Resume Sections: Key Categories and What to Include to Stand Out

A resume is a detailed overview of your unique professional story. It outlines where you previously worked and the responsibilities you had with each role, the impact you created, the key skills you learned along the way, and any education you acquired. Resume sections break up this information into organized parts so a recruiter or hiring manager can easily understand how you might fit a potential role.

There are certain resume sections you should always include, and others that can be useful to add during specific situations. Learn more about which resume sections to include and why. Afterward, keep building your skill set with a subscription to Coursera Plus, where you'll get access to over 10,000 courses.

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4 key resume sections

The sections below are those you should always include on your resume because they highlight who you are, the professional experience you’ve acquired, and the skills you’ve developed to be successful in your past roles.  

1. Header 

Your header appears at the top of the page and should include enough personal information that a recruiter understands where you live and how to contact you. Many applicants choose to make their name bigger so it stands out with the other pieces formatted using 11- or 12-point font.

Your header should feature the following details:

• Name

• City and state

• Phone number

• Email address

• Website or link to portfolio (if you have one)

Do you need to list your address on your resume? While it used to be common to include your full address, that’s not necessary now that most applications are online. You may be asked to share that information eventually, but it’s not expected on your resume.  

2. Experience section

Your experience section is where you will provide, role-by-role, your job title, the name of the company you worked for, the dates you worked there, the major tasks you completed, and any impact you had as a result of that work. When discussing your experience, try to use data to quantify what you accomplished as much as possible. It's also helpful to use action words. We've compiled 150 resume action words you may want to integrate as you set about drafting or revising your resume.

Pharmacy technician, XYZ Pharmacy (May 2019—present) 

• Managed new and refill prescriptions for over 300 patients, regularly reviewing and organizing medical histories.  

• Processed patient insurance, resolving conflicts as needed and ensuring quality customer service experience. 

• Proactively cleaned the pharmacy, contributing to the department’s overall order and organization. 

Learn more: How Far Back Should Your Resume Go?

3. Skills section  

In a dedicated section, list your major technical skills or the software and apps you know how to use. A skills section can also be a prime opportunity to highlight any key workplace skills, such as leadership or communication, that you haven’t been able to feature in the bullet points detailing your experience. 

Your skills section should be divided into bullet points that list your skills (see the first example below) or group your skills by major job function (see the second example below).  

Skills

• Proficient in C++ and Python

• Experience with Django, Laravel, and Meteor

• Familiar with Javascript, Kubernetes, Docker

• Knowledge of network security protocols

• Problem-solving, teamwork, attention to detail

Key skills 

• Programming: Python, Java

• Frameworks: Django, Meteor, Laravel 

• Servers: NGINX and Apache

A helpful tip is to review the job posting and identify any tools the company uses. If you have experience working with those tools or software, make sure to list them ahead of any other similar tools you know.

Learn more: How to Feature Key Skills on Your Resume

4. Education section 

Listing education on your resume should take place in a dedicated section, usually toward the very end of your resume. However, if you're a recent graduate, you can highlight that section directly after your header to call attention to it.

Make sure to include the school you attended and its location, the type of education you earned (high school diploma or college degree), what you majored in, and the year you graduated. When you’re a recent graduate, you may want to include extra details, like what you majored in and your GPA. You should also list your education before your experience. Once you’ve been working for at least three years, you'll flip these sections and list your experience first.

Example:

Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH

Bachelor of Computer Science, 2025

Resume section to avoid: references

Although it used to be more common to list references on your resume, you should avoid doing so nowadays. A section of references takes up valuable real estate when you ideally want to spend that space explaining your skill set and experience. Plus, you don't want to share your references' contact information until it's necessary.

4 optional resume sections 

There may be times when you want to include optional resume elements to clarify who you are. You don’t always need to add the categories below to your resume, but these extra sections can be useful when you're looking to pivot careers, move to a new city, or build out your story.

1. Resume summary 

A resume summary can help provide a high-level overview of your career so a recruiter quickly understands who you are, but this is not always a requirement. The summary appears between your header and first section (be that experience or education). Use one or two sentences to explain who you are professionally, the experience you’ve developed, and the impact you’ve had.

Resume summary example: Creative social media manager with four years of experience overseeing all major channels for a fintech start-up. Trained in Hootsuite, Buffer, and Google Trends. 

2. Resume objective

As a one- or two-sentence overview of your larger professional goals, a resume objective can be beneficial when you’ve recently graduated or are interested in changing careers. An objective appears between your header and your first section and states what you want from your next position and why you’d be a strong fit for a new company.

It's recommended not to use both a resume summary and an objective, so consider which one would be more beneficial for framing your overall resume.

Resume objective example: Established cybersecurity analyst with experience in multiple frameworks and intrusion detection looking to become a security architect for a global company, where I can implement key design features to safeguard critical data. 

3. Certifications

It’s becoming more common to learn new skills or advance the ones you already have through professional certificate programs or certifications. You can list your certificates in a “Certifications and Licenses” section, which typically appears after your education section. If you choose to include it, list out the following information: 

• Title of certificate 

• Awarding institution

• Date earned

• Date certificate expires (if applicable) 

• Relevant skills 

4. Hobbies

Lastly, you can help recruiters and hiring managers understand more about who you are in the broader scheme of work by including a hobbies section. If you do, it should be the last section on your resume after you’ve covered everything else. You should also try to keep your hobbies section brief, given that you have limited space to convey your professional story.

How to add sections on resume in Word

Using a template in Word to create a resume is convenient, but you may need to customize it by adding sections. One option is to copy and paste an existing section and then type over it. You can also start typing where you want to add a section and format the text to match the rest of the document.

Resume formats: chronological or functional?

The two most common resume formats are chronological and functional. A chronological resume lists your experience by year and role, usually starting with your most recent position and moving backward. A functional resume, on the other hand, focuses more on your overall skills rather than the defined roles you've held.

Thanks to the number of companies that now use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to parse resumes, a chronological resume may help the algorithm more accurately read your experience. However, if you don't have experience to include on a resume, then a functional resume may be a good option to better showcase your skills. 

Organizing your resume sections: 3 examples

Remember that a resume should reflect your unique story. Using both the required and optional sections, build a document that explains what you’ve done and your larger career aims. Consider how three different applicants might organize their resume sections with the examples below. 

Standard applicant resume sections

As a standard applicant, you aren't looking to change careers or explain your career goals, and you've likely worked for at least a few years. You don’t need to highlight your education near the top of your resume. Instead, you’re committed to advancing in your chosen career path. 

• Header

• Resume summary

• Experience

• Education

• Skills 

• Hobbies

Career changer resume sections

As a career changer, you have a specific career outcome in mind and may have taken additional steps, such as completing a professional certificate, to help achieve it. You may also want to use a resume objective to explain the reason behind your career change, helping a recruiter make sense of your story. 

• Header

• Resume objective

• Experience

• Education

• Certificates

• Skills

Recent graduate resume sections

As a new graduate, you will want to highlight your recent education before turning to the experience you’ve acquired, whether through a part-time job, internship, or some other type of work. You may also want to include an objective to explain what you're seeking in your first major professional role. 

• Header

• Resume objective

• Education 

• Experience

• Skills

• Hobbies

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