How to Build a Resume From Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Maya Collins · Updated 2026-10-04

To build a resume, start with a simple one-column layout, then add your contact details, a two-to-three line summary, your work experience with measurable results, your education and a short skills list. Save it as a PDF. Most people can finish a solid first draft in about an hour.

That's the short version. The rest of this guide covers the part people actually get stuck on: what to write on each line, and what to leave out.

What goes on a resume?

Every resume needs the same five things, in roughly this order:

Header. Your name, phone, email, city and state, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link if you have a good one.
Summary. Two or three lines about who you are professionally and what you're good at.
Experience. Jobs in reverse chronological order, with bullet points under each.
Education. Degree, school, graduation year. Move this above experience if you're a student or recent graduate.
Skills. The tools, software and certifications relevant to the job you're applying for.

Anything else (volunteering, projects, languages, awards) is optional. Add it only if it helps the job you want.

Which resume format should you use?

Use the reverse chronological format unless you have a specific reason not to. It's what recruiters expect, and it's what applicant tracking systems read most reliably.

Format	Best for	Watch out for
Reverse chronological	Almost everyone with a work history	Gaps are easy to spot
Functional (skills first)	Rarely a good idea	Recruiters often distrust it because it hides dates
Combination	Career changers with transferable skills	Can get long and repetitive

If you're changing careers, a hybrid works: keep the chronological structure, but write a stronger summary and pick bullets that show the skills the new job needs.

How do you write the summary?

Keep it to two or three lines and make it specific. Skip "hard-working team player" because it says nothing. Say what you do, how long you've done it, and one thing you're proud of.

Weak: Motivated professional looking for new opportunities.

Better: Customer support lead with six years in SaaS. Cut average response time from 9 hours to 3 while managing a team of eight.

If you don't have a number, don't make one up. Say something true and concrete instead.

How do you write bullet points that get noticed?

Use this pattern: action verb + what you did + the result.

Rebuilt the weekly inventory report in Excel, saving the team about four hours a week.
Trained 12 new hires on the point-of-sale system during peak season.
Handled 50+ customer calls a day with a 95% satisfaction score.

Three rules that help:

Start with a verb in the past tense (current job: present tense).
Put a number in at least half your bullets. Money, time, volume, size of team, percentage change all work.
Cut every "responsible for." It describes your job description, not what you actually did.

Aim for three to five bullets for recent roles, and one or two for older ones.

How long should a resume be?

One page if you have under about ten years of experience. Two pages is fine after that. Recruiters spend very little time on a first pass, so the top third of page one has to carry your best material.

What font, margins and layout should you use?

Plain choices win. A readable font at 10 to 12 points, margins around 0.5 to 1 inch, and clear section headings. Avoid photos (in the US), graphics, skill bars and text boxes. They look nice and often break in applicant tracking software. We cover this in detail in our guide to ATS-friendly resumes.

How do you build a resume in practice?

You have three realistic options:

A word processor like Word or Google Docs. Fully free, full control, but formatting is on you. See our Word and Google Docs resume guide.
A resume builder. Faster, and the layout takes care of itself. Our builder lets you type on the left and watch the resume update on the right, with no account needed.
Your LinkedIn profile as a starting point. Handy for pulling your job history together. See how to build a resume from LinkedIn.

Final checklist before you send it

Your phone number and email are correct (people do mistype these).
Dates are consistent. Pick "Jan 2022" or "01/2022" and stick with it.
The file is named something sensible, like Jane-Doe-Resume.pdf.
You've read it out loud once. You'll catch things your eyes skip.
You've adjusted a few words to match the job description.

FAQ

How long does it take to build a resume?

A first draft usually takes 45 to 90 minutes if you have your job history handy. Tailoring it to each job afterwards takes another 10 to 15 minutes.

Should I include a photo on my resume?

In the US, Canada and the UK, no. Photos can add noise and, in some hiring processes, create bias concerns. Some countries do expect one, so check local norms.

Do I need a cover letter?

Not always, but when a job posting asks for one, send one. A short, specific letter can help if your resume has a gap or you're changing fields. Our cover letter builder can draft one from your resume.

What if I have no work experience?

Use education, school projects, volunteering and clubs. Our guide for students and teens walks through it.

Should I save my resume as a PDF or Word file?

PDF, unless the employer asks for Word. A PDF keeps your formatting intact on every device.

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About the author: Maya Collins is a pen name used by the Resume Builder team for its plain-English resume guides.