What to Put on a Resume: A Complete Section-by-Section Guide

What you will learn

In this article, we’ll explain the crucial resume sections, help you choose how best to order them for your situation, and recommend what to put in each so your resume is recruiter-friendly. 

We’ll also cover some practical writing advice for each section and how to make your resume stand out without being cluttered.

Content

Resume sections: Quick answer

• The standard resume includes five core sections: contact information, summary or objective, skills, experience, and education.
• The best order for the sections depends on the desired role and which section is the most important.
• Using clear section headings with bullets for specifics will help both ATS and recruiters scan quickly, improving your chances.
• Only add additional sections if they strengthen credibility or relevance to the role.

What are the essential resume sections

• The five essential sections for a standard resume
• Advice on facilitating ATS and recruiter scanning

How should resume sections be ordered

• Order for most experienced professionals
• Order for recent grads and entry-level
• Order for career changers
• Parts of a resume in order: a quick reference

What belongs in your professional summary or objective

• When to use a summary vs an objective
• A template to use with examples

How to structure your work experience section

• The best format to use 
• How many bullets to include, how far back to list, and how to handle gaps
• Proof, metrics, and keywords that fit naturally

What skills should you include and where

• Best way to list skills for the job
• Including skills in other sections to increase credibility

What optional sections can give you an edge

• Certifications and licenses
• Projects
• Volunteer leadership and community impact
• Publications, speaking events, awards, and professional affiliations
• Hobbies and interests where they help

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are trying to create a new resume and feeling uncertain about what belongs on it, this article is for you. One of the biggest hurdles for job seekers to overcome isn’t lack of experience as much as it is incomplete resume sections or ones that are out of order or don’t include the right details.

Throughout this article, we’ll go over exactly what to include, writing tips for each section, and how to structure your resume so it’s easy to scan and to trust. We'll also help you with organizing resume content by priority so the most important information is in the top third where recruiters see it right away.

Resume sections: Quick answer

The most trusted resume structure is as follows:

Core resume sections

• Contact information
• Professional summary or objective
• Skills/Core Competencies
• Work experience
• Education

Then adjust based on your situation:

• If you are entry-level or a recent graduate, move Education higher
• If you are changing careers, you might move education/training, older positions, or optional sections like volunteer work higher if it’s more relevant to the new role

This answers the two most common search questions: what sections should a resume have? and what is the best resume sections order?

What are the essential resume sections

The five core sections most resumes need

• Header and contact information
• Professional summary or objective
• Skills/Core Competencies
• Work experience
• Education

While you can add optional sections if they’re relevant, it will be hard for recruiters to assess your fit if any of these main five are missing.

A note on ATS and recruiter scanning

Clarity is important for both applicant tracking systems and human reviewers. Ensuring you include proper section headings, clean formatting, and logical ordering is the best way to make information easy to find.

How should resume sections be ordered

While one certain order won’t work for every situation, there is a right answer for your situation. The rule is simple:

Lead with what is most relevant and strongest for the job you want.

This works well across industries and is the simplest answer to the question of “how should you order your resume?”

Resume sections order for most experienced professionals

For most people with several years of experience, use this resume sections order:

• Contact information
• Professional summary
• Skills/Core Competencies
• Work experience
• Education
• Optional sections

This is a straightforward way of organizing resume sections to make it easiest for recruiters to scan your information quickly.

Resume sections order for recent grads and entry-level

If your education is currently your strongest asset, move it up:

• Contact information
• Objective or summary
• Skills/Core Competencies
• Education
• Optional sections covering other relevant experience like internships, projects, or volunteer work

Resume sections order for career changers

It’s crucial for career changers to highlight transferable skills and proof early:

• Contact information
• Summary focused on target role
• Skills or core competencies
• Relevant experience highlights (can include early career, volunteer work, or other relevant projects)
• Full work experience
• Education
• Optional sections

Parts of a resume in order quick reference

Here is a quick reference for the parts of a resume in order for the typical experienced professional:

Contact information, Summary, Skills, Experience,  Education, Optional sections.

If you are unsure how to organize resume sections, start with the above and only make adjustments if it boosts the most relevant information.

What belongs in your professional summary or objective

The purpose of the summary section is to immediately answer the reader’s question of who you are and what you do.

When to use a summary vs an objective

• A professional summary points to results, scope, and strengths, so it’s best for job seekers with experience.
• An objective focuses on direction, so it’s best if you’re entry-level, changing careers, or targeting a specific role.

Generally, summaries are preferable to objectives because they sound more confident and demonstrate value.

A fill-in template and examples

Use this simple summary framework:

Title and specialty + years or scope + 2 to 3 strengths relevant to the job + 1 proof point

How to structure your work experience section

Your experience section should be easy to scan quickly and rich in proof of your accomplishments.

The best format and the best bullet structure

Reverse chronological order (most recent role first) is the simplest and most trusted approach.

Under each job, structure bullets like this:

Action verb + what you did + how or with what tools + why it mattered with results

Example bullets:

• Led a cross-functional process redesign that reduced customer onboarding time by 18%.
• Built weekly KPI dashboards for leadership, improving forecast accuracy and decision-making speed.
• Managed vendor performance and renegotiated terms, saving $45K annually.

How many bullets, how far back, and how to handle gaps

• Aim for 3 to 6 bullets per role for recent jobs.
• Reduce older jobs to 2 to 3 bullets, unless they are particularly relevant.
• Typically, 10 to 15 years of detail is standard unless the position or industry specifically requests more.

Gaps: do not over-explain. If you have a clear, positive reason, address it briefly in one line, listing dates for any training, consulting, caregiving, or projects.

Proof, metrics, and keywords without fluff

Recruiters like quantifiable results, so add numbers when you can:

• revenue, cost savings, time saved, quality improvements, volume handled, growth percentage, customer outcomes

Be sure to include job-relevant keywords where you can defend them, especially tools and industry-specific terms.

What skills should you include and where

Don’t overcrowd your skill section; rather, curate it with intention towards the employer’s most needed abilities.

Skills section strategy that matches the job

Review the job posting and match your own skills with what they are hiring for. If you have a lot of specific technical skills, you can organize them into categories to improve readability.

Example:

• Tools: Excel, Salesforce, Jira, Tableau
• Core skills: stakeholder management, process improvement, forecasting
• Domain: compliance, healthcare operations, B2B sales, FP&A

This is an easy way of organizing resume content to help recruiters confirm fit.

Where else skills should appear for credibility

• Summary mentioning key strengths
• Experience bullets demonstrate those strengths in action with results

What optional sections can give you an edge

Optional sections are useful when they add evidence, relevance, or differentiation. Don’t include them if they only create clutter.

Certifications and licenses

Add this if the credential is job-relevant or required. Examples: PMP, CPA, Security+, RN, SHRM-CP.

Projects

Including projects can be beneficial for the following job seekers:

• recent grads
• career changers
• people in technical roles
• people returning to work

Be sure you keep your descriptions of projects specific and outcome-oriented.

Volunteer leadership and community impact

If your volunteer work demonstrates leadership, initiative, or relevant skills, treat it like experience with bullets and quantified results.

Publications, speaking, awards, and professional affiliations

These sections strengthen credibility for senior professionals, specialists, academics, and people in thought-leadership roles. However, it can be skipped if the experience is minor or limited.

Hobbies and interests when they help

You might consider including interests if the target role is client-facing or the company emphasizes the importance of work culture. If you decide to include interests or hobbies, make sure they’re appropriate to the role, aren’t polarizing, and add positive context. 

Conclusion

Creating a good resume requires using the right resume sections, putting them in the right resume sections order, and writing each section so it clearly demonstrates your value. Keep your focus on clarity, relevance, and proof to make your resume persuasive and easy to scan.

If you want more help with optimizing your resume, consider working with a professional resume writing and career coaching service like YES Career Coaching & Resume Writing Services. You can also check out our other blogs and watch videos on the YES Channel for more tips: https://www.youtube.com/@yescareercoachingresumewri2042

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What sections should every resume include?

The core sections for a standard resume include contact information, a professional summary or objective, work experience, skills, and education. Keeping your resume organized into these five sections helps employers quickly assess your fit for the role. You can also add additional optional sections if they strengthen relevance.

2. What order should resume sections be in?

For most experienced professionals, the best order is: contact information, summary, skills, experience, and education. If you are entry-level or changing careers, you might move education or volunteer work up higher if it’s relevant to the target position and highlights transferable skills. 

3. Should I include references on my resume?

You usually don’t need to include your references as it’s fairly standard for employers to request them as needed to confirm your experience or accomplishments. Since you don’t want to clutter your resume unnecessarily, only include references if the application instructions specifically request it. 

4. Can I add hobbies or interests to my resume?

Include hobbies or interests only if you have room and they add value, support culture fit, or demonstrate a relevant strength. For this, always keep it brief and non-controversial. 

5. What’s the best format for listing jobs in the Experience section?

Reverse chronological order, where you list the most recent job firs,t is the standard and most trusted format. Be sure to list your title, company, location, dates, and 3 to 6 outcome-focused bullets with metrics for each position.