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How to Organize Your Resume Sections

Last Updated on January 8, 2025 by Career Reload Team

You may be staring at a blank screen, wondering where to start and which resume sections are the most important. After all, the layout of your resume can be just as crucial as the content itself. Hiring managers only spend a few seconds reviewing each resume, so having a clear, well-organized structure can make the difference between getting noticed or being overlooked. In this guide, we’ll walk through each essential section of your resume and how to arrange them for maximum impact.


Industry-specific resume examples will give you more ideas on how to format your resume. Using resume samples effectively allows you to create a polished and professional document tailored to your goals.

Resume anatomy

Download this minimalist ATS resume template

Start with contact information

The first section of your resume is straightforward but essential: your contact information. This is where you provide the basics—your full name, phone number, professional email address, and any other relevant links, such as your LinkedIn profile or personal website. You want to make it as easy as possible for potential employers to reach you. Avoid cluttering this section with unnecessary details, and make sure your email is professional. If you’re still using an old, quirky email from high school, now is the time to create something more appropriate.

Your contact information should be placed at the top of your resume, where it’s immediately visible. Consider this your introduction, the very first impression you make, so clarity is key.

Should you include a resume summary or objective?

Next up is an optional section that many people debate whether to include: the resume summary or objective. Both can add value to your resume, depending on your situation.

A resume summary is ideal for experienced professionals. It’s a brief snapshot of your key skills, qualifications, and accomplishments, often in just two or three sentences. On the other hand, a resume objective works better for those who are just starting out, like recent graduates or career changers. It focuses on your goals and what you hope to achieve in the role.

Whichever you choose, this section should be concise and to the point. Tailor it to each job you apply for, using action-oriented language that shows you’re not just listing skills but offering value to the company.

Highlight your professional experience

Your professional experience is likely the most important section of your resume. This is where you list your previous jobs, along with your job titles, the companies you worked for, locations, and dates of employment. More importantly, it’s where you showcase what you’ve achieved in those roles.

Instead of simply listing responsibilities, focus on accomplishments. For example, instead of saying you “managed a sales team,” you might say you “led a sales team that increased revenue by 20% over one year.” Using numbers to quantify your achievements makes them more concrete and compelling. Hiring managers love to see results, not just descriptions of day-to-day duties.

Organize your professional experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. This makes it easy for recruiters to see your most relevant and up-to-date experience first.

Organizing the education section

After your work experience, the education section is next in line. Here, you’ll list your degrees, the institutions where you earned them, and your graduation dates. For recent graduates or those with limited professional experience, this section might come earlier, before work history. On the other hand, if you’re further along in your career, your education will naturally take a backseat to your job experience.

If you’re a recent graduate, you can also include relevant coursework or academic projects that demonstrate your qualifications for the job. But as you gain more professional experience, this extra information becomes less necessary. Keep the education section simple and to the point, especially if you’ve been in the workforce for several years.

Should you include certifications and awards?

Certifications and awards are optional resume sections but can be incredibly valuable, especially if they’re directly related to the job you’re applying for. If you hold certifications that are relevant to the role—like a project management certification for a project manager position—make sure they’re prominently featured on your resume. In fact, if these credentials are particularly important, you might want to move this section closer to the top, right after your education.

Likewise, listing awards or honors you’ve received can help you stand out. However, only include awards that are meaningful to the job. There’s no need to list every award you’ve ever earned, just the ones that demonstrate your qualifications and professionalism.

Don’t forget the skills section

Next, you’ll want to include a skills section. This is a quick way to showcase the specific abilities you bring to the table, whether they’re hard skills, like programming languages or software proficiency, or soft skills, like communication or leadership. Make sure to list skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, rather than throwing in everything you can think of. A well-organized list of relevant skills can strengthen your resume and help employers quickly identify your qualifications.

If you’re applying for a technical position, consider grouping similar skills together. For instance, list all your software knowledge in one cluster and your coding languages in another. This helps hiring managers quickly see where your expertise lies without having to sift through a long list of unrelated skills.

2 column ATS resume template for Word

Download this 2-column ATS resume template

Additional resume sections you might consider

Depending on your background, there are a few other optional resume sections you can consider adding. For example, if you have significant volunteer experience, it’s worth including. Many employers value community involvement and leadership outside of the workplace.

Projects are another section to consider, particularly if they relate directly to the position. If you’re applying for a tech job, listing personal or school projects where you’ve built apps or websites can strengthen your candidacy.

If you speak multiple languages, especially those that are relevant to the job, list them on your resume. This is particularly important if the position is in a global company or requires communication with international clients.

In certain fields, such as academia, medicine, and regulated industries like defense or security, personal and professional references can carry significant weight. If a job posting specifically requests that you provide a set number of references, be sure to include them on your resume.

Finally, including hobbies or interests is optional and should be done carefully. If you have a hobby that is relevant to the role, or that shows discipline or creativity, it can be worth mentioning. However, be selective—this section should only add value to your resume.

Formatting tips for a polished resume

No matter how well you organize your resume sections, formatting can make or break its effectiveness. Keep the design clean and simple with consistent fonts and section headers. Use bullet points to break down accomplishments and skills, but don’t go overboard—too many bullet points can make your resume harder to read.

As a general rule, try to keep your resume to one page if you have less than 10 years of experience. If you have more than a decade of relevant work experience, two pages are acceptable, but make sure every word counts.

Organizing your resume sections effectively can be challenging, particularly when trying to keep it within one page. Instead of starting from scratch, consider using one of our free resume templates for Word to simplify the process. If you don’t have access to Microsoft Word, you can use our specially designed resume templates for Google Docs as a convenient alternative.

Final thoughts

Creating a well-organized resume isn’t just about filling in sections; it’s about making your experience and skills shine through in a way that’s easy for hiring managers to digest. Beyond listing qualifications, think about how your resume reflects you as a candidate. Consider customizing not just the content but also the design for the industry you’re applying to