How to write a perfect resume?
Discover our complete guide to creating a professional resume that attracts recruiters' attention. Tips, structure, examples and free AI generator.
6 steps to create a professional resume
Follow these steps to write a resume that sets you apart from other candidates
Define your objective
Identify the target position and tailor your resume accordingly. Every resume should be personalized for the job offer.
Choose the right format
Chronological, functional or combination? The reverse chronological format is most recommended and best accepted by ATS.
Write a compelling headline
Your headline should summarize your profile in one line: job title, specialty, years of experience.
Detail your experience
For each position: company, dates, responsibilities and quantified results. Use action verbs.
Highlight your skills
List your technical skills and soft skills relevant to the target position.
Export and send
Download your resume in PDF to preserve the layout. Name the file professionally.
8 tips for a successful resume
Limit your resume to one or two pages maximum
Use a readable font (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica)
Avoid spelling mistakes at all costs
Include keywords from the job listing
Add a professional photo (optional depending on country)
Keep your contact information up to date
Quantify your achievements with numbers
Tailor each resume to the job offer
Ideal resume structure
A well-structured resume makes reading easier for recruiters
Header
- • First and last name
- • Professional title
- • Contact details (email, phone)
- • City of residence
- • LinkedIn (optional)
Profile / Summary
- • 3-4 lines maximum
- • Your strengths
- • Your added value
- • Professional objective
Experience
- • Reverse chronological order
- • Position, company, dates
- • Main responsibilities
- • Quantified results
Education & Skills
- • Degrees obtained
- • Institutions, years
- • Technical skills
- • Languages and levels
Create a resume based on your profile
Advice varies depending on your situation: student, recent graduate or experienced professional
Student Resume, Internship and Apprenticeship
For a student resume, internship resume or apprenticeship resume, put your education at the top. Add all your internships, university projects, extracurricular activities and skills. Our AI helps you showcase every experience, even short ones.
Complete student resume guideNo Experience Resume and First Resume
Creating a resume with no experience is possible: focus on your education, skills, personal projects, volunteering and interests. For a first job or recent graduate resume, honesty and motivation compensate for the lack of experience.
Create a no experience resumeProfessional Resume, Executive and Developer
For a professional or executive resume, highlight your quantified achievements, leadership and added value. For a developer or IT resume, include your tech stack, GitHub projects and open source contributions.
Create my professional resumeCreate your resume with Artificial Intelligence
Our AI resume generator analyzes your background and automatically optimizes your content to maximize your chances of landing an interview.
AI suggestions
AI rephrases your experience with impactful action verbs and ATS-optimized keywords.
Automatic ATS score
Measure your resume's compatibility with recruiters' automatic sorting systems.
Optimized resume in 5 min
From 0 to a professional AI-powered resume ready to send in less than 5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions about resume writing
Everything you need to know to create a perfect resume
How to write a student resume?
To write a student resume, place your education first if you have little professional experience. Add all your internships, projects, extracurricular activities and skills. Use our free AI resume generator to create a professional student resume in 5 minutes.
How to write a resume with no experience?
A no-experience resume focuses on education, personal projects, volunteering, technical skills and soft skills. CV Builder's AI helps you highlight every element of your background to create a convincing resume, even for a first job.
How to create a resume for an apprenticeship?
For an apprenticeship resume, show your dual profile: serious student and motivated future professional. Specify your work-study schedule and availability dates. Highlight your skills, career objective and experience, even short ones.
How to optimize your resume for ATS?
To pass ATS filters, use keywords from the job listing in your resume, avoid complex tables and columns, choose a standard font and clearly structure your sections. CV Builder's ATS score shows your compatibility rate in real time.
Which resume format to choose?
PDF format is always recommended for sending a resume: it preserves the layout and is readable on all devices. For structure, the reverse chronological format (most recent experience first) is the most suitable and best accepted by recruiters.
How to download your resume as PDF?
With CV Builder, downloading your resume as PDF is simple: create your resume, click 'Download PDF' and your resume is generated instantly in high quality. PDF is free with the Modern template and optimized for printing and email.
How to create a resume with AI?
Create a resume with AI on CV Builder: sign up for free, fill in your information, then click 'AI Suggestion' for each section. The artificial intelligence rephrases your experience, suggests relevant keywords and optimizes your resume structure.
How long to create a resume?
With CV Builder and our AI resume generator, you can create a professional resume in 5 minutes. If you fill in all sections in detail, allow 15 to 30 minutes for a complete, optimized resume.
Which resume template to choose?
The choice of resume template depends on your sector: Modern for most jobs, Classic for traditional sectors (banking, law, finance), ATS-Friendly for large companies, Minimal for sober creative jobs, Creative for graphic designers and UX designers.
Chronological or functional resume?
The reverse chronological resume (experiences from most recent to oldest) is recommended in the vast majority of cases. The functional resume (organized by skills) is useful for career changes or long periods of inactivity, but is less appreciated by recruiters.
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About the Author
Evan Davison
Web Developer & CV Builder Creator
I'm a freelance web developer based in Rennes, France. I created CV Builder to help job seekers build professional resumes quickly, without paying hundreds of euros to a designer. My tools combine modern design with ATS optimization to maximize your chances of getting called back.