The 5 Essential Sections Every Resume Must Have
Whether applying in New York, Toronto, Bengaluru, or Colombo, standard corporate recruitment formats expect 5 core sections arranged in logical reading order:
1. Header & Contact Information
Keep this simple and clean. Include:
- Full Name: In bold 20–24pt font at the top.
- Professional Title: Matching the target role (e.g. Senior Product Manager).
- Email & Phone: Clickable and professional.
- Location: City and state/country (full street address is obsolete).
- Online Profiles: LinkedIn profile and portfolio/GitHub link.
2. Professional Summary
A high-impact summary is a 3–4 sentence value proposition. Answer three questions:
- Who are you and what is your core specialty?
- How many years of experience do you possess?
- What is your single biggest quantifiable accomplishment to date?
3. Work Experience (The XYZ Formula)
Former Google SVP of People Operations Laszlo Bock recommends the "XYZ Formula" for every single bullet point:
"Accomplished [X], as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]"
"Accelerated mobile page load speed by 38% [X], lifting checkout conversion rates by 14% [Y], by refactoring React components and optimizing image asset delivery [Z]."
4. Education & Degrees
List your highest degree first. Include institution name, location, and year of graduation. If you have been out of university for more than 5 years, place education below your work history.
5. Relevant Skills & Competencies
Group your skills into clear categories: Core Technologies, Frameworks & Tools, and Domain Competencies. This enables ATS bots and human recruiters to scan your technical fit in under two seconds.