Create an Effective Resume: Expert Tips to Stand Out in 2025

Someone sends out dozens of resumes every day and is not successful. Others manage to send out a few and each one hits the mark. Experts from the work.ua website told us how to create a resume correctly to get noticed.

To write a great resume, you need to focus on the main facts of your professional autobiography. Therefore, a business card should look like this:

• Position.
• Contact information.
• Work experience.
• Education.
• Additional education.
• Professional skills.
• Recommendations.
• Additional information.

Experts tell you what the structure of a resume should be to capture the attention of an employer. Here is an example of a resume 2025.

Indicate the position you are applying for

When creating a resume, the first thing to do is to correctly formulate the name of the position you are applying for. It will be the title of the resume. There are a few key rules you should follow:

• An accurate and specific job title in your resume will help the employer find you among other candidates. For example, "Accountant", "Sales Consultant", "UI/UX Designer".
• If you have narrow skills, you can specify the position: "Big Data Analyst", "Creative Copywriter", "Environmental Engineer".
• Don't combine all your talents in one resume, such as "Seamstress, Sales Manager, Event Manager". It is better to create three separate resumes for each position and describe the experience and skills relevant to the position. However, you can combine similar positions in one heading, such as "Translator from Italian, Italian text editor".
• Also, do not write abstract phrases in the resume title: "Any job", "Worker for production", etc. Employers are looking for candidates by job titles. Therefore, your resume will simply not be noticed by the employer. Moreover, if you do not want to receive a large number of irrelevant job offers, it is better to specify your position.

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Add contact information

Your resume should include your real name, surname, and contacts where the recruiter can contact you.

Another important point is your resume photo. It's your personal decision whether to include it or not. Although the absence of a photo reduces the risk of discrimination, its presence allows you to make a first impression of yourself. If you decide to include a photo, use high-quality business photos where your face is clearly visible. At the same time, avoid low-quality leisure selfies, group shots, full-length shots, or pictures from the Internet.

Another point is social media in your resume. If you have a well-designed profile, for example, on LinkedIn, which you actively maintain and talk about your professional activities, a link to it will definitely not hurt. But it may be better to leave your personal page on social media for friends and acquaintances.

You also need to specify the city in which you are looking for a job. It can be several cities if you are ready to move. You can also indicate that you want to work only remotely. However, it is not necessary to indicate your city of residence. Only if you currently live abroad.

Write your desired income level.

Describe your work experience

Describe your work experience in as much detail as possible. You should start with your last job and end with your first.

It is also very important to describe in as much detail as possible what exactly your responsibilities were at your previous jobs and what your achievements were. Describe what you did, what you did, what you implemented and accomplished at your previous job. And remember, the employer is interested in results, not processes. It is advisable to indicate them with numbers: indicators or percentages. For each job, 4-6 such points will be enough.

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Don't forget about education

Now for education. It is worth filling out this block at least because this way your future employer will be able to understand that you can bring the project to completion. But it will also allow them to learn about you as a specialist, to understand what knowledge you may have. Some tips on what to include in the Education section:

Your relevant level of education (higher education, incomplete higher education, specialized secondary or secondary). This is the highest level of education you have.

Full name of the educational institution. The name of the higher education institution should not be an abbreviation, such as "KNUBA", but the full name - "Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture". This will make it clearer to the recruiter where you studied and will not require them to google the university to decipher the abbreviation.

Don't forget about additional information about your studies - this will set you apart from other applicants. You can mention in the block about scientific activities, participation in student government, thesis or dissertation, volunteer activities that you did during your studies.

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Additional education and certificates

In this block, you should indicate your non-formal education, such as courses, educational programs, trainings, lectures, etc. This information demonstrates that you are improving your knowledge and skills, your ability to learn quickly and adapt to new conditions and technologies, and shows your motivation and interest in professional growth.

Thus, adding this information to your resume can increase your chances of getting the position you want.

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Specify professional skills

A very important block is professional skills and knowledge. This item is the answer to the question "how to make your resume even more attractive?". It is from this section that the recruiter will find out what you can do, what programs you can work in, and what you can bring to the company.

In this section, try to list your hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills are the technical, job-specific knowledge and skills that can be measured and learned through formal education or practical experience. They are necessary to perform specific tasks and responsibilities, and include technical knowledge and professional competencies. For example: preparation of financial reports, analysis of financial data, knowledge of tax legislation, etc.

Soft skills are universal, interpersonal, and communication skills that are difficult to measure but are critical for effective performance. Soft skills are important for creating a comfortable work environment and teamwork. They include communication, interpersonal, organizational skills, analytical and critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Together, hard and soft skills ensure full professional competence.

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Add references

If you are asking yourself if you need to add references, then no, you don't. But they are needed to gain the trust of the employer. By the way, recommendations can come not only from your former bosses, but also from people you worked or studied with.

Think about who could speak well of you. Contact these people, find out if they are willing to help you get a job, and add their contacts to your resume.

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Include additional information

And, of course, write a few words about yourself. Since you've already mentioned your skills and knowledge, the "Additional Information" section should include anything that wasn't mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Don't hold back your imagination: tell us about your professional goals, hobbies, and interests. This will allow the recruiter to learn more about you as a person and a future colleague.

When your resume is ready

Before posting your resume, check it for the following items:

• Check for grammar, vocabulary, and typos. Ask a friend to read your resume before you post it online, or use online spell checkers.
• The description of your current job should contain present tense verbs: working, designing, managing. And in the description of previous jobs, verbs should be in the past tense.
• The whole resume should have the same narrative style, the same goes for abbreviations - if you used abbreviations somewhere, use them throughout the text (although it is better to refuse abbreviations and write the name in full).
• If necessary, you should confirm all the information you have included in your resume.

Ігор Льов