Resume Outline: How To Get Started From a Blank Page

What Is a Resume Outline and Why It’s Essential for a Strong Resume

A resume outline is like a blueprint for your document — a structured plan that ensures all the essential details are included. It helps organize your career story, prioritizing the most relevant information while maintaining clarity and flow.

Why is starting with a resume outline so important? Here are the key advantages:

• Saves time: With a roadmap, writing your resume becomes much quicker and more efficient.
• Ensures organization: Keeps your information structured, making it easier for recruiters to scan.
• Highlights strengths: Helps you prioritize accomplishments, skills, and experiences that align with the job description.
• Applicant Tracking System-friendly: Ensures your resume includes all the right sections in an ATS-compliant format.

Pro tip: Need help with the basics? Check out How To Build a Resume for foundational resume tips.

Step-by-Step Guide To Building a Resume Outline From Scratch

The first step in creating a resume outline is choosing the right format for your career level and industry:

• Chronological resume: Best for traditional career paths; focuses on work experience in reverse chronological order.
• Functional resume: Ideal for career changers or those with gaps; emphasizes skills over experience.
• Combination resume: A hybrid format highlighting skills and work history; great for experienced professionals.

Related Read: Not sure which format to pick? Explore Best Resume Formats to find the perfect fit.

2. Outline Key Resume Sections

Every resume should include these essential sections:

• Contact information: Full name, phone number, email, LinkedIn profile, and portfolio (if applicable).
• Professional summary: Sum up your background in one sentence, including your years of experience, roles, and field, and types of companies. The next one to four sentences should be examples of specific measurable results related to the role, company, or industry.
• Work experience: Detailed list of previous roles, responsibilities, and specific measurable accomplishments in chronological order. 
• Skills: Include only technical skills in this section.
• Education: Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework (for new graduates).

3. Draft a Compelling Resume Summary or Objective

Your resume summary or objective is the first thing recruiters will read, so make it count.

• For entry-level applicants: Focus on goals and transferable skills.
• For experienced professionals: Highlight achievements and measurable results that align with the job description.

4. Structure Your Work Experience Section

To make your work history stand out to your prospective employer:

• Use bullet points for clarity and brevity.
• Start each point with a strong action verb (e.g., “Designed,” “Implemented,” or “Achieved”).
• Add measurable achievements whenever possible (e.g., “Increased sales by 30%”).
• Include team size, who you report to, and overall responsibility related to a business goal. 
• Note something related to the budget or size of the market – think about money made, saved, or managed. Every role has an impact.
• Include a metric related to a timeframe where you accomplished something.
• Add one to two more bullet points with specific measurable results. Five to 10 in total is usually enough. 
• Consider time, money, team, and scope when writing your bullet points.

5. Build a Strong Skills Section

Your skills section should be any names of specific software, Software as a service (SaaS) or tools you have experience with. Examples are Microsoft Office Software, accounting or sales software, and social media planning tools.

Need more ideas on what skills to include? Here’s a quick “how to guide” to help you with what Resume Skills to add.

6. Add Education and Certifications

Employers are looking for specific education and certifications for their roles. Including this section is vital. 

Add your school name, location, and the degree you obtained (full name and abbreviation). If you’re a recent graduate you can add the year you graduated; if you’ve been in the workforce for over five years, you can remove the dates.

Tips for Formatting Your Resume Outline

Use Clean, Professional Fonts and Consistent Headings

• Stick to standard fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri.
• Keep font sizes between 10 and 12 points for text and 14 and 16 for headings.

Prioritize White Space for Readability

Too much text without white space can make it difficult to scan your resume. Use white space strategically to separate sections and make your resume visually appealing.

Keep Section Headers Simple and ATS-Friendly

Avoid creative but confusing headers like “My Career Journey.” Stick to industry-standard terms like “Professional Experience,” “Technical Skills,” and “Education” to ensure ATS compatibility.

Using Your Outline To Tailor the Resume to Different Job Applications

• Highlight Key Skills and Experiences

Tailor your resume for each job by emphasizing skills and accomplishments that match the job description.

• Incorporate Keywords from the Job Description

Look for relevant keywords in the job posting and incorporate them naturally into your outline for better ATS performance.

• Adjust the Order of Sections Based on Career Level

Entry-Level Applicants: Start the resume with your education, followed by any professional or internship experience and skills. 

Experienced Professionals: Lead with professional experience, your technical skills section, and your education last. 

If you don’t have experience, check out our entry-level resume tips.

Entry-Level Resume Outline Example

The next one to four sentences should provide examples of specific measurable results related to the role, company, or industry.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Creating a Resume Outline

• Overloading with details: Focus on the highlights and keep initial drafts concise. We tend to think the more we add, the more impressive our resume appears, but this can have the opposite effect of what we intend. Adding more information makes it difficult for the recruiter to skim your resume and decide whether you’d be a good fit for the role. Leave more detailed information for your interviews.
• Using generic bullet points: Be specific and results-driven in your descriptions. Do not list only your responsibilities; instead, tie them to a measurable result that helped the business somehow.
• Ignoring ATS considerations: Avoid graphics, non-standard fonts, and overly creative formatting. Keep your document simple, using only text and line separators for sections (at most). The resume should easily parse into the ATS; otherwise, it might not look as you intended.