Why does the structure of my resume matter?
While it is easy to get carried away with personalizing your resume with different colors and layouts, your resume's readability shouldn't be adversely affected by it. According to a Ladders study, recruiters only spend 7 seconds scanning a resume when looking for a potential candidate. If you only have 7 seconds to impress, why waste that time on getting the recruiter familar with your distinct resume structure. Most recruiters are familiar with a particular resume structure and you should take advantage of that familariarity.
The basic sections of a resume
Most resumes will follow a basic structure and include only the essential sections: About, Objective, Education, and Experience. Employers will specifically look for these sections so make sure to include them in your resume to improve your resume's readability.
Resume Structure: Basics
The About and Objective sections
The About section includes information like your name, address, phone number, and email. This is how a potential employer will be able to identify you as a unique applicant. Make sure to include your up to date contact information in case a potential employer wants to reach you for an interview.
The Objective section is considered optional, but it can help potential employers determine if your goals are aligned with their own. Sometimes, a potential employer might be interested in you based on your objective even if you don't have the necessary skill set for the position.
The Education and Experience sections
The Education section is the most important section for a college student since it includes your university, major and expected year of graduation. It indicates to a potential employer how far along you are in your education. You can also include prior education in reverse chronological order. Make sure to list any relevant courses or activities that you have taken to help you stand out as an applicant.
The Experience section includes your past employments, interships or volunteering positions. For each position, incude the title, employer's name and the start and end dates of employment. Limit yourself to just 3-5 bullet points for each experience and only focus on the highlights or main accomplishments.
More advanced sections of a resume
Once you have the basic sections convered, you can start working on the more advanced sections: Publications, Projects, Awards & Achievements, Skills and Links. These sections aren't looked at by every employer but you can still add them while maintaining your resume's readability.
Resume Structure: Advanced
The Publications and Projects sections
The Publications section includes any journal, magazine, newspaper, or blog that you were mentioned in. You may also include a link to the specific article if considered appropriate. Keep in mind that using an invalid or expired link may be considered worse than not including a link at all.
The Projects section includes any projects that you took part in outside of school or work. These can be professional, personal, or team based projects. You can also use this section to highlight your interests or hobbies.
The Awards and Achievements section
The Awards and Achievements section is particularly useful in highlighting your accomplishments that you have received an award for. These awards can be for academic, athletic, or professional achievements.
The Skills and Links sections
The Skills section is the most important section of all the advanced sections. Soft skills, for example, are considered an essential requirement of any job. List soft skills as well any technical skills in this section.
The Links section can be used to provide social media links or links to any projects that are available online. Based on your field of study, you may be required to provide social media links in your resume.
Getting started with REMSYS
Dividing your resume into sections to improve your resume's readability can be tedious and time-consuming. Instead, use the REMSYS resume builder which automatically divides the resume into sections outlined in the common resume structure. Try it out here!
Here's a another quick guide on how to create a fantastic resume with REMSYS.
Happy Job Hunting!