The sections a resume needs, the right order, achievement-focused writing, and how to save it as a PDF.
A resume is a document that summarizes your experience, education, and skills for a job application (in some countries this is called a CV, short for Curriculum Vitae). A strong resume lets a recruiter find the most important information in a few seconds, while also being read correctly by an ATS (Applicant Tracking System). This tool provides the right sections ready-made and shows every change instantly in the live preview on the right; you download the result as a PDF.
How do I make a free resume?
Quick answerFill in the form on the left: name, title, and contact info; a short summary; work experience, education, skills, and languages, plus any certifications — or load a ready-made example by role to start faster. The live preview on the right produces a single-column, ATS-friendly resume. Choose a template (Classic, Modern, Compact, Minimal, or Sidebar) and accent color, then download it with "Print / Save PDF." No sign-up or payment required; your data never leaves your browser.
- Header: Name + target position/title, then contact info.
- Summary: Who you are, your strengths, and the role you want, in 2-3 sentences.
- Experience: Most recent first; position, company, dates, and measurable achievements.
- Education, skills, languages, certifications: Relevant, concise, and current.
What is an ATS-friendly resume?
Quick answerAn ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is software companies use to automatically scan and rank job applications. An ATS-friendly resume is one these systems can read without errors: a single-column layout, standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills), real selectable text, plain fonts, and no information trapped inside tables, text boxes, or graphics. Complex two-column designs, text boxes, and text baked into images can cause an ATS to lose information. This tool intentionally outputs a single-column, standard-heading resume.
In practice, for ATS compatibility: use standard names like "Experience," "Education," and "Skills" instead of unusual headings; keep dates consistent; spell out abbreviations next to their full form (e.g., "SEO (Search Engine Optimization)"); and work the posting's keywords naturally into your resume.
What should — and shouldn't — go on a resume?
Quick answerAlways include: name and contact info, target position, work experience, education, and skills. Strong resumes also add a short summary, language levels, certifications, and a LinkedIn/portfolio link. Leave out a photo, date of birth, marital status, and nationality — U.S. hiring norms and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) rules against age, marital-status, and national-origin discrimination mean this information creates legal exposure for employers, and many will discard a resume that includes it. This tool omits those fields by design.
This is a real difference from CV conventions in some other countries, where a photo, birth date, or marital status is common or even expected on the document. On a US resume, none of that belongs — stick to your name, professional title, email, phone, city/state, and, optionally, a LinkedIn or portfolio link. Salary expectations, a reference's direct contact details, and unrelated hobbies are also usually left off a resume; "references available upon request" is enough.
How do you download a resume as a PDF?
Quick answerAfter filling in your information, click "Print / Save PDF." In the print dialog that opens, choose "Save as PDF" (Save as PDF / Microsoft Print to PDF) as the destination and save. Print view renders only the resume card onto a page; the form, ads, and site interface are hidden, so you get a clean PDF. Keep margins at "Default" and scale at "100%." You can also download your resume data as JSON and reload it later.
How long should a resume be?
Quick answerGeneral rule: one page for 0-10 years of experience, and at most two pages for senior or academic profiles. Recruiters often spend only a few seconds on a first look, so lead with your strongest, most relevant information and cut unnecessary detail. The "estimated length" figure and live preview in this tool help you see how many pages your resume is approaching; shorten descriptions or use the fit-to-one-page slider to keep it to one page.
Is an online resume builder safe to use?
Quick answerThis tool is safe because it runs entirely in your browser: information like your name, phone, and email is never sent to a server, stored in an account, or shared with a third party. "Save" stores your data only on your own device's local storage; "Clear" deletes it. With no sign-up, verification, or payment involved, your personal data stays with you.