ATS-Compliant CV Sections: What to Include and What to Skip

Structuring for Success

An ATS expects a specific anatomy for your resume. Feeding it sections it doesn't recognize can lead to "uncategorized" data errors.

Essential Sections

• Contact Information: Name, Email, Phone, City/State (Full address not needed), LinkedIn URL.
• Professional Summary: A brief intro paragraph.
• Experience / Work History: The core section. Must include Company, Title, Dates, and Descriptions.
• Education: Degree, School, Date of Grad.
• Skills: A dedicated list of hard/soft skills.

Optional (But Safe) Sections

• Certifications: Highly recommended if relevant.
• Projects: Great for technical roles.
• Languages: Good for global roles.
• Volunteer Experience: Treated similarly to work experience.

Sections to Skip

• References Available Upon Request: Outdated and wastes space.
• Hobbies/Interests: Unless highly unique or relevant, the ATS doesn't care, and it dilutes your keyword density.
• Objective: Old school. Use a Summary instead. Objectives tell what you want; Summaries tell what you offer.

Conclusion

Stick to the standard blueprint. It helps the ATS index your life accurately.