Resume maker: Make your resume online

Yes, you can make a complete resume on your phone. The resume maker runs in your phone's web browser, so you open it like any website and work through the same steps as on a computer. Plenty of people make theirs in short bursts between other things, and a few habits make that easier.

What to gather before you start

A few minutes of gathering saves the most time on a small screen. Have these to hand:

• Put your job titles, employers and start and end dates in a note, so you can copy them in.
• Keep your school, program and graduation year handy.
• Check that your email address sounds professional and that you answer the phone number you'll list.
• Have a sentence or two in mind about the job you want next.

Which sections should you fill in first?

Start with your work history, because it takes the longest and the suggestions help most there. Contact details, education and skills are quick to add once that part is done, and the summary is easiest to write last, when you can see what the rest of your resume says.

How to type less on a small screen

Suggested lines save the most typing. Pick your job title, add the lines that describe your work, then edit the details instead of writing every word from scratch. When a suggestion almost fits, change a word or two rather than starting over. Short lines read better on any screen, so aim for one idea per line, starting with a strong action verb.

Your phone's voice typing can help with longer fields such as your summary. Dictate a rough version, then tidy the punctuation and cut any filler words before you move on.

How to pick up where you left off

Save as you go, and your resume is waiting in your account on your phone or a computer whenever you return. That makes it easy to start on the bus and finish the details at a desk. Get into the habit of saving before you close the browser tab. If you're applying for different kinds of jobs, make a duplicate in My Library before you tailor it, so the original stays intact.

Make My Resume

Which design reads well on any screen?

A clean template with clear headings and generous spacing. It will look sharp on a recruiter's monitor and stay easy for you to check on your own phone. Save the bolder designs for design, marketing and other fields where the look of the page counts.

Should you finish on a phone or a computer?

Either works, so use whichever you have when you have the time. A phone is handy for getting the facts down in spare moments, while a bigger screen makes the final read-through easier because the whole page fits at once.

How to check your resume before you send it

Before you download, open the preview and read every line. On a narrow screen it's easy to miss a wrong date or a doubled word, so zoom in on your contact details and job dates.

If you can, read it once more on a bigger screen, or ask a friend to look it over and tell you what stands out first. A second reader catches the mistakes you have read past.

Where to get more help with the words

For the wording of each part, see how to write a resume. For layout questions such as length and spacing, the resume format guide has answers. And when a line won't come, look at how other people in your job describe the same work, then put it in your own words.