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Essential Resume Sections: What to Include on Your CV (2026)

A well-organized resume with the right sections makes it easy for hiring managers to find the information they need—and helps you pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). But which sections are essential, which are optional, and in what order should they appear?

This guide covers all the resume sections you need, how to organize them effectively, and what content belongs in each section.

Required Resume Sections

These sections are essential for every resume, regardless of your experience level or industry:

1. Contact Information

Location: Top of the resume

Include:

• Full name (largest text on the page)
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• City and state (full address no longer necessary)
• LinkedIn URL (optional but recommended)
• Portfolio or personal website (if relevant)

Do NOT include: Date of birth, marital status, photo (in the US), full street address, personal social media

2. Professional Summary or Objective

Location: Directly below contact information

A 2-4 sentence overview that highlights your key qualifications, experience level, and career goals. This section should be tailored to each job application.

Use a Summary if: You have 3+ years of relevant experience

Use an Objective if: You’re entry-level, changing careers, or have employment gaps to address

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Results-driven marketing manager with 7+ years of experience developing 
data-driven campaigns that increased customer acquisition by 45% and 
reduced cost-per-lead by 30%. Expertise in digital marketing, brand 
strategy, and team leadership.

3. Work Experience

Location: Below summary (for most candidates)

This is typically your most important section. List jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent first) with:

• Job title
• Company name and location
• Dates of employment (month/year)
• 3-6 bullet points describing achievements (not just duties)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Senior Marketing Manager | Tech Solutions Inc. | San Francisco, CA
January 2020 – Present
• Led 12-person marketing team, increasing MQL generation by 65% YoY
• Developed and executed $2.5M annual marketing budget across digital channels
• Launched ABM program that generated $4.2M in pipeline within first 6 months
• Implemented marketing automation reducing campaign deployment time by 40%

4. Education

Location: After work experience (or before, for recent graduates)

Include:

• Degree and major
• University name and location
• Graduation year (or expected graduation)
• GPA (if 3.5+ and within last 3 years)
• Relevant honors, coursework, or activities (optional)

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EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Marketing | University of California, Berkeley
Graduated: May 2018 | GPA: 3.7
• Dean's List (6 semesters), Marketing Association President

5. Skills

Location: After education, or in a sidebar

List relevant hard and soft skills that match the job requirements. Include:

• Technical skills (software, tools, programming languages)
• Industry-specific skills
• Language proficiencies
• Soft skills (limit these—focus on hard skills)

SKILLS

Technical: Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Tableau, SQL, Adobe Creative Suite
Marketing: SEO/SEM, Content Strategy, Email Marketing, Marketing Automation, ABM
Languages: English (native), Spanish (conversational)

Optional Resume Sections

Include these sections when they strengthen your candidacy:

Certifications & Licenses

Include if: You have relevant professional certifications

CERTIFICATIONS

• Google Analytics Individual Qualification (2024)
• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification (2024)
• Project Management Professional (PMP) – PMI (2023)

Projects

Include if: You’re entry-level, changing careers, or have impressive project work

PROJECTS

E-commerce Analytics Dashboard | Personal Project
• Built interactive Tableau dashboard tracking $2M+ monthly revenue
• Automated data pipeline reducing reporting time by 80%

Volunteer Experience

Include if: It demonstrates relevant skills or fills employment gaps

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Marketing Committee Lead | Local Food Bank | 2022 – Present
• Developed social media strategy increasing donations by 35%
• Coordinated annual gala marketing reaching 500+ attendees

Awards & Honors

Include if: You have relevant professional or academic recognition

Publications & Speaking

Include if: You’re in academia, research, or thought leadership is valued

Professional Affiliations

Include if: Memberships demonstrate industry engagement

Languages

Include if: Additional languages are relevant to the role or impressive

Resume Section Order by Career Stage

Entry-Level / Recent Graduate

1. Contact Information
2. Objective Statement
3. Education
4. Relevant Coursework / Projects
5. Work Experience (including internships)
6. Skills
7. Volunteer Experience / Activities

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Mid-Career Professional

1. Contact Information
2. Professional Summary
3. Work Experience
4. Skills
5. Education
6. Certifications (if applicable)

Senior Executive

1. Contact Information
2. Executive Summary
3. Key Achievements / Career Highlights
4. Professional Experience
5. Board Positions / Advisory Roles
6. Education
7. Professional Affiliations

Career Changer

1. Contact Information
2. Objective Statement (addressing transition)
3. Relevant Skills
4. Relevant Experience / Projects
5. Work Experience
6. Education / Training
7. Certifications

Sections to Avoid

These sections are outdated or unnecessary:

• “References available upon request” — Assumed and wastes space
• Personal information — Age, marital status, nationality, religion
• Photo — Not standard in the US (exception: acting, modeling)
• Hobbies/Interests — Only include if directly relevant to the role
• High school education — Remove after completing college
• Full street address — City and state are sufficient

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 main sections of a resume?

The five essential sections are: Contact Information, Professional Summary/Objective, Work Experience, Education, and Skills. These sections should appear on every resume.

Should education or experience come first?

For most professionals, work experience should come first. Recent graduates or those with impressive academic credentials should lead with education.

How many skills should I list?

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List 8-15 relevant skills, prioritizing those mentioned in the job description. Focus on hard skills; limit soft skills to 2-3 if included.

Key Takeaways

• Include 5 essential sections: Contact, Summary, Experience, Education, Skills
• Add optional sections when they strengthen your candidacy
• Order sections strategically based on your career stage
• Tailor content to each job application
• Remove outdated sections like “References available upon request”

Need help organizing your resume sections? Our AI-powered resume builder automatically structures your resume with the right sections in the optimal order.

For more guidance, explore our skills section guide, objective examples, and professional templates.