If you’re wondering this, you’re not alone.  Over time, resumes change, though probably not as much as you might think.

 

So, in 2026, what should be on yours?

 

Your contact information

  • Don’t include your whole physical address, but do include your city and state.
  • Include a professional email address (some variation on your name is good) and a phone number. No need to title those “email” and “phone.”
  • Edit that email. If your address is You@Hotmail.com, they’re going to assume you’re too old and out of touch with technology, so get yourself an updated email.
  • DO be sure to include your LinkedIn URL, a GitHub link, a personal website, or something along those lines that will show that you are who you say you are.
  • Make sure your name gets onto the top of your second page, if you have one.

 

Your summary and/or skills

  • Grab their attention right at the start! What do you want them to see about you?
  • Include highlights of how you fit what they’re asking for.
  • Mention your tech skills, especially those that line up with (or are comparable to) things in the job description.
  • Focus on relevance—they don’t care if you have mad skills in a completely unrelated field.

 

Your relevant background

  • Relevant! Again, they don’t care about things you’ve done that are completely unrelated to the role.
  • Go back 10-15 years in your experience. If you’ve been out of the paid workforce or want to emphasized older experience, put the number of years instead of the dates.
  • Include volunteer work, especially if it’s relevant or you’ve been out of the paid workforce.
  • If it makes sense, you can add info about a layoff or an intentional work break to explain what appears to be a gap. If you’ve been taking care of a family member, don’t give too much detail, since “stay-home parent” can lead to possible discrimination.
  • Start your bullet points with either a first-person present-tense verb (manage, oversee, assist) or a past-tense one (taught, wrote, created) if you’re no longer doing the task.

 

Your education

  • They’re not likely to be interested in your high school info unless you did something like a study abroad program.
  • If you have a degree that’s more than around 20 years ago, simply list the degree and the school without a date.
  • If your education is quite recent, list any relevant extracurriculars, especially those that demonstrate things like leadership skills
  • Feel free to add a section called something like “continuing education” if you’ve gotten additional certifications or trainings.

 

Don’t include:

  • Your hobbies and interests unless they are unusual and directly related to the field of work.
  • “References available upon request.” They assume that’s the case, and it will make you look old.
  • Irrelevant background information like completely unrelated job experience. You do not need your entire work history in your resume, so focus on what you think they would like to see, remembering that the people reading your application aren’t likely to spend more than 10 or 15 seconds skimming it the first time.

 

Questions about any of this?  Let me know in the comments!