can you create a resume on microsoft word

How to Create a Resume in Microsoft Word (Step-by-Step Guide)

If this is your first time creating a resume in Microsoft Word, the process may seem overwhelming. Luckily, this article is here to help! In this step-by-step guide, we will cover how to create an effective resume from start to finish using Microsoft Word.

How Do I Make a Resume in Microsoft Word?

There are two primary methods for making a resume in Microsoft Word:

• ‍ From Scratch: This gives you the ultimate creative control. However, it also requires you to familiarize yourself with all of Microsoft Word’s tools and layout options. Building a resume from scratch can be more time-consuming but also more customizable.
• ‍ From a Template: Microsoft Word offers several pre-made resume templates. By using these, all the formatting and layout creation is handled for you. You simply have to fill in your own information.

To use a template, go to File > New and then select a template from the Resume and Cover Letter section.

How Should I Format My Resume in Microsoft Word?

The format you choose will depend on your experience level!

There are 3 basic resume formats to choose between:

• ‍ Reverse-Chronological: Details your most recent job and works backwards from there. This format focuses heavily on work experience. ‍
• Functional: Focuses on skills and education rather than work experience. This is a good option for recent graduates or applicants with minimal work experience. ‍
• Hybrid/Combination: Combines elements of both the Reverse-Chronological and the Functional. This is a good option for applicants with gaps in their employment history.

Choosing the best format for your needs is key. For more help on this subject, check out our guide on How to Choose the Correct Resume Format in 2021 !

Beautiful resume templates to land your dream job

Make a Resume in Microsoft Word in 7 Easy Steps

First, let’s make sure you can navigate the Microsoft Word ribbon!

The ribbon is the toolbar found at the top of the screen.

It should look something like this:

The main parts of the ribbon you should familiarize yourself with on the Home tab are Font , Paragraph , and Styles .

These are how you will edit the appearance of your text and headers.

You should also familiarize yourself with the Layout tab .

This tab is where you will adjust your margins and add columns!

Once you have taken your time to figure out where all of your tools are, it’s time to begin building your resume!

Important Note: These steps detail how to create a resume in Microsoft Word from scratch. By using one of the program’s pre-made templates, you can bypass many of these steps and simply fill in the pre-made format.

Step 1: Create Your Layout

Let’s begin by visiting the Layout tab .

Here, you can set your margin size and decide if you want to use columns.

Here is a breakdown of these two elements:

‍ We recommend using 1-inch margins on all sides.

This will give you enough white space to keep your resume looking neat without sacrificing too much space.

It will also ensure your formatting looks good on printed versions of your resume. ‍

Columns and Sidebars:

‍ From the columns tab, you will find five options:

• The One , Two , and Three options are how you will create separate columns.
• The Left and Right options are how you will create sidebars! Sidebars are useful because they leave more room for the main text and sections.

From the Home tab , you can edit the following elements of your layout:

‍ Alignment:

‍ Choose between left, center, or right alignment.

We recommend using the left alignment.

Whichever you choose, it is a good idea to keep your alignment consistent across the board. ‍

Line Spacing:

‍ We recommend using 1.15 – 1.5 line spacing for the body text.

For section titles and headers, use 1.5 – 2.0 spacing to help them stand out from the rest of the text. ‍

‍ Use a simple and highly legible font. Try to use only 1-2 fonts throughout your resume.

We recommend the following seven fonts:

• Times New Roman

Step 2: Make Your Title Header

Your title header should contain the following information:

• Your Job Title
• Contact Information
• Professional Social Media Links

Use an H1 header to write your name at the very top.

Use the Normal style to write the rest of your information (see “How Do I Add Different Sections of the Resume on Microsoft Word” below for more information on header styles).

It should come out looking similar to this:

Copywriter Email: [email protected] Phone: (123) 456-7890 Website: Janesmith.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janesmith

Check out some of our free resume examples to see alternative ways of formatting your title header!

Step 3: Write an Objective or Summary

Following your title header will be your resume objective or summary.

This will be a short statement between 1-5 sentences detailing your desired job title, experience, and career goals.

You will want to write this statement in the Normal style .

However, you may want to use a slightly larger font than the rest of the text in other sections.

This will help your objective or summary statement to stand out.

Here is an example of how this might look with the title header example from before:

Resume Objective: I am a copywriter with over 5 years of experience. working with corporate clients. I am seeking the position of Head Copywriter at your company, bringing with me over 10 major corporate clients.

Step 4: Create Your Base Format

By creating a base format, you can save the document as a separate file to return to and fill in again and again.

This will help you to tailor your resume to fit specific jobs!

The idea of the base format is to provide outlined sections with the correct spacing and number of bullet points.

You are essentially creating a skeleton for your resume that you can edit and adjust over time.

By doing so, you ensure you have already allocated the proper amount of space on the resume for each section.

For example, this is what your base Work Experience section may look like:

Work Experience

Job Title 1 , Company Name Date – Date · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence Job Title 2 , Company Name Date – Date · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence ‍ Job Title 3 , Company Name Date – Date · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence · Descriptive Sentence

As you gain more work experience, you can return to this base format and make changes as need be.

Because you have already outlined the section, you won’t have to worry about reformatting the entire resume to make a few simple changes.

Step 5: Determine Your Section Organization

Once you have built the base format of your resume, it’s time to determine if your sections are in the optimal location.

For instance, if you are creating a Reverse-Chronological style resume you will want your Work Experience section to come first.

Comparatively, if you are creating a Functional style resume you may want your Skills or Education section to come first.

The order and organization of your sections will impact the impression your resume makes on hiring managers.

Step 6: Fill in the Information

Now that you have created the base format of your resume and chosen the optimal organization, it’s time to fill in your information!

When filling in your information, be mindful of the following 3 factors:

• ‍ Be Concise: Always use simple sentences that clearly describe your strengths and accomplishments. Avoid complex sentences or overly complicated vocabulary and jargon. ‍
• Use Bullet-Points: In each section, use bullet points to separate each thought or idea. This will make your resume more visually appealing and easier to read. ‍
• Choose Compelling Language: Try to avoid repeating the same words or phrases over and over. Mix it up, use keywords, and find the best action verbs to make your resume sound even better!

Not sure how to make your language more compelling on your resume? Take a look at our list of 350+ Action Verbs to Make Your Resume More Effective in 2021 .

Step 7: Double-Check Your Sections

Once you have completed steps 1-6, look back over your resume and make sure you have included all of the key sections.

You should also take some time to consider what additional sections you could include.

Here are the key sections every resume should have:

• A title header with your name and contact information
• An objective or summary statement
• Work experience

As we have covered, the order of these sections will vary depending on the format you have chosen.

However, each of these sections should always be included in your resume.

There are also some additional sections to consider adding.

Here is a quick list of extra sections that can add some extra flair to your resume:

• Awards and achievements
• Certifications
• Unpaid experiences, such as volunteer work or internships
• Relevant hobbies

How Do I Add Different Sections to a Resume on Microsoft Word?

The way to create different sections on your resume comes in two parts:

• Use an H2 header to create the section titles (Work Experience, Education, Skills, etc.)
• Use the Normal style to create the body of text below the H2 header

Here is a breakdown of how to use the H1, H2, H3, and Normal styles within your resume:

Select the Styles window from the Home tab .

From here, you will have options to create headers.

Your heading options are as follows:

• ‍ Heading 1: Use this heading as your largest title. This is what you will use to write your name at the top of the page. Use a bolded font between 16 to 20 pt in size. Use 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing to help the title heading stand out. ‍
• Heading 2: Use this heading to create your section titles. Use a bolded font size between 14 to 16 pt. in size. Make sure these headings are smaller than your title heading. Use 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing to help these headings stand out from the rest of the text. ‍
• Heading 3: Use this heading to create your job titles. Your job titles should be only slightly bigger than the rest of the text. Use a bolded font between 12 to 14 pt. in size. Use between 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing. ‍
• Normal: Use the Normal style to create the body text underneath the heading. Use a regular font between 11 – 12 pt. in size. Use between 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing.

What are the Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft Word to Craft Your Resume?

Microsoft Word is a handy tool to have, especially if your computer comes with the program pre-installed.

Here are 3 pros and 3 cons to using Microsoft Word to create your resume:

• ‍ Total Creative Control: When creating a resume on Microsoft Word directly from your computer, you have total control over the design and format. ‍
• More ATS Friendly: Applicant Tracking Systems are designed to read .doc files, the file format used by Microsoft Word. ‍
• Can be Edited by Recruiters: If you are using a recruitment agency, a Microsoft Word file can be easy to edit by recruiters before sending it off to employers.
• ‍ The Microsoft Word Learning Curve: If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Word, there can be a pretty steep learning curve that can cause you frustration. ‍
• Time Consuming: Building a resume from scratch can be highly beneficial, but also highly time-consuming. This can become problematic if you need to create a resume quickly. ‍
• Temperamental Templates: Microsoft Word offers tons of free resume templates. On the surface, this is super useful. However, these templates can be tricky to use. One wrong move can mess up the formatting in a big way and be an even bigger headache to try and fix.

Why Should I Use an Online Resume Template or Resume Builder?

By using a resume template from an online provider, such as Easy Resume, you are more likely to find a template that fits your exact needs.

Plus, online resume templates and resume builders often have more design elements that are easier to use compared to Microsoft Word.

Are you interested in using our online templates or resume builder? Check out our beautifully designed resume templates to build your optimal resume!

Final Takeaways

Microsoft Word offers a lot of capabilities to help you build your ideal resume.

Here are five key takeaways for creating a resume on the program:

• Create a base skeleton for your resume that you can use again and again for different jobs.
• Use different heading styles to help your resume title and section titles to stand out.
• Use the column tool under the Layout tab to create sidebars. Sidebars are great for smaller sections, such as certifications or awards!
• Always use concise and compelling language.
• Consider using a template to build your resume faster.

At Easy Resume, we have designed our resume templates and online resume builder to fit your needs. No matter your level of experience or skill at making resumes, we have the tools to help.

Don’t forget to check out our expansive collection of FREE resume guides and examples while you’re here!

Browse more resume templates that fit your role

Ed is a co-founder of Easy Resume. His background in scaling teams at tech startups over the last decade has given him extensive experience and knowledge around how to hire top talent and build successful teams. He enjoys mentoring, coaching, and helping others reach their career goals. When he's not writing about career-related advice, he's playing with his dog, Lilo, or going on long hikes in upstate New York.

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How-To Geek

How to create a professional résumé in microsoft word.

Pressing the send button when sending your résumé to a potential employer can be a nerve-racking experience.

Quick Links

What is a résumé, using a microsoft word résumé template, crafting a custom résumé in microsoft word, deciding what information to include, organizing that information.

Pressing the send button when sending your résumé to a potential employer can be a nerve-racking experience. We're here to show you how to create a résumé using Microsoft Word and provide a few tips on getting you through the résumé screening process so you can press that send button with confidence.

A résumé, often referred to as a CV (curriculum vitae), is a summary of a person's background and experience, including work experience, education, and even volunteer work, and its most common use is to send to potential employers when searching for a new career opportunity. In fact, though taking on a much different form than that of what you'd expect a résumé to look like today, Leonardo Da Vinci even did this himself, and he is often given credit as the first person to create a resume.

Of course, the résumé has undergone quite the transformation since Da Vinci's 1482 version, drastically so during the age of word processors and digital typesetting in the 1970's---40 years after résumés became an institution. Fast-forward to today and not only do you have your standard .doc or .pdf résumé, but you'll also see people uploading video résumés on YouTube and using social media platforms like LinkedIn to sell themselves to companies.

We should be thankful for these developments because now we can skip the quill and ink and jump straight into Microsoft Word.

Microsoft Word offers a bunch of résumé templates. Some are beautiful; some are not. We'll let you decide which style fits you best, but here's where you can find them.

Go ahead and open Word. As soon as you do, you'll be greeted with several different templates to choose from, ranging from a simple blank document, cover letters, résumés, or even seasonal event flyers. Click the "Resumes and Cover Letters" link under the search box to see only those types of templates.

Now, you'll see all the different resume styles Word has to offer. There are a lot of different styles and color schemes to choose one, so pick what feels right. If you scroll down the list a bit, you'll also see some plainer resume templates designed for different purposes---like an entry-level, chronological, or extended CV style.

Some of the templates are already built into Word; others are a quick, free download from Office.com (and you won't even have to leave Word to grab them). When you click to create a resume, Word will let you know the download size (if it needs to download the template). Click the "Create" button and a few seconds later, you'll be in your document and ready to edit.

That's all there is to it! But what if you didn't find a résumé you liked? Luckily, Word has a few formatting tools to help you craft the perfect résumé.

Before we start, it's important to know that each résumé should reflect a person's personal experience and education. Since everyone's experience is different, it's no surprise that their résumés will be too.

That being said, there are some general aesthetic guidelines for making a résumé that we highly recommend you follow for a professional-looking document .

Go ahead and open up a clean, blank document in Word.

The first thing we'll want to do is set our margins. Go to the "Layout" tab and click the "Margins" buttons.

The drop-down menu displays several different margin options from which to choose. If you can't find the one you're looking for, you can click "Custom Margins" at the bottom and enter your specifications. Let's go ahead and do that.

According to the experts, the best margin size is 1" for the top and bottom and 0.63" for the sides. This may seem like an oddly specific number, but the objective is to get as much (relevant) information about yourself as possible on a page without overwhelming the reader. With the above credentials, we leave enough white space on the page for the reader to not feel suffocated.

Click "OK" once you've entered the margin sizes you want.

Now that our margins are set, it's time to start inputting information.

The information you put mainly depends on what you're trying to accomplish and where you are in your professional career. If you have over two years of working experience, then detailing that information is much more valuable than which high school you graduated from or which clubs you were a part of in college. Like a cover letter, your résumé should uniquely cater to the recipient. Dress to impress.

So, which information should you put? We'll give you the overview, and you can decide which areas you should detail.

• Contact Information
• Professional Experience (It's also ok to include any volunteer work at the bottom of this section)
• Additional Skills

For all of these, tailor the information to the job. You don't need to fit irrelevant work experience in there unless not including it would create a gap in your work experience. But if you're applying for a job as an accountant, nobody cares that you delivered pizzas 12 years ago. And you do list out any additional skills, make sure they're relevant to the position for which you're applying. Your high school friend might be impressed by how high you can kick, but your future employer---not so much.

Another thing to remember is that you should always list out your experience in reverse chronological order. That is, list out your most recent experience first, and go back from there.

There're several ways to do this, but arguably the most effective way is by creating headings and then inserting a table for the content of each section. By doing so, you're not only able to move content around in groups instead of individually, which can be a headache in itself, but you're also able to give your résumé a unique touch by adding table designs. In the image below, for example, we've added a dashed border to the left side of the table to create a nice little visual element to tie the different experience elements together.

First things first, let's go ahead and find a heading that we like. In the "Styles" section of the "Home" tab, you'll find several default styles. If you can't find one you like, then Word has a feature that lets you create your own. First, click the "More" arrow on the right-hand side of the different built-in styles.

You'll see a menu with three different options. Go ahead and click "Create a Style."

The "Create New Style from Formatting" window will appear. The only thing you can do here is to name the style, so click "Modify."

Now you should see a window with many formatting options. For fonts, there's no best option. Just make sure you use something that's clean and readable. "Georgia" is a great example. A 14 pt font size is fine for headings, but make sure it's bold so that each section is easier to find for the reader.

The "Add to the Styles gallery" option will automatically be selected. It's good to leave this option selected so you'll have easy access to your heading for the other sections of your résumé. If you plan to use this heading again in future documents, you can go ahead and deselect "Only in this document," but since we only plan to use it for our résumé, we'll keep that option selected.

Click "OK."

Go ahead and type in your first heading and apply the new style to it. In this example, we'll use "Experience" first.

Now, let's use a table under our first heading so that we can keep all our content lined up correctly. Place your insertion point on the line under your new heading, switch to the "Insert" tab, and click the "Table" button.

You'll see a 10x8 grid on the drop-down menu. You can create the table size by moving your mouse over the grid and clicking when it's the size you want. For your résumé, you'll need one column and enough rows to contain the separate pieces of information you have to list. For example, if you have three prior jobs to list in the Experience section, you'll want a table that's 1x3.

And here's what it looks like after we've inserted the table into the document.

We'll remove the border lines later. First, go ahead and put in your information. You'll want the "Job Title, Company" text to be 1 or 2 pts larger than the rest of the text but be sure to keep it smaller than the heading of the section. If you want your job title to stand out, you can change the color or make it italic, but try to keep it simple.

Once that's ready, let's go ahead change the borders of our table. Select the table by placing your insertion point anywhere inside it. Switch to the "Design" tab in the "Table Tools" section of the Ribbon, and then click the "Borders" button.

If you want to keep it simple and remove all the lines of your table, select "No Border." In this example, we're going to give our table a little flavor, so we'll select "Borders and Shading."

Because we only want to customize the left border of our table, we will select "Custom" under the "Setting" section. This lets us use the "Preview" section to deselect the sides on which we don't want borders. Click the boxes surrounding the preview to turn off all the borders except for the left one.

In the "Style" list, you can select the border design, color, and width you want. Click "OK" when you're ready.

Now we should have an experience section on our résumé that's starting to shape up. A little playing with colors and maybe spacing the table rows a bit, and you should be ready to go.

Now, just repeat these steps for the rest of the sections and your professional résumé will be finished in no time!

Image Credit: fizkes /Shutterstock

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How to Create a Resume in Microsoft Word

Last Updated: September 25, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Alyson Garrido, PCC . Alyson Garrido is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Facilitator, and Speaker. Using a strengths-based approach, she supports her clients with job search and career advancement. Alyson provides coaching for career direction, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and performance reviews as well as customized communication and leadership strategies. She is a Founding Partner of the Systemic Coach Academy of New Zealand. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,631,924 times.

Resumes detail a person’s work experience, education, skills and achievements. A good resume that is clear, concise and easy to read is essential when looking for a job. Resumes should be word processed and should be neat and tidy. Microsoft Word offers you the option of creating your resume through templates, but you can also create your resume from scratch using Word's formatting features.

Sample Resumes

Creating a Resume from a Template (Word 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013)

• In Word 2007 you will have to click on “installed templates.”
• In Word 2010 it will be “sample templates.”
• In Word 2011 it will be “new from template.” [1] X Research source
• In Word 2013 the templates will be displayed when you click on “New.”

• In Word 2013, after clicking on “New” you will see a number of templates and a search bar which says “search for online templates.”
• After searching you will see a number of different resume templates to try out.

• Here you will be able to look through a number of templates for resumes and cover letters that you can download for free and edit in Word.
• You may have to sign in with your Microsoft online account to use these templates. [2] X Research source

• Be sure to look carefully at the detail of your resume and proofread it thoroughly.
• All of the versions of Word from 2003 to 2013 all come with some pre-installed templates for resumes.

• Click on the “Other Documents” tab, and then select “Resume Wizard.”
• Follow the wizard's instructions. The wizard will walk you through the resume creation process step-by-step
• If you do not see this option, it was not installed when you installed Word, and you will need to run the installation program again to install it.

Creating a Resume Without a Template

• Education and qualifications.
• Work and volunteer experience.
• Skills and qualities.
• It should also include your full contact details and state that references are available upon request.

• Most chronological resumes only cover the last 5 to 10 years of your employment history.
• You may wish to include positions earlier than this if they are appropriate to the job you're seeking.
• This is the format most American employers prefer to see resumes in.

• A combination resume might list your key skills at the top before providing a short account of your experiences.
• This type of resume can be helpful for those entering the job market with little work experience, or for those trying to change careers. [6] X Research source

• The CV is commonly used when applying for positions in Europe, and also when applying for positions at colleges and universities worldwide.
• CVs can be thought of as living documents that records all your work and achievements, which will generally grow and develop over time more than a resume. [7] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Writing Your Resume

• If your resume extends beyond one page, ensure that your name is in a header on every page.
• Your email address should appropriate for a job application. Use your own name or initials if possible.
• Don’t use something jokey such as "sly-dude," "foxymama," or "smokinhot."

• For example, you might write that your objective is “To contribute to the design of new word processing software.”
• Alternatively it may state the position you hope to attain, such as “A position as in healthcare policy and research.”
• Objectives have become less common, and you may prefer to provide this information in your covering letter . [8] X Research source

• You can include a bullet point or two to provide a little further information on your specialism, if it is appropriate for the position you are applying for.
• If you achieved any honours or awards as part of your studying or training include these here.

• Use bullet points to make sure it is clear and easy to read or scan through for key words relating to the position you are applying.
• You can include volunteer positions if they relate to the job you're seeking or if you have little paid experience. [9] X Research source

• You can title this section as “Other Relevant Skills”, or just “Skills.”
• This could include proficiency in foreign languages, knowledge of particular computer software and programmes, and any other specific skills not previously mentioned. [10] X Research source
• Take care to avoid repeating yourself. You don’t need to say you have “excellent communication skills” more than once.

• Allow reasonable margins around the edges of the page. Word's default settings are usually sufficient for this.
• Left-align your section headings. You can use single-spacing after a heading and before the section content, and double-spacing before a heading.
• Get your resume down to one page if at all possible. You can try adjusting your line spacing in the Paragraph dialog box, but don’t lose your neat formatting trying to get it down to one page.
• Rethink your words and try to express yourself more concisely.

Expert Q&A

• Don't wait until you're looking for work to update your resume. Any time you have a promotion or significant accomplishment, add the new information to your resume. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
• Always tailor your resume to the type of position you're seeking. You may have to add, rearrange, or delete accomplishments or entire sections according to what the position requires. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 2

• The appearance and format of your resume is a reflection of your competence; be sure it represents you at your best. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
• Be sure that all the statements in your resume are both factually and grammatically correct and that all words are spelled correctly. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://kb.iu.edu/d/agst
• ↑ https://templates.office.com/en-us/Resumes-and-Cover-Letters
• ↑ http://cla.umn.edu/student-services-advising/career-internship-services/job-search-resources/resume-guide/formatting-0
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/curricula-vitae-cvs-versus-resumes/
• ↑ http://www.career.cornell.edu/story/resumes/parts.cfm

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1. Open Word and click File . 2. Click New . 3. Click a resume template. 4. Type your own data into each field. 5. Save your resume as a new file. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Format a resume with a template

Here’s how to download and use a template to create a sharp resume. We’ll show how you can cut and paste parts of your old resume and make the fonts and spacing look perfect.

Whether you’re online or offline go to FILE > New and search for “Resume.”

Preview and click the one you want to open.

You can start typing right away or cut and paste text into the document.

After pasting old text, it might look funny, or not formatted correctly. Select Ctrl to see Paste Options and choose one like Keep Text Only . Then the text use the font and formatting of the new resume.

Six steps to developing a great resume

Microsoft resume templates  

Look up words in the thesaurus

Most people submit resumes online these days, but there are still reasons why you need a paper resume.

A big one is at the interview. You want to come in with copies of your resume so you can hand it to the person.

So they don’t have to scramble to find the copy of theirs or look for on their computer.

So I’m going to show you a couple of different ways of formatting a resume.

First of all it’s going to be with a template.

I’m going to open up Word 2013 here, and it opens to this new gallery view that shows off templates.

If you have an earlier version of Word, you just want to go to FILE and New and you’ll be able to search for resume or search for templates.

I’m going to type in “Resume”.

If I was offline I get about a dozen or so resumes, here online I can get the full power of Office.com .

I can get a couple hundred I can look for.

Some with categories, occupations… Let me just click on this thumbnail, I can see a little bigger thumbnail, and I can click through these arrows to find one I like.

You can also see customer ratings which is Ahh..You know that way you can see what’s populate what people like.

I’m going to use this one here called the Timeless design . Open that up. And it populates with my name.

Today I’m Daryl McFarland. And it gives you some instructions of how to use the template if you need that or you can just start typing away with your new objective here for your resume.

Now with resumes, most of the time people have older resume, they may cut and paste in, they want to format it so let’s look at that for a few moments here. I’m going to open up some text that I have here.

And just cut and paste this objective.

And you want to ahh.. make sure you know each resume has to have a different objective for each company.

Don’t want to be general. You want to be specific with your resume.

So, here I have the text that I want but, of course, it looks a little different. The font size is wrong.

There is a couple of different ways to change the formatting. You can look at styles. Some people use Format Painter .

But when you cut and paste, if you don’t touch any other keys, you get this little box here at the end, with a little clipboard that says Ctrl by it.

Ctrl is the shortcut. So let me click Ctrl . And it opens up Paste options. And it gives me several options I can use.

I can use this one called Keep Text Only . And look, it shrinks down my text. Perfect. So that’s good. Let’s do it one more time.

We’re going to grab some of these old skills I have and I’ll update them as I work this new resume. Again, little too big.

Now notice this last line I have some bold text in it.

I want to keep that bold text but if I chose the option -- Keep text only , it strips out all formatting.

So hyperlinks and everything is striped out so I don’t want to use that.

I want to go over here and Merge Formatting , and there, it keeps the bold and also makes the text look proper for this template.

Templates in general especially in resumes, templates have what we call control content.

If you look up here we have boxes for street address, telephone, email.

That just gives you some structure to the template, you can delete those if you want.

Also down here in the experience area we have this.

If you don’t want it, again you can just simply right-click and remove content control and it’ll strip that away.

A lot of times people just want to update a resume with a different look.

You can do that really quickly with the DESIGN tab. Let’s go over there.

So click DESIGN and I get all this formatting options here at the top and I can just mouse over and my resume changes, it previews.

Now some of these look good. Some of them really don’t look good.

But it’s a quick way to kind of get a different look for your resumes.

Because sometimes we just want a fresh start with a new resume. You can also do that with Themes over here on the far left.

Themes are a great way to control color, font size, spacing.

I use it a lot for PowerPoint and not as much in Word, but you can set a difference to your resume and just click the one that you want. So that’s working with templates.

In our next video, we’re going to use formatting, well, we’re going to format without a template.

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• Step-by-Step Guide on...

Step-by-Step Guide on Creating your Resume Using MS Word

9 min read · Updated on December 08, 2023

Microsoft Word is the best program to use when creating your resume. Here's how to do it so that your resume gets past the Applicant Tracking System - ATS and impresses hiring managers.

Microsoft Word comes with some very attractive templates that are ready to use and allow you to fill in the blanks. The bad thing is the templates offered by Word are not usually ATS-friendly. It is best to create your resume from scratch. You can do so without being an expert at using Word or knowing all of the formatting options the program offers.

A simple online search about creating a resume from scratch returns millions of results. Choosing the right set of instructions can be daunting. So, instead of going down that rabbit hole, follow this step-by-step guide on creating a resume using MS Word. 

MS Word resume templates

It can seem like an easy answer to pick a template offered by Word. You open the program, click templates, and are presented with hundreds of options. However, considering that ATS can't properly parse information from resumes that have text boxes, columns, images, and charts, those templates are not going to serve you well . 

Submitting a non-ATS-friendly resume is the best way to have your resume rejected for a job. When your resume is rejected by the ATS software, the human beings at the company don't even know you exist. It is one of the top reasons job seekers are ghosted by companies. 

Format your overall document before you start typing

Believe it or not, an ATS will scan resumes for everything from keywords, experience, and education to margin width and font. There are some pre-typing formatting options you'll need to set to ensure that the ATS can read your document.

Set your margins so that they are no narrower than 0.5 inches all the way around. Alternatively, you can use 0.75 and one-inch margins if you prefer.

Choose the font you want to use . You can use more than one font in your resume to distinguish between headers and body text, but use no more than two separate fonts. 

On the “Paragraph” formatting ribbon, set your line spacing to “Multiple” at 1.06 and enter “6 pt” in the “Before” box to ensure that your lines are squished together. You want to create some white space in your resume.

Setting the right formatting options ahead of time can save you some headaches when you're finished typing the text. 

As you type out your resume information in your resume, use the “Font” and “Styles” formatting ribbons to customize things like font size, colors, headers, and section separators. Your resume should contain the following sections :

Other (e.g., Affiliations, Licenses, Certifications, Volunteerism)

Your contact section

Type your name on a line by itself. Typically, you want your name to be larger than the other text on the document. You can even put it in all caps or small caps to help it stand out. On the next line, type your city, state, zip code/postal code, phone, email, and any online portfolios you want hiring managers to know about. 

It is no longer customary to include your full address. There have been instances of discrimination against job seekers based on their home addresses. It is critical, though, that you include your zip or postal code. Hiring managers can query the ATS for resumes within a radius of a zip code. If your zip code is missing, your resume doesn't get included.

If you use the “Intense Quote” style, your name and contact information will be set apart from the rest of the document with a border along the top and bottom of the text. Highlight your name to increase the size of the font and make it bold. 

Title and summary section

As you write the title and summary of your resume, make sure that it is future-facing and targeted to the job to which you want to apply. Type the title on a line by itself and, like your name, put it in all caps, small caps, larger text, and bold text so that it stands out from the rest of the words on the page. It's also a good idea to center it on the line. You can also change the color.

Some rules to use when applying color to your resume:

Color draws attention to the important parts. 

Use bright colors (e.g., blue and green) for headers and contact information.

Use complementary colors (e.g., lighter shades of blue and green) for subheadings, position titles, and degrees.

Avoid using red on your resume as red is associated with stopping. You don't want to give someone a queue to stop reading your document. 

The summary paragraph should be three to five sentences in length with a focus on what you bring to the table in alignment with relevant keywords from the job description. Be specific, but be concise. Focus on how much experience you have, a few things that you're really good at, and include at least one achievement.

Your skills section

Your contact section, title, and professional summary won't have headers. The skills section is where you'll start including headers to separate content. Type the word “Skills” on a line by itself. Follow the same style for each of the other sections in your resume. 

Then, on the next line list out your professionally relevant and job-specific skills. Keep the list to no more than 12 skills and be sure to use a strong mix of hard and soft skills . 

Your professional experience section

This is where the bulk of your resume content should appear. In order to properly write your experience section, you should use the chronological resume format . This simply means that you start with your current or most recent job and work backward. There are some general rules of thumb to keep in mind when writing the experience section of your resume. 

How to lay out the information for each job: Start with the name of the company and the timeframe you were employed there. It's best to use the MM/YYYY format for your jobs. After that, list your position title followed by three to five achievement bullets. Make sure that each bullet starts with a verb so that you have an action-based resume. 

Stick to the last 10-15 years of experience: A great resume represents approximately 10 years of experience. It's okay to go back 15 years, but it's recommended that you avoid going further than that. You can certainly list older experiences under an “Early Career Experience” title, but the roles in that list won't contain bullets detailing your accomplishments. 

Use stacking to list multiple roles at the same company: When you have progressed through more than one position within a single company, you'll list the company name first with the total amount of time you were employed there. In the next line, you'll list the last role you had with the company and the time you held that position followed by your achievement bullets. After those bullets, list the previous role you held with the company with the time you were in that role but don't list the company name again. Here's what that looks like:

ABC Company | 03/2007-Present

Senior Leader (05/2015-Present)

Experience that relates to the job to which you're applying.

Example(s) of projects or situations where you used this skill.

1 to 2 accomplishments or measurable results showing your expertise with this skill. 

Associate Leader (03/2007-05/2015)

Your resume isn't meant to be a record of your professional life's events.

Talk about achievements that will intrigue a hiring manager to call you for an interview.

Anytime you can use numbers, it's best to do so.

Your education section

End your resume with an education section, which includes your education, professional development, and any credentials you may possess. List graduation dates only if you're still in school or graduated within the last year. You should also spell out acronyms (e.g., Master of Business Administration rather than MBA). You can put the acronyms in parentheses after the full spelling. This holds true for degrees and school names.

If you didn't graduate, you can still list your higher education on your resume. After you type out the degree you were pursuing and the name of the school, put verbiage that indicates the degree is unfinished. Here's an example:

Bachelor of Science in Business Management | ABC State School | Expected completion: MM/YYYY

When you didn't finish and know you're not going back, simply put the number of credit hours you completed in the place of the “Expected completion” text:

Bachelor of Science in Business Management | ABC State School | 98/120 Credit Hours Completed

Additional sections that may appear on your resume

Some jobs require you to be a member of a particular organization. You may have completed some career-related research or have articles published to which you want to call attention. Put a relevant header for any extra information that you want on your resume and type out the information. 

Formatting headers

Now that you have the content written, it's time to make it look pretty. It's easy to update the text of each header title by enlarging the font and using bold. You can do more, though. 

• Shading: Highlight the “Skills” header and click the down arrow next to the paint bucket icon on the “Paragraph” formatting bar. This will allow you to change the shading behind the header. Be sure to use something that complements any color you've already used and don't let the shading make it so you can't read the header text.
• Borders: With the word “Skills” still highlighted, click the down arrow next to the borders button on the “Paragraph” formatting bar (it's right next to the paint bucket icon). Choose to add a top or bottom border (or both) to your header. The choice is completely yours to use one or both borders.

Whatever formatting you decide to finish with on the “Skills” header needs to be repeated on all headers to ensure a level of consistency within your resume. The only header that wouldn't need formatting is the line you created if you decided to list “Early Career Experience.” You can simply bold that and leave it as simple text. 

Now you have a beautifully formatted, from-scratch resume. In the end, all you needed to know how to do was bold text, change the font, and format shading and borders. 

If you have questions, TopResume has a team of expert resume writers standing by.  

Recommended reading:

• The Hidden Dangers of Using Microsoft Word Resume Templates  
• What's an ATS-Friendly Resume? And How to Write One
• How to Write a Chronological Resume (Tips + Examples)

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

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How to Make a Word Resume in 2024 - 7 Easy Steps

At some point or another - meaning, before online resume builders made our lives easier - most of us have had to make a resume in Word. 

Now, making a resume in Word can be tiresome. Not being entirely optimized for the task, it can give you a hard time formatting and styling your resume to your needs - and this is just one of its disadvantages. 

That being said, the use of Word is unlikely to drop only because it’s impractical. This means that knowing how to make a resume in Word is still a good skill to have. And if you’re sitting and thinking: “well, this doesn’t make matters any easier” - we hear you. 

That’s exactly why this article is here - to teach you how to make a resume in Word, in just a few easy steps. 

• Should You Make a Resume in Word?
• How to Make a Resume in Word in 7 Easy Steps
• How to Format your Resume - 3 Pro Formatting Tips

But before we dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to make a resume in Word, let’s go through the downsides of using it to build your resume, and what other easier alternatives you might have in more detail. 

Should You Make a Resume in Word? 

Microsoft Word might once have been a top resume-building option, but that time is long gone. Although it has ready-made templates, Word in itself was never meant to be a resume builder - this reflects on the end product, which often looks old-fashioned and dull. 

Not to mention that it offers very little space for creativity. Try to make a small change in the layout and see the format crumble in front of your eyes. 

On the other hand, if you simply use the Word template without customizing it, yours might just become another resume in the crowd that won’t even pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) - the software most companies use to filter through countless resumes they receive daily. 

Long story short, here are MS Word’s main cons as a resume builder:

Long story short, here are MS Word’s main cons as a resume builder: 

• It can be clunky and outdated - chances are, any Word template you choose to use for your resume will look old-fashioned. Technology has changed what is expected of your resume, just as it has changed job-search over the last decade.
• It is not ATS-optimized - the software that most recruiters use not to waste time looking at the resumes? Well, most Word templates are not optimized for it. This means that you can be the fittest candidate for the job and not even get invited to an interview.
• It’s time-consuming - making changes to the layout of a Word resume template is a nightmare.

Everyone knows what happens when you move an image in Word:

It’s exactly for these reasons, as well as the added efficiency, originality, and time preservation, that online resume builders are the obvious choice for creating your resume. 

Novorésumé’s online resume builder is fast, easy to use, and perfect if you want to land that interview. You can start building your resume immediately just by clicking on the link, or you can pick one of our free resume templates , according to your needs.

Step #1: Pick a Word Resume Template 

The first step in making a resume in Word is accessing its free resume templates. How you access the templates may change depending on the Microsoft Word version you’re using, but what you ultimately need to do is the following: 

Open Word. 

Select one of the Resume templates Word suggests, or simply search for “resume” and you’ll find a bunch more.

Choose the resume template that best fits your qualifications and professional profile.

Click “Create.” 

You’re good to go: the template should appear as a Word document ready to be filled with your personal information and all other relevant sections. 

Step #2: Create a Resume Header 

From this point on, things should be pretty easy to pick up. 

Start filling up your resume from the top, which is where the resume header is located. Traditionally, the header should include the following information:

• First and last name
• Phone Number
• Location (Street Address, City, State)

You may notice the lack of optional information in this resume template, such as your professional job title , your LinkedIn URL , or social media links. 

If you feel like that info will significantly improve your resume, look for a Word template that includes them, or manually add them to the template you’ve already chosen. We’ll go over some formatting techniques to improve your resume template later on in the article. 

Step #3. Include a Resume Summary or Objective

Next, you need to describe your professional experience or professional goals (in case you lack the experience) through the resume summary or objective. 

Write a resume summary or resume objective - depending on which one best fits your resume - and try to express yourself in a way that will keep the recruiter’s attention for more than the traditional 7 seconds . 

Quick recap: a resume summary is a 2-3 sentence overview of your career and is used in 90% of the cases. A resume objective is more commonly used among those with little professional experience or those who are changing careers and describes your professional goals. 

Step #4: Create a Compelling Work Experience Section

This is where things get serious. 

The work experience section is the most important part of your resume for obvious reasons and usually plays a decisive part in the recruiters’ decisions. So just filling up the gaps in the experience section of the Word template won’t be enough. You should try to make this section as compelling as possible - following some of the tips provided below. 

But first, the basics. As with any standard format, the experience section should include the following components: 

• Job title and position
• Company name and location
• Dates of employment 
• Achievements and responsibilities 

Again, how the resume looks in Word will depend on the template that you have chosen. 

Obviously, the template lets you add as many professional entries as you wish - but that doesn’t mean you should go overboard. List your experience in reverse-chronological order, meaning: start from the latest and move back in time, based on the amount of professional experience you possess. 

There are, of course, a couple of pro tips that you should follow even as you use the Word templates to make your experience section more compelling. 

Pro Tip #1 - List achievements over responsibilities

Notice the example above.

Instead of responsibilities, we have opted to list achievements. Listing achievements over responsibilities whenever possible is one of the best ways to stand out in the eyes of recruiters. That’s because responsibilities are similar for one type of job, while achievements show exactly what you can contribute to the position . 

Pro Tip #2 - Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for.

Another good practice is tailoring your resume to the job you are applying for. This can help you go through the ATS and land your resume right on the recruiters’ tables. 

If you want to know exactly what information to include in your resume, how and when to list achievements over responsibilities, and how to tailor your resume to your job, head over to our complete guide on how to write a resume .

Step #5: Add Your Educational Background 

Things should get quite easy after you get your professional experience section out of the way.

The education section of your resume should include the following: 

• University name and location 
• Years attended
• Program name / Degree obtained 

Optionally, you can include your GPA, Minor degrees, or any special award or academic achievement. Our advice is to include them only if you are a recent graduate or entry-level professional with not much else to include in your resume, or if your education history is truly outstanding. 

Step #6: Make Sure to Include Your Skills

At this point, you can consider most of the work done! 

Now that you have reached the skills section, things get even easier. Make a bullet or numbered list of your hard and soft skills and you’re good to go. 

Hard skills are usually measured through experience levels - you can place your experience level (usually categorized into Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced or Expert ) into brackets, so you don’t take up too much space within the resume. 

Pro Tip #3 - Tailor the skills and qualifications on your resume to the job

Take a look at the essential skills required on the job ad and see if you can incorporate them into your list of skills. 

Step #7: Include Optional Resume Sections 

Congrats - you can finally stretch your legs and even allow yourself a little pat on the back. 

The additional sections are not mandatory in a resume, so if you’ve reached your resume space limit, you can just call it a day and save your resume. 

They are, however, a great way to show off additional assets such as languages, hobbies and interests, and even volunteering experience on your resume ! 

• Remember to also determine your language knowledge levels. Those are Native , Fluent , Proficient , Intermediate , and Basic.  

In the off chance that you still have some space left - considering resumes should be 1-2 pages at most and that Word templates are not as good at saving space as online resume builders - you can include the following optional sections: 

• Certifications and Awards
• Publications 

Follow the same practice as with the skills section, and you’re good to go!

How to Format Your Word Resume 

With all the essentials covered, let’s go over some formatting tips such as fonts, line spacing, and headings so that your Word resume looks as uniform and clean-cut as possible. 

Best Resume Fonts in Word 

We cannot repeat this enough - the resume font you use, matters. It matters just as much as first appearances matter and we all know they do, a lot. 

The font that you decide to use will impact your resume readability whether you like it or not, so you should use a font that will help you stand out, but not in a bad way. What’s a bad way? Comic Sans and other similarly-looking comic fonts. 

The usual Times New Roman, point-12, formula, on the other hand, will just blend you with the crowd. 

Instead, consider using one of the following recruiter-friendly fonts which will complement your resume both on-screen and in printed form, according to Business News Daily :  

• Book Antiqua
• Trebuchet MS

Optimal Line Spacing for a Word Resume  

The good thing about the Word resume template is that it usually has fonts and line spacing covered for you, yet it’s still good to know that the best line spacing for resumes is 1 or 1.15 between text and double lines after headings.

Feel free, however, to play around with line spacing when it comes to adjusting your resume layout.

Headings in a Word Resume

Again, Word templates do a good job of making the headings stand out. As a rule of thumb - and as is noticeable in the above examples - headings should be bigger than the rest of the text. So, if you’re using a 12 pt text, consider adjusting the headings between 14-16 pt. 

You can also underline or bold each resume section heading, or even use a different font, but as we always advise: don’t go overboard and try to maintain the style of the Word resume template that you have chosen.

And by now, you should have a complete resume in Word that looks like this:

Key Takeaways 

Well, here you have it - your nicely tailored resume in Word, ready to land you that job interview. 

Although not the easiest task, we are convinced this article has given you all the necessary information on how to make a resume in Word and the confidence to do so easily. 

Here’s what’s good to remember: 

• Order your resume sections properly, usually in reverse-chronological order. 
• Make sure that your section headings stand out from the rest of the text, by usually using a larger font size.
• Check if your chosen font, line spacing, and margins are aligned, readable, and professional-looking. 
• Opt for an online resume builder such as the one Novorésumé provides for a more modern, time-saving, and HR-friendly resume. 

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