How to make a resume on your iPhone

Before you start: have this ready

Typing on a phone is slower, so gather the facts first. Five minutes in the Notes app saves you switching back and forth:

• Your jobs: title, employer, city, start and end month and year.
• Your school: name, degree or diploma, graduation month and year.
• Two or three things you did in each job, in plain words.
• Five to eight skills that match the jobs you want.

If you have an old resume as a PDF in Files, or a LinkedIn profile, you can start from that instead of typing.

Make a resume in Safari, step by step

This uses ResumeGood in Safari. There is no app to install.

1. Open Safari and tap the start button on this page (or go to resumegood.com).
2. Answer the first question: your name and what you do, for example "Cashier" or "Marketing student". Tap Continue. If you would rather not type, tap Import from LinkedIn instead on this first step.
3. Answer the next questions, one per screen: how to reach you (Contact), where you have worked (Work), where you studied (School), what you are good at (Skills, separated by commas) and what you are looking for (two or three sentences for the top of your resume). Only your name, the line about what you do and your email are required; if you have not worked yet, leave the work question blank and tap Continue. Your answers are saved as you go.
4. Tap Preview at the top whenever you want to see the page so far.
5. Pick a look on the last step, then tap See my resume.
6. Create a free account on the next screen ("Here's your resume") to open your resume. No card is needed.
7. Fix anything in the editor, switch templates if you like, then tap PDF at the top to download it.

Already have a resume as a PDF? Use the drop zone on this page instead of the questions: tap it, choose your file from Files, and it is read and laid out on a template. Create a free account to open it, check it and download the PDF.

Find the PDF and send it

Safari saves the download to the Downloads folder in the Files app.

1. Open the Files app.
2. Tap Browse, then iCloud Drive, then Downloads.
3. To rename it, touch and hold the file and tap Rename. Use your name, for example Maria-Lopez-Resume.pdf.
4. To send it, touch and hold the file, tap Share, then choose Mail, Messages or AirDrop.

In Safari you can also tap the Downloads button next to the search field to see it.

To attach it to an online application, tap the form's upload button, choose the option to pick a file, and open Downloads. If you changed where Safari saves downloads, look in that folder instead.

The alternative: Apple's Pages templates

Pages, Apple's word processor, has a Resumes category in its template chooser. It is a good choice if you want to design the page yourself and you are comfortable moving text boxes on a small screen.

1. Open Pages (download it from the App Store if it is not on your phone).
2. Tap Choose a Template at the top of the document manager.
3. Tap the category names at the top to find Resumes, then tap a template.
4. Tap the sample text and replace it with yours. Delete sections you do not need.
5. To make a PDF, tap the More button, tap Export, then tap PDF, and choose how to send or save it.

Send the PDF, not the Pages file: a Pages document may not open on the employer's computer.

	ResumeGood in Safari	Pages templates
Install	Nothing	The Pages app
How you fill it in	One question at a time	Edit sample text on the page
Layout	Done for you, change templates any time	You move and resize text yourself
Start from an old resume or LinkedIn	Yes	No, retype it
PDF	Download (free account)	Export, then send

Making a resume on your phone in general

Whatever phone you have, the same rules make it easier:

• Use a builder that works in the browser, so you are not installing an app for a one-off task, and you can open the same resume on a computer later.
• Keep it to one page and one column. It is easier to edit on a small screen and easier for a recruiter to read.
• Check the PDF before you send it. Open it from Downloads and zoom in on dates and your email address.

On Android, it works the same way in Chrome: open the builder, answer the questions, and download the PDF. Chrome saves it to your phone's Downloads, where you can share it or pick it from an application form.