Resumé sections
All the information you include must be relevant.
But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it?
So, let’s look at what is relevant information and how do we structure it.
What are the sections of a resumé?
The first thing that should appear on your resumé is the header, containing your name and contact information. Additionally, you can include a photo and a profile.
The purpose of this document will be immediately clear to anyone who receives it. Therefore, you don’t need to title it a resumé – rather than that, start with your name, optionally adding your current job title, for example “student of economics”, project manager”, and so on.
If you have earned an academic degree, you can put it next to your name. If you don’t feel like doing that, mention it in the education section. However, it is a good idea to clearly state that you have completed your studies.
Your email address should be professional. For example, addresses including diminutives of your name, or your maiden name are not appropriate. Similarly, we don’t recommend including a work email with your current employer’s domain.
We advise to include a telephone number, which will speed up the first contact. The first rounds of the selection process are often conducted via phone. Therefore, in the next few days and weeks after handing in your resumé, answer calls even from numbers you don’t recognize.
If you want to include a link to your LinkedIn, use the shortened URL. This feature is accessible on your profile.
It is not necessary to include exact address. This information is already available on your ID card. The city in which you are currently looking for a job is sufficient enough.
What doesn’t belong in the header?
Avoid so called “discriminatory information” – information that is not related to the job but may influence recruiter’s judgement. This includes your marital status, number of children, religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, health, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
Discriminatory information can also include your age. The inclusion of the year of birth on a resumé is a controversial topic. However, it is customary to include the date, or at least the year of birth. If you choose to omit this information, the recruiter can simply calculate it anyway from the date you started high school or university. The decision is yours. Neither option is wrong.
Should I include my photo?
A heated debate as old as time and a point of much contention. A resumé with a photo can make someone seem more authentic and likeable. A photo can also make the recruiter remember you better – they are no longer working with impersonal data on paper only but see the real human being behind the presented information. A photo can also enhance the visuals of your resumé. For example, matching the colour of the clothes in the photo with the colour of the headings can be visually pleasing.
On the other hand, opponents of photo inclusion argue that appearance can be considered discriminatory information that doesn’t belong on a resumé (unless you are applying for a job at a modelling agency). A poorly chosen photo can have a negative impact on the recruiter and can leave a bad first impression, which is hard to shake off. Another argument against the inclusion of photos is that it can reveal your approximate age, which can be deemed discriminatory.
What should an appropriate photo look like?
- Smile! Try to appear sympathetic. You aren’t taking a photo for your passport.
- Conform to the formality of the company you are applying for. Sometimes it’s more appropriate to wear a shirt and jacket, other times solid colour T-shirt will do.
- No group photos. You are the only one who should be visible in the photo. Not even someone else’s shoulder.
- You don’t need to take a photo of your whole body – a simple photo from shoulders up is enough.
- The photo should have the highest resolution possible. Avoid using filters, don’t try anything artistic. No black and white photos.
If you are more interested in the topic of photos in resumé, listen to our podcast that focuses on this issue.
Profile
A short, more general description of your personal life can be seen as a nice little bonus. No need to write an essay, three short sentences will do. The structure can be following:
- Who are you
- What do you do
- What are your plans for the future
The last part in particular – your plans for the future – can be a great added value of the profile. As the whole resumé focuses on your past, this is the perfect opportunity to mention what you want to achieve in the future.
Examples of a well-written profile
I am a graduate in programming with two years of experience in web design that I got while studying. I would like to further develop my knowledge while developing web application especially in React and JavaScript. However, I am willing to try other tools, too.
I am an experienced designer with a background in industrial design. I have skills in 3D modelling and visualizations. I would like to use my experience to work on projects that benefit the environment.
I am a recent graduate with a degree in sociology. During my studies, I became passionate about urban sociology and the application of sociology to urban and city district development. I would like to start applying my knowledge in practice and further develop myself.
Examples of a poorly written profile
I want to focus on web development. I don’t have any experiences, but I can finish some courses if I need to.
I am a designer and I work in Adobe XD and Axure. I don’t like learning new tools, so I would prefer a job that works with these tools. I don’t speak English very well. However, I am good team player and I like videogames.
My name is John Doe and I was born in 1996 in Jihlava. I graduated from university in Brno and during that time I did several part-time jobs.
The next section of your resumé should be education. If you are still studying or recently graduated, make sure to primarily focus on your studies. If you have already had a few years of work experience, you can shorten this section and instead focus more on your work experience.
Please, provide the following information
It is customary to write education from most recent to oldest. While doing so, think about what’s relevant and what’s not – elementary school, and often even high school, tends not to be that relevant to recruiters. So, save space on your resumé and recruiters’ time and only include your highest level of education. If you have a university degree, only include your high school if it had specific focus, like language school, or secondary technical school, etc.
Secondary school
- Dates of attendance and the name of the school
Optionally, you can also include details about your final exams and title of your final theses (especially for vocational secondary schools). If you did any extracurricular activities that correspond to what you want to do professionally, you can list them here – use this section to include your high school vocational activities, foreign exchange visits, participation in competitions, etc.
How to list high school?
High school
2015 – 2021 – Gymnázium Olomouc-Hejčín
- Six-year study in English language
- With focus on The role of the business traveller and its application
University
- Year of attendance, your major, faculty, school name and degree earned
Optionally, you can also include the title of your bachelor’s or master’s thesis. If you are currently still studying, you can include the expected date of graduation. As in the case of high school, you can also list other relevant information, such as Erasmus, publication of a professional work, participation in a student association, or, for example, relevant competitions and conferences you took participated in.
You can either list your bachelors and master’s studies together, or separately. Listing them together is appropriate if you have studied the same subject at the same school for both degreases. Otherwise, it is advised to list them separately, clearly indicating which subjects you studied and where did you study them.
How to list university?
2016 – 2022 – Sociology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University (Mgr.)
- Master’s thesis on The Development of Sociological Literature in the 21st Century
2020 – 2022 – Machine Learning, Faculty of Information Technology, VUT
- Currently studying
2016 – 2022 – Computer Science, Faculty of Information Technology, VUT (bc.)
- 6 months Erasmus at the University of Denmark
Where do I list Erasmus?
Your Erasmus can be listed in the same way as your university or added as a bullet point under your studies. Alternatively, you can include Erasmus in the section focused on your language skills (see the section 'Languages').
Where do I put courses and certificates?
You can either list them as an additional item in education, or you can create a separate, appropriately titled category – for example, 'Courses and certificates'. The most important ones are those that are relevant to the position you are applying for. Always include the full title of the course, the name of the organisation, and the course length. If the course was truly relevant to your future goals, you can also include a brief summary of what you learned (this is recommended if you feel like your resumé isn’t long enough).
How do I list an unfinished college degree in my resumé?
Putting unfinished degree on your resume is always a bit tricky. Unfortunately, there is no general advice that would help you. It mostly comes down to the context and the recruiter dealing with your resumé.
Adding the school to the list indicates you didn’t finish it. Some recruiters may view this in a negative light, as they often associate it with a range of stereotypes. However, even incomplete degree could have given you many skills and knowledge, so it would be a shame to keep it a secret. On the other hand, not including your incomplete studies may attract unwanted attention to the gaps in your education section. Such gap can raise a number of questions and create a negative impression. In fact, the recruiter may get the impression that you are deliberately omitting important information.
Therefore, including your unfinished studies in the interests or skills section seems to be a good middle ground. They won’t be as emphasised as they would be in the education section, but they will show you gained knowledge in other areas, too.
How do I list unfinished college degree?
- English at C1 level (two semesters of English and English Literature at MUNI)
- JavaScript at advanced level (three semesters of studying Computer Science at FI MUNI)
The decision is yours, however, be prepared for the fact that your incomplete studies may come up during the interview. Don’t leave anything to chance and prepare for this question in advance.
Description of your previous work experience is a key part of your resumé. Do not underestimate this section, as it is usually the main thing recruiters focus on. As with education, it is customary to list the experience from most recent one to the earliest one. Again, keep in mind what is relevant and what isn’t – you don’t need to list every job you have ever done. Focus on those that are relevant to the position you are applying for. Everything else can be either omitted completely or mentioned very briefly. If you choose to leave out some of your work experience, consider renaming the heading of the section to “Selected professional experience”.
Work experience should ideally be listed in the following format:
Year and month of start and end of employment – company name – job title.
Please note the difference between professional experience and education: In the case of professional experience, months should be included too. There is a big difference between starting your work in January and starting it in December, for example. On the other hand, you don’t need to enter the full address of the company – either omit this information completely, or just list the city where you were employed.
Some also like to include a contact person (for example, supervisor or colleague) for references. This practice is not that common in Czechia, but if you want to do it, make sure that the person agrees to it. Studies have not shown that providing such reference increases the chance of advancing to an interview.
Now we have to focus on the job description. Here you need to describe in detail what you did in the job. The job title is not enough – it may not correspond to the actual job and sometimes it is unclear what it entailed. Description can be written in full sentences or in bullet points. Be specific – list the activities you were doing, and add any work-related achievements (for example, “I was named businessperson of the month twice in a row”). This is also a good place for listing involvement in different projects.
However, as mentioned previously, only list those jobs that are relevant for your future employment.
How do I list my professional experience?
Sales assistant in travel agency, Company Z (4/2017 – 7/2020)
I took orders from customers and provided them with information about our services and products. I helped clients navigate through the offers. I was able to recognize client’s wishes and needs and created customized tours. I learned how to work under stress and deal with adversity.
School psychologist, School Y (9/2018 – 6/2022)
- I provided individual counselling for parents and pupils.
- I held workshops for students to develop their social competence.
- I created a project focused on bullying prevention.
- I provided career counselling to the student of ninth grade.
- I worked closely with teachers, a speech therapist and a special education teacher.
Follow the job advert
When describing your job, follow the requirements listed in the job advertisement and, where appropriate, try to use the same keywords.
Job advert
Job description:
- Sales of information system and its modules
- Active search for business opportunities
- Keeping in touch with clients, daily communication with clients
- Preparing marketing analysis, responsibility for meeting targets
- Product presentation at conferences
Sales manager, Company Z
I was involved in selling software to financial companies. I communicated daily with existing clients and actively sought out new opportunities. I presented the company’s product to potential customers and at conferences throughout the whole Europe.
Should I include parttime jobs outside of my field?
Depends on the circumstances. If you currently don’t have relevant work experience in your field, we advise to include non-relevant work experience instead. Your resumé won’t look empty and it will also show more of your skills. Even a parttime job outside your field shows that you were active during your studies. You have developed proper work habits and learned something useful. Don’t be afraid to mention it in the job description. You can do it like this:
How do I list parttime job?
Shop XY (3/2020 – 7/2021) – Sales assistant:
I helped customers with the selection of products, mindful to their needs. I was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the shop and for keeping it tidy. I learned how to deal with adversity and work under stress.
Can I include my internship?
That is of course appropriate. If it was a study internship, you can mention it in addition to your education. When listing it, follow the same guidelines as for other work experience.
What if my employment ended in the probation period?
Our recommendation is same as it was in the case of incomplete college studies. There is no ideal option. Not mentioning this work experience may give the impression of deliberately withholding this information and attempting to cover up your setbacks. However, disclosing it may make the recruiter think you won’t stay on a job long enough. On the other hand, even short experience may reward you with new knowledge and skills.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of the fact that you don’t need to list all your work experiences and hide the gaps under the heading “Selected work experience”.
However, as with incomplete college degree, it is advised to be prepared for any potential follow up questions.
Languages
The rule of relevant information applies here, too – only include languages you do understand or are currently learning. You don’t need to include a language you have not used since elementary school.
Language proficiency should be labelled according to CEFR (B2, C1, …). Estimate your level as accurately as possible – don’t underestimate your knowledge, but don’t overestimate it either. If you need guidance, try one of the free online tests.
You can also include your certificates (with issue date) and language trips you went to.
How to list your languages?
English – level B2 (certificate CAE issued in 2018)
German – B2 (Erasmus at the university of Vienna, 2019)
Spanish – A1 (beginner, actively studying)
Soft skills and hard skills
In many resumés, people focus solely on computer skills. However, there are many other skills that are worth including.
In addition to computer skills, you can also mention skills that are specific for certain jobs. For example, if you work in IT, you can list your knowledge of agile methodology, if you are a psychologist, feel free to list diagnostic methods you worked with, or if you work in laboratory, list laboratory equipment you have used. You are the one who knows what is needed in your field. Take a moment to think about it and don’t forget to include anything important.
It is also useful to mention the level of proficiency. You can use written description (beginner, advanced, expert) or graphical representation, as shown in the example below.
What not to include?
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Avoid listing skills that everyone commonly has (internet, email, basic functions in Word…).
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Soft skills and personality traits. Those are better suited for cover letter, where you can explain them in more detail. Without that, they may sound rather unimpressive.
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As for your driving licence, include it only if it is specifically required in the job advert or if you know that your job will require frequent travel.
How to list your skills?
Skills
PC:
- Excel (advanced)
- Statistical software Jamovi (intermediate)
- R-studio (beginner)
Diagnostic methods: NEO-PI-R, LMI, d2
Graphical representations:
- Excel
- Statistical software Jamovi
- R-studio
Hobbies and interest are a popular section of resumés. It is not obligatory, but there are cases where it can be beneficial. But remember: Hobbies and interests are not a core part of your resumé and therefore do not need to be given much space. Pick 3 or 4 of your hobbies and list them in one line without any detailed explanation. That is quite sufficient.
Each listed interest says something about you. It is advisable to include interests that fall into at least one of the following categories:
Unusual interests – do you know how to juggle, how to tame a tiger, or how to swallow fire? Those are the ones that the recruiter won’t forget. Conversely, reading or playing videogames won’t make you stand out.
Interests that develop career skills – running playgroups for children, interest in new technologies or learning new languages? These are all useful hobbies that show you want to better yourself.
