How to Make a Resume: 10 Sections to Include on a Resume

A resume is a job application document that describes the breadth of your professional experience. Resume writing is just one part of a job search, and in most cases, your actual physical resume matters less than your job interview, personal referrals, and experience in the field. Still, you want to strive to write the best resume possible.

There are four main resume templates job applicants use.

1. 1. Functional resume: A functional resume leads with your skills sections—both hard skill sets and soft skill sets. Choose the functional resume format if you’re making a career change and don't have much work experience in the industry you're applying to.
2. 2. Chronological resume: A chronological resume leads with your work experience. This resume format will be most appropriate when you’re looking for a new job within your existing industry. If you have years of experience in the field, emphasize that. List your jobs in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent role at the top of your resume.
3. 3. Combination resume: A combination resume gives equal weight to your transferable skills and your work experience. Neither section should be overly long so as not to steal attention from the other sections.
4. 4. Academic resume: A curriculum vitae (CV) is most commonly used in academic job searches. These resumes should list professorships, fellowships, administrative positions, research positions, and relevant coursework. In a CV, the emphasis is on completeness rather than conciseness. CV writing means including every relevant honor, degree, and publication; resume writing means condensing your career into one to two pages.

The perfect resume is one that includes the exact information requested by hiring managers in a job posting. While job seekers may tweak a resume to the specifications of a particular job recruiter, they should start with a base resume template that includes the following items. The order of these items will vary based on the type of resume you are writing. For instance, functional resumes lead with skills sections, while chronological resumes start off with your job history.

1. 1. Contact information: Provide your name, phone number, and email address at the top of your resume.
2. 2. Education: In the education section, list your undergraduate school, major, GPA, and degree earned—plus any graduate schools and degrees earned. If you earned academic honors, include those as well. Only include high school coursework if you are very young and just starting in the professional world.
3. 3. Relevant work experience: If you have professional experience or teaching experience that qualifies you for a specific job, share that in the work experience section of your resume. Lay out your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent job at the top of the page. For each entry, include the company name, job title, years of employment, and a brief job description that summarizes the nature of your work. If you're a recent graduate with minimal work experience, include relevant internships.
4. 4. Volunteer work: Some job seekers include volunteer experience at the bottom of their professional summary or in a separate section for volunteer work. Include the name of the volunteer organization, the length of time you volunteered with them, and the nature of your volunteer work.
5. 5. Works published: If you have published work in your field, include that in your resume. This section is particularly relevant if you are submitting a CV (curriculum vitae), or the type of resume used in academia.
6. 6. Personal honors and certifications: If you have received professional honors in your career, list those in this section. You may also use this section to list certifications and professional affiliations that may not have fit in your work history section.
7. 7. Professional references: Provide two to three personal references who can attest to your work as an employee or colleague.
8. 8. Hard skills: In the hard skills section of your resume, include specific relevant skills that relate to the job description, such as software abilities, technical skills, or leadership certifications.
9. 9. Soft skills: In this section, list interpersonal skills, such as curiosity and enthusiasm. While soft skills are rarely the determining factor for a new hire, the applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by many hiring managers sometimes scan for terms like "enthusiastic" and "team-oriented." Including such terminology in an ATS resume might help you stand out in the first round of resume review.
10. 10. Summary statement (optional): Some job applicants begin their resume with a stated objective for their employment. Others eschew the use of resume objectives and instead include such statements in a cover letter.

As you embark on a new job search, use the following tips for crafting the strongest possible resume.

1. 1. Format your resume for ATS. Enter the job search process with the understanding that many job recruiters rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS). Make sure your resume formatting complies with ATS standards to improve the chances of your resume making it through the system.
2. 2. Use top resume keywords. ATS software is programmed to look for certain keywords. In some cases, these keywords may be specifically tied to the job title you're applying for. In other cases, the keywords are more general, focusing on phrases like "self-starter" and "team-oriented." Online resources can help you hone in on valuable resume keywords. They also can provide ATS-friendly resume templates to steer you in the right direction.
3. 3. Use action verbs. Action verbs not only keep sentences interesting; they also emphasize your personal active role in past initiatives. Use active verbs as a subtle way to demonstrate your own initiative. Instead of writing "I was tasked with overseeing our marketing efforts," write "I oversaw our marketing efforts."
4. 4. Proofread your resume before submitting it. Typos and spelling errors can make smart, careful applicants appear unprofessional. Read your resume several times before you submit it or consider hiring a proofreader to review the document.
5. 5. Seek out other resume examples. Use online resources to see what a good resume in your particular industry looks like, and model yours after what you observe. You can also ask close friends to look at their own resumes—particularly any friends who are working in the same field as you.

A potential employer will evaluate you on the resume content, not the resume format. Still, you want to make sure your resume fits the format recognized by applicant tracking systems (ATS). Consider these formatting tips to optimize your resume.

1. 1. Format your resume as a Word document. Some applicants submit resumes as PDF files, but ATS software tends to work best with files that end in a .doc or .docx extension. Programs like Microsoft Word, Open Office, and LibreOffice can save files this way. Google Docs can also export documents in these file types.
2. 2. Use plain text. Use simple fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Opulent fonts can cause trouble with ATS scans and may look less professional. Organize your resume sections with bullet points and concise language. Take care to avoid using too many abbreviations.
3. 3. Aim for a one-page resume. In most cases, an effective resume need only be one page long. If you have a long work history or lots of transferable skills to describe, you can potentially extend your resume to a second page.
4. 4. When short on space, condense your resume to four main headings. Those headings should be a work history section, an education section, a hard skills section, and a soft skills section.
5. 5. Keep graphics off the resume. Graphs, charts, and JPG files can confuse ATS software. Leave them off your resume for maximum optimization. Even if you're applying for a graphic design job, save the graphics for your portfolio.
6. 6. Avoid using headers and footers. Word documents allow users to input headers and footers at the top and bottom of a document, respectively. However, headers and footers do not comport well with ATS software. Avoid these sections and write everything—even your contact information—in the main body of your document.

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