Here are some samples of categories for resumes and what they should include. You do not need to use all of them, and you may come up with categories that fit your needs.
Objective
The objective describes the candidate’s direction and purpose. The objective should be short, concise and focused on the position and/or industry you are targeting.
Education
Include your degree(s) and where earned, major(s) and additional course concentrations or minors. Also list your date of graduation and grade point average if it is a 3.0 or better for undergraduate degrees and 3.5 for graduate degrees.
If you have earned more than one degree, list degrees in reverse chronological order (i.e. bachelor’s degree followed by associate’s degree).
A section on related coursework may also be included, listing any advanced courses you have completed which directly relate to the type of employment you are seeking. High school information should not be included unless directly related to the type of work you are seeking, or to establish former residence in the geographic area.
Relevant and Work Experience
You can use both relevant and work experience on your resume to differentiate any experience relevant to the position for which you’re applying and work experience you may have which is not directly related.
Both sections should include the following information about your employment history:
- position held;
- name and location of organization;
- dates employed;
- job responsibilities;
- demonstrated abilities or skills.
Include 3-5 bullet points describing your responsibilities and experience. Be specific but concise. The use of action verbs such as created, planned, analyzed, and initiated will go far in aiding your ability to create a positive and comprehensive description of your employment background.
Typically, employers are interested in work experience gained in college years. Internships, co-op programs, part-time work, work-study, etc. should be listed here. Be sure to list all work experiences in reverse chronological order. In most cases, experiences during high school should be omitted from your resume.
Full Time Supervised Clinical Experience
Students in the Health Professions areas should include a section outlining their full time clinical experience which they complete as a part of their curriculum. These experiences should be listed in the same way as employment listings with complete descriptions of skill mastery and tasks performed. You will also want to include information about presentations/in-service projects, etc.
Part Time Supervised Clinical Experience
Students in the Health Professions areas should include a section outlining additional clinical experience including volunteer, service learning, observational experience, etc. Company name, location, dates and type of facility should be sufficient unless you have very specific skills that you developed on site.
Research Experience
Research projects through a class, club, or job with a description of what you studied and the results. Include the name of the research, when you completed the research, and through what organization the research was completed (ex. Department of Exercise Science, Shenandoah University).
Honors and Awards
Academic honors and awards should be included in your resume, such as scholarships, academic achievement awards, and honor societies. Only include if they are unique, fairly recent and ideally relevant to your career goals
Leadership Experience
Campus or community involvement where you held a leadership role should be included in your resume. Be certain to indicate in this section the roles you have held such as elected offices, campus committees, athletic leadership roles and the like. Involvement of this type is particularly indicative of your ability and potential.
Professional Affiliations
Memberships in nationally recognized professional associations are also worthy of inclusion. Beware, however, of simply listing organizations to which you belonged but were not an active member.
Skills
You should include a section outlining any hard skills you may have. Hard skills include language proficiencies; mechanical operation skills; computer software and application knowledge: Microsoft Office, Adobe programs, data analysis systems and computer languages, such as Java, C++, and HTML.
Community Service or Volunteer Experience
Many organizations will value your willingness to give and work in your community. List any significant experiences here. Be sure to include leadership or supervisory roles held.
Publications
Include any research which you have published either alone or in conjunction with others. Be sure to list the name of the publication, author(s), date of publication and name of work.
Certifications/Licensure
List all licenses and certifications you currently hold including CPR, First Aid, First Responder, etc. Once licensed, you will want to indicate where you are licensed and the expiration date of the certification but not necessarily your license number.
Campus Involvement
Clubs and other student organizations you have been involved in on-campus. Include any leadership titles earned, the name of the organization, and dates of involvement.
References
“References Available/Furnished Upon Request” is no longer an acceptable means of providing recommendations for employers. References should be listed on a separate page from your resume but should follow the same format with the same header and typeface as your resume.
Include the reference name and academic rank if a Ph.D., the title, business address, business phone and e-mail address. Each person should have a Mr., Ms., Miss., Dr., or Hon. before their name.