Content

This section is required and it should come first.  Your potential employer will probably use this information to contact you if they want to set up an interview or to offer you the job.   It is a very important component of your resume! 

What contact information should you include?

• Your first and last name.  If you like, you may also include your middle name or middle initial, as long as your first and last name are included.   Your name should stand out.  You can make it stand out by writing it in bold font, a slightly larger font size, or centered in the middle of the page. 
• Your complete mailing address, including your street address, city, state, and zip code. 
• Your phone number with area code.   You can list up to two phone numbers if you have a home and a cell phone number.  Do not put your work phone number on your resume. You should not talk with someone about a job you are applying to while you are working at your current job.
  
  On a related note, make sure your voicemail greeting is appropriate and sounds professional.  When a potential employer calls you, your voicemail can make a good OR bad impression. 
  
  
• Your primary email address.  If you have more than one email address, choose only one to include.  More than one email address may look cluttered.  Make sure you check that email address daily in case your employer contacts you through email.  Your email address should also be professional rather than silly or cute.  For example, "animefreakxoxo@do2learn.com" does not sound as professional as "JoeSmith@do2learn.com". 

• This section is optional.
• The purpose of this section is to write 1 brief sentence about your goal for employment.  If you have a specific goal in mind, you may want to include this section on your resume.  It should be listed under your contact information but before all other content on your resume.  

• This section is required.
• List the places you attended school in chronological order, beginning with the most recent.  Include high school education and above.  That means you can include high school, community college or courses, college, and/or graduate programs.  Do not include where you went to middle or elementary school.  
• Include the date you completed that school or program.
• Include any degrees or specializations you received from the school or program.
• Including your G.P.A. is optional. You should only include your G.P.A. if it is above 3.0.

Work Experience

• This is a very important section; it is required.  For a chronological resume, include your previous jobs in this section starting from the most recent job you have held. 
• If you have held many jobs, select the jobs that are most appropriate for the current jobs you are applying for.  For example, if you are applying for an accounting position, include previous jobs relating to accounting, finance, office jobs, etc.  You may not need to include jobs relating to custodial work or cooking.   Similarly, if you have had many jobs, but they have been short-term, you may consider omitting some of the short-term jobs.   Having many short-term jobs may suggest that you have trouble keeping a job to your potential employer. 
• For a functional resume, arrange your work experiences into related sections.  For example, group retail jobs together and manual-labor jobs together and present them in two sections.  It can be tricky to separate out and arrange your work history into categories. Be sure to ask for help with this from a counselor, teacher, or family member.  Limit the number of sections in this section to no more than 3.

Volunteer Experience

• If you have never held a paying job, then you should include your volunteer and community service work.
• Some people have some volunteer experiences that show that they are responsible, interested, and are used to being in a work-like environment. 
  
  IF you have volunteered at a place that:
  
  
  • is relevant to the job you are applying for, OR
  • shows that you have experience in a work environment,  OR
  • serves as a good reference for your work ethic,
    
    
  THEN include your volunteer experiences.

• This section is optional.  Many people do not have awards or distinctions to include in this section and so it is omitted- that is fine.  If you do have awards, only include work-related or school-related awards or distinctions.  For example, you may have won a pie-eating contest at the fair or a tae-kwon-do championship, but those types of accomplishments do not belong here because they are not relevant to the job- unless of course you are applying to work at a bakery or martial arts studio.  However, an achievement or merit award, being in an honor society at school (such as National Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa, etc), earning a scholarship, or another school-related honor, such as winning a spelling bee, would be appropriate.

• This section is optional.  If you belong to relevant associations or clubs, you may list them on your resume.  For example, a student may include his participation in Academic Decathlon to show his scholarship, or Math Club if he is applying for an accounting job.
• If you participated in clubs, it also shows that you are interested in being a “team player.”

• This section is optional but can highlight more skills that can add value to your resume and application.  Please only list work related skills and any technical or computer skills you might have. Also, include any extracurricular work-related certificates you received in the past 2-3 years.   Here are a few examples for this section:

GENERAL SKILLS
Computer Skills like Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook
Working knowledge of Social Media Platforms, Computer and Internet Skills
Foreign Language skills
Public Speaking Course
Solid written and verbal communication skills
Excellent Time Management skills

JOB RELATED SKILLS:      
Java Programming
Database knowledge
Cash Register system knowledge

• This section is optional.  If you choose to include a references section, it should go last on your resume.
• References are people that your potential employer contacts in order to find out more information about you.  Most often, references are previous supervisors, co-workers, teacher, or counselors.  They are not typically family members since family members tend to be biased.
• There are two ways to approach the references section of your resume:
  • Include the names of 2 – 3 references.  Do this by including their names, phone numbers and addresses.  It is also customary to write their relationship to you, such as "Previous mentor" or "Job coach", OR
  • Write "References available upon request."  This means that you are happy to provide references if your potential employer would like them.
• Click here for more information on selecting references.

The following sections are required on a resume:

• Name and Contact Information
• Educational History
• Work Experience

The following sections are optional on a resume:

• Objective
• Volunteer Experience
• Additional Skills
• Awards or Honors
• Associations and Clubs
• References

Make sure your content is honest and concise (to the point).

Have a teacher, family member, or counselor proofread your resume.