Best Resume Tips: Formatting, Structure & Examples for 2026

You have 6 seconds to make an impression. That's how long recruiters spend on an initial resume scan.

In those 6 seconds, they're not reading every word. They're looking for specific signals that tell them whether to keep reading or move to the next candidate.

The stats:

• 75% of resumes never reach human eyes due to poor formatting
• 63% of recruiters reject candidates for typos and grammatical errors
• 88% say quantified achievements are the most important resume element
• Top resumes follow a proven structure—not creative experiments

This guide covers the best resume tips that actually work in 2026, backed by data from hiring managers and ATS systems.

Best Resume Format: The Fundamentals

The 3 Resume Format Types

1. Reverse Chronological (BEST for most people)

Lists your experience from most recent to oldest.

Best for:

• Traditional career progression
• Consistent work history
• Staying in the same industry
• 95% of job seekers

Structure:

Contact Info
Professional Summary
Work Experience (most recent first)
Education
Skills
Certifications (optional)

2. Functional (Skills-Based)

Emphasizes skills over chronological work history.

Best for:

• Career changers
• Large employment gaps
• Limited work experience
• Diverse backgrounds

Warning: Many recruiters dislike this format—it raises red flags about hiding something.

3. Combination (Hybrid)

Blends skills and chronological experience.

Best for:

• Mid-career professionals with diverse skills
• Technical roles requiring specific competencies
• Career transitions with transferable skills

Recommendation for 2026: Stick with reverse chronological unless you have a compelling reason not to. It's what ATS systems and recruiters expect.

Resume Formatting: The Technical Basics

File Format

Best: PDF (preserves formatting across devices) Alternative: .docx (some ATS prefer Word documents) Check: Job posting for specific requirements

File naming:

Good: John-Smith-Resume.pdf
Bad: Resume_final_v3_NEW.pdf

Margins and Spacing

• Margins: 0.5" to 1" on all sides
• Line spacing: 1.0 to 1.15
• Section spacing: 1.5 to 2 lines between sections
• Page length: 1 page (0-10 years experience), 2 pages (10+ years), NEVER 1.5 pages

Font Selection

Best professional fonts:

• Calibri (modern, clean)
• Arial (safe, readable)
• Garamond (elegant, traditional)
• Georgia (sophisticated, serif)
• Helvetica (classic, minimalist)

Font sizes:

• Name: 20-24pt
• Section headers: 14-16pt
• Body text: 10-12pt
• Never smaller than 10pt

Don't use:

• Comic Sans (unprofessional)
• Times New Roman (outdated)
• Papyrus, Brush Script (gimmicky)
• Multiple fonts (inconsistent)

Color and Design

Safe approach (recommended for conservative industries):

• Black text on white background
• Minimal design elements
• Focus on content, not decoration

Modern approach (tech, creative, startups):

• One accent color for headers (navy, dark green, burgundy)
• Clean, minimalist design
• Subtle lines or sections
• Still professional, not artistic

Never:

• Bright colors (red, yellow, pink)
• Photos (unless required in your country)
• Graphics, charts, or illustrations
• Borders or excessive design elements

Resume Structure: Section by Section

1. Contact Information

Include:

• Full name (largest text on page)
• Phone number (professional voicemail)
• Email address (professional: firstname.lastname@email.com)
• Location (city, state—no full address needed)
• LinkedIn profile URL (clean URL: linkedin.com/in/yourname)
• Portfolio/website (if relevant)

Example:

SARAH JOHNSON
San Francisco, CA | (555) 123-4567 | sarah.johnson@email.com
linkedin.com/in/sarahjohnson | sarahjohnson.com

Don't include:

• Full street address
• Headshot/photo (US resumes)
• Age, marital status, SSN
• "References available upon request"

2. Professional Summary (Optional but Recommended)

A 2-3 sentence snapshot of your value proposition.

Formula: [Job title] with [X years] of experience in [industry/specialty] + [1-2 key achievements] + [what you're seeking/offering]

Strong examples:

Senior Product Manager with 8+ years driving B2B SaaS products from concept
to $10M+ ARR. Led cross-functional teams to launch 12+ features with 95%+
customer satisfaction scores. Expertise in roadmap development, user
research, and data-driven prioritization.

Data Scientist with 5 years applying machine learning to solve business
problems in e-commerce and fintech. Reduced customer churn by 32% and
increased recommendation engine accuracy by 28% using Python and TensorFlow.

Weak examples:

Hardworking professional seeking opportunities to leverage my skills and
grow in a dynamic environment.

(Too vague, no specifics, focused on what you want vs. what you offer)

Passionate team player with excellent communication skills and a proven
track record of success.

(Buzzwords, no concrete achievements)

3. Work Experience (Most Important Section)

Format for each role:

JOB TITLE | Company Name | Location | Dates (Month Year - Month Year)
• Bullet point achievement 1
• Bullet point achievement 2
• Bullet point achievement 3-5

Best practices:

Use the STAR method:

• Situation: Context
• Task: Your responsibility
• Action: What you did
• Result: Quantifiable outcome

Example applying STAR:

Situation: Company struggling with high customer churn
Task: Reduce churn rate and improve retention
Action: Implemented automated email nurture campaigns and customer health scoring
Result: Reduced churn by 25% and increased NRR from 95% to 110%

Bullet: "Reduced customer churn by 25% and increased net revenue retention
from 95% to 110% by implementing automated email nurture campaigns and
customer health scoring system"

Start with strong action verbs:

Quantify everything:

Example of a well-written experience section:

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER | GrowthTech Inc. | Austin, TX | Jan 2022 - Present

• Grew organic traffic from 50K to 400K monthly visitors in 24 months by
  implementing comprehensive SEO strategy and content marketing program,
  resulting in $1.2M in attributed revenue
• Managed $500K annual marketing budget across paid search, social, and
  content, achieving 3.2X ROI and reducing CAC from $450 to $180
• Built and led marketing team of 5 (2 content, 2 paid media, 1 design),
  establishing documented processes that increased campaign velocity by 60%
• Launched account-based marketing initiative targeting enterprise segment,
  generating $3M pipeline and closing 8 deals worth $1.8M
• Implemented marketing automation platform (HubSpot), creating 15
  nurture workflows that improved lead-to-opportunity conversion by 35%

Why it works:

• Starts with strong action verbs
• Quantifies every achievement
• Shows progression of impact
• Includes specific tools and methods
• Connects activities to business outcomes

4. Education

Format:

DEGREE | Major | University Name | Graduation Year
• Relevant coursework (optional, for recent grads)
• Academic honors (if notable: Dean's List, cum laude)
• GPA (only if 3.5+ and recent grad)

Examples:

For experienced professionals:

MBA | Stanford Graduate School of Business | 2018
BS in Computer Science | University of California, Berkeley | 2014

For recent grads:

BS in Marketing | University of Texas at Austin | 2024
• Relevant coursework: Digital Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Data Analytics
• Dean's List (6 semesters), GPA: 3.8/4.0
• President, Marketing Club; VP, Entrepreneurship Society

Placement:

• Put education at the bottom if you have 3+ years experience
• Put education near the top if you're a recent grad (0-2 years out)

5. Skills Section

Format options:

Option 1: Categorized (best for technical roles)

SKILLS
Technical: Python, SQL, TensorFlow, AWS, Docker, Git
Data Analysis: Tableau, Excel, R, Statistical Modeling
Product: JIRA, Confluence, Mixpanel, A/B Testing

Option 2: Simple list (best for general roles)

SKILLS
Project Management • Salesforce • Google Analytics • SEO • Content Strategy
Budget Management • Stakeholder Communication • A/B Testing • HubSpot

Tips:

• Only list skills relevant to the target job
• Mix hard skills (tools, technologies) with soft skills (leadership, communication)
• Include both spelled-out and acronym versions for ATS: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)"
• Don't rate your skills with bars or percentages—it's subjective

6. Additional Sections (Optional)

Certifications:

CERTIFICATIONS
• Certified Product Manager (CPM) | Product School | 2024
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification | Google | 2023
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect | Amazon | 2022

Projects (for developers, designers, data scientists):

PROJECTS
E-commerce Recommendation Engine | github.com/username/project
• Built collaborative filtering system using Python and TensorFlow, improving
  product recommendations by 40% based on user behavior data

Publications/Speaking (for thought leaders):

PUBLICATIONS & SPEAKING
• "The Future of Product Management," Product Con 2024 (keynote, 500+ attendees)
• "Data-Driven Product Decisions," Harvard Business Review, Jan 2024

Languages:

LANGUAGES
• Spanish (Fluent)
• Mandarin (Conversational)

Best Resume Tips by Experience Level

Recent Graduate (0-2 years)

Focus on:

• Relevant coursework and projects
• Internships and part-time work
• Leadership in clubs and organizations
• Academic achievements

Structure:

Contact Info
Education (near top)
Relevant Experience
Projects
Skills

Example bullet:

MARKETING INTERN | TechStartup | Summer 2024
• Managed social media accounts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter), growing
  combined following from 2K to 8K and achieving 12% average engagement rate
• Conducted competitive analysis of 20 SaaS companies, identifying content
  gaps that informed Q3 marketing strategy
• Created 15 blog posts on industry trends, generating 25K page views and
  100+ marketing qualified leads

Mid-Career (3-10 years)

Focus on:

• Progressive responsibility
• Measurable impact
• Leadership and collaboration
• Industry-specific expertise

Structure:

Contact Info
Professional Summary
Work Experience
Skills
Education
Certifications

Example bullet:

• Led cross-functional team of 15 (engineering, design, marketing) to launch
  mobile app from concept to 100K downloads in 6 months, achieving 4.5-star
  rating and $500K ARR

Senior Leader (10+ years)

Focus on:

• Strategic impact
• Team building and leadership
• Business outcomes (revenue, cost savings)
• Industry recognition

Structure:

Contact Info
Executive Summary
Leadership Experience
Board Positions/Advisory Roles (if applicable)
Education

Example bullet:

• Transformed underperforming product line into $50M business unit by
  rebuilding 20-person team, pivoting strategy from SMB to enterprise, and
  establishing partnerships with 3 Fortune 500 companies

Resume Writing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

The stats: 58% of resumes contain typos; 63% of those are rejected immediately.

Fix:

• Proofread 3+ times
• Use Grammarly or similar tools
• Read aloud
• Have someone else review

2. Unexplained Employment Gaps

Don't: Leave gaps unexplained—it raises red flags.

Do: Address briefly and honestly:

SABBATICAL | March 2023 - September 2023
• Traveled through Southeast Asia while completing online certifications in
  data science (Coursera, DataCamp)

3. Job Hopping Without Context

If you've had 4+ jobs in 5 years:

• Focus on accomplishments, not tenure
• Group contract roles under one heading
• Explain context in cover letter if needed

4. Including Irrelevant Information

Remove:

• High school information (if you have college degree)
• Jobs from 15+ years ago (unless highly relevant)
• Hobbies (unless directly job-related)
• Outdated skills (Microsoft Word proficiency)

5. Using Personal Pronouns

Wrong:

• I managed a team of 5 people
• My responsibilities included budget management

Right:

• Managed team of 5 people
• Responsibilities included budget management

(Or better: "Directed team of 5..." with active verb)

6. Listing Job Duties Instead of Achievements

Duty (boring):

• Responsible for monthly sales reports

Achievement (compelling):

• Automated monthly sales reporting process, reducing preparation time from
  8 hours to 30 minutes and enabling real-time dashboard access for 15 sales reps

Industry-Specific Resume Tips

Tech/Engineering

Emphasize:

• Technical stack and tools
• GitHub/portfolio links
• Specific projects with measurable impact
• Open-source contributions

Example:

• Built RESTful API using Node.js and MongoDB, supporting 50K+ daily requests
  with 99.9% uptime and sub-100ms response time

Marketing/Creative

Emphasize:

• Portfolio link
• Campaign results with metrics
• Tools and platforms
• Creative and analytical balance

Example:

• Designed and launched integrated campaign across email, social, and paid
  channels, generating 500K impressions and 12K leads at $8 CPA

Finance/Consulting

Emphasize:

• Quantified financial impact
• Client names (if allowed)
• Analytical frameworks
• Certifications (CPA, CFA, etc.)

Example:

• Conducted financial due diligence for $200M acquisition, identifying $8M in
  cost-saving opportunities and structuring deal terms that reduced client
  tax liability by $3M annually

Sales

Emphasize:

• Quota attainment
• Revenue numbers
• Deal sizes and velocity
• Rankings and awards

Example:

• Exceeded annual quota by 145% ($2.5M vs. $1.7M target), ranking #2 of 45
  enterprise sales reps and earning President's Club recognition

Resume Optimization Checklist

Before submitting, ensure your resume passes these tests:

Format & Design:

• 1-2 pages (not 1.5)
• Professional font, 10-12pt body text
• Consistent formatting (same style for all bullets, dates, headers)
• Saved as PDF with professional file name
• No headers/footers, tables, or text boxes (for ATS)

Content:

• Professional summary highlights key value proposition
• Every bullet starts with strong action verb
• 80%+ of bullets include quantified results
• No typos or grammatical errors (triple-checked)
• Tailored keywords from job description
• No personal pronouns (I, me, my)
• Recent/relevant experience emphasized

ATS Compatibility:

• Standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills)
• Keywords from job description included naturally
• Both acronyms and spelled-out versions (SEO and Search Engine Optimization)
• Tested with Pronto's ATS checker

Final Review:

• Would I interview this person based on this resume?
• Does it clearly show value I'd bring to this specific role?
• Is every claim defensible in an interview?

Real Resume Examples: Before and After

Example 1: Marketing Manager

Before (weak):

MARKETING MANAGER | ABC Company | 2020-2024

• Managed marketing campaigns
• Created content for website and social media
• Worked with sales team
• Analyzed marketing data
• Helped grow the company

After (strong):

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER | ABC Company | Boston, MA | 2020-2024

• Grew organic traffic by 350% (40K → 180K monthly visitors) through SEO
  optimization and content strategy, generating $2.8M in attributed revenue
• Managed $400K annual marketing budget across paid search, social, and
  content, achieving 4.1X ROI and reducing CAC from $320 to $145
• Partnered with sales team to launch ABM initiative targeting Fortune 500,
  generating $4.5M pipeline and closing 6 enterprise deals ($1.2M total)
• Implemented marketing analytics dashboard tracking 15 KPIs across channels,
  identifying underperforming campaigns and reallocating $80K to high-ROI
  channels
• Built content engine producing 8 blog posts monthly, achieving 25K avg
  views per post and 8% conversion rate to email subscribers

Example 2: Software Engineer

Before (weak):

SOFTWARE ENGINEER | TechCo | 2021-2024

• Wrote code for web applications
• Fixed bugs and improved performance
• Worked with team members
• Participated in code reviews

After (strong):

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER | TechCo | San Francisco, CA | 2021-2024

• Architected and built real-time notification system using Node.js,
  WebSockets, and Redis, supporting 500K+ concurrent users with 99.95% uptime
• Reduced API response time by 75% (1.2s → 300ms) through database query
  optimization and implementation of caching layer, improving user
  satisfaction scores by 28%
• Led migration from monolithic architecture to microservices using Docker
  and Kubernetes, reducing deployment time from 4 hours to 15 minutes and
  enabling independent team deployments
• Mentored 4 junior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and
  architecture discussions, with all mentees promoted within 18 months
• Contributed to open-source TypeScript library with 12K+ GitHub stars,
  implementing 15 features and reviewing 50+ community pull requests

Tools to Help You Build the Perfect Resume

1. Pronto - AI-Powered Resume Optimizer

Try Pronto for:

• Instant ATS compatibility scoring
• Job-specific keyword optimization
• Achievement bullet point suggestions
• Cover letter generation
• Real-time feedback

2. Resume Testing Tools

ATS Test: Upload to Pronto to check if ATS can parse your resume Grammar: Grammarly, Hemingway Editor Design: Canva, Google Docs templates

3. Job Description Analysis

Before applying:

1. Highlight keywords in job description
2. Note required vs. preferred qualifications
3. Identify must-have skills and tools
4. Mirror their language in your resume

The Bottom Line

A great resume in 2026:

Format:

• Clean, simple design
• Reverse chronological order
• 1-2 pages maximum
• ATS-friendly formatting

Content:

• Quantified achievements (numbers, percentages, dollars)
• Strong action verbs
• Tailored keywords for each job
• Clear value proposition

Process:

• Start with master resume
• Customize for each application
• Test ATS compatibility
• Proofread multiple times

The most important resume tip: Your resume should answer one question in 6 seconds: "Should I interview this person?" If it doesn't, revise until it does.

Next Steps

Ready to build your perfect resume?

1. Optimize your resume with Pronto - Get instant ATS scoring and job-specific suggestions
2. Read our ATS optimization guide - Ensure your resume passes automated screening
3. Learn about AI resume tips - Use AI tools effectively without sounding robotic
4. Master cover letter writing - Pair your resume with a compelling letter

Pronto helps you create ATS-optimized resumes tailored for each job in minutes. Get real-time feedback, missing keywords, and achievement-focused bullet points that land interviews.