When you are looking for a job, you want to make it as easy as possible for employers to find out if you are a good fit for the position you are applying for. The best way to catch the attention of hiring managers and recruiters is to have a resume that is easy to navigate and highlights all the important information you want potential employers to know.
If you’re a little confused about what exactly to go into your resume section, we’re here to simplify it for you. We’ll walk you through what needs to be in each major section of your resume, so you don’t miss a thing and employers don’t accidentally skip your hiring.
Information contact
We know how easy it is to procrastinate when working on a big project like building a resume. Sometimes the best thing you can do is start with the easiest part—then let the momentum build. So, let’s start with your contact information. Most resume templates include all of the contact information in one easy-to-view section such as the top of the resume. In this section, you’ll want to include your name, email address, and if applicable, a link to your online portfolio or personal website.
Objective Statement
An objective statement is optional on a resume, but if you have room on your resume it can be a very helpful section to add. It doesn’t take much more than a few sentences, so it’s another easy section to check off your to-do list. You can start by writing a general purpose statement and then adapt this section of your resume for each job you apply for or each industry you are targeting. In your statement of purpose, you will want to state why you want the position, how your qualifications make you the best fit for it, and how you will contribute to the success of their company or team.
For example, if you’re applying for a role in social media marketing, your objective statement might say:
Goal: To secure a position as a social media manager where I can leverage my expertise in digital campaigns and strategic marketing initiatives to drive meaningful engagement from target audiences and increase brand awareness. My goal is to develop an effective social media plan tailored to specific goals and outcomes, leveraging data-driven insights to create content that resonates with the user base, increase lead generation and ROI. With my extensive technical knowledge of web tools and analytics platforms, combined with my well-honed communication skills, I’m confident I can drive results across all online channels.
Employment history
Now it’s time to slow down a bit. Filling out the employment history section of your resume is a lot of work, especially if you’ve been in a career for several years, but it’s important not to rush this section. Your work history is the most important part of your resume because it showcases your past experience and accomplishments. Be sure to list all relevant jobs in reverse chronological order with bullet points explaining each role and duties.
When entering information about your current and past roles, you’ll want to highlight your accomplishments using metrics rather than just sharing the tasks you’re responsible for. This allows employers to gain an understanding of your capabilities and how you contribute to the company’s success.
For example, instead of writing “Responsible for scheduling Instagram posts,” a more effective way would be “Coordinating five Instagram posts per day that resulted in an average engagement rate of 20%, exceeding the previous month’s engagement rate of 10%.”
Some employers may only be interested in roles within the last ten to fifteen years, so don’t feel like you have to put everything in there from the first time you start the job. For example, once you have had a few full-time roles, you may not need to enter a college internship again. At the very least, you can eventually include your old title and company and not include such a long description. You want to make sure you have plenty of room to highlight work you’ve done in the last few years, as well as jobs that best match the job you’re currently applying for.
If applicable, you may include an award or recognition highlighting your accomplishments as well as a date associated with one of the jobs listed in this section.
Education
In the education section of your resume, you will list any degrees you have earned. You will include the name of the school and graduation date (if applicable). If you earned a bachelor’s degree, you don’t need to include your high school degree. If you have a very impressive GPA (hello latin honors) and have just graduated, you can add your GPA to the education section, but the further along you are in your career, the less important this will be. If your GPA is average, that fact is also a no-brainer.
If you are taking online courses or pursuing professional certifications related to the job you are applying for, you can also add them to the education section as they can demonstrate additional skills or areas of knowledge that could be of benefit to the company you are applying to. .
Special skills
The specific skills section of your resume can be difficult to navigate because the skills each individual chooses to highlight are unique to them. This is a great section to customize for any job you apply to. Circle back the job description and see what skills they are looking for that you can include in this section. Some great specialized skills to highlight include proficiency in computer software, fluency in a foreign language, or specific training received on certain equipment.
For example, if the job requires knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, you’ll want to list that as one of your skills—as long as you actually know how to use the program. Think carefully about what skills you want to highlight, you don’t want to list too many or it will clutter up your resume. Try to avoid adding common skills that everyone includes on their resume (whether they are or not). Including that you know how to use Microsoft Word feels like a no-brainer in this day and age.
Alongside hard skills (objective and measurable skills) like being able to use a particular computer program, you’ll also want to include soft skills on your resume. Soft skills are personal attributes and abilities that help a person interact effectively with others. Examples of soft skills include qualities such as communication, problem solving, self-motivation and adaptability. Soft skills are intangible—they can’t be seen or measured like hard skills like typing speed or data entry ability, but are just as important as hard skills.
One Final Advice
When building a resume, remember that brevity is key. Your goal should be to provide enough detail about yourself so that employers get a good idea of who you are while also understanding why they should hire you over someone else. Think of your resume as a highlight reel. If there’s additional information you’d like the employer to know about you, this is where a cover letter or online portfolio can be very useful.
