Resume Section Order for ATS: The Optimal Arrangement for Maximum Score
The order of sections on your resume affects both ATS parsing accuracy and how effectively the recruiter absorbs your qualifications. While there's no single 'correct' order, certain arrangements consistently produce better ATS scores and stronger human impressions.
Recommended Section Order
For experienced professionals (3+ years), the optimal ATS section order is: Contact Information → Professional Summary → Work Experience → Skills → Education → Certifications → Additional Sections.
For recent graduates or career changers, adjust the order to lead with your strongest section: Contact Information → Professional Summary → Education → Skills → Projects/Internships → Work Experience → Additional Sections.
The key principle is leading with your most competitive and keyword-rich content. Since some ATS systems give slightly higher weight to content that appears earlier, placing your strongest qualifications first can marginally improve scoring.
| Section | Experienced Order | New Grad Order |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Information | 1st | 1st |
| Professional Summary | 2nd | 2nd |
| Work Experience | 3rd | 5th-6th |
| Skills | 4th | 4th |
| Education | 5th | 3rd |
| Certifications | 6th | 7th |
| Projects | 7th (optional) | 5th |
How Section Order Affects ATS
ATS parsers process your resume from top to bottom. While the parser should correctly categorize sections regardless of order (using heading detection), placing keyword-rich sections earlier ensures they're processed first.
Some ATS configurations give a slight weight boost to content that appears in the first half of the resume. This means your most important keywords should appear early—in your summary and first experience entry—rather than buried in later sections.
The professional summary section is particularly valuable because it appears at the top and can contain a concentrated collection of keywords. A well-crafted summary can account for 10-15% of your total keyword matches.
Sections to Always Include
Every ATS resume should include at minimum: Contact Information, Work Experience (or equivalent), Education, and Skills. These four sections provide the core data points that ATS scoring algorithms evaluate.
A Professional Summary is highly recommended as it provides a keyword-rich introduction that boosts your overall match score. Certifications should be included if you have any relevant to your field.
Optional but valuable sections include: Projects (for tech roles), Publications (for academic roles), Volunteer Experience, Languages, and Awards. Include these when they add relevant keywords or qualifications.
Pro Tips
Lead with your strongest, most keyword-rich section after the contact info and summary
Always include a Professional Summary—it's prime keyword real estate
Place your Skills section near the top (after Summary or after Experience) for maximum visibility
Include all four core sections: Contact Info, Experience, Education, Skills
Tailor section order to your career stage: experience-first for veterans, education-first for new grads
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Burying the Skills section at the very bottom of the resume
Leading with a lengthy education section when you have strong work experience
Not including a Professional Summary, missing valuable keyword space
Including irrelevant sections (hobbies, references) that take space from important content

