Let’s be honest: Most people dread writing their resume. They put it off and put it off until they have to. Then, they spend hours, if not days, trying to write a decent one.

What if I told you that resume writing does not have to be time-consuming or overwhelming?

I have learned from the best how to write a winning resume efficiently — from great teachers who have been doing it for years for clients getting high-paid C-Suite positions.

If their resume process gets these results, why not emulate it?

I did, and you can, too.

Let me break this down into easy-to-follow (and do) steps.

Step 1: Use a Clear Resume Structure

You want a resume structure that makes your information easy to find and understand. For mid-career professionals, a hybrid or combination structure is often the best to use. A hybrid or combination resume is a blend of reverse chronological and functional resume types. It highlights your skills and experiences in a functional format while also providing a chronological overview of your work history.

This works well for mid-career job seekers who want to highlight their skills, knowledge, and expertise as well as their work history.

Example: Someone targeting a project management role could emphasize their newly acquired PMP certification and technical skills while, in their work experience section, also showing career progression, management of others, and achievements using specific skills relevant to project management roles.

A hybrid resume is also helpful when you are a career changer or have gaps in your work history.

A reverse chronological resume omits the professional summary and focuses solely on work history, starting from the most recent position. This format can be advantageous if you have a continuous work history and a clear career path.

I do not advise using a solely functional resume except in specific circumstances. A functional resume focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than your work history. As a former recruiter, I despised this format. It is hard to “connect the dots” of a career. Even for career changers, I suggest using a hybrid resume for better results.

Step 2: Start with the Easiest First

This was a game-changer for me and will be for you, too. Often, we think of starting at the top and working down. That is how we were taught to write: beginning, middle, and end.

But for writing resumes, you should start at the bottom.

Why?

Because it is the easiest part!

Often, getting started is the hardest part. You look at the Professional Summary and are at a loss for what to write.

But like an athlete who warms up before the game, you need to warm up your mind before tackling the challenging parts of a resume. This will help with removing that inevitable writer’s block.

So, to warm up, start your resume with the easiest sections first.

This can be your education, technical skills, or even writing down the position you have had.

Make progress here, and moving on to more challenging sections will not seem as daunting.

Step 3: Write Compelling, Concise Content

Good resume writers know that you do not have to write a lot of words to make your point. You aim to make an impact while taking up the least space. Your resume will likely not be read all the way through first. It is going to be skimmed. Bear this in mind as you are writing. Writing long sentences (or what we in the business call "walls of text") do you no favors. Your readers will maybe read the first few words, and if they can’t find value in them, they will move on.

So, what are the guidelines for writing compelling, concise content?

• Do not use “I” or “me.” It is implied, as it is YOUR resume.

• Start with an action verb to start a bullet point. A good format for your bullet points is an action verb with result + action you took + context (if needed for understanding). It should be 1-2 lines max.

Example: Increased revenue by 15% in six months by initiating 3 new revenue growth initiatives to increase repeat sales.

• Keep paragraphs (like in a professional summary statement) to 3-4 sentences max.

• Do not use company jargon. Your reader will not know what it is.

• If it is not a common acronym, spell it out. Your reader may not know what it means.

• Every word should provide value. If it is fluff, leave it out.

• If you are stuck on how to make your bullet points shorter, use AI to give you suggestions.

Here is an example of two sentences.

• Streamlined processes, designed to enhance customer service and diminish wait times, were implemented to optimize the overall experience for our valued clientele.

• Streamlined processes to improve customer service and reduce wait times.

Which one is more compelling? Being direct and concise can provide more impact.

Step 4: Focus on Achievements, Not Responsibilities

There was a day when you could cut and paste your job description into a resume, which was good enough. Those days are long gone, though. Now, you need to do more than talk about what your job was about. You need to showcase what you actually accomplished.

A laundry list of responsibilities only tells the reader what they are supposed to do. It doesn’t give them any idea how or whether you did it well.

Those who can successfully show those two things will get more callbacks from recruiters.

You can use the CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) or OAR (Obstacles-Actions-Results) format to present quantifiable successes. Brainstorm examples from your work history that align with the roles you seek. Think about what results you can report. Money, time, engagement, and efficiency are all great results to showcase.

When writing your bullet points, flip the story to showcase first what is most important for the reader to know (remembering they will skim the resume first, so they may only read the first few words of a bullet point). Many times, the most critical piece of information will be the result. However, depending on the job or organization, your action or challenge might be what they care about. Your strategy is important to what you emphasize in each bullet point.

Example:

Challenge: My mid-sized e-commerce company struggled with low online sales and customer engagement.

Action: As Digital Marketing Director, I developed a comprehensive digital marketing plan that integrated SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, and email marketing. I conducted a website audit and implemented data-driven strategies to track and analyze KPIs.

Result: Through effective leadership, we increased online sales by 25% and improved customer satisfaction by 15%.

Possible bullet points.

• Achieved 25% increase in online sales and improved customer satisfaction by 15% through developing a digital marketing plan.

• Developed a comprehensive digital marketing plan and implemented data-driven strategies to increase online sales by 25% and improve customer satisfaction.

• Overcame low online sales and customer engagement by developing a comprehensive digital marketing plan, resulting in a 25% increase in sales and improved customer satisfaction.

Now, compare this to a responsibilities-driven bullet point.

• Responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive digital marketing plans to drive online sales and improve customer engagement.

Which ones do you think are more compelling?

Step 5: Readability and Skimmability is Key

Content is always king, but that doesn’t mean you should forget formatting. Think about your reader and how you can make the resume easy to skim, read, and visually appealing.

This is where you can add elements to help the reader.

Use headings and subheadings to divide your resume into sections (e.g., Summary, Skills, Experience, Education ) so the reader knows where to go to find information.

Have consistent formatting. Maintain consistent font(s), size, and spacing throughout your resume. It is easy to introduce haphazard formatting that will create visual noise. Check this before you finish.

Ensure adequate margins on all sides to prevent text from appearing cramped. One-inch margins are no longer required. You can go smaller (.6 inches is probably as small as I would go). Make sure, though, that it does not look crowded. A crowded resume gives the appearance of needing more work to read it. Your readers want easy, not harder.

You can use color, but stick to a simple color scheme that complements the font and background. Avoid excessive use of colors that can be distracting.

Bolding or italicizing can be used to emphasize information important to the reader.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and professional. While Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman are often used for resumes, other fonts like Tahoma, Cambria, or Aptos can be good. Depending on the font used, keep an eye on the size. The general rule is not to go below 10 pt for readability, especially on small devices.

White space is important. You need to let your resume breathe like a fine wine. If your text appears squashed in, your resume will visually look off.

Step 6: Edit Ruthlessly

Editing your resume is often an overlooked part of the process. Editing allows you to have a completed resume that is error-free and flows logically.

So, the key to a good edit is to have fresh eyes. After you finish writing your resume, step away for a few hours or days. You want your brain to have had time to reset so you can come back to it with a fresh perspective.

What is the story you are trying to tell? Have you addressed all the crucial information needed to prove you are qualified for the roles you seek? Is there anything missing?

Look for areas where you can tighten up your language. Do you have unnecessary words, or does a better word choice come to mind? 

Check for typos, grammatical errors, and punctuation issues. You can use spell-check but do not rely on it. Print out your resume and read it. You often don’t catch formatting issues on a screen, but when printed out, they become apparent. Also, read the resume out loud to yourself. Often, you can catch phrasing that sounds off or a need for punctuation that was not obvious before.

Get someone else to read it. Do you want to know a secret? Professional resume writers often have editors who check their work before giving it to a client. Why? They know it is often hard to catch issues, so a new set of eyes on their work can help find issues. Try to pick someone who has good writing skills as your helper.

Streamline for Success

With this process, resume writing might not be a fun exercise, but you can make it more efficient. No one wants to waste time. We are all busy and have many things we need to do. So, wouldn't cutting out hours from resume writing be great? With these tips, you can do this and get a more polished and focused resume in the end. 

Focus on these six steps, and I promise you that while your resume writing experience won’t be like a walk in the park, it also won’t be like a trip to the dentist.

Shelley Piedmont is a Career Coach who focuses on understanding your unique skills, interests, and aspirations and provides personalized coaching to guide you toward roles where you can truly thrive. Whether you are stuck as to what your next career move should be or need help with resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or interview preparation, Shelley is here to help you. Please set up an exploratory call to find out how she can help you reach your career goals.