How to Write and Use a Master Resume

Writing a customized resume quickly sounds difficult, but there’s one insider secret that’ll transform how you write your resumes. This guide covers everything about writing and using a master resume during your job search!

“Yes, you do need a different resume for each position you apply for.” 

Every time I’ve said this to a client, they were immediately disappointed.

I knew telling nervous graduating seniors they needed to submit a different resume for the (many) jobs they were applying for wasn’t going to make their day.

I’d quickly explain the news wasn’t as bad as it seemed, because there’s an insider trick to writing a custom resume quickly.

So, what’s my easy, breezy trick for writing a resume quickly? Creating and using a master resume.

Don’t worry, once you’ve put the time into making your master resume, it’s really easy to quickly write resumes- without investing $$$ into a resume template.

Why?

Because a master resume is your personalized resume template.

But, there’s a tiny catch- creating it is a little time consuming. So, plan to devote a Saturday afternoon to this. Grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine), put on some work jams, and make this commitment to your career.

To help you make your master resume, this guide covers:

• What’s a master resume (& why is it so great)?
• How to write a master resume
• How to create and save your master resume
• Making a custom  resume quickly with your master resume

Let’s dive into what a master resume is, how it’ll transform your job apps, and the easy process to create and use one. Time to make your job applications a breeze!

What is a master resume (& why is it so great)?

The best way to make your resume stand out is to customize it to each position you’re applying for. This means choosing your most relevant and important experiences and emphasizing them in a way that speaks directly to the job description.

Woah. That does not sound simple.

That’s where your master resume comes in. It’s 1 system that streamlines your entire resume writing process and makes it easy to submit a custom resume quickly.

 

The idea of a master resume is pretty simple: it’s just a single document that has all of your experiences listed. The key to making it useful is putting time into creating it.

What does this look like?

To get the most out of your master resume, it should be formatted in the exact layout as your regular resume. The only difference is it’s longer than a real resume (so you’ll never submit it in full). 

When you fully commit to creating a usable master resume, it’ll become your go-to tool when applying for jobs. Plus, it’s great when you’re working on a career change! So, let’s get into how to make your master resume template!

How to write a master resume

To start writing your master resume, open each of your past resumes and a blank document.

There are 3 main pieces of writing a master resume:

1. Deciding on a big-picture format
2. Organizing your experiences and writing bullet points
3. Creating your skills and education sections.

First, create your layout on the blank doc- choose how you want your name and contact info to look, pick font types and sizes, and figure out how you’ll divide each section.

Then, start copying and pasting all of your experiences from your past resumes- even the most irrelevant ones- and reformatting them to fit your new look.

Your master resume is where everything lives, even if you won’t use an experience on your actual resume. After your sophomore year of college, you most likely aren’t going to need anything from high school on your resume, so you can leave that off if you want. But that’s the only exception!

Once you’ve formatted everything on your resume, it’s time to work on your experiences. To organize your experiences on your master resume, it’s helpful to sort them into general categories (that you’d never use on an actual resume). 

For example, my experiences are broadly categorized as, “Children Experience,” “Business Experience,” “Campus Experience,” and “Research.”

They might not be the best categories for you, but it’s how I organize my master resume for me. Use whatever system makes sense for you and your experiences. Remember, no one else will see this!

The next step is when you’ll have to really start putting more time and thought into this- buckle up!

For each of your experiences, write detailed bullet points describing your results and the skills you used. Take the time now to make these bullets as descriptive as possible.

To write an actual resume quickly, you’ll only use 2-6 bullets per experience. For your master resume, you’ll see 2 huge benefits of creating more bullet points than you need:

1. You’ll have to rely less on your memory– 2 years from now, you’re not going to remember the details of the exhausting entry level job you’re kicking ass at now, but you’re going to wish you did when it’s the most relevant experience you have for a new (better) job! So take the time to write as many detailed and quantified bullets as you can now, and cut the future you a break.
   
2. You’ll have options– Rather than use brainpower to write decent bullet points every time you apply for a job, writing more bullets than necessary allows you to just cut them down into a custom list for each job you apply for. That’s the secret to writing a resume quickly!

 

Finally, once you’re done organizing your experiences and writing your bullet points, add your education and skills sections. For more info on these, check out How to Write your Resume’s Education Section and How to Fix your Skills Section (& other common resume mistakes).

The more you write now, the easier it’ll be to make a custom resume quickly later. So, don’t be afraid to have 10 bullets for 1 position or 5 pages of content. Keep reading to find out how to save your master resume template and use it easily!

How to save your master resume template

There are 2 programs I know to make a master resume into a template: Google Docs and MS Word. If you’re using a different software, then take these tips and apply it to the system you’re using!

• MS Word: This is really easy! 

1. With your master resume open, click file -> save as 
2. Click the arrow for the file format drop down menu and change it from word doc to word template 
3. Save it as your master resume template
4. Whenever you need a new resume quickly, go to “New,” look at the templates page, click “Personal,” and select your master resume template! Open a new document and save it for the position you’re applying for. Easy, breezy, resume!
   

• Google Docs: When I went to create a Google Doc template for my resume, I realized all Google templates are public- no thank you! Don’t worry, I have a super simple workaround! 

1. Save your master resume template to your drive with “[TEMPLATE COPY ONLY]” in the file name
2. When you need a new resume quickly, go to your drive, right-click on the file name, and hit “make a copy.” 
3. Rename the copy for the position you’re applying for.  Boom chicka resume!

How to make a resume quickly

Once you’ve created and saved your master resume, it’s time to put that baby to use! 

When you’ve found a new position to apply for, use the instructions above to open a new copy of your master resume template and start customizing! Here’s my easy process to write a new resume quickly with your master resume!

Cut out experiences you don’t want to include at all and leave ones that are relevant or use important transferable skills. Once you’ve cut it down to the most related experiences, edit the bullets of each.

Choose 2-6 of the most important, relevant bullets for every experience. Then, use keywords and action verbs from the job description to edit your bullets- this will make you stand out even more!

See how easy it is to use your master resume to write a new, customized resume quickly?

Now that you know how to write, save, and use your master resume, keep it useful by updating it as you work on new projects and change positions!

Creating and using a master resume is the perfect way to streamline your application process and write new resumes quickly! 

Make sure you use the same format as when you submit it, add all of your experiences, and write as many descriptive bullet points as you can. Save it as your personalized resume template, so you can easily change it for each job! By making your master resume as useful as possible, you’ll make applying to future positions way easier!

Ready to stop relying on your resume? Grab my guide to the 10 best strategies to network with confidence and transform your career!