Parts of a Resume

There are many resume formats available to choose from and different formats are appropriate for different situations. Throughout your career, you are likely to use several different ones depending on if you are a new worker, transitioning to a new career or looking to move up in your current field. Most parts of a resume are used in each format. Here are the sections you want to have developed before you decide on a final format.

1. Heading – Your name, address, phone numbers and email address should be emphasized and easy to see at a glance.

2. Objective – This is a concise statement of what you want to do. This will help you to keep your resume focused and consistent. While this section is optional, careful thought should go into excluding it. This is a great advertising tool for your services that readers can see quickly.

3. Summary Statement – This is a short statement that summarizes your experience. That may seem like a challenge if you have been in the work force for a while. If you have a list of keywords that address the job you are applying for, this is where you want to use them. Start with those and build your experience around them.

4. Employment History – This is the part of your resume that everyone thinks of as the “meat” of the document. Include company names, positions held, years worked and a brief description of your responsibilities.

5. Accomplishment Statements – Use performance measurements that are important to the job you are applying for and quantify your achievements in your current position. For example, a sales person will want to point out how much they sold, or the increase in the percentage of dollars made over a course of time, like a quarter. Write several statements of accomplishment for your most recent job and one or two for older jobs.

6. Education – Summarize your educational background in reverse chronological order. If you graduated more than five years ago, don’t worry about any details other than school, degree and date. If you recently attended school you can include any honors or your grade point average.

7. Professional Development – This includes any training courses you have attended that are relevant specifically to your job.

8. Memberships – Include memberships and offices held in professional associations, boards and community activities that support your objective statement.

Keep these sections current and review them for each job you are applying for. Your resume will shine if all of these parts are developed with attention and detail.

Becky Papp has been a professional writer for 20 years, working for newspapers, magazines and corporate communications. She currently contracts for clients all over the world, writing online and print articles, newsletters, blogs, and e-books. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona.