How To Write a Professional Resume
When creating your resume for professional-level positions, use each section to show you have advanced knowledge in your target field. The tips and examples below will help you capture your expertise on your resume so it gets you interviews for your next job.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Summarize your professional qualifications in a dynamic profile
In a brief paragraph or bullet list, name the three to five main sources of your relevant skill set. These may include your years of related work experience, an advanced education degree, or a rare certification in your field. Also, consider describing your general work style or approach and how that makes you successful. The point of the profile is to quickly impress on employers how you can work at a high level in the open role. (Note, most job seekers find it easier to write their profile last.)
Entry-Level Profile Example
- Recent internship experience supporting editorial operations of a popular magazine
- Completing Bachelor’s Degree in English and Creative Writing from Ohio University
- Co-curricular activities include helping write and publish the university’s main campus newspaper
- Committed to continually gaining and applying new skills
- Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish
Mid-Career Profile Example
Sales Associate with 7+ years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Strategist adept at finding new ways to drive growth in competitive markets. Skilled at putting complex technology topics in clear terms for diverse client audiences. Equally effective in a leadership or hands-on role. Achievements include surpassing activations goals by 20%+ on average for four years.
2. Add a compelling section featuring your professional experience
Use the experience section to show your skills in action. Give examples of how you’ve applied your expertise in past positions, and spell out how that helped companies achieve their goals. For example, maybe you used deep product knowledge to improve client relations and grow revenue in a key market. Or you might have introduced a training approach that raised new hires’ morale and performance.
Quantify each achievement in terms of a clear percentage, number, or dollar amount. With a strong experience section, you can help hiring managers envision how you’d add value to their organization.
Mid-Career Professional Experience Example
OZR Mobile Inc., Miami, FL | July 2015 to Present
Senior Sales Consultant (August 2017 to Present)
- Advanced to manage a larger and more competitive sales territory
- Address and resolve escalated customer questions and complaints
- Currently ranked #3 on a 45-person sales team
- Surpassed activations goal by 18% in 2018, 20% in 2019, and 22% in 2020 and 2021
- Recently appointed to a leadership role training and coaching new sales hires
Mid-Career Professional Experience Example
Chief Financial Officer, FFF Solutions, Baltimore, MD | December 2017 to Present
- Guide financial interactions between clients, vendors, and company’s 400+ staff members
- Focus on finding and pursuing cost-reduction opportunities to help raise the bottom line
- Oversee financing of large-scale projects
Highlights:
- Streamlined finance operations, reducing yearly expenses by 18% to date
- Coordinated financing of a complex $40M equipment purchase
3. Include education and certifications relevant to professionals
View the education and certifications sections as a chance to show your work skills have a strong knowledge base. Consider giving details on your college major, minor, coursework, projects, papers, or clubs and activities if they relate to your target job or industry. These details can be especially useful if your work experience is limited.
Similarly, consider adding a brief description of any training or certificate programs that speak to your relevant expertise.
Below are templates and examples to help you format your education and certification details. Note, optional template areas appear in [brackets].
Education
Template
- Degree Name — [Major, Minor], School Name, City, ST or online | [Year]
- [Select Coursework]
Example
- Candidate: Bachelor of Arts (BA) – English, Creative Writing, Ohio University, Athens, OH | expected May 2023
- Winner, Campus Award for Long-Form Fiction (2022)
Certification
Template
- Certification Name or Title, [Awarding Organization] | [Year]
- [Description]
Example
- Service Excellence Certificate, VCU Advanced Solutions | 2023
4. List professional-related skills and proficiencies
Add a key skills section to show the different ways you can apply your expertise. Feel free to include a variety of soft and hard skills, technical skills, or certain products or programs you’re versed in, as long as they all overlap with your target job. The terms you include depend on your circumstances, but below is a list of common ones to help you brainstorm:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Business needs assessment | Client satisfaction and retention |
| Cost reduction and elimination | Cross-team collaboration |
| Efficiency improvement | Inventory management |
| Market strategy development | Microsoft Office Suite |
| Process streamlining | Project and program management |
| Quality assurance | Reporting and documentation |
| Revenue and profit growth | Risk management and mitigation |
| Staff training and development | Stakeholder relations |
| Strategic business development | Talent hiring and retention |
| Task prioritization | Team leadership and motivation |
| Time management | Vendor contract negotiations |
How To Pick the Best Professional Resume Template
For professional-level jobs, a clear and straightforward resume template is usually best. Opt for a layout that lets the hiring manager quickly review your best career details. Select a traditional resume font, and avoid any template with a colorful or elaborate design. Also, ensure the template complies with applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by employers to screen resumes.
Professional Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Aliya Jackson
123 Pine Brook Dr, Miami, FL 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Profile
Sales Associate with 7+ years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Strategist adept at finding new ways to drive growth in competitive markets. Skilled at putting complex technology topics in clear terms for diverse client audiences. Equally effective in a leadership or hands-on role. Achievements include surpassing activations goals by 20%+ on average for four years.
Career Highlights
OZR Mobile Inc., Miami, FL | July 2015 to Present
Senior Sales Consultant (August 2017 to Present)
- Advanced to manage a larger and more competitive sales territory
- Address and resolve escalated customer questions and complaints
- Currently ranked #3 on a 45-person sales team
- Surpassed activations goal by 18% in 2018, 20% in 2019, and 22% in 2020 and 2021
- Recently appointed to a leadership role training and coaching new sales hires
Sales Consultant (July 2015 to August 2017)
- Gained strong foundation in client relations
- Demonstrated new and improved product features to customers
- Consistently generated 100%+ of sales goals
Education
Bachelor’s Degree – Business Administration
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Key Skills
- Account & Territory Management
- Client Satisfaction & Retention
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Consultative Sales Methods
- Customer Service & Relations
- New Client Prospecting
- Product Demonstration
- Revenue & Profit Growth
- Strategic Business Development
- Team Collaboration
Frequently Asked Questions: Professional Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for professional resumes? -
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs keep the hiring manager’s attention and show the varied nature of your experience. The following list provides a good mix of action verbs for your professional resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Automated | Averted |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Decreased | Developed |
| Eliminated | Enhanced |
| Expedited | Garnered |
| Generated | Improved |
| Increased | Introduced |
| Launched | Lowered |
| Organized | Prevented |
| Produced | Raised |
| Ranked | Shortened |
| Streamlined | Strengthened |
| Updated | Won |
How do you align your professional resume with a job posting?-
First, look closely at the job post text and highlight words that are repeated, emphasized, or otherwise seem important. Compare these highlighted phrases to the language you’re using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then, seek ways to align your resume language with the job post while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, say the company seeks someone collaborative. Emphasize that part of your experience in your profile with a line like “Thrive in collaborative work settings” or in your key skills section with a term like “cross-team collaboration.” Or say the company has many non-English speaking customers. Highlight any foreign language skills both in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document.
Also, consider adding brief descriptions of the places you’ve worked in [brackets] right next to or below the company name. Company descriptions let you show any similarities between your past employers and the one who posted the job.
For example, maybe you’ve worked for companies of a similar size or industry. Or maybe you’ve worked at organizations with a similar mission or leadership philosophy. By adding these details to your descriptions, you can make your resume more relevant to the job opening at hand.
What is the best professional resume format?-
Most professionals should use the combination (or hybrid) format. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format’s experience section and the functional format’s profile section. (The resume examples on this page all use combination format.)
By fusing these two features, a combination resume offers the best of both worlds. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers.
At the same time, the profile section lets you display your career highlights at the top, regardless if they’re from that work history or another part of your background. As a result, you can present yourself clearly and strategically.
With this format, you give hiring managers the best view of your experience and relevant strengths, so they can make an informed decision to call you for an interview.
Craft your perfect resume in minutes
Get 2x more interviews with Resume Builder. Access Pro Plan features for a limited time!
