General Resume Examples, Templates & Guide

Using a general resume and general cover letter that focuses on your broad qualifications is a great way to save time and effort in situations when you need to provide a resume to numerous employers. We’ll tell you when and how to use a general resume to apply for jobs.

Build My Resume

Our resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.

General resume for an entry-level candidate

Here’s an example of a general resume written by a recent graduate with limited work experience:

Download This General resume

General resume for a mid-career candidate

This example is a general resume for a mid-career digital marketing specialist:

Download This General Resume

General resume for an experienced candidate

Here’s an example of a general resume for an experienced teacher:

Download This General Resume

General resume template

Here’s a template for you to customize:

Should you make a general resume?

Yes, you should use a general resume if you’re applying to a lot of jobs at once (for instance, if you’re attending a job fair).

While we always recommend tailoring your resume to each job if possible, a general resume is still an effective way to highlight your experience and skills while saving time.

Views Likes

Our Expert:

Eva Chan

How to write a generic resume

Here’s how to make a general resume that still grabs the attention of employers:

1. Choose a simple resume design

The simpler and more generic the resume designs you pick, the better. Avoid creative templates with decorative fonts, images, or graphics, and stick to a simple layout.

More basic-looking resume templates are appropriate for a wide variety of jobs, from highly formal positions to more casual ones. Giving your resume a simple, minimalist look makes it easy to apply to any job, even if it’s at a more buttoned-up, traditional office.

The best resume templates for 2025

One of the best ways to make your resume is by filling out one of our free resume templates. All our templates are designed by experts and free to download for Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

View Resume Templates

2. Use a general resume format

The most common resume format is the chronological resume, and it’s the best option for a general resume.

That’s because chronological resumes list your jobs from most recent to least recent, giving you a clear overview of your work experience. Regardless of what position you’re targeting, a chronological resume will do the trick.

3. Add a generic resume summary

A good resume introduction showcases your most relevant qualities. When you’re putting together your general resume, however, write a generic resume summary that fits the general industry you’re applying for work in.

For example, if you’re trying to land a job in retail, draw attention to your customer service skills, multitasking abilities, and persuasion skills. Here’s a good generic resume summary example:

This resume summary can easily be adjusted to match the specific requirements of different retail positions.

4. Write down your professional accomplishments

Not all your professional accomplishments will be relevant to every role, so when you write a general resume, focus on ones that show that you possess qualities that are generally highly sought after in your field.

If you’re saving a copy of your general resume for future use, update it from time to time to add new achievements. Otherwise, it’s easy to forget about accomplishments that could strengthen your applications and help you land a job.

5. List your key skills

When you’re listing skills on your resume, start with the most sought-after hard skills for your target role. For a designer these are skills like Figma or Adobe Illustrator, and for a barista they’re skills like creating latte art and proficiency in using POS systems.

Soft skills like humor and friendliness can also give you an edge over other similarly qualified candidates and improve your chances of getting an interview.

Include any skills for your resume you can think of that could be beneficial in your field of work, especially if they show up in many of the job descriptions of positions you intend to apply for.

6. Add your education and training

Normally, unless you’re a recent graduate, the education section of your resume will be very brief and only include the name of your school, degree, and graduation date.

But, when you write a general resume, highlight any courses, certifications, and training programs that could help you land a job in your target industry.

Here’s an example of an education section with a certification included:

When you list certifications on your general resume, remember to mention the date the certification was awarded as well as the name of the awarding institution.

7. Include additional sections

For some employers, finding someone who fits in with the company work culture is high up on the list of priorities when screening candidates. When applying to such companies, adding hobbies and interests can make your resume stand out.

In other cases, volunteer work, personal projects, professional affiliations, or publications can help strengthen your resume. This is why including additional resume sections on your general resume can be a good idea, as long as it keeps your resume within the recommended length of one page.

8. Make your resume as targeted as possible

Even though you’re not writing a targeted resume, you should still aim to make your resume as tailored as you can.

For example, if you know the industry and general job title you’re applying for, include the most relevant experience, skills, and achievements you have that are likely to impress managers hiring for those specific roles.

If you want to make your resume a bit more tailored, you can add a sentence in your resume summary about what you hope to achieve in the new role, and swap out the company names (just make sure you actually remember to do this part – it doesn’t look good to send out your resume with the wrong company name on it). You can add a simple sentence like this:

Eager to use my expertise in [skill 1, skill 2] to contribute to continued growth at [Company].