What to Put on a Resume 5+ Good Things to Include

What to Put on a Resume 5+ Good Things to Include What to Put on a Resume: 5+ Things to Include Need to know what to include in a resume? Learn what to put on a resume to impress recruiters and land an interview with our play-by-play breakdown and expert tips. Build My Resume Now There’s so much conflicting information online about how to write a resume that deciding what to put on a resume can seem impossible. Do I need a resume objective? How much work experience should I list? Do I include my picture? We’ve outlined the essentials to show you exactly what needs to be on your resume (and what doesnt). Let’s get to it. 1. What to Include on a Resume At its core, a good resume should include: Contact details Resume headline Resume introduction Education Experience Skills Everything else, including certifications, volunteer work, hobbies, and style elements like photos and icons might be great additions, but are optional. What you should add to your resume depends on various factors, such as your level of experience, which resume format you pick, and your desired resume length. With that said, let’s explore the finer details. Tip Try using a resume outline to help you organize your information and keep track of all the details that belong on your resume. Should I include a resume objective? A resume objective is a great way to show employers exactly what expertise you have to offer. However, it also takes up space that’s better spent describing your relevant job experience. Before you decide to include an objective, ask yourself: Will an objective add anything to my resume that can’t be communicated in my experience section? For example, if you’re applying to jobs with little to no experience, or are trying to change careers, including a resume objective is a good way to explain how your skills are transferable. But if you’re already an expert in your field, you’re better off skipping the objective and adding more detail to your experience section. Tip If you’re changing careers, pair your resume with a convincing career change cover letter to convince employers you have the required skills. 2. What to Include in Your Contact Section Even the best resume will never land you a job if employers can’t reach you. So your contact details, understandably, are essential. At a minimum, your resume header should include the following contact information: Full name Email address Phone number Today, a mailing address on your resume is unnecessary since most employers don’t need it to contact you. Should I add social media? While optional, social media is a good way to give employers a look at your professional history, and can be a positive addition to your contact information. But be careful about which profiles you put on your resume: DO INCLUDE your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a great networking resource for professionals in any field. MAYBE INCLUDE your Twitter handle, but only if you regularly tweet about topics relevant to your profession. DO NOT INCLUDE platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, or Tik Tok, as these platforms are rarely relevant to work. Additionally, if you work in a creative field, a link to your website or portfolio is a good thing to put on a resume. Tip Before you add your LinkedIn profile, make sure you have a well-written LinkedIn summary. 3. What to Put in Your Education Section Unless you work in academia, your resume education section should only list your highest level of education, and the name of your degree (if applicable). 1. Should I include my high school? Only include your high school education if you’re currently enrolled in high school, or dont have a college degree. Otherwise, leave it off. Tip Currently in high school? Learn how to write a resume for a high schooler that makes the most of your skills. 2. Should I describe my coursework? You can describe any relevant coursework you did as part of your degree, but only if you dont have much work experience (or none at all) to include. Tip Entering the workforce is tricky. Learn how to craft a resume that markets your strengths with our college student resume example. 3. Should I include any awards? If you have any academic awards or honors, consider including them in your education section â€" especially if you’re a recent graduate. Graduating as salutatorian or summa cum laude can be impressive additions to your resume, and show employers you’re diligent and motivated. Here’s an example of a properly formatted education section with honors: B.A. in Political Science Towson University â€" Towson, MD Graduated 2018 Honors: magna cum laude Additionally, only include your GPA if you’re either a recent college graduate or are applying to jobs in academia. In the example above, the candidate opts to leave their GPA off their resume. 4. What to Include in Your Resume Experience Section Your professional experience section is the meat of your resume. It quickly shows hiring managers what you’ve accomplished over your career, and highlights the knowledge you’ve picked up along the way. To write an experience section that will impress recruiters, list the relevant jobs you’ve held with the most recent at the top. Under each role, write 3 to 5 concise bullet points that demonstrate the skills and experience you developed working that job. Do NOT include every job you’ve ever held. A resume isn’t an encyclopedia of your professional history. Instead, think of it as an advertisement of your abilities. Every position you list should show you’re qualified for the specific job you want. Check out this example of a well-written resume experience section: What makes this example outstanding is that each bullet point: is concise uses strong resume words illustrates a specific concrete example of what the candidate accomplished backs up those examples with hard numbers Tip Still can’t figure out how to write your experience section? Check out our library of industry-specific resume samples for more inspiration. 1. Should I add internships? If you’re a recent graduate or have limited work experience, you should add internships to your experience section. However, if you already have years of professional experience, it’s time to start cutting internships from your work history section. It’s better to use your resume’s limited space to describe your professional experience in depth, rather than fill it with internship work. Tip Looking for an internship? Our internship resume example breaks down exactly how to write a resume for an internship that will impress any hiring manager â€" even if you don’t have experience. 2. Should I include volunteer work? Putting volunteer work on a resume is a great way to demonstrate soft skills and make your application more attractive to employers. If you can include volunteer experience without making your resume too long, you should absolutely include it. This is especially true if you: Have limited professional experience Are changing industries Have an experience gap in your resume Have career-relevant volunteer experience Need to highlight leadership skills that you haven’t developed as a paid professional Bottom line: volunteer experience is a good way to add substance to an otherwise sparse resume. Including such experience can help you stand out from other candidates, even if you are an experienced professional. 5. What to Put in Your Resume Skills Section Hiring managers are always looking for candidates with a diverse range of skills. That’s why a thorough, to-the-point resume skills section is the perfect companion to your experience section, and can even set you apart from other candidates. 1. What are good skills to put on a resume? Not sure what skills to put on a resume? No problem. First, take a look at the job listing for the position you want. Typically, a job ad mentions any skills required for the position, as well as skills the employer wants you to have. Then, compile a list of your own skills that meet these requirements, as well as any specific technical skills you have that might boost your application. If it’s still unclear what skills you should list on your resume, these general hard and soft skills are applicable to nearly any job: People Skills Leadership Skills Communication Skills Interpersonal Skills Organizational Skills Customer Service Skills Computer Skills Time Management Skills Tip When writing your skills section, highlight a mix of both hard skills and soft skills to demonstrate your range of strengths. 2. Do hobbies belong on a resume? Depending on the situation, listing personal interests on your resume can be a great way to add personality and flair to your application. However, use discretion before describing your passion for watercolor painting. If you already have enough professional experience to fill a full page of your resume, or you’re applying for a job at a more formal company, don’t include hobbies. That said, if you have minimal experience, or are applying to work at a company with a more casual office culture, then hobbies are a harmless, fun way to spice up your resume. 6. What NOT to Put on a Resume Now that you know what to put on a resume, here are the things that are guaranteed to turn off recruiters and ruin an otherwise great application. 1. Irrelevant experience There’s nothing hiring managers find more tedious than an endless list of irrelevant experience. Not only does it make your resume too long, but it also makes your application look thoughtless and generic. If you have a long work history, remove any positions that you held a long time ago, or are irrelevant to your target job. For example, if you’re applying for work as a sales manager, a cashier position you held 10 years ago is best left off your resume. 2. A photo or headshot Especially if you’re applying for work inside the United States, including a resume picture is seen as inappropriate and unprofessional. However, this varies by country. For reference, here are some countries that use resume pictures and some that do not: Do use resume photos in these countries: China Japan South Korea Philippines Most European nations Don’t use photos in these countries: United States Canada Australia United Kingdom Sweden India 3. An unprofessional email address Nothing will get your resume thrown out quicker than an unprofessional email address. The email address you use for work should simply include your first and last name, or your initials. Even if it’s been your go-to email for decades, no hiring manager will interview you if your email address is “XxskullcrusherxX@gmail.com” (unless you’re applying for a marketing job with the band Slayer). 4. Inappropriate personal details Details like your religion, disabilities, political leanings, and racial background should NOT be included on your resume. There’s no benefit to adding such personal information, and at worst it makes it more likely employers will discriminate against your application. 5. Clipart or images While it may be tempting to spice up your resume with fun graphics, most hiring managers just see this as distracting and unprofessional. Worse, graphics can confuse the applicant tracking system (ATS) software that many companies use to sift through resumes. If this happened to your application, it would automatically get discarded before a human even set eyes on it. Tip Learn how to beat the applicant tracking system and make sure your resume gets seen by a hiring manager. 6. Hard-to-read fonts Many job seekers think using a creative font on their resume will help them stand out. However, the reality is that it will look distracting, and make your resume difficult to read. Not only that, but â€" much like images â€" uncommon fonts often confuse the ATS, and result in your application being thrown in the trash. Instead, the best fonts for resumes are timeless and formal: Garamond, Calibri, and Georgia all being great options. 7. References You should not include references on a resume. The vast majority of employers don’t require references up front, and will simply ask for them later if they’re interested. Your resume has limited space. It’s better to ditch an unnecessary references section in favor of a longer list of skills, a resume summary, a longer experience section, or pretty much anything else. However, the one exception to this is if youre using a federal resume template. In this case, you would include references under every recent position youve held. 7. You Know What Should Be On a Resume. Now What? Now that you know exactly what should go on a resume (and what shouldnt), it’s time to start fine-tuning your job applications. But before you start reaching out to jobs, learn how to write a cover letter that pairs well with your resume. And if all this sounds like a lot to handle, try our easy-to-use resume builder and cover letter builder. Our software will build you a flawless application in mere minutes that is guaranteed to catch the attention of any hiring manager.