Standard Resume Sections
Definition: Standard resume sections are the universally recognized content blocks — Contact Information, Summary, Experience, Skills, Education, and Certifications — that ATS parsers are trained to identify and extract.
Required Sections for ATS Compatibility
- Contact Information: Full name, email, phone, city/state, LinkedIn URL.
- Professional Summary: 2-3 sentence overview with key qualifications and target role.
- Professional Experience: Reverse-chronological work history with STAR-formatted bullets.
- Skills: Categorized technical and soft skills matching the JD.
- Education: Degrees, institutions, graduation years.
Optional Power Sections
- Certifications: Industry credentials with issuing body and year.
- Projects: Relevant technical or business projects with quantified outcomes.
- Publications: For research, academic, or thought-leadership roles.
What sections should a resume have for ATS?
At minimum: Contact Info, Professional Summary, Experience, Skills, and Education. Use these exact section headings — creative alternatives like "My Story" or "Toolkit" can confuse ATS parsers.
Should I include a resume summary or objective?
A professional summary is strongly recommended. It provides ATS with a dense keyword block and gives recruiters a 3-second snapshot of your value proposition. Objectives are outdated and should be avoided.
What order should resume sections be in?
For most professionals: Summary → Experience → Skills → Education → Certifications. For recent graduates, move Education before Experience. Always put your strongest selling points first.