Five Elements That Should be Included in a Resume
Developing a resume can be a daunting task, but we are here to break it down and provide resources to make the task a little easier. There are many ways to build and format a resume, but there are five important elements that should always be included. These five elements are your name and contact information, a skills section, a section that details your educational history, a section that details your professional history, and a section that details other relevant experiences like participating in volunteer work and internships. Within this article, these five elements will be broken down and additional resources will be provided to help give further explanation.
1. Name and Contact Information:
The first element that needs to be put in a resume is your name and contact information including your email, phone number, and address. This information should be located at the top of your resume and centered. Putting this information within your resume ensures that the employer knows who you are and how to contact you. relevant social media like your Linkedin profile and a link to your professional website can be added as well if it is relevant to the position you are applying for.
This photo from Novoresume.com shows how contact information should be formatted within a resume.
2. Skills Section:
The second element that needs to be within a resume is a skill section. The skills section is one of the most important parts of a resume because it allows employers to see your value while scanning through multiple resumes quickly. Within this section, your relevant skills should be listed in bullet form. These skills should highlight your best qualities and show what you have to offer in the position you are applying for. Some skills that can be listed may include any computer software you have experience using and soft skills like interpersonal and writing skills.
3. Education Section:
The third element that should be included within a resume is an education section. This section should include any college degrees you have earned or are working towards, and/or any secondary trade school licensing you have received. The title of the section can be changed if you have received a certification in place of a college degree. If you have received both then certifications should be listed in a separate section Each degree or certification should be listed separately and include the title and institution you are receiving the degree or certification from. In addition to this the date that you have received or plan to receive the degree or certification. You may also choose to include your GPA within your resume, but this is not recommended if it is under a 3.0.
This photo from Novoresume shows the proper way to format the education section of your resume. If you have multiple degrees they each should be listed separately using the same format.
4. Professional History:
The fourth element that should be included within your resume is a professional history or jobs section. Along with the skills section of the resume, this section is incredibly important. This section highlights your abilities, showing that you have experience and are qualified for the job you are applying for. In this section, you should separately list all previous relevant employment and explain what you did in each position. Be sure to include any substantial projects you worked on in these positions or any achievements you reached while in these positions.
5. Relevant Experiences Section:
The fifth element that should be included within a resume is a relevant experiences section. This section should include any unpaid work that you have done that is relevant to the position you are applying for. This section is especially important for individuals who are new to the working world and may not have a lot of traditional work experience. The volunteer/internship experiences section is a great way to showcase your skills and abilities, while also highlighting that you are a purpose-driven person who is willing to contribute to a cause or company.
In this section you may also include other relevant activities you have done like being on a sports team or in Girl Scouts, adding these activities to your resume is a great way to show that you have experience collaborating with others and are a team player. If you chose to include activities like these be sure that they are relevant to the position you are applying to, and make sure to change the title of the section to fit its contents. You may also choose to add activities like these into a separate section of your resume like an achievements section if you have earned any awards or held a position like a team captain or troop leader.
Additional Resume Building Resources:
Resume Worded is a great resource where you can submit your resume to be reviewed by a professional. This assessment can help you navigate AI screening technology that companies often use to quickly target resumes with specific words or phrases. Along with this Resume, Worded will highlight things like spelling and grammar mistakes within your resume. Unlike some other resume reviewing platforms, Resume Worded will also rate your writing and wording choices. In a resume it is important to use strong active language, Resume Worded will point out instances where language may be weak or passive. At the end of the assessment, your resume will receive a score that will allow you to see the strength of your resume and highlight ways that it can be improved.
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