How to Build a Resume That Gets You Hired in 2026

A strong resume in 2026 should make it clear what you’ve done, what you bring to the role, and how your experience matches what the employer needs. It also needs to be easy for an applicant tracking system (ATS) to process and quick for a recruiter to scan. And if you use AI while writing it, the final version should still sound like you.

If you’re building your resume from scratch, start with a simple format, put your most relevant experience first, and use specific examples to back up your achievements. This guide walks you through what to include, how to format your resume, and how to make it ATS-friendly. If you’re looking for a resume maker to help with the process, Toptal Resume combines AI-assisted writing, ATS checking, and other resume-building tools in one place.

What Makes a Resume "Built to Get Hired" in 2026

How to Build Your Resume, Step by Step

1. Choose the Right Format

Most applicants should use a reverse-chronological format, with the most recent role placed first. It gives the reader a straightforward view of your career history and is familiar to both recruiters and applicant tracking systems.

Functional or skills-based resumes can make sense in specific situations, but they can also make your work history harder to follow. Unless you have a good reason to use another format, reverse chronology is the safer choice.

2. Open With Contact Info and a Summary

Place your name and contact information, like phone number and email address, at the top of your resume. You can also include your LinkedIn URL, as long as your profile is up-to-date and contains details relevant to your job search.

Continue with a professional summary. Don't forget that your resume has very limited space, so use it to show the employer what you bring to the role. Include two or three sentences to highlight your experience and strengths that are most relevant to the target role.

3. Write Work Experience Bullets That Show Results

For each role, include your title, company, dates, and three to five bullets to describe your experience. A strong bullet gives the reader more than a list of responsibilities. Explain what you did, how you did it, and what came out of it.

For example, “Managed a team of six through a product launch that shipped two weeks ahead of schedule” is more informative than “Responsible for managing a team.”

While numbers are important, you don’t need to force a number into every bullet. Not every accomplishment has a percentage or impressive metrics. The point is to stay truthful while giving the reader enough detail to understand your value.

4. Add Skills That Match the Job

Make sure to read the job description before you complete your skills section. Find the technical skills, tools, and certifications the employer actually requires. If a skill in the posting accurately reflects your experience, use the employer’s terminology to include it in your skills section. This can make the connection between your background and the role easier to see.

Don’t add keywords just because they sound good or are common in your industry. If you don’t have the experience, putting the term on your resume won’t make you a stronger candidate. In some cases, it can also create the wrong impression when a recruiter reads the rest of your experience.

5. Keep Education and Certifications Short

For experienced candidates, including your degree, institution, and relevant certifications is more than enough. If you’re early in your career, relevant coursework, academic projects, honors, or other details can help fill out the picture and make up for the lack of real-world work experience. Even then, focus on information that matches the target role instead of including everything.

6. Make Your Resume Easy to Scan

Your resume doesn’t need a complex layout to make an impression. Pick a readable font, use clear headings, and leave enough space between sections. This will make it easier for recruiters to read the resume. A single-column format works well for most candidates, while tables, text boxes, and graphics can cause problems when an ATS reads the file.

7. Use AI for Editing

AI can be useful when you’re working on a resume, especially if you already have the information you want to include. Instead of using it to write the resume for you, it's better to use it for brainstorming, tightening bullets, reorganizing information, or suggesting clearer ways to describe your achievements. Harvard’s career services guidance similarly recommends using AI for editing and brainstorming rather than relying on it to write the content.

Before you submit the resume, read through the final version yourself. Make sure the details are accurate and that the wording sounds like something you would actually say.

Build Your Resume With Toptal Resume

If you’d rather use a resume maker to create or polish your resume, Toptal Resume combines an AI-assisted resume builder with guidance developed by Toptal’s hiring professionals. You can start from scratch or upload your existing resume, then edit the content and formatting in the builder.

The builder can revise the wording, recommend bullets for your target role, upgrade your summary, and pull out relevant skills from your experience. You can then change or remove anything that doesn’t sound right before finalizing it.

Toptal Resume also includes an ATS checker, which lets you review your resume before you apply, along with a cover letter builder for the rest of your application.

FAQ

1. Is it free to build a resume online?

You can find resume builders that let you create and edit a resume for free, but sometimes downloading the finished document requires a paid plan. Free options can also limit the available templates, file formats, and other advanced features.

Toptal Resume lets you build and edit your resume without an account. When you’re ready to download it, you can start with a 7-day trial for $0.99, followed by $6.99 per month on the annual plan.

2. What makes a resume ATS-friendly?

An ATS-friendly resume uses a simple layout and makes the relevant information easy to find. Use standard section headings, a readable font, conventional job titles, and a layout that keeps your experience easy to read.

Avoid tables, text boxes, graphics, and complex columns when possible. There’s no need to add design elements just to make the resume look more impressive. It's more important to make sure the content itself clearly reflects the skills and experience relevant to the job.

3. Which is the best resume template to use?

The best resume templates are the ones that are easy to read by both human readers and ATS. It means that they avoid overly complex layouts and heavy graphics and use standard headings and fonts. That said, some application situations and more advanced screening tools allow more liberty, and you can use some color or split the content of your resume into two columns.

4. Do I need a different resume for every job?

You don’t need to start over for every application. A better approach is to keep a strong base resume and adjust it for the roles you’re actually pursuing.

You may want to change the summary, reorder skills, or adjust a few experience bullets to put the most relevant parts of your background first. Use the job description as a guide, but don’t add experience or skills you don’t have just to match the posting.

5. Can I use AI to help write my resume?

You can use AI for organizing information, tightening a bullet, suggesting clearer wording, or helping you get started when you’re not sure how to structure something.

The important part is the material you’re giving it. Your experience, responsibilities, and achievements should come from you. Before you submit the resume, read the finished version carefully and make sure every detail is accurate and the writing sounds natural to you.

6. How long should a resume be?

One page is enough for candidates with limited experience, but there’s no universal one-page rule for all candidates. If you have over five years of experience and the content is relevant to the position, a two-page resume is perfectly reasonable. The goal is to include enough information to make your case without adding less relevant experience simply to fill space.