Most resume sites hand you a blank box and wish you luck. We start you somewhere closer to done. Every example below gives you a starting summary, a list of skills, and experience bullet points written in plain English for that specific job. Find your category, open the role closest to yours, take what's true for you, and build the rest in our free resume builder. No sign-up, and no fee to download.
Each category also has its own advice, because what a hiring manager at a warehouse looks for is different from what a dental office or a daycare looks for. Read the short note at the top of your category before you start. It will tell you what to put first.
Blue Collar
Hands-on, shift-based work where employers care most about three things: that you show up, that you work safely, and that you can do the physical job. Put your certifications and licenses near the top (forklift, CDL, OSHA 10, ServSafe, a guard card), list the equipment you can run by name, and use numbers wherever you can, like orders picked per hour, trucks loaded per shift, or years without a safety incident. A perfect attendance record is worth mentioning here.
Frontline & Service
- Warehouse / Logistics resume example
- Food Service resume example
- Retail Associate resume example
- Customer Service Rep resume example
- Security Guard resume example
- Housekeeping / Janitorial resume example
- Landscaping / Groundskeeping resume example
Trades & Transportation
Healthcare
Healthcare employers check credentials before anything else, so lead with them: your certification or license, the state it's from, and whether it's current. CPR and BLS belong near the top too. After that, show patient care and accuracy. Mention the kinds of patients you've worked with, the charting or scheduling software you know, and anything that shows you follow privacy rules and procedures carefully.
Office & Admin
Office jobs are about keeping things organized and moving. Name the software you use by name, like Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, or a phone system, and give your typing speed if it's strong. Show volume and accuracy with numbers: calls handled per day, invoices processed per week, records entered without errors. Office resumes get read by applicant tracking systems more often than most, so a clean, simple layout matters here.
Childcare & Education
People hiring for work with children want to know two things right away: that kids are safe with you, and that you can keep a group engaged. List your background check clearance, CPR and first aid, and any child development training (a CDA credential, early childhood classes, or paraprofessional testing). Then give the age groups you've worked with and the size of the groups you've handled. Parenting and volunteer experience with children count here.
Entry-Level Management
Your first supervisor job asks a new question: can you get the work done through other people? Show that you already lead, even without the title. Put training new hires, running shifts, holding keys, covering for your manager, and solving problems for the team at the top of each job. Write bullets with team size, what you did, and the result, and stack your titles under one employer if you were promoted. Our full guide on how to write a resume for your first management job has leadership lines you can copy.
Executive Management
An executive resume is a record of business results, not a list of duties. Open with a short executive summary, then give every leadership role a one-line scope statement covering team size, budget or revenue, locations, and who you reported to. Under it, list three to five achievements measured in money, growth, efficiency, or people. Two pages is normal, with the most detail for the last ten to fifteen years. Our full guide on how to write an executive resume shows how, with lines you can copy.
Self-Employed & Business Owners
Running your own business, freelancing, or driving for delivery apps is real work experience, and it belongs on your resume. List it like a job with a clear title, your business name or "Self-Employed," and results like customers served, sales, repeat business, and ratings. Group gig apps and freelance clients into one entry instead of many. Have long-time clients or customers ready as references, since you won't have a former boss to call. Our full guide on how to put self-employment on a resume shows exactly how.
IT Workers & Managers
IT resumes are screened by software first, so make them easy to scan. Put a grouped technical skills section and your certifications near the top, then write bullets that show results: tickets resolved, users supported, devices deployed, uptime kept, and time saved through automation. Use the exact tool names from the job posting when they're true for you. New to IT? A starter certification, a home lab project, and strong customer service experience can open the door. Our full guide on how to write an IT resume has before-and-after lines you can copy.
Government Employees
Government hiring runs on written qualifications, so your resume has to prove each one plainly. For federal jobs on USAJOBS, keep your resume to two pages and give every job a title, month/year dates, and hours per week, plus the series and grade for any federal job. For state and local jobs, fill out the full application form and make sure your dates and duties clearly add up to the minimum qualifications. Use the job posting's own words wherever they honestly describe your work. Our full guide on how to write a government resume covers federal, state, and local applications step by step.
Non-Profit Employees & Managers
Nonprofits hire people who care about the mission and can prove they get results with limited resources. Open your resume with one sentence that connects you to the cause, then back it up with numbers: people served, volunteers managed, dollars raised, or programs run on a tight budget. Volunteer work counts as real experience here, so list it like a job. Titles vary widely between organizations, so describe the size of what you handled instead of relying on your title. Our full guide on how to write a nonprofit resume has before-and-after examples you can copy.
Special Situations
These examples are for the moments when a regular template doesn't fit your story: a first job with no work history, a return after years of caregiving, a fresh start after incarceration, or a switch into a new field. The approach is the same in each. Lead with skills and training instead of dates, count unpaid work that was real work, and keep any explanation short and forward-looking. Our guide on how to explain a gap in your resume has wording you can copy.
Found your role? Start your free resume now. Want more help first? Read our resume articles.