Learn About All the Parts of a Resume

To create a great resume, you need to get to know each part of a resume. Achieve this by using our helpful guide and tips for great resumes in today’s world.

BROWSE TEMPLATES Build my resume

OUR USERS HAVE BEEN HIRED BY

Hollywood resume template with black heading

Resume example using the Splendid template

Parts of a Resume

When you write a resume, you’re making it easier for hiring managers to know about your work experience, your qualifications, and your skills. However, to make it even simpler for a hiring manager to go through your resume, you will organize your resume into multiple sections. These sections all have different formats and intentions, and they all go into creating a professional resume.

CREATE YOUR RESUME

What Are the Important Parts of a Resume?

To get your important information across, you’ll typically have at least five sections in a resume, with the option of creating some extra sections.

1. Header

First is the resume header. This is technically not a section, but it is still important. It goes at the very top of the resume and introduces you. It includes your full name, phone number, and email address. This information helps a recruiter see who you are and who the job application belongs to at a glance.

2. Resume summary

Next is your resume summary, which goes at the top of your resume. This resume introduction is a few sentences long and highlights the most important elements in your work history. It may include details on your years of experience, your key skills, and your top strengths. It’s the part of your resume that encourages a hiring manager to keep reading and potentially reach out to you for a job interview.

3. Work experience

Next is your work experience section. This is where you lay out all of your employment history and other professional experience, typically including a short job description for each. You may also include your internships, volunteer work, and even summer jobs. The experience section will typically be the longest section on a chronological resume. Regardless of your resume format, you’ll list your work history in reverse chronological order, with more recent experience first.

4. Skills

Your skills are typically up next. You need to list both hard skills and soft skills, including technical skills, although the specific ratio will typically depend on your job search. Your skills section will almost always be in bullet points, and you’ll typically have 5-6 bullet points for a chronological resume, with up to about a dozen if you’re writing a functional resume or combination resume.

5. Education

The next section is your education section. This is where you might put a college diploma or any certification programs you’ve taken. Include your school name, and the actual degree or certificate you earned. You might also want to include relevant coursework, especially if you don’t have a lot of work experience. Only include your high school experience if you have no college experience, and include graduating honors like cum laude instead of your GPA.

6. Additional sections, if desired

The last section is any additional information you’re interested in including. These sections may include awards, publications, certifications, and anything else that you want to include in your resume, but don’t fit in any of the other sections.

Personalizing a Resume for Your Needs

Every resume and cover letter you submit should be personalized. If you submit a resume that’s exactly the same as every other one you’ve submitted for every job, a hiring manager can often tell, and that might hurt your chances of getting the job. Instead, consider using the resume builder from ResumeHelp. With the resume builder and thousands of resume examples, it’s extremely easy to write customized resumes that puts the right skills and qualifications front and center.

Create Your Resume

FAQ: Parts of a Resume

Q: Do I need all of these parts for every resume?

These are the baseline components for any resume, even if you’re working on an entry-level resume. Even if you don’t have “work experience,” you can still include volunteer experience and even internships as long as they feature skills that apply to the job.

Q: How should I lay out all the different parts of the resume?

This depends on the resume format and the resume template that you use. Generally, the format listed on this page will be the right option for you. However, you may run into resume templates that change the order, or even two-column resume formats that put multiple sections on the same level. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you can look through the resume examples at ResumeHelp to see how people structure their resumes.

Q: How long should each part of my resume be?

This also depends. Your skill list may list as few as five or as many as around 12 skills, and depending on the amount of experience you have, you may have more or less work experience listed. It is important to remember that you typically want your resume to fit on one page. While a two-page resume is an option, it’s typically reserved for people who have a truly monumental amount of work experience or achievements.

Move your resume to the top of the yes pile!

Get Started