Resources
Create a Rockstar Resume
Wonder what it takes to stand out in a crowd of applicants? We have examples and templates to get you started.
1 hour to complete
Create a Master Resume
First, learn why you need a master resume and what it is!
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Now, open and make a copy of this template example.
This is a standard template recommended by many professionals, as it’s clean, professional, and ATS-friendly (more info in the next section). We encourage you to maintain your master resume with this template and consider other templates as you tailor your resume for different positions.
Follow along with this step-by-step guide to edit the master resume template
1. Fill in your basic info at the top section.
- For your current location, don’t include your full address, just the city and state (and country if outside the U.S.).
- For your LinkedIn URL, shorten it with this structure “/in/remaining-url” (ex. /in/mailinhtranho).
- Include any other online portfolio links, such as your own website and GitHub (for software engineering projects).
- Remember to hyperlink (highlight the text and press ⌘ + K or Ctrl + K) any portfolio/social media links and your email address for recruiters to easily click on it.
2. Fill in your education history.
- Include your GPA if it’s above 3.0.
- Include any class rank or stats if within the top one-third of your class.
3. Fill in your professional/volunteer experience, projects, and/or awards/accomplishments.
- You can remove the section if you don’t have highlights to share for any of the sections.
- Refer to the table below to see which each section includes and draw inspiration from their relevant examples.
- For each experience and project, have between 2-5 bullet points following this structure:
3. What You Did
2. Skills Utilized
4. Results (quantifiable)
1. Action Verb
- Use this list of 195 action verbs to help you get started.
- Don't hesitate to Google or use Bard/ChatGPT to help you generate ideas and improve bullet points.
DOs | DON’Ts |
Use clear and concise language. Ex. “Generate a compelling bullet point that demonstrates my ability to work effectively under pressure, using my experience in the school newspaper as an example.” | Use jargon or technical terms that the model might not understand. Ex. “Compose a succinct and impactful phrase delineating my proficiency in the didactic realm of mathematical instruction for adolescent learners.” |
Be specific about your request. Ex. "Write two different bullet points that highlight my leadership skills, one for my role as club president and one for my experience as a project manager in a group assignment." | Be vague/unclear or give rambling instructions. Ex. “I'm not sure how to start, but I need to describe my leadership abilitys to handle stress and meet deadlines, like when I was working on the newspaper and had to..." |
Provide necessary/additional context and background knowledge. Ex. “Before writing a bullet point about my internship at a marketing agency, please review my resume to understand my specific responsibilities and the projects I worked on." | Withhold relevant information. Ex. "Write a bullet point about my internship." |
Experiment with different prompts. Ex. “Try generating a bullet point that emphasizes my communication skills using a formal tone, and then try a more creative and engaging approach." | Stick to the same prompts if they aren't working. Ex. "I've tried asking for this bullet point three times, and I still don't like any of the options. Just forget it." |
Be mindful of potential biases and request neutral responses. Ex. “When writing bullet points about my leadership experiences, please avoid any language that might be perceived as biased or discriminatory." | Ignore potential biases in your prompts or the AI's output. Ex. “Write a bullet point that makes me sound like the perfect candidate, even if it's not entirely accurate." |
Here’s an example of a prompt you can use to improve your resume bullet point:
Based on the prompt above, Bard and ChatGPT will provide different responses. It’s good to experiment with both and see what you can take away from each.
If I were to adjust my bullet point given their recommendations, I’d change it to: “Spearheaded seamless communication between the executive board and committees by implementing weekly meetings, resulted in a 15% reduction in communication delays.”
4. Fill in your skills and interests.
- Only include your hard/technical skills without proficiency levels since it’s subjective and open to interpretation, as it's hard to objectively test your soft skills (soft skills should be exhibited in your experience bullet points). Common examples include:
- Programming languages: Python, Java, JavaScript, C++, etc.
- Software development tools: IDEs, Git, GitHub, databases, etc.
- Web development skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, etc.)
- Data analysis tools: Excel, SQL, R, Python libraries (NumPy, pandas, etc.)
- Graphic design software: Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.
- Video editing software: Capcut, Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc.
- Finance: financial modeling
- Marketing: social media marketing, market research analysis (SWOT)
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Suite (Doc, Sheets, Slides)
- Include other world languages and your level of proficiency based on your school test (e.g. Spanish (novice)).
- Include fascinating or relatable interests that you have (e.g. Food blogging around the world).
And there you have it: your master resume 🔐