Crafting the Perfect General Resume: Your 2024 Guide

Key Insights

• Discover how a general resume provides a flexible foundation for your job search.
• Learn to create a polished and effective general resume through a detailed section-by-section guide, complete with expert advice.
• Understand common pitfalls to avoid, ensuring your general resume remains impactful.

The concept of a general resume seems simple enough, but creating one can be challenging.

What should you include? Can it be used for various job applications? And in today's world of tailored applications and applicant tracking systems (ATS), is it still relevant?

The answer is yes – everyone should have a general resume, but many either skip this step or misuse it.

In this guide, you'll learn when and how to use a general resume, what to include, and best practices for creating one.

What is a General Resume, and When Should You Use It?

A general resume is a customizable base version of your resume. It's not tailored to a specific job but isn't a generic, one-size-fits-all document either.

It emphasizes the skills, experience, and value you offer to a particular type of role or industry. Unlike a fully tailored resume, which is designed for a specific job description, a general resume provides a solid foundation for customization when applying for specific positions.

You can use it when:

• Someone in your network asks for your resume.
• You're expressing interest through a company's career page.
• You're applying through a job board without a specific job in mind.
• You need a strong base to quickly tailor for specific opportunities.

It's important to remember that a general resume isn't a shortcut to avoid tailoring. Don't use it to apply for every job. This approach may seem efficient, but it's often counterproductive.

Applying with a high-quality, targeted resume will always be more effective than submitting numerous generic ones.

In short, always customize your general resume when applying for a specific role with a job description.

General Resume vs. Master Resume: Understanding the Difference

These two types of resumes are often confused, but they serve different purposes:

Here's an example:

Imagine you're a senior product manager seeking a new role.

Your master resume contains all your roles, responsibilities, and results from the past 20 years, including early jobs in hospitality and retail, unrelated side projects, and every skill you've acquired. You can draw from this to create a tailored resume for any role or industry.

Your general resume is a polished, streamlined version that highlights your product management experience in tech and SaaS. It showcases your most recent and relevant roles, key achievements like leading feature launches and improving customer retention, and essential skills like agile methodologies and cross-departmental collaboration. You can then adapt this general resume for a specific product development role in tech, SaaS, or another industry.

The Value of Having a General Resume

A well-crafted general resume can help you:

• Clarify your career direction. Creating a general resume helps you connect your experiences to your career goals.
• Identify patterns. You might notice recurring themes, such as frequently used skills or successful projects, that can focus your job search.
• Save time. Instead of starting from scratch each time, you can simply adjust a few sections of your general resume to match the job description.

A career platform can assist you in creating your general resume with the right structure and relevant details, ensuring you're not starting from a blank page when it's time to tailor it.

Essential Components of a General Resume

Although not job-specific, your general resume should be strategically written and focused on supporting your target role or industry.

Here's what to include:

• Contact information
• Professional summary
• Relevant work experience and skills
• Educational background
• Relevant certifications
• Optional additions (e.g., volunteer work, projects, and language skills) if they add value

What to Exclude from a General Resume

When creating your general resume, omit:

• Headshots (which can introduce bias)
• Objective statements (use a professional summary instead)
• Skills involving outdated tools, software, or systems
• Irrelevant experience and skills
• Lengthy lists of responsibilities without outcomes
• Buzzwords (like "go-getter" and "team player") without evidence
• Salary expectations
• Company-specific jargon
• References (unless requested)

Optimal Length for a General Resume

Aim for a one-page or two-page resume.

A single page is ideal if you're early in your career, creating a resume for your first job, or transitioning to a new field.

Two pages are suitable if you have 10+ years of experience, have held multiple relevant positions, or need space for certifications, projects, or leadership roles that support your career objectives. Longer resumes are also common in fields like academia and law, which require more detailed candidate information.

The Best Structure for a General Resume in 2025: A Section-by-Section Guide

Let's break down how to create a general resume that's both effective and easy to adapt. You can follow these steps manually or use a career platform to guide you through each section with prompts, examples, and formatting that's easy to update.

1. Contact Information

This section should be at the top of your resume and include:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Professional email (use a Gmail or custom domain)
• Location (city and state)
• LinkedIn profile URL
• Portfolio or personal website URL (if applicable)
• Pronouns (optional)

Avoid including your full street address, age, birthdate, or marital status.

2. Target Title

Below your contact information, add a clear target title to indicate your desired role. This helps recruiters and ATS systems quickly determine if your resume aligns with the job. This title can be adjusted based on the job you're applying for, making it particularly useful for a general resume.

Keep it concise and specific. Use the exact job title from the job description when possible, or a common variation that reflects your goal.

Examples:

• Project Manager
• UX Designer
• Account Executive – SaaS
• Executive Assistant
• Director of Operations

Don't list multiple titles here. Stick to one target per resume version.

3. Professional Summary

This is your opportunity to provide a snapshot of your skills and career aspirations.

Keep it to 3–4 sentences, including:

• Your current or most recent job title
• Your area(s) of expertise
• Relevant industries or environments
• 1–2 achievements with measurable results (percentages, time saved, revenue generated, etc.)
• Your next career step

Avoid generic statements like "Hard-working team player seeking a challenging position." Instead, be specific and base your summary on your actual experiences and accomplishments.

Example:

Marketing manager with 6+ years of experience growing early-stage brands in eCommerce and SaaS. Known for data-driven creative strategy, team collaboration, and a strong eye for brand growth. Led a rebrand that increased conversion by 22%. Seeking growth roles at product-led companies.

4. Work Experience

This section demonstrates your accomplishments and the results of your work.

Avoid listing every job you've held. Focus on your most recent, relevant experience. For example, if you're targeting operations roles, you can omit an old part-time retail job.

Include these details for each role:

• Job title(s)
• Company name
• Location (or "Remote")
• Brief company description (optional)
• Dates of employment
• 3–5 bullet points with measurable outcomes

Don't use vague bullet points like "Handled customer service." Instead, start each with a strong action verb (e.g., "built," "overhauled," "initiated") and always quantify results (e.g., percentage increases, time saved, revenue generated, cost reduced).

Review job postings in your target field or for the type of role you're interested in. Use similar terms and phrasing (especially for skills, tools, and responsibilities) to align with what employers are looking for.

Example:

Client Services Manager Everbright Systems | Remote | October 2019–February 2024 Cloud-based platform for healthcare scheduling

• Reduced customer onboarding time by 35% by streamlining documentation and training.
• Managed a remote support team of 6; improved NPS from 52 to 70 in one year.
• Created internal process playbooks that decreased support escalations by 22%.

5. Education

This section should be concise, especially if you've been in the workforce for several years.

Include:

• Degree type and field of study
• School name and location
• Graduation year (optional)
• Relevant coursework (only if you're a recent graduate or making a career change)

No need to include your GPA or academic honors unless they're particularly notable or standard in your target field (e.g., academia or law).

Example:

Bachelor of Arts, Communications University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Champaign, IL

6. Certifications

Certifications are valuable if you're changing careers or enhancing skills in a new area. Including them in your general resume means they're already there when you tailor it.

For each certification, include:

• Certification title
• Issuing organization
• Year earned (optional)

Omit expired, outdated, or unrelated certifications.

Example:

Google Project Management – Coursera (2025) HubSpot Inbound Marketing – HubSpot Academy (2024)

7. Skills

The most effective Skills sections focus on hard skills – the specific tools, technologies, systems, and processes you're proficient in.

Soft skills like "team player" or "strong communicator" are important, but they're better demonstrated through your achievements in the Work Experience section.

List 8–10 hard skills directly related to your target job or industry.

To select the best ones:

• Review job descriptions for your target role to see what they prioritize.
• Be specific – e.g., "Figma" instead of "Design Software."
• Omit tools you haven't used recently or can't confidently discuss.
• Include transferable skills from past roles if relevant.

Example:

• Salesforce
• Google Analytics
• Figma
• SQL
• Asana
• Email Marketing
• Tableau
• Budgeting
• Customer Onboarding

Languages

Including language skills is beneficial for roles in global companies or businesses serving diverse populations.

Include only languages in which you have professional working proficiency or higher – at least level 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale or B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

In your Skills section, you can list:

• Languages relevant to your target role, industry, or geographic market
• Proficiency level (ideally standardized, such as through ILR or CEFR)

Example:

English (Native Proficiency) Spanish (Professional Proficiency – CEFR Level C1)

8. Optional Sections

These sections can enhance your resume if they relate to your target role or industry.

Awards & Scholarships

Highlight recognition for performance, leadership, or academic excellence.

You can include:

• Industry or company awards
• Academic scholarships or honors
• Competitive recognitions

Example:

Dean’s Leadership Award, College of Business (2020) Rising Star Award, Regional Marketing Conference (2023)

If an award is related to a specific job, consider listing it under your Work Experience section for greater impact.

Projects

Sharing projects can showcase your initiative and practical skills, especially helpful if you're freelancing, changing careers, or building a portfolio.

Here, you might include:

• Freelance or side projects
• Team-led or cross-functional initiatives
• Other work involving relevant tools or solving real problems

For each project, note a measurable outcome if possible.

Example:

Website Redesign – Freelance (2023) Redesigned UX for a nonprofit, cutting bounce rate by 35% and doubling donations within 2 months.

Volunteering & Leadership

Demonstrate your ability to lead, collaborate, and contribute beyond your daily work.

In this section, you can list:

• Volunteer roles
• Skills-based contributions (e.g., fundraising)
• Leadership positions in nonprofits or community groups

As with projects, list measurable results if possible.

Example:

Volunteer Coordinator – Local Roots Garden | 2022–Present Lead 15+ volunteers and manage weekly programming. Launched a newsletter that grew donor engagement by 25%.

Publications

If you've written anything related to your target industry, share it here.

Examples of publications you could mention include:

• Blog posts
• White papers
• eBooks
• Journal articles
• Internal or external content (with permission)

For each, include the title, publication venue, and date.

Example:

“Improving CX Handoff Processes” – Medium (May 2024)

General Resume Best Practices

Here are some simple ways to keep your general resume effective and user-friendly:

Align it with your LinkedIn Profile

Although you won't use your general resume for specific applications, someone might compare it to your LinkedIn profile. Ensure consistency in job titles, dates, and overall career direction.

Use a Simple Layout

Avoid overly complex designs with tables, graphics, and embedded icons that can disrupt how an ATS reads your resume. These can also be difficult to update. Instead, use a clean, one- or two-column layout with a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Calibri) and ample white space.

Keep it Current

Your general resume should be ready to send for networking or general inquiries and easy to tailor for specific roles. This requires regular updates.

Add new responsibilities, certifications, and projects as they occur.

Set aside time to review and refresh your general resume regularly – e.g., monthly or quarterly.

General Resume Template

Name: [First Last Name]
Phone: [Phone Number]
Email: [Email Address]
LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/your-link]
Location: [City, State]

Target Title
[Title of the job you're applying for]

Professional Summary
[A 3–4-sentence summary that highlights your core strengths, experience level, industries you've worked in, and the kind of roles you’re targeting. Emphasize flexibility, relevant skills, and value.]

Work Experience
[Your Job Title]
[Company Name] | [Location] | [Start – End Year]
[1-sentence company description if not well known]
• Led [project/initiative] that resulted in [metric or business improvement].
• Supported [team/function] by [action], improving [process or result] by [X]%.
• Managed [tasks or responsibilities], contributing to [outcome or goal].

[Your Job Title]
[Company Name] | [Location] | [Start – End Year]
[1-sentence company description if not well known]
• Improved [process/efficiency/communication] through [strategy or tool], saving [X]% time or cost.
• Collaborated with [teams or departments] to [action], enhancing [customer satisfaction/productivity/etc.].
• Trained or mentored [team/individuals], increasing performance or knowledge sharing.
(Add a third role if needed based on relevance or space.)

Education
[Degree] – [University or Institution]
[Graduation Year]

Certifications
• [Certification Name] – [Issuing Organization]
• [Certification Name] – [Issuing Organization]

Projects or Volunteer Work
[Project or Role Title]
[Organization or Context] | [Year]
• [1-sentence description + 1–2 bullet points]
• [Action] that led to [result or outcome]
• [Tool/skill used] to support [goal]

Skills
[8–10 hard skills relevant to the type of role or industry you’re after.]
• [Skill 1]
• [Skill 2]
• [Skill 3]
• Etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep my general resume up to date?

To maintain an up-to-date general resume, regularly incorporate new roles, certifications, skills, and achievements as they occur. Review it periodically—monthly or quarterly—to ensure it accurately reflects your current goals and strengths. A consistently updated general resume streamlines the tailoring process and enables you to promptly seize new opportunities.

Can I use a general resume if I don’t know what job I’ll be applying for?

Yes, a general resume is specifically designed for situations where you don’t have a specific job in mind, such as networking events, browsing job boards, or submitting expressions of interest through a company's career page. Ensure it remains focused on the type of role or industry you’re targeting. Avoid mass-applying for jobs with a general resume. Always tailor your resume to each role you’re pursuing, even if you’re uncertain about your preferred position.

How do I create a general resume if I’ve worked in the same field for a long time?

If you’ve been in the same field for an extended period, your general resume should emphasize the skills and accomplishments that are most relevant to your future career aspirations. Focus on quantifiable results, evolving responsibilities, and transferable strengths.