Learn About Areas to Include in Your Resume

Your resume is typically your first chance to make a good first impression on a prospective employer. Making sure that your resume accurately represents you, and thoroughly reflects your qualifications for the job are paramount in getting you through the door for that all-important job interview. There is no singular resume format or structure to which all resumes must adhere and comply. In fact, resumes can come in all different formats and structures, as well as designs. No matter their structure, format and design, however, all resumes contain more or less the same types of information organized into their own specific sections in an easy to read format and design. Be sure to include all of the following areas, or at least the ones that are relevant to you, on your next resume, and you may find yourself a step ahead of all the other candidates for the job.

Personal and Contact Information (Header)

Without basic information about who you are and how to contact you, it will not matter how impressive the rest of your resume may seem. If an employer cannot identify you or get in touch with you, then no matter how qualified you may be, you still will not get the job. Your full and accurate name, address, phone number and email address are paramount in setting your resume up to trace back to you should the employer find that it piques their further interest. List this information at the very top of your resume, or in the header.

Professional, Vocational, or Research Objective

While not every resume necessarily has an objective listed, a well crafted objective could make your resume stand out above the rest. It shows you as an employee with a strong work ethic, and a clear focus on how you see yourself fitting into a company’s greater goals. Remember that a good objective is one that concentrates on what you can bring to a company, not what the job can do for you. Some of the newer formats leave this part out, however, so depending on your industry you must judge whether to keep it in or remove it.

Education

Where did you go to school and what did you study? Employers will not only want to know how much school you completed, but also where you attended school, how long it took you to complete your education and what expertise you acquired in that time. Be sure to include both degree and extracurricular coursework.

Awards, Honors, and Patents

If you were the recipient of any accolades in your past, you will want a prospective employer to know about it so that he or she can project some of that same recognition for excellence into his or her future with you on board.

Experience

As you list your experience, be sure to include not only your employment experience, but also any relevant teaching, research or other experience you may have that makes you even more suitable for the job.

Publications

If any of your writing has been published by a third party journal, magazine, book publisher, periodical or other source, be sure to include that in your resume.

Related Skills

Your resume may be custom tailored for a specific job, field or industry, but that does not mean you should not highlight your other related skills. If you have any marketable skills beside those directly related to the job for which you are applying, see if there is any way you can link those skills to that job, and, if you can, then include it in your resume.

Presentations

Giving presentations is a particularly useful skill to have on your resume, because it demonstrates a number of skills useful to any company at once. Among other skills, it demonstrates the abilities to organize and comprehend material and to deliver it publicly. Such skills can be seen as invaluable to an employer for everything from dealing with customers to sales, public relations and outreach, and training and leadership within the company.

Conferences Attended

Attending conferences not only imbues you with the skills and information conveyed at that conference, but also avails you of the networking and resources available through the community of presenters and other attendees at those conferences. Experience at conferences also shows a company that you have an understanding of how conferences work and why they are beneficial, as well as the motivation to pursue these opportunities when they arise.

Professional Licenses or Certifications

Completing an education is one level of attaining qualifications and experience for certain skills. Obtaining a professional license or certification in that skill is the next level. Being licensed or certified in certain areas bestows a degree of corroboration of your claims of qualification that a reference or an item listed on the resume under “Experience” cannot always convey.

Memberships and Associations

Membership in an organization or association related to your interests or industry shows that you have a level of passion for that interest or industry that extends beyond the general and generic. Belonging to an association or organization demonstrates commitment to a cause, and a sense of ownership and responsibility over its objectives and achievements.

Institutional or Community Service

Volunteerism is looked upon favorably by employers, who see it as an indication of both your priorities and your ability to empathize with other people, not to mention your time management skills.

References

No resume is complete without a list of a few other people an employer can contact to inquire of their experience of your suitability for this, or any, job. Include a variety of references who can each expound on a different aspect of your claimed qualifications and experience. Be sure to include their contact information as well, and that you ask each of the references who you list for permission to do so and notify them when resumes listing them as references are sent out.