How To Write the Perfect Resume in 2025

We’ve reviewed millions of resumes and learned exactly what makes one stand out.

In 2025, the perfect resume is less about who you are and more about what you’ve done—and, most importantly, how you can do it again to help a company thrive. 

That can feel like a lot to get right, especially with recruiters working fast and applicant tracking systems (ATS) scanning for specific keywords before a human sees your resume.

But it doesn’t have to be stressful. This guide will give you expert-backed resume tips to write your best one yet.

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What makes a resume “perfect” in 2025?

There’s no one-size-fits-all “perfect” resume, because there’s no one-size-fits-all job.

In 2025, the perfect resume is a tailored resume. It showcases your most relevant achievements, highlights the tools and skills that matter most, and speaks directly to what the hiring team is looking for.

Here’s what a perfect resume gets right:

• Language match: It mirrors the tone and keywords—like skills, tools, and responsibilities—in the job post, making it easy for both ATS and hiring teams to see that the candidate is a match.
• Relevant results: Instead of just listing tasks, the resume shows what changed because of the candidate’s contributions. Think metrics (numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, etc.) and business outcomes that match the company’s current goals.
• Clean structure: It uses clear headers, short bullet points, and white space to make scanning easy, especially on mobile or when in a rush. 
• ATS-friendliness: The resume is free of graphics, fancy fonts, images, and unusual formatting that can prevent an ATS from scanning correctly.

💡 Pro tip: Tailoring doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process. Teal’s Job Description Match tool compares your resume to any job post and extracts the keywords, skills, and experience to focus on, so you can tailor faster and with more confidence.

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The perfect resume: Section-by-section breakdown

Every section of your resume plays a role, from creating a strong first impression to backing it up with relevant experience. Together, the sections should work to answer one question: “Why are you the right fit for this role?”

Here’s how to make each section count:

1. Contact Information

This section should be simple, up-to-date, and accurate so hiring teams know how to contact you. 

Here’s what to include:

• Full name: Use the name you go by professionally. You can format it slightly larger than the rest of your text to make it stand out.
• Phone number: Include the area code.
• Email address: Use a professional email address, ideally including your name, like “[email protected].” Avoid old usernames or school addresses.
• LinkedIn profile URL: Customize it to match your name if possible (e.g., linkedin.com/in/jane-smith). This makes it look polished and easy to remember.
• City and state: No need for your full street address.
• Portfolio or website URL: Include this only if it’s relevant to the role (e.g., designers, software developers, writers). 

Before moving on, double-check your email spelling and test your links. If a hiring manager can’t reach you, the rest of your resume won’t matter.

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2. Target Title

Your target title is your resume’s headline—and a key tailoring opportunity.

Use the job title listed in the posting (like “Project Manager” or “Product Designer”) if it fits your background. It helps with ATS filtering and shows the hiring team that you’re focused on this role, not just applying broadly.

If your current job title doesn’t quite match, that’s okay. Pick something close that reflects where you're headed.

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3. Professional Summary

Your professional summary is your introduction to potential employers. In 3–4 sentences, it should highlight what you’ve done, what you’re great at, and how your experience can support their goals.

A strong summary:

• Starts with your current or most recent role
• Highlights 1–2 relevant skills or areas of expertise pulled from the job description
• Mentions 1–2 measurable results or outcomes you’ve driven
• Ends with a line about what kind of role or impact you’re looking for next

If you’re switching careers or industries, use this space to connect the dots. For example, if you’re moving from marketing to UX design, you might start with, “Marketing strategist with 5+ years in brand storytelling, now transitioning into UX design after completing a certification in user research.”

Example:

HR professional with 11+ years in talent development. Led inclusive hiring strategies that improved retention by 25% and reduced time-to-hire by 18%. Experienced in coaching, culture-building, and leadership training. Looking to bring that impact to a people-first, mission-driven company.

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4. Work Experience

This section is where you show what you did in your roles and what changed because you were there.

For each job, including your current role, list:

• Job title(s), company, location, and dates of employment
  
• A short description of the company (if it’s not widely known)
  
• 3–5 bullet points focused on your impact

Each bullet should start with an action verb (e.g., “initiated,” “developed,” or “organized”) and, whenever possible, include a measurable result—percentage increases or decreases, time saved, money generated, etc.

To tailor this section, prioritize achievements that match what the company’s looking for. For instance, if the job emphasizes cross-functional work, lead your list of bullets with accomplishments that highlight collaboration.

Then, cut anything—from responsibilities to full roles—that’s unrelated to the job.

‍Example:

Transformed customer onboarding process, reducing time-to-value by 43% and increasing net promoter scores from 72 to 89 in six months

💡 Pro tip: With Teal’s Resume Builder, you can quickly compare your resume to the job post and see which bullet points align best. That way, your Work Experience section always feels custom-built for the position you’re applying for.

5. Education

Keep this section straightforward. You need to include only:

• Degree(s) earned
• School name and location
• Graduation date (optional, especially if you’ve been working for a while)
• Relevant coursework (only helpful if you’re early in your career or changing fields)

If you’ve recently completed coursework or certifications that better reflect your career direction, feel free to list those first. For example, if you’re transitioning into tech, a coding bootcamp might deserve top billing over a general degree.

Example:

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA
Date of completion: May 2024

Also, skip your GPA unless it’s 3.7 or higher, you’re early in your career, or the employer asks for it. And no need to list high school if you’ve completed college or beyond.

📌 Resume myth: “If I don’t have a degree, I don’t have a chance.”

Not true. Some roles require formal education, but others focus more on skills and experience. Instead of degrees, you can list bootcamps, online courses, mentorships, or structured learning that shows you’ve gained relevant knowledge.

Example:
Coursework in UX Design – Coursera (2024)
Ongoing mentorship with local UX professionals

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6. Certifications

Certifications can give you a competitive edge by showing credibility, specialization, or ongoing learning. This is especially true in fields like IT, HR, finance, healthcare, and design. 

But the key is to ensure they’re relevant. Leave out any that don’t support the role you're going after. 

For each, include:

• The name of the certification
• The issuing organization
• The date you received it (optional, unless it’s recent or has an expiration)

Add “In Progress” to any certification you’re working toward, and omit any expired certifications unless they might still hold value for the role. 

Lastly, if a certification is listed in the job description, place it at the top of your section so it’s easy to spot. 

Example:

Google Data Analytics Certificate – Coursera, 2023
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate – Amazon Web Services, In progress
SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional), Expires 2026

💡 Pro tip: For extra impact, mention a certification in your Professional Summary or Work Experience section if it’s directly tied to the job. For example, “PMP-certified project manager with 8+ years leading enterprise software rollouts.”

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7. Key Skills

This section serves as a speedy way to confirm you’re qualified for the role, and it works best when you use the right language. 

That means reviewing the job description for the skills, tools, and technologies it mentions. Pull out the ones that apply to your background, and start creating your list. 

The ideal list includes 8–10 hard skills (platforms, processes, or tools—not soft skills like “people person”) that you actually use, not ones you’ve only heard of.

Use a bulleted or non-numbered list, and place the skills that appear in the job description at the very top. Doing so will help your resume get noticed (in ATS tools by recruiters).

Lastly, place this section strategically based on the type of resume you’re using. In a chronological resume, it typically comes after the Work Experience section. In a functional resume or combination resume, it comes before.

Example:

• Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) (Workday, ADP)
• Diversity & Inclusion Strategies
• Talent Acquisition
• Organizational Design
• Employee Onboarding 
• Labor Law Compliance
• Performance Management
• Compensation Planning

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8. Additional information

Depending on your background and desired role, these optional sections can give your resume more depth:

Projects

Include 1–2 relevant projects if they show skills you haven’t covered elsewhere. Include the project name, a short description, and a key outcome if possible.

Example: 

Customer Experience Audit – Freelance (2023)
• Evaluated onboarding experience across 3 client accounts and recommended workflow changes that increased NPS scores by 18%.

Awards and Scholarships

Highlight honors that show excellence or recognition, particularly those related to your field. Include the name of the award or scholarship, the year you received it, and (if needed) the issuing organization or institution. 

Example:

UX Design Scholarship, Interaction Design Foundation (2022)

Volunteering and Leadership

Use this space to showcase your initiative, community engagement, or team leadership outside of work. Bonus if it connects to your industry!

Example:

Volunteer Career Coach – Women in Tech (2022 – Present)

Publications

Include articles, blogs, research papers, or white papers you’ve written, especially if they support your authority in the field. Include the title, publication, and date for each.

Example:

“How to Lead Change During Uncertainty” – Harvard Business Review (2023)

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Tips for formatting your perfect resume

A clean, simple format helps your skills shine and ensures your resume is easy for both people and software to read. 

Here’s how to format your resume like a pro:

• Use a one- or two-column layout. Both can work, as long as the content is easy to scan and ATS-friendly. 
• Stick to clear, professional fonts. Arial, Calibri, and Helvetica are good options.
• Skip charts, graphics, and pictures in your resume. Most ATS tools can’t process these.
• Keep section headers consistent. All-caps or slightly larger fonts are fine. Just avoid fancy formatting.
• Use white space. Add space around each section to keep your resume tidy and easy to read.
• Save your resume as a PDF. Unless the job description specifies a different format, PDF is the best option.

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Common resume mistakes to avoid

You’ve already learned the big ones—like vague bullet points, cluttered formatting, and skipping customization. But there are a few sneakier slip-ups that can quietly hurt your chances. 

These include:

❌  A file name like “Resume_Final_REAL_Final.pdf.” Keep it simple and professional. “FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf” is ideal—and easier for hiring teams to find later.

❌ Passive voice. Phrases like “was responsible for” can feel vague. Strong, active verbs—like “launched,” “led,” “increased”—bring your impact to life.

❌ Center-aligned text. Align text to the left or right so it’s easy to read (especially on mobile devices and smaller screens).

❌ “References available upon request.” It’s best to leave this off your resume. If a company needs references, they’ll ask.

These are just a handful of missteps, and there are plenty more that can weaken a resume. Teal’s complete list of resume dos and don’ts can help you catch the rest!