How to Create a Professional Resume in Google Docs

Your resume is often the first impression you make on potential employers, so it needs to stand out. Google Docs makes it easier than ever to create a professional-looking resume. Here's how to create a professional resume in Google Docs .

What to include in a resume

Main work experience

Whether you're applying for a full-time or freelance position, the company hiring you needs to know if you fit their criteria. Include your most important work experience.

To determine what's important, read the job description or research the company website. Then, write down your work experience to see where it fits the company's needs. Instead of just listing roles and responsibilities, consider the results you achieved and add content where appropriate.

Once you've figured out what makes you a viable candidate, you can use ChatGPT to write your resume.

Contact information

Putting effort into a resume is pointless if you don't give the hiring manager a way to contact me, and for this reason, I always include my email address at the top of my resume.

I used to include my cell phone number, but since most of my work is online now, that's pretty pointless. However, if you're looking for a job back home, you might want to include it as well. I never include my home address because if my resume falls into the wrong hands, I could expose myself.

Core Skills

While many companies used to hire employees based solely on their skills, company culture has become much more important. For this reason, you should list your most important soft and hard skills to make your resume stand out.

It's also important to list in-demand soft skills, such as critical thinking. You should include a three-sentence personal statement at the top of your resume.

Once you have a specific outline for each of these areas, jump into Google Docs and start compiling information.

Select a resume template

Google Docs offers several useful resume templates to choose from. Go to Template Gallery > Resumes to select a template. For this example, choose the Modern Writer resume template .

Some non-resume-specific templates in Google Docs, such as the instructional notes and lesson plan options, are also useful for creating resumes.

Change fonts, colors and backgrounds

Let's start with the basics before diving into the specifics. If you're new to creating a resume using Google Docs, stick to neutral colors. However, if you're applying for a specific job, try branding your resume with the company colors. This example changes the pink text to blue by selecting the text and going to the Text color icon.

If you want to change your resume background color:

1. Go to File and select Page setup .
2. Expand Page color and select the background color you like.

Group important information

After tweaking the design, it's time to improve your resume. For example, I changed the Skills section at the top to a brief introduction that complements other application materials, such as a cover letter.

Now it's time to move on to your work experience. Whether or not chronological order is important is up to you. In this example, the most important thing is to put the most relevant information at the top of your resume. You should focus on results and use no more than three bullet points.

You'll need to decide for yourself how important it is to include your education. If you're applying for a job as a surgeon, it should probably be near the top of your resume, and your degree might be near the top if you attended a prestigious university. But if you're a creative person (like a writer or photographer), it might not be as important as your personal experience.

Add achievement details

Adding a few achievements can sometimes make your CV more impressive, especially if they are relevant to the job I am applying for. You may also want to add a few interesting facts about yourself in a few simple bullet points.

Review and Export

Once you've completed your resume, you can ask ChatGPT for feedback or get advice from a family member. Then, go back to Google Docs and make any necessary adjustments and make sure there aren't any incorrect job descriptions.

Next, review the document with Grammarly to catch any typos. And finally, export the file as a PDF by going to File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf) . The file is then ready to attach to any app or email.

Export resume from Google Docs

Google Docs makes it super easy to create a resume. It's the perfect tool for anyone who needs a simple yet professional way to write an engaging resume. Google Docs works especially well when paired with other tools like AI chatbots.

Jessica Tanner

Update 09 December 2024