Looking to start your job search but don’t know how? Learn what are the key resume parts. See how to include the vital elements on your resume to craft a killer application.
The resume is a puzzle; your skills, experience, education, etc., are the pieces. But are they currently disorganized and don’t fit where they should? Don’t worry, I have the solution.
This short article will help you pick up all the parts of a resume and use them to create an artistic masterpiece every recruiter will marvel at.
In this guide:
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Resume parts are the singular components of a resume that, when put together, create a full application. They are divided into the 5 essential elements of a resume and additional resume parts you can add to make your job application more appealing.
The 5 main parts of a resume are:
Below, you’ll find a detailed explanation for each of these resume parts, including the bonus ones and expert examples showing you how they should look on your resume. Now, without further ado, let’s dive into discussing every part of a resume:
The resume header is the simplest component of your resume. But its importance shouldn’t be underestimated. The header is basically just your contact information. But without it, no one will be able to call you.
Here’s what you must include in this part of a resume:
Make sure the resume header is clearly visible. Put it in the top part of your resume, either on one of the sidebars or in the center if you’re using a 1-column resume template.
You also shouldn’t include all the information about yourself in the header. Omit elements such as your date of birth, sex and gender, ethnicity, religion, or other personal information that could lead to potential discrimination in the recruitment process.
And then there’s the case of adding an address to the resume. Generally, you shouldn’t do that, but there are exceptions. These are:
Those are the rules, now, let’s look at an example:
Rosalie Scherer
Technical Support Specialist
816-232-3730
rosa.scherer@gmail.com
linkedin.com/scherer_rosa
The next part of the resume is known as the resume profile. Depending on your level of experience and the chosen resume format, you’re going to be writing one of the three types of a resume profile:
Most of the time, you’ll write a resume summary. As an entry-level candidate, go for a resume objective. A qualifications summary is used to tie together work experience with transferable skills, making it a good fit for a chrono-functional resume.
But what is a resume profile? It’s often considered the most difficult resume component. It’s a short summary of all the parts of your resume, like an abstract to an academic book. A profile generally consists of your job title, years of experience, a couple of impressive career achievements, and a statement of how you’ll help the company.
Just like in the example below:
Meticulous technical support specialist with 5+ years of experience in providing IT technical support. Successfully handled and resolved an average of 50 tickets per day, meeting or exceeding departmental targets. Achieved an average customer satisfaction rating of 95.5% through prompt and effective resolution of technical issues. Seeking to apply technical expertise to a senior IT support position at YWare.
Expert Hint: Even though the profile is the best way to start a resume, don’t write it straight away. You’ll have a much easier time when you finish all the other parts of your resume. It will allow you to assemble the perfect profile without issues.
Your resume work experience is the bread-and-butter part of your job application. That is unless you’re writing a resume with no experience whatsoever. As the name of this resume component suggests, here you’ll present to the recruiter your experience in the previous positions in the form of professional resume achievements.
Firstly, if you’re a highly experienced candidate with over fifteen years of experience, don’t try to list every single job you ever had. A resume should go back no more than 10-15 years. If you add too many details, you risk not only adding non-relevant elements to this part of a resume, but your resume’s length will also suffer. Remember that a resume should not exceed two pages in length. And a perfect resume fits on just one A4 page.
On the other hand, if you’re only entering the workforce, feel free to add volunteering, internships, and part-time jobs to the work experience section. Volunteer work experience usually has its own separate part but should be included here if you lack professional experience.
When listing past work achievements, remember to follow these simple rules:
As far as formatting goes, list them in reverse chronological order (starting from the most recent job). For each entry, provide the company name, location, and the dates showing how long you worked there.
Here’s how this element of a resume looks in practice:
Work Experience
Technical Support Specialist
Zer0-Solutions, Chicago, IL
March 2020–March 2024
Junior Support Technician
Stark Industries, Chicago, IL
December 2018–March 2020
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The next resume component is education. Even though it's an obligatory section, its importance varies depending on your field of work and experience level. Resume education is an especially vital part when making an entry-level resume, in which case it often goes before your work education.
To properly display this part of a resume, format it this way:
If you’re still studying, add an expected graduation date. As for additional information, fresh graduates and applicants without experience can include this to boost their application. This can be anything from GPA (if it’s close to 4.0), activities in school clubs, relevant coursework, or student exchange programs.
Here’s how to approach this resume part:
Education
BS in Computer Science
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
August 2014–May 2018
In this part of a resume, you’ll create a curated list of 5–10 relevant skills for the position. The most important thing here is to reread the job ad carefully. You’ll most likely find at least a couple of resume skills your potential employer expects to see. These listed skills are also likely to be considered keywords for an ATS scan.
Remember to present a good mix of both hard and soft skills in your application. Just like in the sample below:
Skills
Expert Hint: As tempting as it may sound, don’t copy skill lists from the internet. Skills can vary depending on the specific job requirements and individual experiences. Targeting a resume to a specific job is always more successful than sending out generic copy-paste applications.
The additional components of a resume exist to allow you to prove your expertise in more ways than possible with just the obligatory sections.
Here are some bonus resume parts you can include on a resume:
As you can see, you have a lot of options to choose from, but just like with your skills part, you shouldn’t add every single one. Go for 1–2 for the best results. And, as always, keep them relevant to the job ad.
Certifications
Languages
Also, no amount of impressive additional sections can fix a resume with spelling errors. After you write all the parts of your resume, always double-check to weed out all mistakes. A resume with no errors is 18.5% more effective than an error-laden one.
Expert Hint: A resume is only one half of a successful job hunt. Learn how to write a cover letter and add it to your resume for maximum impact.
When crafting your resume, avoid including the following elements:
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To make the best use of all the parts of a resume:
Thank you for reading this article. Do you have any questions about any of the mentioned parts of a resume? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll reply as fast as possible.
Mariusz is a career expert with a background in quality control & economics. With work experience in FinTech and a passion for self-development, Mariusz brings a unique perspective to his role. He’s dedicated to providing the most effective advice on resume and cover letter writing techniques to help his readers secure the jobs of their dreams.
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