What to Put on a Resume: A Section-by-Section Checklist

The Standard Order of Sections

Most resumes follow this top-to-bottom order. The order matters because recruiters scan top-down, and ATS parsers expect certain sections in certain places.

The exception: for technical and entry-level roles, the Skills section moves up directly below the summary so the recruiter sees tools and languages first. Senior executives typically keep Experience above Skills.

Section 1: Header and Contact Information

The top of your resume. Keep it simple, keep it scannable, and include only what a recruiter needs to contact you.

Section 2: Professional Summary

A 2 to 4 sentence paragraph directly below the header that tells the recruiter who you are and what you do best. It is not an objective statement ("seeking a role where I can grow"), and it is not a list of skills. It is a pitch in paragraph form.

See resume summary examples for 20+ full-length samples by role.

Section 3: Skills

A scannable list of your hard skills, tools, and certifications, grouped into 3 to 5 subcategories (Languages, Frameworks, Tools, Cloud, Certifications). Target 12 to 20 skills total. Avoid skill bars, star ratings, and icons, all of which break ATS parsers.

What belongs here: technical tools, programming languages, software platforms, methodologies, industry-specific techniques, certifications, spoken languages with proficiency levels. What does not belong: soft skills like "communication" or "teamwork." Prove those in the experience bullets instead. For the detailed rules, see skills to put on a resume, how to list skills on a resume, and hard skills for a resume.

Section 4: Work Experience

The largest section on most resumes and the one recruiters read most carefully. It lists your roles in reverse chronological order (most recent first), with 3 to 6 bullet points per role describing what you did and, more importantly, what happened as a result.

The bullet formula: [Action verb] + [what you did] + [quantified result]. Example: "Migrated 212 services to Kubernetes with zero customer-visible downtime, cutting infrastructure costs by $340K annually." For deep dives, see resume bullet points examples and how many bullet points per job on a resume.

Section 5: Education

A concise list of your degrees. For experienced candidates, one to two lines per degree is plenty. For new grads, this section can be slightly longer and can move above Experience.

Section 6: Certifications and Licenses

A short list of industry credentials with issuing body and date. Include only current, relevant certifications. Expired certs, course completions, and MOOC badges do not belong here.

What to include: professional licenses (CPA, PE, RN, bar admissions), vendor certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Google Cloud Professional, CISSP, PMP, Scrum Master), and accredited continuing education credits. Format: certification name, issuing organization, date earned, expiration if applicable. For the full certifications guide, see how to list certifications on a resume.

Section 7: Optional Sections

These sections show up on some resumes and not others, depending on role and career stage. Add them only when they strengthen the story.

8 Things That Should Never Be on a Resume

Some items show up on resumes constantly and should be removed on sight.

1. Objective statements. "Seeking a role where I can grow." Replace with a professional summary.
2. References or "references available upon request." Assumed by default; wastes a line.
3. Hobbies that do not add signal. "Reading and traveling" is filler.
4. Old or irrelevant work history (10+ years). Cut or compress to a "Early Career" one-liner.
5. Photos (in US/UK applications). Triggers bias concerns and wastes space.
6. Demographics. Age, marital status, religion, nationality.
7. Salary history or expectations. Discuss in the recruiter screen, never on the resume.
8. "Responsible for" and "Duties included" framing. Replace with action verbs and outcomes.

By the Numbers: A Resume Checklist

Next Steps

Now that you know what belongs in each section, the next step is writing the content itself. For the full step-by-step build, see how to write a resume, how to create a great resume, and how to start a resume. For deeper dives into each section, see resume sections to include, skills to put on a resume, and ideal resume length. When your draft is ready, paste it into our free ATS resume checker to see exactly what an ATS sees, before a recruiter does.