A simple resume builder with clean designs

A simple resume has fewer headings and plainer words, so a recruiter can take it in at a glance. A simple resume builder takes care of the layout, which leaves you to decide what goes on the page. Those choices are easiest to make one section at a time, as you fill each one in.

How do I keep a resume simple as I build it?

Ask three questions as you fill in each section, starting with the one that saves the most space:

1. Sections: does this job need it, or could a small extra, like a single award, sit inside a bigger section?
2. Lines: which few bullets matter most for this posting? Keep those and cut any that repeat another.
3. Words: could an everyday word replace a long phrase or a term only your employer would know? Swap it in.

Asking them as you go is quicker than cutting back a finished page later.

Which sections can I merge or drop?

Fold a small extra section, such as a lone award or a single certification, into a bigger one, and drop any section that repeats what's already on the page. Contact details, summary, work history, education and skills keep their own headings. Look at these extras first:

• Certifications and licenses: list them together under one heading instead of two short ones.
• Awards: put each one under the job or school where you earned it, so it sits next to the work it rewards.
• An objective and a summary: keep one, usually the summary, since they cover the same ground.
• Core competencies and skills: two lists of skills nearly always overlap, so combine them into one.
• A single volunteer role: add it to your work history, labeled as volunteer, when it shows experience the job asks for.

Fewer headings give a recruiter fewer places to look. Our list of resume headers to include and leave out covers which headings are worth keeping.

Which words make a resume harder to read?

Buzzwords, strings of adjectives and terms only your employer would know. Each one takes up space without telling a recruiter what you actually did:

• Buzzwords such as "results-driven," "self-starter" and "go-getter," which any applicant could claim.
• Acronyms and project names from inside your company. "Led the SPARK rollout" means little to an outsider, while "Rolled out new scheduling software to 40 employees" makes sense anywhere.
• Strings of adjectives, like "highly motivated, hardworking and passionate." One fact about your work says more than all three.
• Long phrases with a shorter twin: write "use" for "utilize," "to" for "in order to" and a plain verb in place of "was responsible for."

One exception: keep the industry terms and skills the job posting names, since recruiters and screening software look for those exact words. Everything else can be plain. Write each bullet as one sentence that starts with a verb, and end it on a result when you have one: "Responsible for handling a high volume of customer inquiries" becomes "Answered about 60 customer calls a day." When an opening word feels vague, our guide to action verbs helps you pick a sharper one, and the expert lines the builder suggests for your role give you a first draft to pare down. Write numbers as digits, too, so they stand out.

Why does a simple layout work for recruiters and screening software?

Because both look for familiar headings first. A recruiter with a long list of applicants often skims the headings and the first line under each, then decides whether to keep going. Applicant tracking systems, the software many employers use to sort applications, are built to recognize common headings like Work History and Education, so an inventive label such as "Where I've Made an Impact" is harder for them to place. The hiring research further down shows how crowded hiring has become, so put your best facts where a recruiter's first look lands. If you're tempted to cut hard, our guide to minimalist resumes warns against trimming away the keywords a screener looks for. Every design in the gallery below uses standard headings, and you can rearrange the sections to put your strongest one first.

Build a simple resume in Rocket Resume, step by step

There's nothing to learn before you start. Each screen covers one part of your resume, which makes it easy to ask those three questions as you go, and the preview fills in as you type. You can try a different design without retyping and save your resume to an account to finish another day. The reviews show how other job seekers found it. Four short steps get you there:

1. Tell us how much experience you have, then pick the plainest design you like.
2. Enter your jobs one at a time and add the suggested lines that describe your work.
3. Trim those lines into plain words and watch the preview update with every change.
4. When there's nothing left to cut, download your resume and start sending it out.

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