Resume Meaning 101: What Are the Must-have Sections in 2023?

by Hiration

What is the meaning of a resume for a job?

Resumes are one of the most crucial tools for job seekers that enables you to showcase your skills, experiences, and qualifications in a comprehensive and concise manner.

Often the first point of contact between employers and aspiring candidates, resumes have the power to either make or break your chances of landing a job and a career you long for.

And with the added pressure of making your resume stand out from the heaps of other resumes, it can be tricky to draft a compelling resume if you don’t get the basics.

Plus, studies show that on average, recruiters only spend about 6 seconds on a single resume.

So in this short time, it needs to meet its purpose and help you get shortlisted. For starters, your resume must highlight the skills and experiences that are aligned with the requirements of the role you’re targeting.

Read on to get more insight into resume meaning and get clarity on related FAQs like the following:

Resume/CV Meaning


While many job seekers use the words resume and CV synonymously to refer to their official document summarizing their professional trajectory, there are key differences between the two.

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and is a more detailed document showcasing an individual’s comprehensive overview of their education, publications, research, etc. and it is generally used in an academic or research setting.

For instance, some industries, such as the legal or academic fields require candidates to submit a CV than a resume.

And since it provides more details and deeper insight into the person’s career trajectory, it is longer than a regular resume and can go on for 3-5 pages.

Additionally, CVs usually contain more personal information than a resume like birth date, marital status, nationality, etc.

On the other hand, resumes are typically used for finding jobs and are mostly a page long. They are focused on highlighting the person’s professional work experiences and skills, rather than their personal information and academic aspects.

Also Read: How to write a stellar resume in 2023?

Must-have Resume Sections


To make your resume organized, easy to read, and professional, you must include some must-have sections in your resume that segregates the information you want to include.

Given below is a breakdown of the standard sections of a resume:

Resume Header Meaning


A resume header is the headline of your resume, which is generally written using the biggest font size of 14-16 points.

While some candidates write ”CV” or “Resume” as the header, it is advisable to write your full name instead.

Doing so helps recruiters identify your resume easily and for potential employers to search for your resume in their database with ease.

Contact Information


The contact information section in your resume must include the following details:

  • A reachable contact number with the ISD code and a ‘+’ sign before the number
  • A professional email id
  • A link to your online portfolio or Linkedin profile
  • Your current address (city & state)
  • Your profile title (current or recent designation)

Typically, this section must be placed right below the resume header to make it easy for recruiters to find your details and contact you.

Resume Objective or Summary


While resume objective and summary are used interchangeably by some job seekers, the basic difference between the two is that a resume summary is written by professionals who have more than 1 or 2 years of professional work experience.

Whereas, a resume objective is written by freshers who are starting out their careers.

Irrespective of which category you fit in, a resume summary or objective must present a summary of your experience, skills, or qualifications in alignment with the requirements of the job description.

Hiration pro tip:
Ensure that your resume summary or objective is not more than 2-3 lines and begins with the years of experience and highlights your best accomplishments.

Also Read: How to write a compelling objective on a resume?

Education Section


As the name suggests, this section must list your academic qualifications, along with the name of the degree, university, location, starting and ending dates, and GPA if it is higher than 3.5.

If you are a fresher, you can also include details of any relevant coursework or honors in this section.

Professional Experience Section


In this section, you must present the details of your work experience in detail. But rather than providing the information in bulky paragraphs, use bullet points and one-liners.

Also, include the name of the company, job title, and dates of employment along with your responsibilities and accomplishments for each role.

Also Read: How to write a resume with no experience in 2023?

Skills Section


This section must list your skills and prowess in terms of the job description. However, be sure to focus on listing job-specific skills rather than soft skills in this section.

You can also include a sub-section for your technical skills if you are making a technical resume.

Also Read: What skills should you include in your resume in 2023?

Additional Sections


While the above-mentioned sections are the standard sections that must be included in resumes, you can also add additional sections like volunteer experience, honors or awards, projects, and internships, based on your career trajectory and role.

When you segregate information on your resume in this manner, it not only becomes easier for the recruiters to scan your resume but will also make it concise, crisp, and professional.

Types of Resumes


Primarily, resumes can be divided into 3 types based on the order in which the experiences and skills are presented. And they are:

  • Chronological Resume: This resume format lists a candidate’s work experience in a reverse chronological format, starting with the most recent role and followed by the older ones. This format is most commonly used in traditional industries such as accounting, finance, human resources, etc.

  • Functional Resume: This resume type highlights a candidate’s skills and qualifications rather than their work history. It is commonly used by candidates who have career gaps, freshers, or career switchers.

  • Combination Resume: As the name suggests, a combination resume format combines the elements of both a chronological and functional resume. However, this format is more time-consuming to use.

Furthermore, there are other types of resumes like infographic resumes which visually present information using graphics, charts, and illustrations.

This type of resume is used by job seekers in the creative and design-related industries.

Hiration pro tip:
If you’re applying for a conventional role or want to work in traditional fields like finance, healthcare, IT, etc. avoid using infographic resumes as they are not ATS-friendly. (Applicant Tracking System or ATS is a software used by traditional employers to select the most qualified candidates)

Also Read: What are the best resume formats that you can use in 2023?

Key Points from the Blog


  • Resumes are one of the most crucial tools for job seekers that enables you to showcase your skills, experiences, and qualifications in a comprehensive and concise manner.
  • CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and is a more detailed document showcasing an individual’s comprehensive overview of their education, publications, research, etc. and it is generally used in an academic or research setting.
  • Resume header, personal information, summary/objective, skills, work experience, and education are some of the must-have sections in a resume.
  • Depending on your career trajectory and role, you can also add additional sections like volunteer experience, honors or awards, projects, and internships in your resume.
  • The 3 types of resumes based on the order in which the skills and experiences are presented are chronological, functional, and combination resume formats.
  • Infographic resume is a visual resume that uses charts, graphs, etc. to showcase information and is used by candidates in the creative industries.

If you need expert guidance on your career-related queries, visit Hiration’s Career Activator Platform with 24x7 chat support and write to us at support@hiration.com.