Resume Sections: How to Organize Your Resume

The 5 Standard Sections of a Resume

The sections you include on your resume, the sequence you put them in, and the headings that you give them are essential parts of your resume format.

Let’s get started with the five sections that everyone should include on their resume:

• Contact Information
• Resume Introduction
• Experience Section
• Skills Section
• Education Section

1. Contact Information

This is one of the most basic categories of any resume. After all, if an employer doesn’t know your name or how to get in touch then they can’t offer you an interview.

At a minimum, you should include the following information in your resume header:

• First and last name
• Email
• Phone number

Additionally, you might also want to include the following optional information:

• Mailing address
• LinkedIn profile

A link to a portfolio or personal website could be another useful addition. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, animator or work in any field in which visuals are crucial, you’ll want employers to see samples of your creations.

2. Resume Introduction

This is a short section at the start of your resume that summarizes your key strengths and qualifications. It’s also your first, best shot at grabbing a hiring manager’s attention, and you only have seconds to do it.

There are two primary types of resume introduction, and the one that you pick will depend on your circumstances.

Resume Summary

A resume summary is a brief statement that highlights your key work-related achievements and skills in four to five bullet points.

Summaries are the most popular way to start a resume, and are the best approach if you’re looking to take the next step in an industry that you’re already working in.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is a short statement focusing on your goals and motivations. An effective resume objective still showcases your skills and relevant experiences, but puts the emphasis on how you will help the company meet its aims.

Objectives are best if you’re an entry-level candidate writing a resume for your first job.

Additionally, there are two more types of resume introductions:

• Resume profile
• Summary of qualifications

3. Resume Experience Section

Your experience section is one of the most important parts of a resume, and for most people will make up the core of their application.

For each position you’ve held, list the following basic information:

• Company name and location
• Your title
• Dates of employment

If you’re writing a chronological resume, you should list your most recent position at the top, followed by your previous positions in reverse-chronological order.

For each job, you should write three to five bullet points detailing your main responsibilities and achievements. Here’s a good example of how to write a strong resume experience section:

4. Resume skills section

Your resume skills section is a basic element of any resume, and should include a range of hard and soft skills that are relevant to the job you want to fill.

Certain hard skills or technical skills are required for nearly any job. Make sure your skills section includes as many required or relevant hard skills as possible. Additionally, there are other universal hard skills that are broadly appreciated by recruiters. These include Microsoft Office, language fluency and computer skills.

But hard skills alone do not make for a positive and productive work environment. For this, soft skills, such as adaptability, good communication and problem-solving, are key. To impress any hiring manager, be sure to show that you have both the soft and hard skills necessary for the job.

Not sure what skills to include on your resume? The best place to look is the job advertisement itself. If the recruiter mentions any specific required or desirable skills they’re looking for in their ideal candidate, then you should include as many of these as possible in your skills section.

5. Resume Education Section

Whoever you are, there is a way to present your high school, college and postgraduate qualifications to boost your chances of getting a job.

For most working professionals, your resume education section should include the following information:

• Name of school
• Location
• Type of degree and field of study
• Year of graduation
• GPA (optional, and only if it’s above 3.5)

However, if you’re writing a recent graduate resume, you can expand your education section to compensate for a lack of work experience. In this case, list relevant coursework on your resume, along with your GPA (if it’s above 3.0), as well as any awards, honors and academic achievements. If you don’t have any work experience, you could also mention your extracurricular activities here.

Here’s an example of a properly formatted education section on a resume:

Optional Sections of a Resume

Depending on the type of job that you are applying for, you can stand out from the crowd by including a number of other resume categories. If you’re trying to land an internship at a newspaper, for example, do you have any publications to your name? If you lack professional experience, do you have volunteer experience that helps bridge the gap?

Here is a list of optional sections that you might want to include in your resume:

• Training, certifications, and licenses
• Accomplishments
• Languages
• Projects
• Volunteer work
• Awards and honors
• Conferences
• Extracurricular activities
• Publications
• Hobbies and interests
• Relevant coursework
• Fraternities or sororities

However, don’t include references on your resume. Most employers won’t need them at this stage, and will only request them further down the line in the hiring process.

How to Organize Your Resume Sections

The right order for your resume sections is always the one that highlights your best qualities. This means that your career stage and level of work experience will have an impact on which elements you should include.

For a Standard Resume

For the majority of job-seekers, this section order works very well. It’s clear, succinct, and emphasizes professional experiences and skills. It also uses a resume summary, which, as we have seen, can be a very effective way of drawing attention to your strengths and achievements.

1. Contact Information
2. Resume Summary
3. Experience
4. Skills
5. Education
6. Additional Sections

For Recent College Graduates

If you’re writing a recent college graduate resume and don’t have much work experience, this is the order for you. It focuses on education, and draws on internships and volunteering as much as professional experience. By using a resume objective, it draws attention to your goals and ambitions, and how you will use these to benefit your employer.

1. Contact Information
2. Resume Objective/Career Objective
3. Education
4. Experience, Internships, and Volunteer work
5. Training and Certifications
6. Skills

For Manager Level Positions

Candidates with a high level of experience will want to highlight their qualifications and accomplishments. A qualifications summary is an excellent way of doing so. A professional profile can be equally effective, as it draws instant, detailed attention to your professional skills and expertise.

1. Contact Information
2. Qualifications Summary/Professional Profile
3. Experience and Accomplishments
4. Skills
5. Education
6. Additional Sections

For Career Changers

Looking to change industries? Emphasize your broad skills, rather than chronological work experience, with a functional resume. Here, the sections are ordered to focus on the resume introduction and skills section. This is perfect for convincing a recruiter that you have the transferable skills to succeed in their industry.

1. Contact Information
2. Professional Profile/Resume Summary
3. Skills
4. Experience and Accomplishments
5. Education
6. Additional Sections