Personal details At the very least, the personal details section should include your email address, name and phone number. You may also choose to include a link to a website or portfolio, depending on the job. If you have a LinkedIn account, include that along with any relevant social media accounts. LinkedIn is the biggest global network for professionals and most recruiters expect that applicants have a profile. Before you add your profile to your resume, take some time to look it over and update information, include a professional photo and remove any inappropriate material. The same rules apply to any social media profiles your potential employer wants to see. Most often, recruiters use social media searches only to see how you’ll fit into the company culture. In some roles, your online “brand” is crucial to your job. We suggest that you only use social media profiles that apply to your desired job.  There’s no need to include personal information such as your date of birth or any personal identification number. If you make it further in the hiring process, the recruiter can ask you for additional identifying information. In Canada and the United States, adding a photo on your resume may hurt your chances of getting an interview because of strict discrimination laws and employment policies. Resume summary or objective statement After your personal information, the next part is your resume summary. This only needs to be a short paragraph, no more than 3-4 sentences. In your own words, this paragraph highlights your greatest career achievements and top skills.  Resume objectives can be used in place of resume summaries and are the better option for those who are just starting in a career and don’t have a lot of experience, or any at all. An objective focuses on your plans for your career and what your goals are for the new role. Work experience The next part of writing your own resume is extremely important. After a well-written, pointed summary, it’s time to include your work experience and previous jobs. In this section, keep it simple. Rather than a long list of generic bullet points that apply to your position, include specifics.  Work experience should be listed in reverse-chronological order, meaning you start with your most recent job and go backward from there. In each section of your work history, including the following: Your job titles or positions written with clarity in bold so they’re easy to find Dates employed The company name A short bullet list of your main achievements and duties As you write your work experience, make it as concise as possible. Always start your bullets with a verb and keep it to only three or four.  If you have too many jobs to list, choose the ones that are relevant to the new job you’re applying for and stay within 15 years. If you have a resume without work experience, feel free to include volunteer work, extracurricular activities and internships. A gap in your resume doesn’t have to be a big deal. If you’re unemployed for a time, get involved with an organization in your industry. Take classes to continue your education. Include unpaid work on your resume. List only the years of your work experience rather than the months. Education After your work history, enter your education information. Again, the resume education section goes in reverse-chronological order. If you have extensive experience in your field, include your degree, the university or school name, and the year you graduated. If you don’t have a lot of experience, include academic achievements, relevant coursework, your GPA and a thesis or dissertation title if you are in graduate school. If you have a college degree of any type, don’t include your high school diploma to keep your resume relevant to the situation. Include any advanced degrees you have, just make sure they are in the right order (reverse chronological). Hard and soft skills Next, it’s time to list the relevant skills that make you a great candidate for the job. To make an amazing resume, always include a mix of both soft and hard skills. Soft skills are transferable skills that are beneficial in all jobs, and include proficiency in for example: Communication Time management Interpersonal Problem-solving Adaptability Teamwork Hard skills are more like technical skills and specific to the job you want, and include expertise in for example: Writing  Presentation Marketing Computer skills Project management Analytical skills List skills in a single-item bullet point list with a short description of your proficiency. Provide a few words for context and change the skills to be relevant for each job you apply for. Languages Including language skills on your resume is advisable, even if they aren’t directly relevant to the job. It shows cultural competence and global awareness, which are highly valued by employers in today's interconnected world.  When listing your language skills, make sure to include your level of proficiency for every language you mention. You can describe your comprehension with the levels of “beginner”, “intermediate”, “conversational”, “fluent” and “native”, or use an official scaling system like the ACTFL scale, the CEFR scale or ILR scale. If you have taken language courses or obtained language certifications, then make sure to include these as well. When discussing languages on your resume, always be honest. You could be tested during a job interview, so be realistic about your ability. Achievements and awards There is a difference between awards and achievements and it’s important to understand that when you go to list them on your resume. They can both highlight your value, distract from a lack of work experience and help catch a hiring manager’s attention. They can be listed throughout your resume if they aren’t widely recognized, or you can create a separate section for them to show how you stand out. An achievement is something that illustrates that you excelled, exceeded expectations or provided value on top of what you were expected to do. Awards are given to groups or individuals by businesses, external bodies, academic institutions or third-party groups and usually involve an official certificate or ceremony. Any time you add an achievement or award to your resume, use ones that are recent and relevant to the job you are applying for. Extracurricular activities Extracurricular activities can be used to demonstrate transferable skills, and should be included on your resume in two situations: You are in school or have recently graduated and don’t have a lot of paid work or internship experience. You are in school or have recently graduated and your extracurricular role highlights a skill or position that is especially relevant to the job you want. Some examples of extracurricular activities that would go on a resume are volunteer services, student government, tutoring, arts organizations, academic societies of clubs, media or publications, and community and civic activities. Hobbies and interests Keep your resume free of hobbies and interests that are generic, and focus on those that are unique or exciting. This section usually gives the hiring team an idea of how you will fit into the company atmosphere and culture. Always be honest about your hobbies and interests, because they can come back to bite you if you aren’t honest about what you enjoy. Hobbies and interests aren’t always necessary in a resume. While they can be a good placeholder if you lack experience, this section should be eliminated for solid experience, education or skills. References Unless your potential employers have asked for them, don’t include references on your resume. If your resume does need references, include at least three of them, and always get the okay from the person before you list them.