Your resume is your golden ticket to job interviews.

However, if you’re sending out those ‘good old resumes’ and expecting them to work, that is not going to happen in 2025. With attention spans now shorter than ever (yep, around 8 seconds!), you’ve got just a blink to make an impact. So instead of playing it safe, let’s flip the script. Build a resume that grabs attention fast and gets you a foot in the door.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through creating an impactful resume, including the structure, formatting, and content strategies. We will also discuss the resume tips that can make each section of your resume compelling and persuasive.

How to Effectively Structure Your Resume?

Think of owning an amazing statement piece but losing it in a cluttered wardrobe. You would just pick another one to wear. The same goes for your resume. A clean, thoughtful structure helps you highlight your accomplishments, and a disorganized resume layout buries your biggest achievements.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when designing your resume.

Simple and Scannable Design

Let’s keep it simple. Your resume layout should be clean, clear, and easy to scan. Hiring managers scroll—they won’t read walls of text. Use short, snappy bullet points. Space out your sections with enough breathing room. A cluttered resume is a missed opportunity. Keep the font size legible—ideally 11 to 12 pt for body text. You can use subheadings to guide the eye. And skip the paragraphs, as recruiters don’t have time for blocks of text.

Quick Tips

• Avoid underlining or all caps
• Maintain plenty of white space
• Use bullet points, not paragraphs
• Stick to clean fonts like Aptos or Arial
• Left-align your content for easier reading

Keep ATS-Friendly Format in Resume

Before a recruiter even glances at your resume, there’s a good chance it’s being scanned by software — the infamous Applicant Tracking System (ATS). To stay on the safe side, simplicity is your best friend. Stick to standard, readable fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Aptos. Avoid anything fancy; no tables, columns, icons, or graphics. Why? Because most ATS platforms can’t read them correctly, your content could be scrambled or unreadable.

Go for a clean, one-column layout with clear section headers (like “Experience” or “Education”) so the system knows where everything belongs. And when saving your file, choose either a .docx (Word) or a PDF. Make sure it’s not overly designed. In short, keep the format simple and let your content do the heavy lifting.

If the whole ATS thing feels overwhelming, Jump Resume Builder makes it easy for you. You can choose from 100+ customizable, ATS-friendly resume templates to enhance your chances of job success. 

Use Color Sparingly

A little color can make your resume pop, but avoid making it look like a party invitation. Using colors subtly, soft neutrals, or muted shades like navy, gray, or forest green can help section headers stand out without screaming for attention. Avoid bright red, yellow, or neon shades, as they distract more than they help. The goal is to guide the reader’s eye, not overwhelm them.

However, there’s one exception to this rule, i.e., when you’re applying for a creative role. Studies say that formally designed resumes work well for non-creative roles, while graphically designed resumes help candidates stand out when applying for a creative role.

Quick Tips

• Use color in moderation
• Stick to one or two accent colors, max
• Choose professional tones like navy or charcoal

Keep Your Resume to One Page

Unless you have over 10 years of solid experience, one page is usually your best bet. Recruiters don’t want your entire life story. They want highlights; if you can say it in fewer words, do it. But you need to make every word count. Additionally, prioritize the most recent and relevant roles. However, if your earlier roles add little value, summarize them. You can use concise bullet points and avoid long-winded sentences. 

4 Professional Tips to Ace Your Resume Format

Content is always the king, but presentation also matters. A polished resume reflects your dedication and shows how organized you are. So, before working on the content, ensure the overall presentation is in your favor.

Concise & Professional Summary

Always start strong! Your resume summary is the first thing they see. Make it count. Two to three lines are enough for this part. Remember to highlight your top skills, years of experience, and key wins. 

Quick Tips

• Avoid vague buzzwords
• Keep it to 2-3 punchy lines
• Focus on industry strengths and value

Professional Email Address

Your email is part of your first impression. It matters more than you think. Always use a clean, formal email address, ideally [email protected]. Skip the old-school nicknames or quirky handles. They come off as unprofessional. Nobody wants to pay attention to someone with the nickname [email protected].

Don’t Include Outdated Jobs

Listing every job since college isn’t helpful. Focus on the last 10–15 years—especially if you’re experienced. Older roles may feel irrelevant and crowd the space. Keep your content focused and fresh to make your resume relevant.

Quick Tips

• Summarize older jobs if needed
• Highlight recent, relevant roles only
• Focus on roles that match your current goals

Don’t Include a Photo

In most countries, a photo isn’t required. In fact, sometimes, it can hurt more than help. Many companies in the US and UK discourage photos. Plus, ATS systems don’t play well with images and might reject your resume altogether. Keep it clean, simple, and photo-free.

Listing Work Experience

This is the most relevant part for hiring managers. It’s where they look first. They’re interested in seeing what you’ve done and what impact you’ve made. Here’s how you can make this section count. 

Put it in Reverse Chronological Order

Always start with your most recent role. Move backward from there. That’s the resume format recruiters expect. It makes your latest impact visible right away. Most recruiters skim through your resume, so your most relevant experience needs to be at the top.

Quick Tips

• Start with job title, company, and dates.
• Add a short summary line for context.
• Use bullets to showcase impact.

How to Make the Work Section Impactful?

Translate Technical Language into Plain Language

Not all recruiters have technical expertise. Keep your wording accessible. Instead of “Deployed scalable microservice architecture,” try “Built systems to improve product delivery speed.” Highlight the outcome, not just the tool or process. Clarity helps your resume connect, even if hiring managers have no technical expertise.

Focus on Concrete Achievements

Don’t just list responsibilities. Your resume should show what you have achieved. Quantify your impact with numbers to show your measurable impact to recruiters. Did you increase revenue for your last employer? Cut costs in production and management? Improve the efficiency of your team? Add metrics wherever possible to back your claim with data.

Examples

• Before: Helped reduce response times.
• After: Reduced customer support response time by 30%.

• Before: Supported staffing efforts.
• After: Improved clinical staffing fill rates by 35% through streamlined scheduling and faster candidate onboarding.

• Before: Managed sales targets.
• After: Increased sales revenue by $200K in one year.

Use Action Words

Every bullet point should start with a power verb. Words like “led,” “created,” “managed,” and “optimized” instantly make your resume sound active and confident. They show you take the initiative and get things done.

On the flip side, avoid phrases like “responsible for.” They come off as passive and don’t really say what you achieved. Instead of sounding like you were just assigned a task, show how you owned it and made an impact.

Confused about which words to include? Try creating your resume with Jump Resume Builder, which comes with AI-powered suggestions to refine it for maximum impact.

Listing Education: How to Get It Right?

Once you’ve laid out your work experience, the next thing recruiters look for is your educational background. It doesn’t need to fill up the whole page, but it should be easy to find. 

Let’s see the best way to list this:

Add Experience Before Education (Unless You’re a Student)

Unless you’re fresh out of school, your work experience matters more than your educational background. Place your “Experience” section before “Education.” Employers want to see your hands-on skills first. If you’re a student or a recent graduate, swap the order. Lead with your academic achievements and relevant coursework.

Keep It Clear and Concise

There is no need to go overboard with details. Just include your degree, major, school name, and graduation year. That’s it. If your GPA is strong (above 3.5), you can list it. Otherwise, you can skip it, as this doesn’t really add value for most employers.

Format Example

Bachelor of Business Administration

University of Texas, Austin — 2023

GPA: 3.7 | Dean’s List (2021–2023)

Add Achievements & Awards to Your Resume

Don’t just drop your degree and move on. Show off a little. If you graduated with honors, earned a scholarship, or got any kind of academic recognition—add it right under your degree. Those small wins can help you stand out from the crowd.

Examples

• B.A. in Psychology, XYZ University—Graduated Cum Laude

Dean’s List, 2022–2024

Academic Merit Scholarship Recipient

Highlighting Skills in Your Resume

This is your resume’s spotlight moment. Here, you can show off what you’re great at—not just what you’ve done but what you bring to the table right now.

Here’s how to make it shine:

Include Both Technical and Workplace Skills

Soft skills are no longer just a nice-to-have; they’re a must. In fact, according to a LinkedIn report, 92% of hiring managers and talent professionals agree that strong soft skills are more critical than ever. So, while your technical skills show what you can do, your workplace skills show how you do it. Employers want both.

Instead of just listing down tons of soft skills, aim for perfect balance. List your hard skills, like tools, platforms, or certifications. And remember to include soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. A combination of both is what helps you stand out to recruiters. You can select from the Best Skills to Put on a Resume we’ve curated to match what hiring managers are really looking for.

• Add tech tools you know: Excel, Google Analytics, SQL, Salesforce, Canva, or any tool relevant to your discipline.
• Include essential soft skills: Communication, collaboration, adaptability, leadership, and time management.

Resume Content & Strategy Tips

Words hold the power to make or break your impression. A sharp layout is great, but if your content doesn’t connect, it won’t matter. Your resume should do more than list your work history. It should show who you are and tell your story.

Let’s talk about what you can do to make hiring managers stop and stare.

Customize Your Resume for Each Job (Yes, Every Time)

Sending the same resume to every job might feel efficient, but it’s not effective at all. Hiring managers can spot a generic application right away, and it often sends the wrong message. It tells them that you didn’t take the time for this role.

Rather than doing this, speak directly to the job at hand. A little personalization goes a long way. Start customizing your resume by looking closely at the job description and identifying what matters most to the employer.

Here’s how you can tailor your resume without rewriting everything from scratch:

• Use keywords from the job posting throughout your resume.
• Highlight accomplishments that match the goals of that specific role.
• Reorder your resume skills or tools to match what the company emphasizes.

Be Honest—but Don’t Downplay Your Contributions

It’s important to be authentic on your resume. You don’t need to inflate your role or exaggerate your success to be impressive. The key is to present your real impact with clarity and confidence.

Even small wins matter. Maybe you didn’t lead a project but played a critical support role. Perhaps you weren’t the top performer, but you consistently exceeded expectations.

Employers value integrity. They want to see what you’ve actually done. They want to see the real you, not a fantasy version. Just make sure you’re not downplaying yourself either. Own your contributions, and let your work speak for itself.

Include Your Portfolio— Let Your Work Shine!

Your resume might be catchy and tell a part of your story. But sometimes recruiters require more; they need to see your work. This is especially true for creative and experienced roles.  

Adding links to your resume gives employers a way to explore your work beyond what’s on the page. It’s also a great way to show off your digital presence and professional branding.

Here’s what you might include:

• Digital portfolio (especially for design, writing, or marketing roles)
• GitHub profile or code samples (for technical roles)
• Personal website or blog
• LinkedIn profile

Showcase Your Professional Journey

A strong resume shows how you’ve grown. Employers want to see that you’ve taken on more responsibility over time. That progression tells them you’re reliable, adaptable, and ready for bigger challenges.

Find ways to highlight growth even if you’ve been at one company for years. Look for moments where you advanced, led new projects, or took on broader roles.

Here’s what your career growth can look like on your resume:

• Added responsibilities or new projects
• Leadership roles, even if informal
• Recognition or internal awards
• Promotions or title changes

In a nutshell, your resume is your personal marketing tool, and you should treat it like one. Make your message so crisp and polished that it easily communicates the value and importance of your work. Focus on what matters most. Highlight your achievements and keep things clean and customized to the job role. Show your value in every line.

Want to build a resume that actually gets you noticed? Jump Resume Builder makes it easy. With this simple tool, you can create a standout resume from start to finish without any stress or extra effort.

Try Jump Resume Builder today and build a professional resume that helps you land your dream job.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What should a resume look like in 2025?

Jump Resume Builder recommends a clean, ATS-friendly format with strong keywords, measurable achievements, and a balance of soft and technical skills.

2. Is a one-page resume still enough in 2025?

Yes, especially if you have under 8–10 years of experience. A well-structured, single-page resume that highlights key accomplishments and skills often outperforms longer ones that feel cluttered. If you’re unsure what to trim or how to structure it, visit our Blog Section or Help Center for tips and templates.

3. How do Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) affect resumes in 2025?

ATS filters resumes based on keywords, formatting, and structure. If your resume isn’t optimized, it may never reach a human recruiter. With Jump Resume Builder, you can choose from 100+ ATS-friendly resume templates that are designed to get your resume past the digital filter.

4. Should I include both soft and technical skills on my resume?

Absolutely. Hiring managers look for both. Especially communication, adaptability, and problem-solving, alongside your tools or platforms.