Writing a resume isn’t easy, and figuring out what information to include on a resume is often the hardest part because it changes based on your situation and how long you’ve been in the workforce. Here are some simple guidelines to help you figure out what information to include on a resume based on your individual needs.
Start with the basics
When you’re figuring out what information to include on a resume, start with the basics. You should always create a header with your contact information including your phone, email address, and location. Just include your city and state; no need to write down your exact address. If you do have a professional website, include that as well, but do not include the link to your LinkedIn profile. If you’re using LinkedIn correctly, you will be easily searchable, so there’s no need to include the direct link on your resume.
List your skills
Putting your skills at the top of the document immediately increases the effectiveness of your resume. Recruiters look at each resume for an average of six seconds each. That means you have six seconds to show that you are qualified and what you can bring to the table. When you put your skills matrix up at the top, this shows the reader exactly what you have to offer and highlights that you are qualified for the position right off the bat.
The quicker you grab someone’s attention and persuade them that you’re the right candidate for the position, the more likely you’ll be to get past the initial influx of applicants.
Gather your employment information
This is a crucial step regarding what information to include on your resume. Gather all of your employment information so that you have everything ready when you go to write your resume.
Depending on where you are in your career, your employment information will look different. If you’re in school, or are just starting out in your career, you’ll want to include all employment, volunteer work, or internship information. If you need to beef up your resume even more, include information about relevant school projects you worked on. This will help highlight your ability to work on a given project under constraints, and will help highlight your relevant industry knowledge.
If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, you only need to include information for the last 10-15 years. Any position earlier than that isn’t going to be a main focus of a recruiter and/or hiring manager, so there’s no need to waste precious space on your resume to include it.
Gather specific metrics and achievements for each role
Because recruiters and hiring managers don’t have time to thoroughly go over every document, you need to make sure that your resume immediately reflects your achievements and what you can bring to the company.
Anyone can say that they’re great at their job, but very few people can actually show it. When you’re noting your achievements, think about how you can quantify what you’ve done.
Gather your education information
Unless it is your highest level of education or you are in your first year of college, do not include information about your high school diploma. Similarly, there is no need to include GPA unless you’re currently in school and have a very high GPA (3.8 or above).
When it comes to listing education, start with the highest level of education at the top and list backwards from there. For example:
PhD information
Master’s information
Bachelor’s information
Unless you are currently in school or are in a profession where your degree is a key factor, (i.e. medicine, law, etc) your education will be listed at the bottom of your resume. If you are in school or in one of the professions where your education is very important, your education will go towards the top under your skills list.
Include certifications and specialized training
When it comes to what information to include on a resume, certifications and specialized training make a huge difference. Even if you don’t have specific certifications but you’ve had internal training, taken an online course, or even just an online tutorial, include that in your resume. For example, you can take some online tutorials and training sessions on QuickBooks via YouTube and list that as specialized training. As long as the training gives you an advantage and further educates you on a subject, you can list it on your resume.
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When it comes to what information to include on a resume, more is not always better. You want to highlight exactly what you’ve accomplished and what you can bring to a potential job/company in a clear and concise manner.