General Resume: Template and 6 Examples for Any Job
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
6 min read
A general resume is one clean page that fits a broad range of jobs: your contact details, a two-line summary, your work experience and education in reverse order, and a short skills list. It is a starting point, not a finished application. Use it when you are exploring, changing direction or applying to many similar roles, then adapt the top third for each job. Below is the layout and six complete examples, from a student to a manager. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
A resume that tries to suit every job usually suits none. The fix is not a better general resume. It is a general resume that you can change in ten minutes.
Example 1: a general resume for an entry-level job
The template at its simplest. One page, five parts, nothing that needs a designer.
Entry level: General resume, student (104 words)
Jordan Lee Columbus, OH | 614 555 0142 | jordan.lee@example.com
Summary Reliable college student with two years of customer service and team experience. Quick to learn new systems and comfortable working weekends.
Experience Sales associate, Greenline Market, Columbus, OH (2024 to present) - Serve about 70 customers per shift and balance the register at close - Trained 3 new employees on the point-of-sale system
Volunteer, Community Food Pantry, Columbus, OH (2023 to 2024) - Packed and handed out about 150 food boxes each weekend
Education - Ohio State University, B.A. Communication, expected May 2027
Skills - Customer service, cash handling, Microsoft Office, Spanish (conversational)
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What a general resume should and should not do
UC Berkeley's career office recommends a simple format: "For college students, we recommend a simple, one-page format." MIT's career office says "Stick to one page, unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree." Both are in their guides to resumes, the Berkeley resume guide and the MIT resume guide.
On wording, MIT says "Start descriptions with a strong action verb like built, managed, developed, wrote, etc." That rule applies to a general resume more than any other, because without a target job the verbs and numbers carry the page.
The limit of a general resume comes from Harvard's career services, in its guide to a strong resume: "Tailor your resume to the type of position you’re seeking." Treat the general version as the master copy, and tailor it each time.
The general resume layout
- Contact details. Name, city and state, phone, email. A LinkedIn link if it is current.
- Summary. Two lines: who you are, what you do well, and the broad kind of work you want.
- Experience. Reverse order. Three or four bullets per job, each starting with a verb and ending in a result.
- Education. Degree, school and date. Put it above experience if you are a student or recent graduate.
- Skills. The skills that transfer to many jobs: software, languages, certifications.
For the skills section in detail, see the resume skills section. For the summary line, see resume summary examples.
Five more general resumes
Mid level: Administrative and customer service (118 words)
Dana Reyes Phoenix, AZ | 602 555 0188 | dana.reyes@example.com
Summary Organized administrative professional with six years of office and customer service experience. Skilled at scheduling, records and resolving problems on the first contact.
Experience Office coordinator, Desert Ridge Dental, Phoenix, AZ (2021 to present) - Schedule about 40 patient appointments a day and confirm each by phone or text - Process insurance claims and follow up on unpaid balances, reducing overdue accounts by a third
Customer service representative, Valley Telecom, Phoenix, AZ (2018 to 2021) - Resolved about 50 calls a day with a satisfaction score above the team average
Education - Phoenix College, A.A. Business Administration, 2018
Skills - Microsoft 365, scheduling, billing, Spanish and English
Mid level: Career changer, retail to operations (111 words)
Marcus Webb Denver, CO | 303 555 0177 | marcus.webb@example.com
Summary Retail supervisor with eight years of team leadership, inventory and scheduling experience, seeking an operations or logistics coordinator role.
Experience Store supervisor, Mile High Outfitters, Denver, CO (2019 to present) - Supervise 12 staff and plan weekly rotas to cover peak hours - Lead monthly stock counts of about 8,000 items with an accuracy above 98 percent
Sales associate, Mile High Outfitters (2016 to 2019) - Promoted after two years for sales and reliability
Education - High school diploma, East High School, Denver, CO, 2016 - OSHA 10 certificate, 2024
Skills - Inventory, scheduling, team supervision, Excel, point of sale
Mid level: Returning to work after a break (107 words)
Hannah Brooks Madison, WI | 608 555 0199 | hannah.brooks@example.com
Summary Experienced office administrator returning to work after a four year career break to raise children. Recently refreshed skills in Microsoft 365 and bookkeeping.
Experience Volunteer treasurer, Westside Elementary PTA, Madison, WI (2022 to present) - Manage an annual budget of about $25,000 and reconcile accounts monthly
Office administrator, Capital Insurance Agency, Madison, WI (2015 to 2020) - Handled client calls, policy documents and filing for a team of 8 agents
Education and training - University of Wisconsin, B.S. Business, 2014 - Microsoft 365 and QuickBooks online courses, 2025
Skills - Bookkeeping, scheduling, client communication, Microsoft 365
Mid level: Warehouse and general labor (116 words)
Chris Taylor Atlanta, GA | 404 555 0166 | chris.taylor@example.com
Summary Dependable warehouse worker with four years of experience in picking, packing and forklift operation. Strong safety record and a flexible schedule.
Experience Warehouse associate, Peachtree Distribution, Atlanta, GA (2022 to present) - Pick and pack about 200 orders per shift with an error rate below 1 percent - Operate a sit-down forklift and load up to 20 trucks a week
Stock clerk, Southern Foods, Atlanta, GA (2020 to 2022) - Restocked shelves and rotated stock to keep dates in order
Education and certification - Forklift operator certification, 2022 - High school diploma, Roosevelt High School, 2020
Skills - Forklift, pallet jack, inventory scanning, safe lifting
Senior: Manager, general management (104 words)
Amy Collins Chicago, IL | 312 555 0155 | amy.collins@example.com
Summary Operations manager with ten years of experience leading teams, budgets and process improvement across retail and services businesses.
Experience Operations manager, Lakeshore Services, Chicago, IL (2018 to present) - Lead 35 staff across two sites and manage a $2.4 million annual budget - Cut customer complaints by a quarter in two years by redesigning the intake process
Assistant manager, Lakeshore Services (2014 to 2018) - Managed scheduling, payroll inputs and training for a team of 12
Education - DePaul University, B.S. Business Administration, 2014
Skills - Budgeting, hiring, process improvement, Excel, project management
How to adapt it in ten minutes
- Read the advert and pick the three requirements that matter most.
- Rewrite the summary so its first line uses the job title and one of those requirements.
- Move your best matching bullet to the top of the most recent job.
- Match the words. If the advert says client, do not write customer.
- Cut one bullet that has nothing to do with the job.
- Save it under the company name, so your master copy stays general.
Berkeley's guide says the same in one line: analyse the position description to tailor your resume to each job. For layout questions, see our resume format guide.
When a general resume is the wrong choice
- Specialist jobs, such as nursing, software or design, where the reader expects a particular layout and keywords.
- Roles with a portfolio or licence requirement, where the evidence is the first thing they look for.
- Applications through a system that scores keywords, where a general resume ranks low against a tailored one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a general resume?
A resume written to suit many jobs, usually with a broad summary, a clear list of experience and transferable skills. It is the master copy you tailor for each application.
Should I use a general resume to apply for jobs?
Use it as a base. Send a tailored version, with the summary and top bullets changed to match each advert.
What should a general resume include?
Contact details, a two-line summary, experience, education and skills. Add certifications if they matter in your field.
How long should a general resume be?
One page for most people. Two pages only with extensive experience.
Is a general resume the same as a generic resume?
In practice, yes. Both are non-specific, which is why they need adapting before you send them.
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