Resume and CV Examples

Real resume examples and CV samples you can copy and adapt for your own job search. Below you will find six complete, professional resume examples across different careers and experience levels, along with the resume formats explained, what to include, how to make an ATS friendly resume, and answers to the questions job seekers ask most.

Entry level resume example

Recent graduate, Business

MAYA ELLISON Chicago, IL | maya.ellison@email.com | (312) 555-0148 | linkedin.com/in/mayaellison SUMMARY Recent business graduate with hands on experience in social media, email marketing, and event coordination through internships and student leadership. Organized, deadline driven, and comfortable turning data into simple decisions. Seeking an entry level marketing or business coordinator role. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing Concentration State University, Chicago, IL | Graduated May 2026 | GPA 3.7 Relevant coursework: Marketing Analytics, Consumer Behavior, Digital Strategy, Business Statistics EXPERIENCE Marketing Intern, Brightline Media | Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 Built and scheduled a weekly content calendar across three social channels Helped grow client Instagram engagement by 22 percent over the summer Drafted email newsletters and tracked open and click rates in a shared report Social Media Lead, University Entrepreneurship Society | Sep 2024 to May 2026 Grew the society Instagram following from 400 to 3,100 in one academic year Planned and promoted six campus events with average attendance of 80 students Reported weekly analytics and adjusted content based on saves and shares SKILLS Social media management, email marketing, Google Analytics, Canva, Excel, content planning, copywriting, basic SQL ACTIVITIES Member, American Marketing Association student chapter Volunteer, local nonprofit social media support program

Career change resume example

Retail moving into project coordination

DANIEL OKAFOR Austin, TX | daniel.okafor@email.com | (512) 555-0193 | linkedin.com/in/danielokafor SUMMARY Retail team leader with seven years of experience coordinating people, schedules, and budgets, now moving into project coordination. Proven at keeping moving parts on track under deadline pressure and communicating clearly across teams. Comfortable with planning tools and process improvement. SKILLS Project planning, stakeholder communication, scheduling, budgeting, process improvement, Asana, Trello, Microsoft Project, Excel, vendor coordination, conflict resolution EXPERIENCE Store Operations Lead, Northgate Retail | Mar 2021 to Present Coordinated daily operations for a 24 person team across two shifts Planned and executed four store resets on schedule and under budget Reduced stockroom turnaround time by 30 percent by redesigning the workflow Tracked weekly KPIs and reported progress to the regional manager Assistant Manager, Cedar Lane Goods | Jun 2018 to Mar 2021 Managed staff scheduling for up to 15 employees with zero coverage gaps Coordinated seasonal promotions involving merchandising, signage, and vendors Trained nine new hires using a checklist process I documented and standardized EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in Communication University of Texas, Austin, TX | 2018 CERTIFICATIONS Google Project Management Certificate, 2025 CompTIA Project Plus, in progress

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Software engineer resume example

Mid level, Full stack

TOMAS WHITFIELD Remote (US) | tomas.whitfield@email.com | (206) 555-0172 | github.com/twhitfield SUMMARY Full stack software engineer with four years of experience shipping production features across React, TypeScript, Node, and PostgreSQL. Focused on reliable systems, clean pull requests, and mentoring. Comfortable owning a feature end to end from scoping to support. SKILLS Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, Python Frontend: React, Next.js, Redux, HTML, CSS, Tailwind Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, Redis, REST, GraphQL Tools: Docker, AWS, GitHub Actions, Jest, Playwright EXPERIENCE Software Engineer, Foldwise | Jul 2023 to Present Rebuilt the document import pipeline with a chunked background queue, cutting failures by 92 percent and import time from 40 seconds to under 6 Shipped a real time collaboration feature used by 40 percent of active accounts Mentored two junior engineers and led the team move to typed API contracts Reduced flaky test runs by 70 percent by stabilizing the end to end suite Junior Software Engineer, Pellan Systems | Jun 2022 to Jul 2023 Built and maintained internal dashboards in React and Node Wrote integration tests that raised backend coverage from 48 to 81 percent Resolved production incidents on a rotating on call schedule EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Pacific State University | 2022

Project manager resume example

Senior, PMP certified

PRIYA NATARAJAN Denver, CO | priya.natarajan@email.com | (720) 555-0117 | linkedin.com/in/priyanatarajan SUMMARY Senior project manager and PMP with nine years leading cross functional programs in software and operations. Delivered multi million dollar initiatives on time and on budget by aligning stakeholders, managing risk early, and keeping teams focused on outcomes over activity. SKILLS Program management, Agile and Scrum, waterfall, risk management, budgeting, roadmapping, stakeholder alignment, Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, change management, vendor management EXPERIENCE Senior Project Manager, Vantage Solutions | Feb 2020 to Present Led a 2.4 million dollar platform migration delivered two weeks ahead of schedule Managed a portfolio of up to six concurrent projects across three departments Cut average project overrun from 18 percent to under 4 percent in two years Introduced a lightweight risk review that prevented two major launch delays Project Manager, Hartwell Group | Jan 2017 to Feb 2020 Coordinated teams of up to 20 across engineering, design, and marketing Standardized intake and reporting, reducing status meeting time by 40 percent Delivered 14 projects with a 95 percent on time completion rate EDUCATION Bachelor of Business Administration University of Colorado | 2015 CERTIFICATIONS Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

Registered nurse resume example

Healthcare, 5 years

SOFIA REYES, RN, BSN Phoenix, AZ | sofia.reyes@email.com | (602) 555-0166 | linkedin.com/in/sofiareyesrn SUMMARY Compassionate registered nurse with five years of medical surgical and telemetry experience. Skilled in patient assessment, care coordination, and clear communication with patients and families. Known for staying calm under pressure and mentoring new nurses on the unit. LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS Registered Nurse, Arizona State Board of Nursing, active Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) SKILLS Patient assessment, telemetry monitoring, IV therapy, wound care, medication administration, care coordination, discharge planning, Epic EHR, patient education, BLS and ACLS EXPERIENCE Registered Nurse, Telemetry Unit, Desert Valley Medical Center | Aug 2022 to Present Provide direct care for up to 5 acuity patients per shift on a 36 bed unit Helped lower unit fall rate by 28 percent by leading a hourly rounding initiative Precept new graduate nurses through a 12 week onboarding program Coordinate discharge planning with case management and physical therapy Registered Nurse, Medical Surgical Unit, Saguaro General Hospital | Jun 2021 to Aug 2022 Managed post operative care and pain management for surgical patients Maintained accurate documentation in Epic with zero medication errors on record Recognized with a quarterly DAISY nomination for patient advocacy EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Nursing Arizona State University | 2021

Sales resume example

Account Executive

JORDAN ALVAREZ Atlanta, GA | jordan.alvarez@email.com | (404) 555-0139 | linkedin.com/in/jordanalvarez SUMMARY Results driven account executive with six years of B2B sales experience and a record of exceeding quota. Strong at full cycle selling, building pipeline, and turning a discovery call into a closed deal. Trusted to handle complex accounts and mentor newer reps. SKILLS Full cycle sales, prospecting, discovery, negotiation, pipeline management, Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, forecasting, account expansion, consultative selling EXPERIENCE Account Executive, Cedar Park Software | Apr 2022 to Present Closed 1.8 million dollars in new annual recurring revenue last year, 124 percent of quota Grew average deal size by 31 percent by selling to multiple stakeholders Maintained a healthy 3x pipeline coverage across two consecutive years Mentored three new account executives, two of whom hit quota in their first year Sales Development Representative, Meadow Analytics | Mar 2020 to Apr 2022 Booked an average of 22 qualified meetings per month, top of a team of 12 Built outbound sequences that lifted reply rates from 4 to 9 percent Promoted to account executive after eighteen months EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Georgia State University | 2019 AWARDS President's Club, 2024 Rookie of the Year, 2021

Resume formats explained

There are three main resume formats, and the right one depends on your situation. The reverse chronological format lists your experience from most recent to oldest and is what most recruiters and applicant tracking systems expect. The functional format leads with skills and groups your experience by capability rather than date. The hybrid, sometimes called the combination format, opens with a strong summary and skills section and then backs it up with a chronological work history.

For most people, the reverse chronological resume format is the safest and most effective choice, which is why the software engineer, project manager, nurse, and sales resume examples above all use it. The hybrid format is a good fit when you want to foreground a specific skill set, and you can see it in the career change resume example, where transferable skills sit near the top. The purely functional format is the riskiest, because it can read as if you are hiding gaps, so use it sparingly.

  • Chronological: experience newest to oldest. Best for steady career growth.
  • Functional: organized by skill rather than date. Use with caution.
  • Hybrid: a strong summary and skills block, then a chronological history.
  • When in doubt, choose chronological, it is what ATS systems expect.

What to include on a resume

Every resume example on this page includes the same core sections, because recruiters look for them in roughly the same order. At the top you have your name and contact details, then a short professional summary, then experience, skills, and education. Depending on your field you may add certifications, licenses, projects, or awards. The nurse resume example, for instance, puts licenses and certifications high up because they are non negotiable for the role.

Lead each experience entry with your job title, employer, and dates, then list achievements rather than duties. The phrase to remember is results, not responsibilities. Instead of writing that you were responsible for managing a team, write that you managed a team of six and cut cost per lead by a third. Numbers make a resume believable, and they are the easiest way to stand out from candidates who only describe what they were supposed to do.

  • Contact details: name, location, email, phone, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link.
  • Professional summary: two or three lines on who you are and what you offer.
  • Experience: title, employer, dates, and three to five achievement bullets each.
  • Skills: a focused list of tools and abilities relevant to the job.
  • Education and any certifications, licenses, projects, or awards that fit.

How to make an ATS friendly resume

Most applications pass through an applicant tracking system before a human sees them, so an ATS friendly resume is not optional. The good news is that an ATS friendly resume and a human friendly resume look almost identical. Use a clean, single column layout with standard section headings, save as a PDF or DOCX, and avoid stuffing important information into headers, footers, tables, or images that a parser can miss.

The other half of ATS friendliness is keywords. Read the job description and mirror the exact terms it uses for skills and tools, as long as they are genuinely true of you. If a posting asks for project management and Jira, those words should appear naturally in your resume. The resume examples above weave role specific keywords into the summary, skills, and experience sections without keyword stuffing, which is exactly the balance you want.

  • Use a simple single column layout with standard headings like Experience and Skills.
  • Save as PDF or DOCX, not an image or an unusual file type.
  • Mirror the exact skill and tool keywords from the job description.
  • Avoid critical text inside headers, footers, tables, columns, or graphics.
  • Use a common, readable font and keep formatting consistent.

How to use these resume examples

These resume examples are meant to be adapted, not copied line for line. Find the resume sample closest to your career and experience level, keep its structure and section order, and replace the content with your own real history. The entry level resume example is a good model if you are a recent graduate, while the project manager and sales resume examples show how to lead with measurable outcomes once you have a track record.

As you adapt a resume template, focus on the achievement bullets, because that is where candidates win or lose. Take a plain duty and rewrite it as a result with a number attached. Then run your draft against the actual job description and make sure the most important keywords appear naturally. A resume sample gets you 80 percent of the way, and your specific, quantified achievements do the rest.

Resume mistakes to avoid

Most resumes get rejected for a small set of avoidable reasons. The biggest is listing responsibilities instead of results, which makes every candidate read the same. The resume examples here avoid that by attaching numbers to nearly every bullet. The second common mistake is length. A resume should usually be one page for early career and up to two pages for experienced professionals, never more unless you are in academia or a field that expects a long CV.

Other frequent errors include typos, an unprofessional email address, dense walls of text with no white space, and a generic summary that could belong to anyone. Tailoring matters here too. A resume that is not adjusted at all for the specific job will lose to one that mirrors the posting. Proofread carefully, keep formatting consistent, and make sure the document is easy to skim in the few seconds a recruiter will give it.

  • Listing duties instead of quantified achievements.
  • Going over one page early in your career or two pages later on.
  • Typos, inconsistent formatting, and an unprofessional email address.
  • A generic summary that is not tailored to the job.
  • Dense paragraphs with no white space, making the page hard to scan.
  • Ignoring keywords from the job description, which can trip up the ATS.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best resume format?

For most people the reverse chronological format is best, because it lists your experience newest to oldest and is what recruiters and applicant tracking systems expect. A hybrid format works well if you want to foreground specific skills, while the purely functional format is best used sparingly.

How long should a resume be?

One page is the standard for students and early career professionals, and up to two pages is fine once you have several years of relevant experience. Going beyond two pages is rarely a good idea outside of academic or scientific CVs.

What should I include on a resume?

Include your contact details, a short professional summary, your work experience with quantified achievements, a focused skills list, and your education. Add certifications, licenses, projects, or awards where they are relevant to the role.

What is the difference between a resume and a CV?

In the US a resume is a short, one to two page summary tailored to a job, while a CV is a longer academic document. In the UK, Europe, and much of the world, CV simply means resume. The resume examples on this page work for both uses.

How do I make an ATS friendly resume?

Use a clean single column layout with standard headings, save as PDF or DOCX, and mirror the exact skill and tool keywords from the job description. Avoid putting important text in headers, footers, tables, columns, or images that a parser can miss.

Do I need a resume summary?

A short professional summary of two or three lines is worth including, especially for career changers and experienced candidates. It gives the reader an instant sense of who you are and what you offer before they reach your experience.

How many bullet points should each job have?

Aim for three to five achievement bullets per role, with more for your most recent and relevant positions and fewer for older or less relevant ones. Lead with results and numbers rather than a list of duties.

Should I include references on my resume?

No. References do not belong on a modern resume, and the line available upon request is unnecessary. Keep references on a separate document and provide them only when an employer asks.

Can I copy these resume examples?

Use them as templates, not as content to copy directly. Keep the structure and section order, then replace every detail with your own real history and quantified achievements. A copied resume that does not reflect you will not survive an interview.

What is a simple resume example?

A simple resume example uses a clean single column layout with a summary, experience, skills, and education, no graphics or columns. The samples above are deliberately simple, which also makes them ATS friendly and easy for recruiters to scan.

Should I tailor my resume for each job?

Yes. At minimum, adjust your summary and skills to mirror the keywords in each job description and reorder bullets so the most relevant achievements come first. A tailored resume consistently beats a generic one with both the ATS and the recruiter.

Do I still need a cover letter if my resume is strong?

Yes. A strong resume gets you scanned, but a tailored cover letter is what gets you remembered. CoverLetterMaker pairs with your resume by reading the job description and writing a tailored cover letter in seconds, with an instant PDF, free to start.

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