Organize Your Résumé in Sections

Regardless of résumé format, employers have expectations of the information you will provide. Generally, the following sections need to be included in your résumé.

Essential Sections

Heading
Includes your name, Albion address and/or permanent address, telephone numbers, and e-mail address.

Education
List most recent institution first. Include the school, city and state, degree earned, graduation dates (or expected graduation date), and any minors, concentrations, or institutes. High school information is not necessary. Additional information may include:

• GPA: if 3.0 or better, you may wish to include it along with the scale upon which it is based (i.e., 3.25/4.0).
• Honors or Honors & Achievements: may be placed directly under the education section if desired.
• Foreign Study Programs: can be placed directly under the education section if desired.

Experience
This information should be listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent position first. Be sure to include the position title, employer, city, state, and dates. Then, use 1-4 bullets to list major duties, special projects, and accomplishments. You want to highlight job duties that are most relevant and important, and be as specific as possible.

At times it helps to highlight experiences by separating relevant experiencs into categories. Think about the appropriateness of the following categories:

• Internship Experience
• Work Experience
• Professional Experience
• Related Experience
• Other Work Experience
• Leadership Experience
• Military Experience
• Volunteer Experience
• Human Services Experience
• ____________ Experience (related to your field)

Activities
For each activity, list your role in the organization, the organization title, city/state, and dates of involvement. This section shows your ability to take an active role or leadership role. Employers look at involvement as evidence of initiative and dedication. If you have a large number of activities, consider the following categories:

• Activities and Interests
• Leadership Activities
• Community Involvement
• Volunteer Work
• Honors and Activities
• Activities and Accomplishments

Optional Sections

Related Course Work
This section highlights courses that are related to the position you are seeking. This is especially helpful for current students or recent graduates who have not acquired substantial experience in their desired field. List 4 to 6 upper-level courses that are relevant to the position. This section should change with each position, according to the specific job responsibilities.

Skills
These are your special abilities related to the job you are seeking. Computer skills, language skills, and travel experience are common entries in this section. If you choose to list computer skills, list programs other than Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, or PowerPoint. Employers now expect that all graduates know these programs, and how to use email and the Internet.

Objective
This should be one sentence long. Describe your employment goals clearly and concisely. Your objective should indicate to an employer that you have given thought to your career direction and are not just looking for any job. Your objective should change slightly with each position and/or employer.

Sample Objective:
To obtain an entry-level management position in a financial institution, capitalizing on my ability to lead and motivate others.

Other Related Headings
There may be certain accomplishments that you wish to highlight by creating an appropriate heading. Here is a list of ideas:

• Awards
• Publications
• Presentations
• Research
• Memberships
• Associations
• Professional Certification

Arrangement of Sections

Although there is flexibility with the arrangement of sections, employers are most familiar with viewing the following sections in this order:

• Heading
• Objective
• Education (current students or recent graduates should place this section after the objective)
• Related Course Work
• Experience
• Activities