g., experience leading a robotics team on an application for an electrical engineering internship).
Languages
If you speak more than one language, include a languages section, especially if another language is required for the position.
Volunteer work
Only include this section if you’ve completed volunteer hours that directly relate to the opportunity or position you’re applying for.
Resume template
A great way to get started on a resume is by starting with a template and customizing each heading and section for the opportunity you’re applying for. QuillBot’s resume template includes spaces for you to add your contact information, summary, skills, work history, and other sections. You can also add sections based on the above tips and examples.
Frequently asked questions about what is a resume
- What is a resume for a job?
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A resume for a job is a one- or two-page formal document that you create for job applications. It provides hiring teams, managers, and recruiters with your contact information, work history, skills, education, and other professional details.
A job resume has headings and bulleted lists that readers can quickly scan to learn about your qualifications.
For some jobs, you may need to use a CV instead of a resume.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker extension for job applications? It can help you automatically find and fix errors because after all, what is a resume without impeccable grammar?
- What’s a learned synonym for a resume?
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Some “learned” synonyms that are good for a resume include:
- Acquired
- Mastered
- Developed
- Adjusted
- Adapted
- Ascertained
- Discovered
On a resume, you should use strong action verbs to highlight your skills and knowledge. Using weak verbs or passive voice is a common resume mistake.
You can choose another synonym for learned that applies to your context, or use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to find even more ways to express your intended meaning.
- Should your cover letter match your resume?
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Your cover letter should match your resume format stylistically, but their content should not match.
Fonts, colors, and any design elements should match in both documents. Likewise, if you write a CV, your cover letter and CV should match in terms of style.
On the other hand, they should have complementary—not matching—content. Your resume outlines your qualifications and experience. The purpose of a cover letter is to showcase your personality and tailor your application to the specific job.
Both your cover letter and resume must be free of grammar and spelling errors, so run a QuillBot grammar check before sending.
- What are some beginner skills for a resume?
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Some beginner skills for a resume include the kind of skills you develop through education, extracurricular activities, and hobbies, such as:
- Social media content creation
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Self-discipline
- Presentation skills
- Critical thinking
Resume format for entry-level positions suggests placing your skills below or next to your education and work experience.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to produce an error-free resume.
