3 key takeaways:
- The most important parts of a resume outline
- Five resume outline examples
- How Teal’s AI Resume Builder helps you build out your resume no matter which outline style you choose
The perfect resume needs all the right information: work experience, relevant skills, education, years of experience, contact information, and more.
But resume writing can be daunting, and sitting down and staring at a blank document is an overwhelming feeling.
Starting the process by selecting and creating a professional resume outline can serve as your blueprint—helping you bypass blank-screen syndrome. With a strong resume outline, you’ll know from the start what information goes where, and you can craft your resume one section at a time.
Understanding resume outlines
A resume outline is a guide for creating your resume. It helps you navigate through your professional history and bridges the gap to the final piece you'll submit with your application, ensuring you don't miss out on showcasing any valuable experience.
Your resume itself isn't just about listing your past jobs; your outline should consider the same; it's about crafting a story that resonates with your future employer and aligns with the role they're looking to fill.
A well-organized resume does more than catch the eye; it speaks directly to recruiters or hiring managers, highlighting your strengths, achievements, and impact in a way they can appreciate.
Be mindful that a resume outline differs from resume templates. A resume template provides a more ready-to-use format, like a pre-designed resume layout.
Key elements of a resume outline
Just like every job is different, every resume is unique, too. But certain elements are essential to crafting a clear and compelling document.
To get started on the right path, all resume outline examples should have the following sections:
- Contact Information: This is how a prospective employer will reach out. Make sure it's clear and professional.
- Professional Resume Summary: Rather than an outdated resume objective, a professional summary is your elevator pitch. Keep it crisp and compelling.
- Work Experience: Detail your past roles, focusing on achievements, not just duties.
- Education Section: A snapshot of your academic credentials. Include degrees (and any relevant courses or coursework if you're a recent graduate or writing a resume with no job experience).
- Skills: List the hard skills you have that are also detailed in a job description—making you a standout candidate.
- Certifications and Awards: These add credibility and recognition to your profile.
- Volunteer Work/Other Interests or Activities: Show your human side. Highlight how you contribute beyond the workplace.
Each section tells a part of your story. Combine them, and you have a narrative that paves the way for new opportunities.
Start your resume with Teal
Want to skip the outline but make sure you have the right resume sections for any job you apply for? The Teal AI Resume Builder has sections for all of your experience and professional skills without the work of creating an outline first.
With step-by-step guidance for writing resume sections and a Drag-and-Drop Editor to reorder them in a way that makes the most sense for your unique experience, as well as resume templates to make formatting a breeze, Teal has everything you need for the resume writing process without the extra steps.
Types of resume outlines
Choosing the right type of basic resume outline format is important to showcase your career story perfectly. Here are the main types:
- Chronological resume outline: Ideal for those with a steady career progression. It's straightforward and recruiter-friendly. If this is the outline for you, checkout these free reverse-chronological templates
- Skills-based resume outline: Great for recent graduates, career pivoters, or those with gaps in employment, this places the "Skills" section directly beneath your professional summary to showcase your technical capabilities.
- Functional Resume Outline: Focuses on skills and achievements rather than timelines. However, it's worth noting a functional resume format can be easily misunderstood or hard to read. It's best to choose one of the other three types.
- Targeted Resume Outline: This type of resume routine is custom-tailored to a job using more specific details like the name of the company and other more company-centric language from the website or job description.
A step-by-step guide for creating a resume outline
Preparing a professional resume is key to making a strong first impression on potential employers.
Below are some steps to create a resume outline—making sure you have all of the necessary information you need in an organized and effective resume format.
Step 1: Identify your sections
Begin by deciding on the main sections your resume will include, such as Professional Resume Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, and Certifications.
Step 2: Gather information
For each section, note down the key information you'll include, like specific job titles, education details, skills, and achievements.
Step 3: Focus on structure and flow
Arrange your resume outline sections in a logical order. Typically, you start with Contact Information and Target Title. Followed by your Professional Resume Summary, Work Experience, Education section, Certification, Skills, and additional sections like Awards or Publications.
Step 4: Define subsections
Within each main section, identify any necessary subsections. For example, under Experience, you'll likely have different jobs listed, each with its own set of resume bullets featuring impact and achievements and corresponding hard and soft skills.
Step 5: Highlight keywords
Take some time and research job descriptions and resume examples for positions that interest you. Identify industry-specific keywords or phrases you'll include in each section.
The Teal AI Resume Builder and Job Application Tracker pull the top hard skills, soft skills, and other important language from any job description.
Step 6: Review and revise
Once your outline is complete, review it to ensure it covers all relevant aspects of your professional background and adjust as needed.
Resume outline examples
Now that you know all that goes into creating your resume outline, let's take a look at some resume outline examples across different levels of professional experience for you to use as inspiration. Feel free to copy and paste these examples and use them as resume outline templates to create your own.
Resume outline example for a recent graduate
I. Header
Full name, contact information, LinkedIn profile URL.
II. Target Title
The title of the job you're applying to.
III: Professional Summary
A brief, enthusiastic introduction focusing on the value you can bring to an employer.
IV: Education
In place of your work experience, list your Degree, major, university, and graduation year. Focus on honors, projects, relevant coursework, and the outcome.
VI. Certifications
Any relevant certifications that speak to the industry or role.
VII. Skills
Any relevant hard skills that align with the job description.
VIII. Optional
Volunteer and Leadership experience
Awards and Scholarships
Publications
Relevant hobbies and interests
Entry-level resume outline example
I. Header
Full name, contact information, LinkedIn profile URL.
II. Target Title
The title of the job you're applying to.
III: Professional Summary
A brief, enthusiastic introduction focusing on the value you can bring to an employer.
IV. Work Experience
Incorporate any relevant work experience, including internships or co-ops—highlighting your job title, skills, and impact for each role.
V. Education
Degree, major, university name, and graduation year. If you're a recent graduate, highlight academic achievements, relevant coursework, and projects.
VI. Certifications
Any relevant certifications that speak to the industry or role.
VII. Skills
Any relevant hard skills that align with the job description you aren't able to list in your resume alongside the corresponding impact.
VIII. Optional
Projects
Volunteer and Leadership experience
Awards and Scholarships
Publications
Mid-career professional resume outline example
I. Header
Full name, contact information, LinkedIn profile URL.
II. Target Title
The title of the job you're applying to.
III: Professional Summary
A concise overview of your career highlighting key achievements, impact, skills, and years of experience.
IV: Work Experience
List jobs in reverse chronological order, emphasizing achievements, impact, and skills.
V. Education
Include your degree, major, university name, and graduation year.
VI. Certifications
Any relevant certifications that speak to the industry or role.
VII. Skills
Any relevant hard skills that align with the job description you aren't able to list in your resume alongside the corresponding impact.
VIII. Optional
Projects
Volunteer and Leadership experience
Awards and Scholarships
Publications
Senior-level executive resume outline example
I. Header
Full name, contact information, LinkedIn profile URL.
II. Target Title
The title of the job you're applying to.
III: Professional Summary
A high-level overview of your career, focusing on leadership, strategic initiatives, and significant achievements.
IV: Work Experience
Detailed descriptions of roles emphasizing leadership, change management, and business outcomes.
V. Education
Include your highest level of education
VI. Certifications
Any relevant certifications that speak to the industry or role.
VIII. Optional
Skills
Projects
Volunteer experience
Awards
Publications
Pro-tip: Check out more executive resume examples and learn how to write one.
Career pivot resume outline example
I. Header
Full name, contact information, LinkedIn profile URL.
II. Target Title
The title of the job you're applying to.
III: Professional Summary
State your new career direction and what you bring to the table. Focus on areas where you do have experiences that align with your new career path, if possible.
IV. Skills
Any relevant hard skills that align with the job description or industry you're applying in.
V. Work Experience
Focus on roles and projects relevant to the new career path. Emphasize transferable skills and corresponding impact.
VI Education
Degree, major, university name, and graduation year.
VII. Certifications
Any relevant certifications that speak to the new industry or role.
VIII. Optional
Volunteer and Leadership experience
Awards and Scholarships
Publications
Common Mistakes to avoid when writing your resume outline
Now that you understand how to write your outline and have seen some resume outline examples, it’s time to get started.
However, as you do, make sure you watch out for these common resume and resume outline mistakes:
- Omits one or more sections
- Organizes information poorly
- Contains outline points or sections that don’t flow logically
- Includes information that’s irrelevant to the resume or the section
- Contains typos or grammatical errors
- Includes good information but in the wrong outline section
- Uses unprofessional contact information
- Employs jargon or acronyms inappropriately
Revisit your resume outline and any information you’ve started to fill into that outline. Read through it, looking for the first item in this list. Then, repeat the process for each additional item.
Additional tips for a powerful resume
Creating an exceptional resume comes down to more than just the resume outline. Here are some tips to help as you move forward through the process.
Optimize for applicant tracking systems (ATS)
Use an ATS-friendly resume template that these digital filing systems can easily scan.
It's also important to use keywords from the job description in your resume because hiring professionals search their ATS systems to find specific skills and qualifications.
Tailor your resume for every application
Tailor your resume for each job you apply for. Highlight experiences and skills that are most relevant to the specific role using keywords and other language from the job description.
Proofread
Always proofread your resume to catch any typos or grammatical errors. Even small mistakes can make a big difference in how you're perceived.
Seek feedback
Get a second pair of eyes on your resume to make sure you've addressed all of the details you need to. If you can't ask for feedback, try a resume checker like Teal's Resume Analysis that will identify any missing details you need to include.
Start your resume with Teal
A resume outline is a blueprint for creating a polished, clear, and accurate document to help you land an interview—and even your dream job. But creating outlines—even with free resume templates—is time-consuming and takes a lot of extra effort.
So why not skip it altogether?
Teal’s free AI Resume Builder can help you create an optimized resume from start to finish with professional step-by-step guidance—without worrying about a resume outline.
Use Teal’s powerful tools to build your resume section by section, then tailor your content to any job you apply to using the right keywords and details. No extra steps, no missing pieces, just resume creation made easy.
So skip the outline—sign up for a free Teal account today!
