Resume Fundamentals and Structure

The Resume Blueprint

Your resume’s structure determines whether it gets read. Even brilliant content fails if it’s buried in poor formatting or an illogical layout.

This lesson builds your master resume: the comprehensive version that contains everything. You’ll learn to tailor it for specific roles later.

The Essential Sections

Every resume needs these sections in this order:

1. Header: Name and Contact Information

JANE SMITH
jane.smith@email.com | (555) 123-4567 | linkedin.com/in/janesmith | City, State

Include:

• Full name (large, prominent)
• Professional email address
• Phone number
• LinkedIn URL (customized, not the default random string)
• City and state (full address is unnecessary and outdated)

Optional (if relevant):

• Portfolio URL
• GitHub profile (for developers)

2. Professional Summary (2-3 sentences)

This replaces the outdated “Objective” statement.

Outdated: “Seeking a challenging position where I can utilize my skills…”

Effective: “Marketing manager with 7 years of experience driving B2B growth through content strategy and paid acquisition. Led campaigns that generated $2.4M in pipeline and increased organic traffic by 180%. Specializing in SaaS marketing and demand generation.”

✅ Quick Check: Look at your current resume. Does it have an objective statement or a professional summary? If it’s an objective, you already know what to fix.

AI prompt to draft your summary:

“Write a professional resume summary for someone with [X years] experience in [field]. Key achievements include [top 2-3 achievements]. Target role is [role title] at [company type]. Write 2-3 sentences that position me as a strong fit.”

3. Experience (Reverse Chronological)

Your work history, most recent first. Each entry includes:

JOB TITLE | Company Name | City, State
Month Year – Month Year (or Present)

• Achievement bullet point with quantified impact
• Achievement bullet point with quantified impact
• Achievement bullet point with quantified impact

Rules:

• 3-5 bullet points per role (current role can have 5-6)
• Start each bullet with a strong action verb
• Include numbers wherever possible
• Focus on achievements, not duties
• Most recent 10-15 years only

4. Education

DEGREE | University Name | Graduation Year
• Relevant honors, GPA (if above 3.5 and within 5 years of graduation)

For experienced professionals: Education moves below Experience. Keep it brief. For new graduates: Education can move above Experience if it’s your strongest section.

5. Skills

A concise, ATS-friendly list of relevant skills:

Technical Skills: Python, SQL, Tableau, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Salesforce
Certifications: PMP, Google Analytics Certified, HubSpot Inbound Marketing
Languages: English (native), Spanish (professional proficiency)

Formatting Rules

Font and Size

• Professional fonts: Calibri, Arial, Garamond, Cambria
• Name: 16-20pt
• Section headers: 12-14pt, bold
• Body text: 10-11pt
• Margins: 0.5-1 inch all sides

Things to Avoid

The Master Resume

Your master resume is a comprehensive document (3-5 pages) that includes every relevant experience, skill, and achievement. You never send this version. Instead, you use it as a source document.

Build your master resume with AI:

“Help me build a comprehensive master resume. I’ll provide my full work history and you’ll help me write achievement-focused bullets for each role. Start with my most recent position: [title] at [company], [start date] to [end date]. My key responsibilities and achievements were: [list everything you can remember].”

Then for each role:

“Now help me with my previous role: [details]. Write 5-6 achievement bullets.”

Tailoring from Your Master Resume

When applying for a specific role:

1. Read the job description carefully — Highlight key requirements
2. Select relevant bullets from your master resume — Choose the 3-5 most relevant per role
3. Adjust keywords — Mirror the language of the job description
4. Rewrite your summary — Target it to this specific role
5. Reorder skills — Put the most relevant skills first

“Here’s a job description: [paste]. Here’s my master resume: [paste]. Create a tailored version that emphasizes the most relevant experience. Adjust keywords to match the job description. Keep it to [1 or 2] pages.”

Exercise

Build the foundation of your master resume:

1. Create your header with updated contact information
2. Draft a professional summary for your current career target
3. List all positions from the last 15 years with dates and companies
4. For your most recent role, write 5 bullet points (we’ll improve these in the next lessons)

Key Takeaways

• The five essential sections are Header, Professional Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills
• Professional summaries replace outdated objective statements with targeted positioning
• Reverse chronological format is the most ATS-friendly and recruiter-preferred structure
• Build a comprehensive master resume first, then tailor for each application
• Simple formatting with standard fonts and no tables or graphics ensures ATS compatibility
• AI can help draft every section and tailor your resume for specific job descriptions

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into ATS Optimization to ensure your resume passes automated screening every time.