Parts of a Resume

Resumes typically have components like the ones explained below.  The order, however, depends on you.  For example, if you have more work experience than education, you might want to put your experience up front to highlight that before your educational background and vice versa.  For new graduates with little experience, their educational background, awards and volunteer activities may be placed at the beginning of the resume.

The design of your resume is also dependent on the organization you are applying with.  If it is an edgy, creative organization, your resume should also be edgy and creative; whereas a conservative organization may want something straight-forward, clean, and elegant.  Be careful, though, too many fonts, colors, or design elements may work against you as they distract the reader from the information.  The reader should also have easy access to your information so your design should not get in the way.

Generally, you don’t have to have a long resume (more than 3 or 4 pages) because potential employers usually screen a large quantity of resumes so a shorter one works best. Highlight the most important features of your experience.

Heading with your contact information

You need to include your full name, your mailing address, telephone number (with area code) and e-mail address.  Typically, people make the name a couple of points larger than the rest of the information.  You also want to put the word resume at the top of the page

Education

List where you went to school and when you graduated or when you expect to graduate.  In terms of your higher education, you also need to include your major field of study.  Most people include high school and higher education only.  If you had a grade point average higher than a 3.5 in your bachelor’s degree or other higher degrees, it is usually also included.  Some people include the address of the institution, but it is usually not necessary or only the city and state are included. Make sure the most current information is first.

Work Experience

You organize this section with the most current information first.   You state the work title, address and phone number, supervisor’s name and the dates you were employed(month and year are sufficient).  If you are currently employed at the job use “present” as your end date.  After each of these little heading blocks, you list your job duties and responsibilities that you performed on the job.  Some people choose only to focus on those duties that are directly applicable to the job they are applying for, but that is up to you.  The list does not contain complete sentences and it is better to bullet the duties instead of writing out a small paragraph because it is easier to locate information.  Whenever possible, include any opportunities for leadership you had like training others, managerial positions, positions where you had to evaluate workers, or when you implemented new ideas and projects that were successful.

Some people list all the jobs they had whether they relate to the job they are currently applying for or not.  Some people list only those that apply directly to the job they are applying for.  It’s up to you.  If there is a large gap between jobs, employers may question this. 

Also, you do not have to include why you left a job in your resume.   If an employer is curious, he/she will usually ask you during the interview process.  If that is the case, make sure your response is not negative, but neutral.  For example, you don’t want to say, “I left because my boss was a sexist jerk.” Instead you want to say, “I left to seek other opportunities” or “I left to gain varied experience.”

Skills

This is a short, bulleted list of skills you consider are unique or applicable to the job.  They can include languages that you speak, read, and write other than English, software experience, experience with equipment or machinery applicable to the job, applicable training you have received and certifications.  You don’t need to add innocuous items like “people person,” “good organizational skills” or “team member.”  These phrases have become stale and don’t really mean anything important to potential employers.

Awards

This section is usually reserved for awards that are applicable to the job you are applying for such as a Good Citizenship Award if you are applying for a care taker position, or awards directly related to the career field.  You may or may not decide to include this section.  Generally, they are only included for jobs in the academic setting.  Typically, include the most current information first, the title of the award and when you received it.  Many people also include the granting agency or organization.

Publications and Conference Presentations

Publications and conference presentations are usually only included for faculty positions or research positions as these items are highly valued in academia. Typically you include the title of your publication and the date you published or the conference name, where it was held, your presentation title, and the date without a summary of the work itself.  Again, the most current information goes first.

Volunteer or Extracurricular Activities

If this section will help you boost your chances of getting the job, then by all means, include them.  If, for example, I volunteer at Senior Care Facilities and I want to apply for a job in that setting, I would definitely include that information.  If I’m applying for a job at a school, I would include coaching a little league team, or tutoring students at the school near me if I engage in those activities.

One Last Thing…

Before submitting your resume – make sure you proofread your resume.  You will be surprised how bad an impression faulty wording or misspellings can engender.   You may want to ask someone you trust to proof read your work since they will be reading it with “fresh eyes.”  Also, make sure you re-read the job advertisement to make sure your resume addresses the major qualifications it is asking for.