Resume Components
What to Include in a Resume
Contact Information
• Include your name, address (permanent and temporary, if necessary), telephone number(s) and email
address if you have one
• Ensure you have a tasteful email address
• You may include only your cell phone number if it is more convenient. Ensure you voicemail message is
professional.
• If you have designed your own website, you may include your URL. Make sure that the content of your
website is professional, error-free, loads quickly and has no broken links
• Do not include personal data such as social insurance number, age, sex or marital status
Career/Job Objective
• This is a brief statement (one or two lines) that indicates the type of employment/career that you hope to
pursue
• Your objective must be customized to the position that you are seeking – when possible include the job
title that the employer uses
• It may also be included in your cover letter instead of in your resume
Other Possible Section Headings: Objective, Job Objective, Employment Objective, Career Goal,
Career Objective, Goals
Highlights of Qualifications
Used in a Combination Resume (See Sample Combination Resume)
• This is a summary of the key qualifications you have to offer the employer
• This section may repeat and reinforce key skills that are mentioned throughout the body of your resume
• You may include your experience, job-related skills, special certifications, knowledge/skills acquired
through education and personal skills/traits that best match the employer’s needs
• This summary should be customized to the position that you are seeking and should be modified for
each job you apply to
Other Possible Section Headings: Summary of Qualifications, Profile, Professional Qualifications,
Qualifications, Skills Summary, Summary of Skills
Education and Training
• Include the name of your degree/diploma, the name of the institution, the location of the institution (city
and province only) and the dates attended
• You may list 4 to 6 applicable courses as well as major projects; your projects should be outlined in 1 or
2 lines
• You may include your Grade Point average (GPA) if desired
• You may include your High School Diploma if you have recently graduated, if you were part of a special
high school program or if you graduated from a recognized institution
Other Possible Section Headings: Academic Background, Academic Training, Education, Educational
Background, Professional Education, Additional Education, Additional Training, Other Education,
Professional Development, Special Training
Work Experience
• Include permanent, part-time, volunteer and other relevant positions
• State your job title, date of employment and name and location (city and province only) of employer
• Use short phrases to describe achievements, skills and knowledge obtained/utilized in this position
• Use action verbs and qualify and quantify your achievements wherever possible
e.g. Professionally handled 200+ customer service queries on a daily basis
Other Possible Section Headings: Employment, Employment History, Experience, Other Employment
Other Experience, Professional Background, Professional Experience, Related Experience, Relevant
Experience
Specialized Skills
• Highlight computer skills. Be sure to include all hardware and software programs
• Note language skills. Indicate if you are fluent in a foreign language, e.g. written and oral skills
• Highlight special training, e.g. First Aid, CPR and other certifications if relevant
• Include any relevant specialized technical skills, e.g. laboratory, electronic, mechanical
• You may use sub-headings to better organize this section
Other Possible Section Headings: Achievements, Acquired Skills, Additional Skills, Career-Related
Skills, Computer Skills, Computer-Related Skills, Languages (separated from other sections)
Awards and Special Accomplishments
• List all academic awards, special distinctions and noted honors. Provide an explanation of the award or
distinction if it is not self-evident. Include where the award is from and the date
• Describe any special accomplishments that were not included in a previous section
Activities and Interests
• List participation in clubs and professional organizations
• Include volunteer experiences unless they are previously mentioned in the Work Experience section
• Include the activities or hobbies you pursue in your spare time that specifically illustrate other skills or
traits that you possess (ie. to show creativity you may state that you enjoy sketching or painting)
Other Possible Section Headings: Activities, Activities and Interests, Community Involvement,
Community Service, Extracurricular Activities, Hobbies and Interests, Interests, Leisure Activities,
Professional and Community Activities, Related Activities, Special Interests, Volunteer Activities
Volunteer Experience
Other Sections You May Add…
•
Affiliations, Associations, Club Memberships, Conferences Attended, Conferences/Conventions,
Memberships, Presentations, Professional Associations, Professional Memberships, Publications,
Academic Projects
References
• References are not included in your resume, unless requested by the employer.
• References may include past or current employers, work colleagues, professors and perhaps a personal
(character) reference such as a family friend.
• Always obtain permission from your reference person prior to providing their name to an employer.
Send a copy of your resume to each reference person.
• You should provide the names of two or three people.
CENTENNIAL COLLEGE
CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES
Spring 2007