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The Resume Outline

This Basic Resume Outline identifies the major headings of the resume and what information is contained within each one. Make sure you are comfortable with each of the following sections since you will be creating your own personal professional history with them in mind.

Heading/Contact Information

This section contains information about who you are and how the employer can reach you. You want to make this clear and to the point.

What do you list here? Include your name, usually in bold print, and your contact information. This is usually your address, phone number(s), email address and your web address if it is pertinent to the position.

Your resume heading is extremely important. The information you put in the heading portion of your resume tells the employer who you are and where you can be reached. Keep it simple and easy to read.

It is best to bold or otherwise highlight your name (but not the rest of the information in this area). Why? You want the employer to remember who you are. You want to get the employer's attention and KEEP IT.

There are so many ways to present the information in the heading section of the resume. Some people suggest that it is best to keep the text centered and others believe that creatively spacing the name and phone number(s) on one side and listing the address on the other side are more eye-catching. The possibilities here are endless.

This is one area where the style you choose to present this particular bit of information is not essential. Employers are more concerned about who you are than they are about how clever you are in identifying your name, address and phone number.

The most important element in the heading/header area is that the information you place there is correct. Make sure you have every detail of your personal contact information accurate.

If ever there is a time to proofread, it's now!
Make a mistake in your phone number and it won't matter if you have the spiffiest design on the planet. The employer will not be able to reach you. Take some extra time to review your material. Have your friends and/or family look it over, too.
The Heading Section
The information you will want to include here are:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone number(s)
  • Email Address
  • Website (only if it is relevant to the position you are seeking)

If you are a college student, you will want to list both your address at school and your permanent address.

The easiest way to handle this is to put them in separate corners of the top section of the resume. For more specifics, look at the examples in the "Resume Examples" section. There is at least one example that deals with this situation.

SPECIAL NOTE: Do not add anything that is not pertinent to the position you are seeking. Avoid including any personal information such as height, weight, race, gender, religous affiliation, political statements or anything that is not directly related to the job you are interested in.

Objective

Your objective should focus on the position you want. Focus on what you can do for the employer, not on what you expect them to do for you. Be concise. If you sell at all, do so subtly in the guise of how it will assist the employer. You may never completely match a job description in your life, but it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you match it BETTER than any of your competition.

The objective section is an essential part of your resume. It tells the potential employer what you are looking for.

It is not a place to boldly sell yourself. It is, rather, a place to state what you can offer the employer.

Used correctly, it can help you get the job you WANT.

There is a way to incorporate a "selling" aspect into this section of the resume without being obvious. You'll learn this little secret so that you can impress the employer before you ever meet face-to-face.

Here is a good example of a job objective.This example is for a human resources management position.

Job Target: A challenging management or generalist position in Human Resources where my in-depth knowledge of HRIS systems can broaden the base of expertise in your department

Why is this example good?

It offers a great deal of information about the job candidate immediately. The candidate knows the language of Human Resources, wants to make valuable contributions to the organization, likes to be challenged, is flexible (will look at more than one position), communicates well and has experience in vital areas.

Subtle selling of your qualities and achievements is an important aspect of YOUR objective statement. Do it in a way that presents your skills as solving the employer's problems, though, and you will master this section of the resume.

The more obvious advertisement of your abilities and education comes later in the resume (and also in the cover letter).

Consider for a moment just what this portion of the resume is designed to do:

  • Clarify for the employer what type of position you are seeking
  • Define some of your finest qualities and present them in vibrant language to which the employer can immediately relate
  • Subtly build up the employer with a positive flow of words

Write a Resume that Works!


Yes, that seems like an obvious comment, but not everyone follows that advice.

For instance, many people put their resumes together without a lot of thought or attention to detail. Employers know right away who took a lot of time to make their resume shine and who didn't. If you are willing to take the time to do this process right, you'll achieve far more success, get faster results and make more money. Sounds like a no-brainer, right?

NOTE: The successful use of an objective statement targets each position the candidate is seeking. No two jobs are exactly alike. No two objective statements should truly ever be the same, either.

Your objective statement should be very narrowly focused on each position. Use the knowledge you have about the position, the company (even the person reading your resume if you know who it is) to write the most effective objective statement possible.

Education

Include colleges/universities where you have been awarded a degree (or are where you are working on getting a degree). List the name of your degree (no abbreviations, please) and/or certification that you have obtained, or will obtain, the month and year of your graduation, and your major and minor(s). If you have received any specific education-related awards, they need to be listed in another section with the exception of Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude, etc. They can be listed here as it is something that should stand out. List the dates you attended school, too.

If you do not have any college experience, list your high school information. Or, if you just started college and had some related course-work in high school, you can list them here as well.

As you have probably read numerous times by now, making an impact with your resume is the only way to get an interview. The employer doesn't know who you are. You can't speak face to face, so this single piece of paper has to highlight what makes you THE PERFECT CANDIDATE for the job you want.

If it would work, you could try standing on the busiest street corner you know and hold up this sign:

education on resume, resume education, education section

Of course, you may not get the job you want, but you might at least get an offer or two. Who knows...you might even make a few dollars.


The education section of your resume is one area that can be placed in a couple of places on your resume depending upon how well it enhances your qualifications.

Where you choose to list this section depends a lot on what you want to emphasize to the employer. If you attended or graduated from a highly recognized school (ivy league, for instance), made fantastic grades, studied in the field you are pursuing, then you may want to list your education before you list your work-related experience.

On the other hand, if you have achieved a lot by working and have a great set of skills that fit well with the needs of the employer or do not have much education, then you will want to list your work-related experience before stating your educational background.

Presentation is everything


Everything you put on your resume is placed with the employer's needs in mind. What is most likely to get the attention you need in order to get a phone call for an interview?

What the employer is looking should be "ever-present" in your mind.
Everything you put on your resume should be focused on that goal.

Impressing the employer is what will get you an interview.

What you list in this section of your resume includes your most recent education. List your education in reverse chronological order (most recent is listed first). If you do not have a college degree or haven't taken any college courses, list your high school education. If your GPA was relatively high, list that, too.


Be sure to write out the name(s) of the school(s) you attended.

For example:
SIUE should be written out as "Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville".

Be sure to do the same for any degrees conferred upon you.

For example:
Your B.S.B.A. should be written out as "Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration".


A note on "playing by the rules": When writing your resume, ensure that you are stating your background in language that is clear and easy to understand. If you present yourself in a format that is uncommon or difficult to follow, the employer will probably not spend too much time looking it over. People who are responsible for the hiring process are results-oriented. When they select candidates who shine and perform well above the standards in their chosen position, they make everyone look good. Hiring managers are not going to take a chance on someone who doesn't "play by the rules". Too much is at stake.

In a nutshell, make the most of the space on your resume paper and list your education (and other information) in a recognized format using clearly understood words. Make it as easy on the employer as possible to find the information he/she needs in order to make an informed decision.


At some point down the road, you may want to use more than one variation of your resume. For example, if you have worked in the field of Public Relations, you may want one copy that is directed toward a Public Relations position. Another copy might be geared toward a Marketing position (and so on). Some people have as many as 5 varieties depending upon their work experience and career goals. This can be very helpful during the job-search process.

It takes time.

Writing a history of your professional life takes time. There is a huge payoff if you do it yourself, though. Many job-seekers don't consider this aspect of writing a resume, but I'll tell you the secret.

When you take the time to write your own resume, you know the material forward and backward and can recite it promptly and thoroughly when asked about it in an interview. This is SO important. It cannot be overstated.

You won't be fumbling for dates or job descriptions like some people do when they have a commercial service create their resume for them. You'll know it all because you will have worked with the material in a variety of ways. You gain so much more by doing the work yourself. This, of course, is aside from the fact that you'll be saving a lot of money, too.

Make your resume work for you.
Make your objective statement work for you.

Work Experience

List your job title, the name of the organization you worked for and the dates of your employment. Below this, detail your work-related tasks and accomplishments. Write clearly and use words that command attention, such as: operated, created, ensured, maintained, managed, provided, responded, and so on. List the activities and responsibilities that most closely match the prospective employer’s needs first.

Volunteer work should be listed in another section unless it is pertinent to the position you are applying for.

How do you know what to put in this section of the resume? Which of your skills and accomplishments are the most important? What do employer's want to see in the work experience section of the resume?

You have to prioritize
your skills and accomplishments
based on the employer's needs.


When you list all of your relevant work-related experience, rank each one in order of importance. What do you compare them to in order to determine how they are ranked? If you have a job description or a classified ad, match your skills with those requested for prospective employees. Rank those first.

If you do not have anything written to go on, then you may have to do some research to find out more about the skills needed for jobs like the one you are targeting. Call the company and/or call its competitors to get more information - or look on-line for similar job titles. They will want to know if your work experience matches their needs, so provide that for them up front.

Sometimes you have to do a little legwork to get the information you need, but it pays off in the end when you're the one getting the great job instead of someone else.

Then, depending on what work experience you have left to list, put yourself in the employer's shoes and ask yourself these questions:

  • How does this skill compare with what the job specifications are?
  • Will this ability translate well into the position I have available?
  • Can this achievement help the candidate do the job better?
  • Does this skill reflect the quality of someone I want to hire?
Again, the idea is to rank your skills and accomplishments in the order that best fits with the job you are seeking.

If you have many tasks that do not appear to communicate your skills in a way that the employer is expecting - Get Creative!

How do you do that?

One idea is to check the Resume Action Keywords page on this site to see if there is an alternative word (or set of words) to use in place of the one (or ones) you are already using. Another idea is to word your skill set in terms the prospective employer is accustomed to. This works well if you are changing career paths or transitioning from the military to a civilian job.
However you decide to word your work experience (in this section), remember that you have to be clear and concise. The skills and achievements that best support your career goals are the ones that need to be listed first, and then move down the list from there.
If you want to further distance yourself from your competitors in the job search pool, take some time inject enthusiasm and energy wherever possible. If your resume is equal in all aspects to one of your competitors, yet YOUR words seem to lift off the page, guess who is going to get the phone call for an interview? Don't settle for an average resume. You are better than average.

Honors/Activities/Achievements/Publications

You may have something that fits into one of the categories listed above or you may not. If you do, identify which word best fits and create that category to match your skills. There are many additional sections you may consider using. One or two should be enough. Just be careful not to use so many that it waters down the focus of the resume.
There are a lot of activities/achievements that don’t fit the bill and are not worth mentioning (for most people).

Other Sections

According to your background, there may be other sections, which you will want to add to your resume.

These sections could include:

  • Summary of Qualifications
  • Interests
  • Computer Languages
  • Foreign Languages
  • Professional Memberships
  • Volunteer Work

If any of these sections apply to you - AND - if they help you target the job you are seeking, use them.

Don’t use them if you don't NEED them. They detract from the true purpose of your resume if they do not aptly FIT the position you are trying to get.

References

This section isn't really even necessary, but if you include it, don't actually list the references you have. Either state that your references are "available upon request" or that they are "included on a separate page".

Be sure that you have contacted each of the individuals you have chosen and asked permission to use them as job-related references. This is a common courtesy and should be afforded each person you expect to list.

When a prospective employer asks for references, you will want to have a list prepared in advance. The goal of providing character references is different depending upon which side of the interview table you are sitting on.

Your goal is to provide a list of contacts specifically for the purpose of advancing your chances of receiving a job offer. It is best if they are in careers related to your own, but it isn't essential. Why is it best? If they are in a related field, they will be better able to confirm your ability to do your work well.

The hiring manager's goal is to receive a list of individuals who can confirm your background including your skill set and accomplishments, your work ethic and even your reliability.

references on a resume, references, employment references
Get Approval

Be sure to contact your references prior to listing them to obtain their permission for inclusion in your job search materials. If you do not get their approval, do not list them.

You should list their name, job title, address, phone number and, if possible, their email address. Be sure to ask them if they prefer you use their home or work contact information. Just remember, the easier it is to contact them, the better it will be for you. Sometimes it can be helpful to identify your relationship to the other person, but that is a judgment call. If you do explain how you know them, keep it short and sweet, such as: family friend, co-worker, former supervisor, neighbor, etc.

Confirm Feedback

You would expect everyone to provide you with glowing remarks, but many people are not comfortable with providing information about others and end up giving a poor testimonial. They want to make you look good, but just don't know how to go about it.

One way to prevent this from happening is to coach your contacts in what to say. Let them know (that you have read) that sometimes people get tongue-tied or forget important details about the person they are providing information for and you want to help them -- to make it easier on them.

Offer to email them a brief character summary along with a copy of your resume. Be sure to change the wording in each character summary so it will not appear that all of your references are reading cue cards.

The Details
When you provide a list of references to a prospective employer, ensure the paper and font you use are the same for the resume and cover letter you already provided to them. It offers additional confirmation that you are detail-oriented, conscientious, focused and organized.

Do not list your personal or professional contacts on your resume, nor should you include them in your initial contact with the prospective employer. Supply them when they are requested.

When others say the right things about you, it can be a boost to your chances of landing a great job. Help yourself achieve success by helping your friends and co-workers say the right things about you.

If you would like to see how a recent college graduate listed her references, click the link below. You can use the same format.


This resume outline should provide you with a basic understanding of the sections of a resume. While different formats use these sections in a variety of ways, the information is used in each resume.

If you need more information than this resume outline offers, look at the three formats and then the examples that follow them to get a better idea of how to incorporate your information into a resumethat best suits your needs.

The Resume Outline