There is no one way to format a resume, but by following some expert resume guidelines, you can make your top accomplishments and skills shine. Below, we have provided some common resume headings and tips on the best ways to use them.
Important! Use this page as a starting point, but don't stop here! Each resume is individual and meeting with career staff in person is the best way to ensure you are making yours stand out from the crowd!
Common Resume Sections
Where Should I Include It?
- Section 1 - always at the top of your resume
What Should I Include?
- Your name - use a larger font so your name stands-out
- Your address - including street address, city, province, and postal code
- Your phone number - ensure you maintain a professional voicemail message
- Your professional email address - keep it professional, typically using some version of your name
- LinkedIn URL (optional)
- E-portfolio link (optional)
What Should I Leave Off?
- Personal information - such as age, gender, country of origin, etc.
- Your picture - unless applying for certain creative jobs (ex. acting)
Where Should I Include It?
- Section 2 - Directly under your Contact Information section
What Should I Include?
- 4-6 bullet points outlining your top achievements - including accomplishments, skills, and experience related to the job
- Technical and transferable skills - can include both or include a separate technical skills section directly following this section
- Must be very tailored to the position! - the reader should be able to tell which position you are applying for based on the accomplishments and skills provided in your profile
What Should I Leave Off?
- Don't just provide a list of generic skills - choose unique skills and accomplishments and provide details as to how you demonstrated them
- Don't include things that are not important to the position - saying too much can draw attention away from your strongest points - be detailed, but concise
Examples:
- Exceptional customer relations and prospecting ability demonstrated through 3 years of experience increasing memberships and retention rates in a fitness centre environment
- Well-developed analytical and problem solving techniques developed while troubleshooting within an industrial setting and supporting a research project
- 2 years of progressive experience developing community programming and providing client-centred support to individuals facing financial, housing, and mental health concerns
- Strong communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to present information in various formats including presentations and technical reports
- Advanced skills in reading and interpreting design drawings, construction diagrams, and code specification through completions of on-site reviews
Where Should I Include It?
- Section 3 - after your Profile of Skills
- Note: Typically, we suggest that students and new grads place their education under their profile since it tends to be one of the stronger selling features related to their profession to date - this may change after you gain significant professional experience, but we suggest keeping it here for now.
What Should I Include?
- Degree, diploma, certificate, or program title - listed in full (not abbreviated)
- Institution/school name - typically list degree title before the institution name
- Minors, concentrations or specializations (optional) - titles listed in full
- Location - city and province (or city and country if outside of Canada)
- Date - program start date to present (or graduation date only, if studies are completed)
- Expected graduation date (optional) - can include month and year of expected completion
- GPA/average (optional) - do not include if not 80% or above
- Related coursework (optional) - list courses that relate to the position
What Should I Leave Off?
- High school diploma - typically removed once you are in university
Example:
Master of Arts, Political Science - September 2018 - Present
University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
- Expected completion: April 2019
- Related coursework: Canadian Foreign Policy, Third World in International Relations
Bachelor of Arts, Honours Political Science - September 2013 - April 2018
Law & Politics Specialization
University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
What Headings Should I Use?
- Choose headings that best reflect your experience related to the job - unless the employer has identified a specific format for the resume, you can select headings that best outline your personal experience to date
- Common headings:
- Employment Experience
- Work History
- Volunteer Experience
- Internship Experience
- Academic Projects
- Research Experience
- Extracurricular Involvement
- Relevant Experience
- Additional Experience
- Leadership Experience
- Other headings - speak with a career advisor to determine the best headings to use to reflect your experience
Where Should I Include Them?
- After your Education section - as discussed in the Education section, we typically suggest including your education before your experience sections as a student or new grad
- Order these sections based on their relevance to the job! - unless indicated by the employer, you should order your experience headings based on how relevant each section is to the specific position (for example, if your volunteer experience is more related to the job than your paid work experience, lead with the volunteer section)
What Should I Include?
- Job, position, or academic project title - most often you will lead with your titles rather than where you worked
- Company or organization name - if appropriate, you may list the department name followed by the company or university name
- Location - city and province (or city and country if outside of Canada)
- Dates - start and end dates of service (or to present, if not yet completed)
- Accomplishment statements - in bullet point form - the number of points should be based on how relevant they are to the position of interest
What Should I Leave Off?
- Experiences that do not relate to the position or provide related transferable skills - you do not need to list every experience you have ever had on your resume - focus on the most relevant experiences
- Don't assume volunteer work, general employment, or work outside of Canada doesn't matter! - depending on the work you did and type of skills you gained, these experiences may be as useful, if not more, to employers than you think - speak with a career advisor to review your experience
Examples:
Customer Service Representitive - January 2017 - Present
ABC Company, Windsor, ON
- Responded to customer concerns by phone in a professional and expediant manner, effectively handling 40+ calls per day
Engineering Intern - September 2016 - February 2017
Main Manufacturing Inc., Windsor, ON
- Assisted with the re-design, development, and implementation of technical and client-facing processes within the mold-making facility, improving quality of order entry by 20%
Event Coordination Volunteer - June - August 2018
Peer Support Centre, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
- Planned, marketed, and led an event aimed at reducing exam stress attended by over 50 students
What Other Headings Might I Include?
- Scholarships, Honours & Awards - if you have received any special recognition for your academic, employment, or volunteer work, you may list it here (do not include scholarships or awards that were not provided based on merit)
- Certifications - you may have a separate certifications section if you have completed certificates beyond your degree
- Membership & Affliiations - recognizing if you are a member of any professional organizations
- Publications - if you have published work, you may provide the citation
- Professional Development - you may provide seminars, workshops, or other industry-associated events that you have attended
Where Should I Include Them?
- Order them based on relevance to the job - as discussed previously, order your sections based on their relevance to the job, ensuring that the most pertinent information is listed earlier in the resume
What Should I Include?
- Try to maintain the same format that you have used throughout the resume when listing these experiences - for example, if you always bold and lead with your titles then provide organization names and locations underneath, continue to do so in these sections
- Bullet describing award, certification, membership, or professional development opportunity (optional) - if further detail would provide light to the accomplishment or experience, you may include a descriptive bullet point
What Should I Leave Off?
- Achievements unrelated to the position that do not show a relevant transferable skill or impactful personal accomplishment - again, keep your resume concise
Examples:
Trillium Student Volunteer Award - April 2018
ABC Support Services Ontario, Windsor, ON
- Recognized for completing over 200 hours of community services
Mental Health First Aid Certification - March 2017
St. Clair College, Windsor, ON
Where Should I Include It?
- Bottom of resume - this line is optional, but if you have room, it provides an effective closing
What Should I Leave Off?
- References - unless requested specifically by the employer, references should not be provided in your application and can be listed on a separate page at the time of interview