Parts of a Resume: Understanding Every Section and What to Include

Creating an effective resume requires understanding not just what information to include, but how to organize it for maximum impact. Each section of your resume serves a specific purpose, working together to present a compelling picture of your professional qualifications. This comprehensive guide breaks down every component of a modern resume, helping you understand what belongs where and why.

The Essential Sections

Every resume needs certain fundamental components. Missing any of these core sections will leave your resume incomplete and potentially eliminate you from consideration.

1. Contact Information

Your contact section sits at the top of your resume and provides the essential information employers need to reach you. Despite its simplicity, this section requires careful attention to detail.

What to Include:

Full Name Use your professional name—the name you go by in professional settings. If your legal name is Elizabeth but you’ve always worked as Beth, using Beth is perfectly acceptable.

Phone Number Include one reliable phone number with a professional voicemail message. Avoid listing multiple numbers, which can create confusion.

Email Address Use a professional email that incorporates your name. Addresses like [email protected] immediately undermine your credibility. If your name is taken, try variations like [email protected] or [email protected].

Location City and state (or city and country for international applications) is sufficient. Full street addresses are outdated and raise privacy concerns.

LinkedIn Profile Include your customized LinkedIn URL if your profile is complete and professional. An incomplete profile is worse than none at all.

Portfolio or Personal Website (If Relevant) Creative professionals, developers, and others with visual or tangible work samples should include links to portfolios.

What to Exclude:

• Full home address
• Date of birth or age
• Marital status
• Photo (in most U.S. contexts)
• Social media handles unrelated to your profession
• Multiple phone numbers or email addresses

Example:

JENNIFER MARTINEZ
San Diego, CA | (619) 555-0127 | [email protected]
linkedin.com/in/jennifermartinez | jenniferdesigns.com

2. Professional Summary or Objective

This brief section, positioned directly below your contact information, provides a snapshot of your qualifications and career direction.

Professional Summary A professional summary (2-4 sentences) works best for experienced professionals. It highlights your key qualifications, years of experience, notable achievements, and the value you bring to employers.

Example Professional Summary: “Operations manager with 8+ years of experience streamlining processes for manufacturing companies. Reduced operational costs by 23% through lean methodology implementation and vendor negotiations. Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and managing budgets exceeding $5M. Seeking to leverage process improvement expertise in a senior operations role.”

Objective Statement Objectives work better for career changers, recent graduates, or those re-entering the workforce. They focus on what you’re seeking rather than what you’ve accomplished.

Example Objective: “Recent MBA graduate with 3 years of pre-MBA consulting experience seeking a product management role where I can apply analytical skills and customer-centric thinking to drive product strategy and market expansion.”

Writing Tips:

• Tailor this section to each application
• Include keywords from the job description
• Quantify achievements when possible
• Avoid generic phrases like “team player” or “hard worker”
• Keep it concise—recruiters spend seconds on initial scans

3. Work Experience

This section typically forms the backbone of your resume, demonstrating your professional history and accomplishments.

Essential Elements for Each Position:

Company Name and Location Include the company name and city/state. Brief company descriptions can help if the employer isn’t well-known.

Job Title Use your actual title. If your official title was unusual or unclear, you can add a clarifying equivalent in parentheses: “Client Success Ninja (Account Manager).”

Employment Dates Include month and year for start and end dates. Using just years can make short tenures appear even shorter or create apparent gaps.

Achievement-Focused Bullet Points List 4-6 bullet points for recent positions, fewer for older roles. Focus on accomplishments rather than responsibilities.

Example Work Experience Entry:

AMAZON — Seattle, WA
Senior Operations Manager | March 2020 - Present

• Lead team of 45 associates across fulfillment center operations, consistently
  achieving 98%+ on-time delivery rates
• Implemented inventory management system reducing carrying costs by $1.2M annually
• Developed safety protocols that decreased workplace incidents by 34% year-over-year
• Spearheaded process improvement initiative increasing pick-pack efficiency by 27%
• Recognized with Operations Excellence Award for Q3 2023 performance

WALMART — Bentonville, AR
Operations Manager | June 2017 - February 2020

• Managed daily operations for distribution center serving 120+ retail locations
• Reduced processing time for inbound shipments by 18% through workflow redesign
• Trained and mentored 12 supervisors across multiple shifts
• Maintained 99.2% inventory accuracy through cycle counting protocols

Best Practices:

• Begin each bullet with a strong action verb
• Include specific metrics and numbers whenever possible
• Show progression and increasing responsibility
• Tailor content to the target position
• Use industry-relevant keywords naturally

4. Education

Your education section documents your academic credentials and provides context for your professional qualifications.

What to Include:

Degree and Major List your degree type (Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc.) and major field of study.

Institution Name and Location Include the full name of the college or university and its location.

Graduation Date Include graduation year for recent graduates. Those more than 15 years post-graduation may omit dates to avoid age-related bias.

Relevant Details (Conditional) Include GPA if above 3.5 (especially for recent graduates), honors, relevant coursework, thesis topics, or significant academic achievements.

Example Education Section:

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN — Ann Arbor, MI
Master of Business Administration | 2022
Concentration: Finance | GPA: 3.8
Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY — Columbus, OH
Bachelor of Science in Accounting | 2018
Magna Cum Laude | GPA: 3.7

Placement Considerations:

• Recent graduates: Place education before work experience
• Experienced professionals: Place education after work experience
• Career changers pursuing new education: Consider prominence based on relevance

5. Skills

Your skills section provides a quick-reference list of your capabilities, often parsed by ATS systems for keyword matching.

Types of Skills to Include:

Technical Skills Software, programming languages, tools, and platforms you’re proficient with.

Industry-Specific Skills Specialized abilities relevant to your field (financial modeling, regulatory compliance, clinical assessment, etc.).

Certifications and Licenses Professional credentials that validate your expertise.

Language Skills Foreign language proficiency with honest assessment of fluency levels.

Example Skills Section:

SKILLS

Technical: Microsoft Excel (Advanced), SQL, Tableau, SAP, Salesforce
Financial: Financial Modeling, Budgeting & Forecasting, Variance Analysis, GAAP
Certifications: CPA (Active), CFA Level II Candidate
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Professional Working Proficiency)

What to Avoid:

• Basic computer skills (Word, email) unless genuinely rare in your field
• Vague descriptors like “excellent communication”
• Skills you can’t actually perform competently
• Exhaustive lists that dilute important qualifications

Optional Sections That Add Value

Beyond the core components, several optional sections can strengthen specific candidacies:

Certifications and Licenses

For many fields, professional certifications carry significant weight. Consider a dedicated section if you hold multiple relevant credentials.

Example:

CERTIFICATIONS

Project Management Professional (PMP) | Project Management Institute | 2021
Certified Scrum Master (CSM) | Scrum Alliance | 2020
AWS Solutions Architect - Associate | Amazon Web Services | 2022

Include:

• Certification name
• Issuing organization
• Year earned or expiration date
• License numbers if commonly verified

Professional Affiliations

Membership in professional organizations signals engagement with your field and provides networking evidence.

Example:

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Marketing Association | Member since 2019
Product Development and Management Association | Chapter Board Member
Women in Technology International | Conference Speaker 2022, 2023

Volunteer Experience

Volunteer work demonstrates character, community engagement, and often transferable skills. It’s particularly valuable for filling gaps or showing leadership outside paid work.

Example:

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Habitat for Humanity — San Diego Chapter
Construction Team Leader | 2020 - Present
• Lead teams of 8-12 volunteers on weekend builds
• Trained 30+ new volunteers on safety protocols and basic construction
• Coordinated materials and logistics for 6 completed home builds

Junior Achievement
Classroom Volunteer | 2019 - Present
• Teach financial literacy curriculum to middle school students
• Developed engaging activities increasing student participation by 40%

Projects

A projects section works well for tech professionals, creatives, consultants, or anyone whose best work exists outside traditional employment.

Example:

PROJECTS

E-Commerce Platform Migration | Freelance Consultant | 2023
• Led technical migration of 50,000-product catalog from legacy system to Shopify
• Developed custom integrations reducing order processing time by 60%
• Project delivered on time, resulting in 25% increase in conversion rate

Personal Finance Dashboard | Side Project | 2022
• Built React-based dashboard integrating multiple financial APIs
• Implemented machine learning model for expense categorization
• Open-source project with 500+ GitHub stars

Awards and Recognition

Honors validate your excellence and differentiate you from equally qualified candidates.

Example:

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

President's Club | Company XYZ | 2022, 2023
Top 5% of sales representatives nationally

40 Under 40 | Business Journal | 2023
Recognition for professional achievement and community leadership

Innovation Award | Industry Association | 2021
New product development contribution

Publications and Presentations

For academics, researchers, thought leaders, and those in fields where intellectual contribution matters, this section demonstrates expertise.

Example:

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

"Optimizing Supply Chain Resilience in Uncertain Markets"
Harvard Business Review | January 2023

"The Future of Remote Work: A Data-Driven Analysis"
SHRM Annual Conference | Keynote Presentation | June 2022

"Machine Learning Applications in Predictive Maintenance"
Journal of Operations Management | March 2021

Languages

For international companies, customer-facing roles, or positions requiring multilingual abilities, language skills deserve prominence.

Example:

LANGUAGES

English — Native
Spanish — Full Professional Proficiency (DELE C1)
Portuguese — Professional Working Proficiency
French — Elementary Proficiency

Be honest about proficiency levels. Overstating language abilities can backfire dramatically in interviews.

Interests (Use Cautiously)

Personal interests rarely influence hiring decisions, but strategic inclusion can occasionally create connection points with interviewers.

When to Include:

• When interests directly relate to the role or company culture
• When impressive accomplishments are involved (marathons, published author)
• When space permits and interests humanize an otherwise technical resume

When to Exclude:

• When space is limited
• When interests are controversial or potentially divisive
• When they’re entirely generic (reading, music, movies)

Section Order and Customization

The order of resume sections should reflect what’s most important for your candidacy:

Standard Order for Experienced Professionals:

1. Contact Information
2. Professional Summary
3. Work Experience
4. Skills
5. Education
6. Optional Sections

Alternative Order for Recent Graduates:

1. Contact Information
2. Objective Statement
3. Education
4. Relevant Experience (including internships)
5. Skills
6. Projects or Activities

Alternative Order for Career Changers:

1. Contact Information
2. Professional Summary (emphasizing transferable skills)
3. Skills (grouped by relevance to target field)
4. Work Experience (with transferable achievements highlighted)
5. Education (especially if pursuing new credentials)

Common Mistakes by Section

Contact Information Mistakes:

• Unprofessional email addresses
• Outdated phone numbers
• Including unnecessary personal details
• Broken LinkedIn URLs

Summary Mistakes:

• Generic statements that could apply to anyone
• Focusing on what you want rather than what you offer
• Exceeding 4-5 sentences
• Failing to customize for each application

Work Experience Mistakes:

• Listing duties instead of achievements
• Missing quantifiable results
• Inconsistent formatting between positions
• Including irrelevant ancient experience

Skills Mistakes:

• Listing skills you don’t actually have
• Including obvious basics (Microsoft Word)
• Failing to match keywords from job descriptions
• Organizing skills illogically

Education Mistakes:

• Including high school after college graduation
• Listing every course ever taken
• Including low GPAs
• Missing relevant honors or achievements

Putting It All Together

Building an effective resume means understanding both what belongs in each section and how sections work together to tell your professional story. Tools like 0portfolio.com can help ensure your resume includes all necessary components in proper formats that pass ATS screening.

Remember these key principles:

Relevance Rules Every item on your resume should strengthen your candidacy for the specific position you’re targeting.

Consistency Matters Formatting should be uniform throughout—same date formats, consistent bullet styles, matching fonts.

Quality Over Quantity A focused one-page resume often outperforms an exhaustive two-page document filled with marginal information.

Customization Wins Generic resumes generate generic results. Tailoring your resume for each application dramatically increases response rates.

Understanding the parts of a resume is the foundation for building documents that open doors. Master each component, arrange them strategically, and you’ll create resumes that effectively communicate your value to potential employers.