Customizing the Order of Your Resume

Maddy Meislin on August 27, 2015

tags: Be the Boss Over Cancer, Career Advice, Career Change, Employer, In the News, Job Search, Meaningful Work, Resources, Resume

One step to crafting an effective resume is organizing all the sections in the correct order. In her article “4 Better Ways to Organize Your Resume, Depending on Who You Are and Where You’re Going,” on The Muse, MIT Career Specialist Lily Zhang recommends tailoring the order of your resume based on the position you are seeking and your specific situation. Below are her suggestions:

1. For Most of Us

  • Summary Statement (optional)
  • Experience
  • Professional Organizations / Community Involvement (optional)
  • Education
  • Skills and Certifications

2. For Recent Graduates

  • Education
  • Experience
  • Leadership
  • Awards and Activities (optional)
  • Skills

Zhang suggests that recent grads include extracurricular activities they participated in. Transferable skills are gained through leadership roles in these types of activities, so it’s important to highlight them.

3. For Career Changers

  • Objective (optional)
  • Relevant Experience
  • Additional Experience
  • Professional Organizations / Community Involvement (optional)
  • Education
  • Skills and Certifications (option to move up)

Zhang recommends labeling the “Relevant Experience” section in a way that makes sense for your field. For example, title it “Editorial Experience” or “Sales Experience.” If you don’t have much relevant experience, you can place the “Skills and Certifications” section above your experience, so it stands out.

4. For Senior-Level Candidates

  • Summary Statement
  • Experience
  • Professional Organizations / Community Involvement (optional)
  • Education
  • Skills and Certifications

For those with significant experience and (usually) a two-page resume, it’s necessary to have a summary statement at the very top. 

Customizing the order of your resume is just one of the many ways you can make yours stand out from the pack. For more resume-writing tips, visit the Looking for Work section of our website or download a free copy of our Job Search Toolkit.