1. Personal Information

It's simple, so make it strong. Place it at the top so that it is immediately visible to the recruiter. Be certain your phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile are prominently displayed. According to  CareerBuilder, 61% of recruiters will dismiss a resume if they can't find the candidate's contact information. Using a professional email address and including your LinkedIn URL enhances your professional image and makes it easier for recruiters to learn more about you.

Must-Have Information in the Personal Information Section:

1. Full Name: Use your full, official name here. It’s important that this matches your name on official documents to avoid any confusion during the recruitment process.
2. Preferred Role: At the top of your resume clearly state the role you are applying for. Make sure to use the exact same job title from the job listing. This not only aligns your resume with the job description but also makes the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) happy.
3. Email: Always use a professional email address. The format typically preferred by recruiters is a combination of your surname and first name (e.g., surname_name@example.com or surname.name@example.com). Avoid using casual or unprofessional email addresses, as they can negatively impact your first impression.
4. Phone Number: Including a phone number is crucial as it allows recruiters to contact you for initial screenings or interviews.
5. City: Including your city on your resume helps recruiters quickly assess your proximity for location-based preferences, whether for local hiring, on-site work, or remote roles within specific time zones, without needing your full address.
6. LinkedIn Profile: Including a link to your LinkedIn profile offers recruiters a quick way to review your professional background, endorsements, and recommendations.

Information to Avoid in the Personal Information Section:

1. Full Address: Providing your full home address is unnecessary and can be considered oversharing. Most employers do not require this information at the application stage.
2. Photo: Including a photo on your resume is generally not recommended, adding it can lead to unconscious bias. But if you are applying to certain places in Europe, where adding a photo is a common practice.

Example:

Full Name: Taylor Smith
Preferred Role: Frontend Developer
Email: taylor.smith@example.com
Phone Number: +1 (312) 796-7820
City: New York, NY
LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/taylorsmith12312

2. Professional Summary

Consider this your elevator pitch. Your professional summary should summarize your career goals and highlight some of the key qualifications. This is the section where you get to make a good first impression. Research shows that hiring managers are 50% more likely to be interested in resumes with a well-written professional summary. So, write your summary such that you show your uniqueness in value and how it will add to the objectives of the employer. Below are the key points to consider while writing a professional summary:

Example:

Years of Experience: Clearly state your total years of relevant experience.
Role/Industry: Mention your area of expertise or the industry you’ve worked in.
Core Skills: Highlight key skills that align with the job description.
Key Achievement: Include one significant achievement relevant to the role, and save additional accomplishments for the Achievements section.

Professional Summary:
Frontend Developer with 5 years of experience specializing in React.js to build responsive, user-centric web applications. Proven track record of delivering high-quality code and enhancing user experiences across various projects. Led the frontend team of an e-commerce platform that increased user engagement by 30% through optimized UI/UX design. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams to translate client requirements into dynamic, scalable, and maintainable solutions.

3. Skills

This section should include both your technical and soft skills. Be job-specific and match the skills you put in here to the position you are applying for. LinkedIn reported that 87% of recruiters ranked 'skills' as the most important factor in a candidate's application. Use bullet points to effectively and briefly display your skills and how they align with the requirements that the employer seeks.

Organize your skills into clear, relevant categories to help recruiters quickly understand your qualifications. Here is how you can do it:

1. Technical/Hard Skills: Focus on job-specific technical abilities or specialized knowledge directly relevant to your role.

   Example: HTML/CSS, JavaScript, React.js

2. Core Competencies: Highlight the key professional skills that are central to your expertise 

   Example:  User Interface Design, Performance Optimization, Problem-Solving

3. Soft Skills: Include essential interpersonal and communication skills that are valuable in any work environment 

   Example: Communication, Adaptability, Attention to Details

4. Tools and Technologies: List the software, platforms, or tools that you are proficient in and that support your technical work (e.g., CRM systems, design software, data visualization tools).

   Example: Chrome DevTools, Figma, Webpack

4. Professional Experience

List your professional experience in reverse chronological order. For each listing, you will need to include the company's name and location, your title, the employment dates for that position, and the extent of your key duties or achievements. According to TheLadders, recruiters on average spend 7.4 seconds reading just your work experience on a resume. Use bullet points to call attention to quantifiable achievements and contributions, those that sufficiently demonstrated your skills and abilities.

Here are some key guidelines to ensure this section is both impactful and relevant:

1. Be Concise, Yet Detailed: Strike a balance between compactness and clarity. Aim to include at least 3 bullet points for each role but avoid exceeding 7.
2. Use the STAR or PAR Method: Structure your bullet points using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or PAR (Problem, Action, Result) method. This approach helps you clearly convey what you accomplished by providing context, detailing the actions you took, and highlighting the results.
3. Quantify Your Achievements: Whenever possible, include numbers, percentages, or other quantifiable outcomes. This makes it easier for recruiters to understand the impact of your work.
4. Tailor Your Experience to the Job: Make your experience relevant to the role you’re applying for. Use the job title and keywords from the job description to align your experience with the employer’s needs. This not only makes your resume more relevant but also improves your chances of passing through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
5. Highlight Key Achievements: Focus on achievements that demonstrate your value in previous roles, especially those most relevant to the position you're seeking. If you have multiple achievements, just select the most relevant ones, to be relevant and within the 1.5 page limit.

Example Using STAR Method:

Role: Frontend Developer
Company: MTS Tech
Location: Seattle, WA
Employment Dates: March 2019 – Present

• Situation: Tasked with improving the user interface of an outdated e-commerce platform.
• Task: Enhance the design and functionality to increase user satisfaction.
• Action: Redesigned the site using React.js and implemented responsive design principles to improve mobile and desktop experiences.
• Result: Enhanced the user experience, leading to a 25% reduction in bounce rate and a 15% increase in overall user satisfaction.

5. Education

Including your academic background is of high significance, especially for fresh graduates and professionals with low experience in the job market. Include your degrees, diplomas, certifications, and relevant coursework. Glassdoor research recently said that 76% of hiring managers are looking to hire candidates with relevant academic backgrounds. Be sure to include academic achievements, honors, or extracurricular activities to show your commitment and ability in your field.

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Include Graduation Year: Always list the year of graduation. This helps recruiters quickly assess how recent your education is, which can be particularly relevant for certain roles.
2. Focus on Your Most Recent Education: There’s no need to include every educational credential you’ve earned. Focus on your highest level of education, such as your most recent degree or certification. Listing every school or course can clutter your resume and distract from more relevant information.
3. Include Relevant Coursework (Optional): If you're a recent graduate or changing careers, you may want to include relevant coursework, projects, or academic achievements that are directly related to the job you're applying for. This can help bridge the gap between your education and professional experience.
4. Honors and Achievements: If you’ve graduated with honors or received academic awards, be sure to include them. This can help differentiate you from other candidates, particularly if your work experience is limited.

Example:

Degree: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Graduation Year: 2017
Relevant Coursework: Web Development, User Interface Design, Data Structures and Algorithms
Honors: Graduated with Honors

Add a Custom Section: Showcase Your Unique Value with CareerAI

In addition to the essential resume sections, you can add a custom sections to highlight your specific qualifications and achievements. Depending on their relevance, you might include the following sections:

• Certificates: Including relevant certificates demonstrate your skills and qualifications.
• Achievements: Highlight key accomplishments in your past roles. You can use the STAR/PAR method and quantify outcomes to make an impact.
• Projects: Showcase significant projects to prove your practical knowledge and your success in the job.
• Courses: Include relevant courses that enhance your qualifications.
• Internships: For students or recent graduates, adding internship is significant. It provides real-world experience that bridges the gap between academic learning and professional work.

How to Add a Custom Section

If you have unique qualifications and achievements that can help a recruiter understand your abilities better, consider adding a custom section. With CareerAI’s Resume Builder you can  add a completely new section with just a click.

You can label the section however you like and add as many parts as needed. For example, if you want to add an "Awards" section,  make sure it’s relevant to the role that you are applying for.

Example: Here is how you can add a ‘Award’ section  in your resume using CareerAI.

Section Name: Awards
Main Title: First Place - High School Web Design Competition 2015
Subtitle: Lincoln Academy
Description: Developed a fully functional website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, winning first place in a district-wide competition. Recognized for clean code, innovative design, and user-friendly interface.
Location: Newcastle, Maine, USA

Project Title: Personal Portfolio Website

• Description: Developed a personal portfolio website showcasing web development projects and skills.
• Outcome: Gained 500+ views within the first month and received positive feedback from industry peers.
• Technologies Used: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap

Final Review Checklist

Before submitting your resume, take a moment to review it with the following checklist:

• Check for Typos: Proofread your resume carefully to correct any spelling or grammatical errors.
• Ensure All Sections Are Included: Verify that all essential sections (Personal Information, Professional Summary, Skills, Professional Experience, and Education) are present.
• Verify Contact Information: Confirm that your email address and phone number are accurate and up-to-date.
• Review Formatting: Ensure that your resume is formatted consistently and is easy to read.
• Check ATS Compatibility: Make sure your resume follows ATS-friendly practices, including the use of simple fonts, standard headings, and relevant keywords.

Enhance Your Resume with CareerAI's AI Resume Builder

Today's job market will require a strong resume for landing those interviews. But, mastering the basics, clarity in formatting, strategic keyword placement, and more is key to making sure your resume gets noticed. But what happens when you're short on time?

Introducing CareerAI's AI Resume Builder:

CareerAI's innovative tool simplifies resume creation with:

• Pre-built Templates: Choose from various professionally designed templates to kickstart your resume.
• Generative Texts for Cover Letters: Craft personalized cover letters effortlessly with AI-generated content tailored to each application.
• Job Filtering: Filter and prioritize job opportunities based on your preferences and qualifications.
• Keyword Optimization: Ensure your resume includes relevant keywords to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Error-Free Resume: Eliminate typos and formatting errors with AI-powered proofreading and editing features.

If you'd like a more detailed guide on using our platform, feel free to check out one of our previous blogs!

Want to know more about our platform? Read one of our other blogs for a step-by-step guide on how to use it.

Conclusion

Writing the ideal resume is more like working on fine art, paying attention to detail and strategic thinking matters! Make sure you clearly present your contact information, a compelling professional summary, extensive work experience, valuable educational background, and a well-balanced skills section. Simplify this process using tools like CareerAI's Resume Builder with AI. It makes the resume generation process very simple by offering pre-set templates, generative texts for cover letters, job filters, and keywords optimized to generate error-free resumes. All of this not only saves your time but also makes it more high-quality and relevant for materials you apply to.

Remember, a resume is a mighty marketing tool. Personalizing every section to fit the job requirements and ensuring clear articulation of your achievements will go a long way in helping you get interviews and making better career progress. Continue fine tuning your resume with updated feedback and industry trends. Be proactive in the job search, take advantage of technology, and most importantly, present yourself as the best candidate for the opportunity at hand. Good luck with your job search!

Start Your Resume Now with CareerAI!

Wishing you success—may your resume land you the job of your dreams!