How to Make a Resume That Gets Shortlisted
Published: November 10, 2026
Source: Standard resume format used by employers & job portals
A clean one-page resume: what to write, in what order, and what to leave out.
Before you start
- Keep these details ready before you type anything: your full name, phone number, email and city; your education (course, college or school, and year); and your work, internship or project details with dates.
- Keep your certificates or mark sheets nearby, so you can check the exact spelling of names and the correct dates instead of guessing them.
Start with contact details
Put your full name at the very top, in the biggest text on the page. Just below it, on one or two lines, write your phone number, your email address, and your city. That is all a recruiter needs to reach you, so keep this block short and easy to spot.
Check every detail twice before you move on. Call your own number to make sure it is right, and open your email address to check the spelling — a small typing mistake here means the recruiter cannot contact you at all. Use a simple, professional email address, ideally with your name in it, and leave out your full home address, date of birth, religion, marital status and photo, unless the job asks for them.
Write a 2-line summary
Just under your contact details, write two short lines about who you are and what you can do. Say what kind of work you do, your strongest skill, and the job you want. For example: “Recent commerce graduate with good Excel and billing skills, looking for an entry-level accounts job.” A fresher can write about their course and skills; someone with experience can name their role and years of work.
Change these two lines for every job you apply to. Read the job post, pick out the two or three skills it asks for most, and use those same plain words in your summary if they are true for you. Avoid vague lines like “hardworking and sincere” on their own — they say nothing about what you can actually do, so always follow them with a real skill or example.
List experience and education
List your jobs, internships and projects newest first, with the most recent one at the top. For each one, write the role, the company or college name, and the dates you worked or studied there. Then add two or three short lines about what you actually did — not just the job title, but the work itself. For example, instead of only writing “Sales Assistant”, write what you handled, such as helping customers, keeping stock records, or making bills.
Where you can, add a real result or number — but only if it is true. For example, “handled billing for the shop counter” is honest; a made-up sales figure is not. If you are a fresher with no job yet, put your projects, internships and useful coursework here instead, in the same newest-first order. Then list your education below it, again newest first, with the course, college or school, and year.
Keep it to one page
Now cut everything that does not help you get this job. Remove old or unrelated details, long paragraphs and repeated points, until the whole resume fits on one page. Use one clean, simple font throughout, clear headings for each section, and short lines with space between them, so the page looks neat and is easy to read at a glance.
Save the final file as a PDF, with a clear file name such as YourName_Resume.pdf, and open it once on your phone to check that nothing is cut off or out of place. Our guide on how to make a PDF on mobile shows the steps if you need them. Once your resume is ready, use it to get ready for the next step — how to prepare for a job interview.
Tips
- Change the summary and skills for every job you apply to.
- Use the same plain words the job post uses for skills — that makes it easy for the recruiter to see the match.
- Ask a friend or family member to read your resume once. Fresh eyes catch spelling mistakes you have stopped noticing.
Keep in mind
- Never pay for a resume template — free clean templates work just as well.
- Never lie about your marks, dates or experience. It is easy to check, and getting caught costs you the job.
- Do not put your Aadhaar number, PAN number, bank details or passwords on a resume. A recruiter never needs them at this stage.
- Be careful of anyone who asks you to pay money for a job, an interview or a job offer. A real employer does not ask for payment to hire you.
FAQs
Should freshers add projects?
Yes — projects and internships count as experience for freshers. Write what you built or did, what tools or skills you used, and what the result was, in the same newest-first order as a job.
How long should my resume be?
One page is enough for most people, including freshers and those with a few years of experience. If you have many years of work, keep it short and only include the roles and results that matter for the job you want now.
I have no work experience. What should I write?
Write about your education, projects, internships, part-time work, volunteering, and skills such as Excel, typing, or a language you know well. Show what you can do, even if you have not had a paid job yet.
What if I spot a mistake after I have sent my resume?
Fix the mistake, save the corrected file, and send it again with a short, polite note saying you are sharing a corrected copy. Then check the new file once more before you send it, so you do not have to send it a third time.
