General Resume Examples

When we talk about general resume examples, we mean resumes that work for a wide range of applicants, roles, and hiring situations. They have standard resume sections and the most universally accepted resume layout and formatting.

Resumes generally start with contact information at the top, followed by a professional summary, and then work experience as the main part of the resume. General resume samples also typically include sections for education, skills, and certifications.

If you're unsure how your resume should look for your specific situation, or you can't find a resume example for your target role, we suggest following our general resume rules and advice. Our resume examples reference different jobs, but they all share a common structure and writing style. Below, we'll address each aspect of a strong general resume example individually.

A good professional summary does not describe what you're looking for or your ambitions. It briefly summarizes your strongest skills, most significant achievements, and your overall professional identity.

Start with your role title, then explain in a few lines what you're good at and what your strongest professional results are. That way, even before seeing your work experience, the reader will know who you are and what you can do for them. Explaining your career goals is not a great general resume strategy.

Which skills to include in a resume depends mostly on the job you're targeting and the field of the company you're applying for. In addition to listing them in a dedicated skills section, we strongly suggest mentioning them in your work experience as well. Recruiters must see not only which skills you have, but also how you used them in your previous jobs.

Our general resume examples list industry-specific skills, but some professional skills are applicable across industries. Below are the most common examples.

The importance of correctly placed keywords is most noticeable when it comes to passing applicant tracking systems (ATS) that many companies use in the selection process. ATS scanners review every submitted resume and filter candidates who are the strongest fit for the job. Keywords are typically job requirements, so you need to carefully analyze the job posting.

As with the skills discussed above, the keywords most important for your resume depend on the job requirements. That said, we have listed below some keywords that appear in many different resume examples.

Our general resume examples can help you learn about the universal resume ATS optimization rules. Besides using appropriate keywords as described in the previous chapter, it's equally important to make your resume readable for ATS scanners.

To avoid problems with organizing information from your resume, avoid complex design and graphic elements, such as tables with multiple columns, text boxes, or images. Also, ATS platforms look for patterns and structure, so it's better to use standard section headings and fonts, as we did in our general resume examples on this page.

When there's a chance the company you're applying to uses an ATS to select new hires, it's recommended to use a traditional, simpler resume format and design.

That said, these decisions depend on the company culture, role type, and the importance of expressing your creativity in the application process. If you're applying for a design or a less conservative field, it's fine to play a little with colors or add some graphic elements that don't break the overall visual structure and flow.