Organizing 7 Key Sections in Your Resume

Have you ever wondered whether you’re organizing the key sections on your resume in the most compelling way? After all, your goal should be to create a resume structure that properly highlights your top qualifications so employers can easily identify you as one of the best candidates for their open position. Unfortunately, if you’re relying on a standard resume template for that structure, there’s a good chance that your resume may not be getting the job done.

In this post, we will explain why resume structure matters and examine the 7 most important parts of any good resume. We’ll then offer some helpful tips you can use to organize the key sections of your resume and show you what type of information you need to include in each section.

What is the structure of a good resume, and why does it matter?

So, what is resume structure, and why is it so important? To answer that question, it’s important to understand how most employers deal with the many resume submissions they receive for any given position. Contrary to most job seekers’ expectations, the average hiring manager doesn’t read every single resume that hits their desk. Instead, they skim each document, searching for relevant details that spark their interest.

Yes, you read that right. Employers skim your resume – a process that typically takes no more than six or seven seconds. That means you have roughly that amount of time to capture their interest and inspire them to read the entire document. If that doesn’t happen, then you’ve likely lost any chance of being considered for an interview. To avoid that fate, you need to make sure that your resume is organized in a way that draws an employer’s eye to compelling information.

That’s where your resume structure comes into play!

To help employers locate the most relevant information, you need to create a structure that separates distinct types of information into several key sections in your resume. With the right structure and organized sections, your resume can deliver a powerful narrative about your qualifications and fitness for the role you’re seeking.

What are the seven important parts of a resume?

Before we go any further, it’s important to identify the elements that you’ll want to include in your well-structured resume. There are six critical sections that should appear in every successful resume:

Those six sections should form the foundation of your resume structure and will do most of the heavy lifting for your resume narrative. 

The first three are used to introduce yourself to employers by providing 

• Your personal contact details

• A compelling job title headline

• A basic elevator pitch that highlights your key qualifications and value proposition as an employee

The last three sections provide 

• Detailed information about your skills

• A synopsis of your work history

• Your degrees and credentials

Note also that the first three sections don’t require headings. However, your core competencies, professional experience, and education sections should be clearly labeled. That will ensure employers can easily locate those sections when they skim your resume.

In addition to those six important parts of a resume, you may also want to include OPTIONAL sections. For example, 

• If your desired job requires you to be proficient in other languages, you may want to include a separate Languages section

• Project managers may want to include a distinct Projects section. 

We’ll cover some of the other possibilities for these key sections of your resume later in the post.

How to organize key sections on a resume

Now that you’re more familiar with the main sections you’ll need to include in your resume, it’s time to consider how you should organize those sections. Remember, your goal is to ensure your resume displays your qualifications in the most effective way. 

Unfortunately, though, there is no one-size-fits-all organizational strategy that you can rely on for success. Instead, you’ll need to adjust your resume structure based on where you’re at in your career, and your specific job search needs.

The good news is that this adjustment can be achieved by simply moving different sections around within your resume to ensure that you control the narrative. 

• Obviously, recent graduates with little job experience will want to emphasize their education and key skills rather than work history. 

• On the other hand, someone who is switching careers may want to focus attention on transferable skills and their resume summary rather than work experience that may have little relevance to the job they’re seeking.

To give you a better idea of how you can make these adjustments, let’s consider some key resume section examples for diverse types of job search needs.

Organizing key sections on a resume: the standard approach

The standard approach to organizing key sections in your resume can be used by most job seekers with some experience in their industry. The structure looks like this:

Organizing key sections on a resume: recent graduates or entry-level workers

As we noted, however, that standard organizational structure may not be as effective for recent graduates and others who lack direct experience in the role they’re seeking. Those job seekers will typically benefit from a different section layout that emphasizes other key resume details. For example:

As you can see, this alternate structure focuses more attention on your skills and education. 

This approach can be extremely useful when you have no real work experience and need to rely on educational credentials and the skills you developed during your time in school. Typically, those who use this structure will focus on extracurricular experiences, volunteer work, and other experiences that may be relevant to the desired job role.

Organizing key sections on a resume: Career changers

Career changers can also benefit from a modified structure, especially if their current job doesn’t align perfectly with their desired profession. To address that disconnect, it can be helpful to alter your resume sections to highlight your most relevant work experience – usually by creating a second work history section labeled as “Transferable Experience” or something similar. Here’s what that structure might look like:

If you’re using this structure to help you change careers, there are several things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure that your core competencies are focused primarily on transferable skills, rather than all the old skills that you used in your previous career.

2. Relevant experience should be listed in reverse chronological order and include only those job roles that highlight the same type of skills you’ll need for your desired position.

3. Include any other impressive jobs that you’ve held in the additional experience section.

4. Make sure that your experience sections focus on your accomplishments in those roles – using real numbers to quantify the value that you provided to your employer.

What should you include in each section?

Of course, it’s not enough to know how to organize the different key sections in your resume; you also need to know what to include in each section. Just as important, you need to know how to use those details to create a powerful and compelling narrative that sells you as the best candidate for the job. Below, we’ll explore each of these key sections, providing insight you can use to maximize their effectiveness.

1. Contact information

Always make sure that your contact information section has a prominent place at the top of your resume. It’s important to make it easy for employers to locate those contact details, so that they can quickly call or email you with an interview or job offer. 

This section should include the following pieces of essential information:

• Your first and last name. You should use a larger font for your name, of course, to help it stand out.

• Your phone number. This should be a working number that you can quickly access.

• Your email address. If you have a professional email, use it. If not, create a new email address that you can use for your job search efforts.

• Your location. This is optional and can include your city and state – but never your full physical address.

• LinkedIn URL, or other websites you use professionally – like an online portfolio for graphic artists.

2. Resume headline

While some people prefer to include their job title in their contact information, we recommend using it as a headline right below that section. This approach enables you to use that job title in a more effective way by incorporating some descriptive language that sets you apart from the crowd. Since this is the first thing many employers are likely to see, it’s important to make an immediate impact by drawing attention to your qualifications and expertise.

Let’s say that you’re applying for a job as a Marketing Manager. Instead of just listing that job title and hoping the employer delves deeper into your resume, you can immediately set yourself apart from other job candidates by adding some additional details. For example:

Dynamic Marketing Manager with 6+ Years in Brand Development and Campaign Execution

That headline can be far more effective than simply writing your job title on the page. It provides a wealth of information, including your years of experience and specialties in branding and campaign management. If other candidates include nothing more than their job titles, your resume will stand out from the crowd and make a positive impression on employers.

3. Resume summary

With your resume headline complete, it’s time to move on to your resume profile. There are three main types of profiles, including the objective statement, resume summary, and summary of qualifications. 

Most job seekers can benefit from using the summary paragraph, so we’ll focus our attention on that essential element. No matter which option you choose; however, the purpose of any profile remains the same: to quickly introduce yourself to the employer with some key details about your qualifications.

Summaries should be no more than three or four sentences to ensure that they can be read in just a few seconds. Typically, that summary should include your job title, years of experience, and relevant skills and achievements. Here are some tips to help you create your own resume summary:

Here’s an example that shows how this strategy can create a compelling summary that captures a reader’s interest within just a few seconds:

Strategic Marketing Manager with 6+ years of experience in creating and executing client marketing campaigns. Expertise includes market analysis, campaign development, team building, and client relations. Proven record of success managing more than 100 client accounts, generating more than $90 million in annual revenue and a 99% client satisfaction rating.

4. Core competencies

This section should include all your most relevant hard and soft skills – which means every core skill that shows that you meet the job posting’s requirements. You can label this section Core Competencies, Relevant Skills, or just Skills. Try to include a balance of skills so that the employer can see that you have all the learned, job-related abilities as well as key interpersonal skills needed to work with others as part of an effective team.

Unlike your summary section, this part of your resume should just be a list of all those relevant skills, using bullet points. That makes it easier for hiring managers to skim over those skill qualifications and quickly get a sense of your capabilities. You should also consider formatting this section into two or three columns. That also improves readability while helping ensure your resume space is as optimized as possible.

5. Professional experience

This section is where you detail your work history. You’ll need to list your relevant work experience, going back roughly ten years. How you list this information matters, of course. 

For most job seekers, we recommend using the reverse-chronological resume format to ensure that employers can easily review your career trajectory. Simply start with your most recent position and work backward in time. For each job, include the job title, company name, location, and dates of employment.

The experience section of your resume needs to do more than just list your previous jobs, though. It also needs to demonstrate your potential value to prospective employers. To achieve that goal, you’ll need to, once again, use measurable achievements that describe the benefits you provided to those companies. 

Try to include between four and six bullet-point examples of things you achieved at each job. Again, use real numbers to quantify the value that you provided. For example:

6. Education

The education section should be straightforward and simple. Just include basic information about the schools you attended, their location, the degrees you earned, and the date you graduated. You can also include details about your coursework if that information further reinforces your qualifications. If you went to multiple universities or obtained more than one degree, list them in reverse chronological order.

7. Optional sections

Finally, you should only include additional sections if you have details that the employer needs to see to understand that you’re the best person for the job. Typically, additional sections provide information that highlights key skills, training, or capabilities that further reinforce your ability to provide value in any given role. Some examples of these sections include:

Organize the key sections of your resume the right way to optimize job search results

With the right organization of the 7 key sections in your resume, you can help create a more cohesive narrative that can attract more attention from prospective employers. And by including the right information in each of these vital sections, you can deliver a message of value that will inspire your readers to want to learn more about you. Ultimately, that can help you land more interviews and increase your chances of achieving your job search goals.

Are you still wondering whether you’ve effectively organized the key sections in your resume? Get a free resume review from our team of experts today!

Recommended reading:

• How To Make Your Resume Stand Out in 2024

• Understanding and Creating a Resume Profile

• Utilizing the STAR Method in Resume Writing