Effective Resume Headings: Naming Sections That Get Results

Resume headings serve as signposts that guide readers through your qualifications. Effective headings help hiring managers quickly locate information they need while ensuring applicant tracking systems correctly parse and categorize your content. Poor headings create confusion and may cause important information to be missed or misclassified.

This guide covers how to name resume sections effectively, balancing professionalism, clarity, ATS compatibility, and strategic emphasis to create resumes that work for both technology and human readers.

Why Resume Headings Matter

Headings impact how your resume is read and processed.

For Human Readers

Hiring managers scan resumes quickly, often in under 10 seconds initially:

Headings help by:

• Creating visual organization
• Enabling quick navigation
• Signaling what content to expect
• Making key sections findable

Without clear headings:

• Information blends together
• Important content gets buried
• Readers work harder to understand
• First impressions suffer

For ATS Systems

Applicant tracking systems rely on headings to categorize content:

How ATS uses headings:

• Identifies section types (work history, education, skills)
• Categorizes information appropriately
• Extracts data into database fields
• Enables searchability by section

When headings fail:

• Content may be miscategorized
• Information might be overlooked
• Parsing errors can occur
• Your qualifications may not appear in searches

For Overall Impact

Well-chosen headings:

• Demonstrate organizational skills
• Signal professionalism
• Guide reader attention strategically
• Create polished presentation

Standard Resume Headings

Certain headings are universally recognized and ATS-friendly.

Professional Summary / Summary

Purpose: Introduces your professional identity and value proposition.

Standard options:

• Professional Summary
• Summary
• Executive Summary
• Profile
• Career Summary

Best for ATS: “Professional Summary” or “Summary”

Avoid:

• “About Me” (too casual)
• “Objective” (outdated)
• “Who I Am” (unclear)

Work Experience

Purpose: Documents your employment history and achievements.

Standard options:

• Professional Experience
• Work Experience
• Experience
• Employment History
• Work History

Best for ATS: “Professional Experience” or “Work Experience”

Avoid:

• “Where I’ve Worked” (unprofessional)
• “Career History” (less common)
• “Jobs” (too casual)

Education

Purpose: Lists your academic credentials.

Standard options:

• Education
• Educational Background
• Academic Background
• Education & Training

Best for ATS: “Education”

Avoid:

• “Schooling” (too casual)
• “Academic History” (less common)
• “Degrees” (too narrow)

Skills

Purpose: Highlights your capabilities and competencies.

Standard options:

• Skills
• Technical Skills
• Core Competencies
• Areas of Expertise
• Professional Skills

Best for ATS: “Skills” or “Technical Skills”

Variations by type:

• “Technical Skills” for IT/technical roles
• “Core Competencies” for executive resumes
• “Skills & Abilities” for comprehensive lists

Additional Section Headings

Beyond core sections, these headings organize supplementary content.

Certifications and Licenses

Standard options:

• Certifications
• Licenses & Certifications
• Professional Certifications
• Credentials

Best for ATS: “Certifications” or “Licenses & Certifications”

Volunteer Experience

Standard options:

• Volunteer Experience
• Community Involvement
• Volunteer Work
• Community Service

Best for ATS: “Volunteer Experience”

Awards and Recognition

Standard options:

• Awards
• Awards & Recognition
• Honors
• Achievements

Best for ATS: “Awards” or “Awards & Recognition”

Publications

Standard options:

• Publications
• Selected Publications
• Published Works
• Publications & Presentations

Best for ATS: “Publications”

Languages

Standard options:

• Languages
• Language Skills
• Language Proficiency

Best for ATS: “Languages”

Professional Affiliations

Standard options:

• Professional Affiliations
• Memberships
• Professional Memberships
• Professional Organizations

Best for ATS: “Professional Affiliations”

Projects

Standard options:

• Projects
• Key Projects
• Selected Projects
• Project Experience

Best for ATS: “Projects”

Formatting Resume Headings

How headings appear affects readability and impact.

Visual Hierarchy

Headings should stand out clearly from body text:

Techniques:

• Larger font size (11-14pt for headings vs. 10-12pt body)
• Bold weight
• ALL CAPS (use sparingly)
• Separator lines (underlines or horizontal rules)
• Contrasting color (subtle, professional)

Example hierarchy:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
─────────────────────────────────
Marketing Manager | ABC Company | 2020-Present

or

Professional Experience

Marketing Manager | ABC Company | 2020-Present

Consistency

Apply the same formatting to all section headings:

Consistent elements:

• Same font for all headings
• Same size for same-level headings
• Same styling (bold, caps, etc.)
• Same spacing before and after
• Same separator style

Inconsistency looks careless and confuses readers.

Placement

Standard heading placement is left-aligned:

Left-aligned (standard): Most professional and ATS-friendly

Centered (acceptable): Can work for creative fields but may affect ATS parsing

Right-aligned (avoid): Unusual and potentially confusing

Spacing

Adequate spacing around headings improves readability:

Recommended:

• Extra space before headings (to separate from previous section)
• Minimal space after headings (to connect with section content)
• Consistent spacing throughout

Headings to Avoid

Certain heading choices create problems.

Creative or Unclear Headings

Problematic examples:

• “My Journey” (unclear what’s included)
• “Stuff I Know” (unprofessional)
• “Where I Shine” (vague)
• “The Numbers” (confusing)

Problem: ATS may not recognize these, and humans must work to interpret them.

Overly Long Headings

Problematic examples:

• “Professional Work Experience and Career History”
• “Technical Skills, Software Knowledge, and Computer Abilities”

Problem: Lengthy headings waste space and look cluttered.

Redundant Headings

Problematic examples:

• “Resume” at the top (obvious)
• “Contact Information” (self-evident from content)
• “Details About Me” (unnecessary)

Problem: States the obvious, wastes valuable space.

Headers That Reveal Bias Potential

Avoid headings like:

• “Personal Information” (may lead you to include too much)
• “Family Status” (inappropriate)
• “Age” (never include)

Better approach: Include contact info without section heading, omit personal details that could enable discrimination.

Strategic Heading Choices

Headings can be chosen strategically to emphasize strengths.

Emphasizing Different Strengths

For skills-focused presentation:

• Lead with “Core Competencies” or “Skills Summary”
• Use “Areas of Expertise” prominently

For achievement-focused presentation:

• Use “Career Highlights” before detailed experience
• Add “Key Achievements” section

For experience-focused presentation:

• Lead with “Professional Experience”
• Make work history your primary section

Tailoring Headings to Roles

Technical roles:

• “Technical Skills”
• “Technologies”
• “Development Experience”

Creative roles:

• “Portfolio”
• “Creative Experience”
• “Selected Work”

Executive roles:

• “Executive Summary”
• “Leadership Experience”
• “Board Positions”

Sales roles:

• “Sales Experience”
• “Territory Management”
• “Client Relationships”

Creating Additional Sections

When standard sections don’t fit your background, create appropriate headings:

Examples:

• “International Experience” (for globally experienced candidates)
• “Research Experience” (for academic/scientific roles)
• “Military Service” (for veterans)
• “Entrepreneurial Experience” (for business founders)

Ensure custom headings are still clear and professional.

When building comprehensive professional profiles that extend beyond traditional resume sections, platforms like 0portfolio.com can help you organize diverse experiences into compelling presentations.

ATS Optimization for Headings

Maximize ATS compatibility with these practices.

Use Standard Names

ATS systems are programmed to recognize common section names:

Most recognized:

• Professional Experience
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications

Less reliably recognized:

• Creative or unusual names
• Industry-specific jargon
• Abbreviated headings

Avoid Graphics in Headings

ATS cannot read:

• Icons embedded in headings
• Graphical separators
• Text in images
• Special characters that don’t render

Use instead:

• Simple text headings
• Standard characters (hyphens, underscores)
• Unicode characters sparingly

Don’t Use Headers and Footers

Problem: Many ATS systems don’t read document headers/footers.

Impact: Information in headers (like your name/contact info) may be missed.

Solution: Put all content in the main document body.

Test Your Headings

Verification methods:

• Copy resume into plain text to see how it parses
• Use ATS testing tools if available
• Review how resume appears when uploaded to job sites

Heading Examples by Resume Section

See how headings work in context.

Professional Summary Section

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Results-driven marketing director with 12+ years leading 
high-performing teams in B2B technology. Expert in demand 
generation, brand strategy, and marketing automation. Track 
record of exceeding targets while optimizing ROI.

Experience Section

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MARKETING DIRECTOR | ABC Technology | 2020-Present
• Lead team of 15 marketing professionals
• Manage $3M annual budget
• Achieved 150% of lead generation targets

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER | XYZ Software | 2016-2020
• Grew marketing qualified leads by 200%
• Built partner marketing program
• Developed content strategy

Education Section

EDUCATION

Master of Business Administration
Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2015

Bachelor of Science, Marketing
University of California, Berkeley, 2010

Skills Section

SKILLS

Technical: Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Tableau
Marketing: Demand Generation, ABM, Content Strategy, SEO
Leadership: Team Management, Budget Planning, Strategic Planning

Checklist: Resume Headings

Verify your headings meet these criteria:

Clarity

• Each heading clearly identifies section content
• No ambiguous or unclear section names
• Consistent naming conventions throughout

ATS Compatibility

• Standard, recognizable section names used
• No graphics or special characters in headings
• Headings in main body, not headers/footers

Formatting

• Headings visually distinct from body text
• Consistent formatting across all headings
• Appropriate spacing before and after

Strategy

• Section order emphasizes your strengths
• Headings appropriate for your industry
• Additional sections add value

Conclusion

Resume headings are the organizational framework that makes your content accessible and professional. The right headings guide readers through your qualifications, help ATS systems correctly categorize your information, and signal your attention to professional conventions.

Stick with standard, recognized section names for core sections—Professional Experience, Education, Skills. These work reliably across all contexts. Use additional section headings strategically to highlight relevant qualifications that don’t fit standard categories.

Format headings consistently, ensure adequate visual distinction, and test ATS compatibility. These small details contribute to a polished, professional resume that serves you well in both automated screening and human evaluation.

Your content matters most, but effective headings ensure that content gets the attention it deserves.