A Complete Guide to Professional Resume Outline: 6 Key Sections to Include

A resume/CV outline is a structural draft you create before completing your professional resume. A resume/CV outline provides you with a framework to work with all different aspects of your job qualifications, such as experience, skills, education, and more.

A resume/CV outline helps you organize your resume in logical order. Use this order as a basis to personalize your resume, either changing fonts, designing your resume, or incorporating different formats. Creating a solid job resume outline is the first step to writing a job-winning resume.

This article will show you a step-to-step guide on how to create a basic resume outline, how to use a resume outline, what are the key sections to include in a job resume outline. Read until the end to see different resume outline examples for different professions.

Here is the step-by-step guide to creating a basic resume outline:

1. Write down all your previous experiences and skills.

The first step in writing a simple resume outline is to brainstorm and list out everything that could potentially be included in a resume. Write down both related or unrelated ones. Professional achievements, hard or soft skills, or side projects that you’ve accomplished are among the essentials.

2. Decide which experiences and skills to include in your resume (by referring to the job description).

Next, choose the experiences and skills that are more significant. By referring to the job description, you make a resume outline that includes the most related experiences to catch the manager’s eyes. 

3. Decide on a resume outline format that is suitable to use.

There are three commonly used resume formats to use in your job resume outline: chronological resume format, skill-based (functional) resume, and combinational resume format.

• For experienced applicants, a chronological resume format is suitable.
• If you have little experience but plenty of skills that make you a qualified candidate, use a skill-based format.
• If you have a handful of skills and experiences, use a combinational format.

4. Choose a template for your resume outline that suits your style.

Based on the company’s or your style, choose a resume template that is easy to read or aesthetically pleasing. Using a template ensures that your resume has a suitable font size, font style, layout, and spacing. These elements make your resume outline and content easier to skim through and absorb.

5. Fill in all information according to the resume outline.

Finally, all you need to do is follow the resume outline and fill in the information. Make sure to tailor the content to match perfectly with the job description. Your resume outline should make your resume clear and easy to fill the content.

6. Proofread your resume.

Before you send out your resume, find someone or proofread yourself. Keep your resume typo-free and have no grammar mistakes. 

Here are the most common sections of a simple resume outline:

1. Resume Header

2. Profile Statement/Resume Summary

3. Work Experience

4. Education

5. Skills & Certifications

• List any relevant hard and soft skills and certifications.
• Refer to the job description and list the most related ones upfront.
• Be specific: list the software names and other tools, as well as your level of proficiency.

6. Additional sections (optional)

• Add additional information that could be attractive.
• For example, include your languages skills, publications, volunteer experience, or relevant hobbies. 

Here are common sections of a simple resume outline:

Resume Header

Resume header is the first thing in your job resume outline. Here is what you need in the resume heading outline:

Check out the resume header example below:

Profile Statement/Resume Summary

A profile statement, or resume summary in your resume outline, is a short paragraph that encapsulates your professional history. The summary section in your resume outline highlights your previous achievements and key qualifications that make you an ideal candidate.

Check out this example paragraph of a resume profile statement.

Work Experience

Here’s the real substance of your resume outline that you make an impression on the hiring managers. Include these elements in your professional work experience of your job resume outline:

Check out the work experience section of a resume example below.

Education

Remember to include education in a basic resume outline. Many job listings require a minimum education. List these elements in your job resume outline:

Take a look at this education section on a resume example.

Skills & Certifications

Your dream company is looking for specific talents. Add skills in your resume outline to show them you have the exact skills they are looking for. Certifications are also hard proof of your extraordinary skills.

Here’s an example of a skill section on a resume.

Additional sections (optional)

Highlight your uniqueness by including some of these extra sections in your resume outline.

1. Volunteer Work

Volunteer work shows your personality and passion for helping others, definitely a plus to include in your job resume outline.

2. Projects

Perhaps you were a freelancer or have accomplished a side-project with a team. When writing a resume outline, big or small projects that are related to the job position are no doubt remarkable experiences. Add these projects to your job resume outline.

Take a look at this example.

3. Publications

Publications are robust proof of your substantial knowledge on a subject. Experience in submitting a paper or publishing a book are ideal materials for your professional resume outline.

Here’s an example of publications on a resume.

4. Hobbies & Interests

Whether or not to list hobbies in your job resume outline depends on the level of relevance. If your hobbies are related to the job you’re applying for, they can help you stand out from other applicants. Nevertheless, you should take the level of formality into consideration to avoid being too casual when writing a professional resume outline.

You can list hobbies and examples on a resume as illustrated in the example below.

Before you write a professional resume outline, don’t forget to refer to the following resume outline examples and their structure.

Remember to organize the sections on your own resume outline based on your job:

College student resume outline

As a college student, you might have limited professional achievements. Nevertheless, you can highlight other sections in your resume outline to make up for lack of experience.

Professional resume outline

For professionals who have 4+ years of experience or more, the work experience section is going to be your job resume outline’s main section.

Resume outline for high school students

For any high school students looking for their first job, here’s how your resume outline should be.