Resume Sections

Resume Sections At-A-Glance

Keep in mind that your resume may not include every one of these categories.

These categories represent the most common resume content areas.

If you have a specific question about how a part of your background/skills/experience can be categorized, seek help from Career Services. See Resume Consultation.

Identification

PURPOSE: to let an employer know who you are and how to communicate with you to schedule an interview via phone, e-mail, or U. S. Postal Service.

USE: All Resumes

• Use your full name at the top of your resume.
• You will always list your permanent address on your resume.
• Be sure to include phone numbers with area code.
• Employers respond positively to professional e-mail addresses (with your name in them), ex. johnsmith@yahoo.com, juliejones@aol.com
• Remove the internet "hyperlink" (the blue underlining) for a polished appearance.
• You may choose to use your Campus Cruiser address—if you list this address on your resume, be sure to list the correct address, ex. msmith@cc.albertus.edu. REMEMBER the address includes cc.albertus.edu

On-Campus Resident Students Please Note:

• If you live on campus, you may choose to list both a campus and a permanent address.
• The campus address is your mailbox in the Campus Center
• Think about how often you check your mailbox—if you are not checking it regularly, don’t include it on your resume.

Objective

PURPOSE: to communicate very specific information about your immediate career plans to an employer/internship supervisor

USE: Internship/Practicum, Entry-Level

• A short statement answering the question, "What type of position are you looking for?"
• The objective should be clear and targeted to a position, job type, and/or career field.
• This is an optional section designed for students with little work experience in their chosen field

The "Summary of You"

PURPOSE: to communicate your best skills, personality characteristics, and qualifications to a prospective employer

USE: All Resumes

• This is your “sales pitch” to sell your skills/background/qualifications to the employer—you want the employer to be curious enough to read on.
• Located at the top of your resume, right after your identification.
• Phrases that specifically describe in detail what you will bring to the work environment.
• Your strongest selling points cover one or a combination of 4 main areas:
• Level of knowledge
• Years of experience
• Type of work experience
• Personality characteristics See Descriptive Adjectives
• Typically includes 3-6 phrases
• Can include a title section to introduce your skills in a bolder way

Core Strengths

PURPOSE: to communicate your experience and knowledge in a short, easy-to-read format that speaks the employer's language

USE: Entry-Level, Mid-Career, Career Change

• Keywords that describe your specific experience and knowledge areas
• Keywords are descriptive words that are connected with specific career fields
• Keywords are standardized throughout career fields.
• Keywords help you to speak the employer's language, which will allow your resume to be more easily read and understood by the employer.

Knowledge Areas

PURPOSE: to communicate your knowledge in a short, easy-to-read format that speaks the employer’s language

USE: Internship/Practicum, Entry-Level, Career Change

• Keywords that describe your specific knowledge gained through your education
• Keywords are descriptive words that are connected with specific career fields. Keywords are standardized throughout career fields.
• Keywords help you to speak the employer’s language, which will allow your resume to be more easily read and understood by the employer.

Education

PURPOSE: to communicate the specific details about your educational credentials

USE: All Resumes

• This section should include the name of the institution, city, state, name of degree, major (or majors), concentration (if you have one), minor (or minors) (if you have one), expected graduation date/date of completion for each degree you have or will be receiving
• List current degrees before completed ones
• Do not list institutions that you attended but did not receive a degree (you transferred out before you finished).
• GPA is listed only if it is 3.0 or above.
• List your current GPA on file in the Registrar's Office.
• High school information is generally not included on your resume. Check with Career Services for exceptions. See Resume Consultation.
• If you have taken specific career-related training courses separate from your college work, also include this information in this section--change the title of this section to "Education and Training."

Honors

PURPOSE: to communicate the specific details about academic honors and awards received

USE: All Resumes

• Include any honors you have received, honor societies you are a member of, or any special awards/scholarships for academic achievement.
• Generally you include only academic honors in this section. Check with Career Services for exceptions. See Resume Consultation.

Relevant Coursework

PURPOSE: to communicate the specific details about academic coursework to emphasize educational background

USE: Internship/Practicum

• List 6-8 classes relevant to the position.
• List the classes by name as they appear exactly in the course catalogue. List in order of interest to the employer - most impressive first.
• Leave out introductory courses if you have more advanced coursework to offer.
• Please note you would not use both the Knowledge Areas Section and the Relevant Courses section together. Choose one or the other, but keep in mind that the Knowledge Areas section presents your knowledge in an easier-to-read format for the employer.

Academic Projects

PURPOSE: to communicate information about academic projects to emphasize educational background

USE: Internship/Practicum

• Students who do not have a great deal of work experience choose to list class projects on the resume
• Demonstrates writing and research skills
• Indicate the subject area in the heading if possible (i.e. Sociology Projects, Psychology Projects)

Computer Skills

PURPOSE: to communicate knowledge of computer skills

USE: All Resumes

• List the names of software programs you know how to use - Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.
• List all relevant computer skills that your potential employer would be interested in.
• When listing computer skills, only list those programs you know how to use well - think, "How well will I be able to use this computer program on the first day of my job?"
• If you are at all unsure about your ability to use a computer program successfully, leave it off your resume.
• Employers will expect that you know how to use the computer programs you list on your resume.

Language Skills

PURPOSE: to communicate knowledge of foreign language fluency

USE: All Resumes

• Include only if you are fluent in a language (or languages) other than English.
• When thinking about this section, ask yourself, “How well would I be able to communicate with native speakers of the language on the first day of my job?”
• Employers expect fluency in any foreign language included on your resume.

Accomplishments

PURPOSE: to communicate your best skills and abilities to the employer through a list of major accomplishments

USE: Entry-Level, Mid-Career, Career Change

Developing a Results-Oriented Theme

• Writing effective accomplishment statements related to a specific position or career field is a great way to showcase your talents
• By highlighting specific results gained through past work experience and/or internships, you are able to effectively communicate your strongest skills and abilities to prospective employers.
• This results-oriented approach allows you to highlight transferable skills.

All About Accomplishments

• Effective employees demonstrate how they have added value to their previous or current employers or internship sites.
• Your most significant accomplishments on-the-job reflect your strongest skills and abilities.
• Employers look for effective employees—those who regularly add value to their work environments.

Writing Accomplishments

• Think about what you have done to add value to the organizations you have worked for.
• Be specific and include numbers wherever possible
• Hint: If you have access to recent performance appraisals/reviews, take a look at them as a starting point.
• Accomplishment statements cover one or a combination of 4 main areas:
  
  • Made money for the company
  • Saved money for the company
  • Improved efficiency
  • Improved products/procedures/services/programs

Examples

Experience

PURPOSE: to communicate work experience information and transferable skills

USE: All Resumes

What to List

• Include paid and unpaid, full-time, part-time, internship, and volunteer positions within this section.
• Begin with your most recent experience and list the name of your employer, location (city and state only), dates of employment, job title, and responsibilities/duties.
• List your positions using the same format throughout your resume.
• Use action verbs to describe day-to-day responsibilities, skills, achievements, special projects, etc.

Quantify = Define in terms of numbers

• Quantify your statements whenever possible, i.e. managed 10 people; supervised 45 children in after-school program, increased sales by $5000, managed bank deposit of $10,000.

Group Similar Experiences for Easier Reading

• If possible, group related experiences together and assign them a specific heading that defines them clearly i.e. Marketing Experience, Communications Experience, Banking Experience, Human Services Experience, Real Estate Experience, etc.
• Grouping emphasizes relevant experience to the employer and makes it easier for the employer to identify your experience

Activities or Community Involvement

PURPOSE: to communicate information about campus/community involvement

USE: All Resumes

• List campus/community activities you are involved in as an active member.
• Note any activities that demonstrate leadership or other skills that would be seen as an asset to employers.
• List clubs/organizations of which you are an officer or a member, college activities, or community/civic activities.
• If you held a leadership role, list your duties and accomplishments the same way as you listed work experience.
• Your activity involvement may fit better in the Experience section if related to your career goals

Professional Affiliations or Professional Memberships

PURPOSE: to communicate membership in professional organizations

USE: All Resumes

• List the names of professional organizations that you are a member of.
• Examples: American Art Therapy Association, Society of Human Resource Management, American Marketing Association, American Accounting Association, etc.
• Providing dates of membership is optional.

Interests

PURPOSE: to communicate interests to provide conversation starters

USE: Internship/Practicum, Entry-Level

• This is a section that works best for those who have little to no work experience.
• This section provides information for small talk during an interview.
• List 3-5 specific, noncontroversial personal interests
• An employer may ask you why you listed specific interests and how those interests can help you to be successful on the job.
• Activities dealing with religion, politics, and other controversial issues can have a positive or negative influence on the employer, keeping in mind that the employer may make decisions about your fit with the job based on what you list on the resume.