Does section order affect ATS parsing?

Parsers find sections by their headings, so heading names matter more than order. The order mainly affects what a person reads first.

Should I include a references section?

No. Employers ask for references when they need them, and "References available on request" uses a line to say something they already assume.

Where do projects go if I have work experience?

After Work Experience, if you include them. At that point they support your work history.

How to Structure a Resume: Sections and Their Order

Structure affects two things: whether software can tell where each section starts, and what a reader sees first. Use the standard order below unless your situation gives you a reason to change it.

By ATSResumeKit TeamUpdated October 2026 4 min read

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The standard order assumes work experience is your strongest section. When it is not, move what is above it.

The standard order

If you have a few years of work history, use this order:

Contact details: name, email, phone, city and country, LinkedIn
Professional Summary
Skills
Work Experience
Projects (optional)
Education
Certifications
Achievements or Volunteer Experience (optional)

Your summary and skills let a reader check the basic match quickly, and your most recent job comes next. The ATS checker on this site follows the same order. It tells you when your summary is not near the top, and it flags Education placed above Experience once you have two or more jobs listed.

Projects are optional once you have relevant jobs. The projects section guide explains when to keep them and how to write each entry.

Use headings a parser will recognise

Parsers find sections by comparing your headings with a list of known names. Use common names such as "Work Experience", "Professional Experience" or "Employment History". A heading such as "My Journey" may not match, and the content under it can end up in the wrong field or in none.

This site measured the effect on its own parser. In a controlled test, replacing four standard headings with creative ones cut the number of sections the parser identified from 7 to 3. That result covers one parser, and other systems may behave differently.

The ATS checker compares each of your headings with its list and suggests a standard name. For example, it suggests "Technical Skills" for "Toolbox" and "Professional Summary" for "Why Me".

Your contact details

Include:

Your full name, one professional email address and one phone number. Add the country code if you apply abroad.
Your city and country. A street address is unnecessary.
Your LinkedIn URL, written out in full.
A portfolio, GitHub or personal website if it relates to the role.

Leave out date of birth, marital status and similar personal details unless employers where you apply expect them. Customs on photos vary by country, so check what is normal where you are applying. Do not use your current work email.

Put your contact details in the main body of the page, at the top. Some parsers may skip text in a document's header or footer area, so keep your details out of it. The ATS checker flags a missing name, email, phone number or location, and an email address it cannot read.

When to change the order

Change the order when a different section holds your strongest evidence. What to write inside each section is covered in the guide library.

If you are a student or recent graduate

Put Education after Skills and give Projects more space, because they are your main evidence. The fresher resume guide covers this in detail. At this stage one page is usually enough, and the resume length guide explains when a second page makes sense.

If you are changing careers

Keep reverse-chronological order and state the change in your summary. You can add a "Relevant Experience" section above your other jobs for the parts of your history that apply to the new role. Keep dates and employers on every job, because a resume without them leaves the reader with obvious questions.

If the job requires a licence

In nursing, teaching, accounting and some project management, security and cloud roles, a specific licence or certification is often listed as a requirement. Put it in your headline or summary, for example "PMP-certified Project Manager", so the reader sees it in the first lines.

How to list certifications

If a certification supports your application but the job does not require it, list it in a Certifications section after Education. For each one, include:

The full name followed by the abbreviation in brackets, such as "Project Management Professional (PMP)", so a search for either form finds it.
The organisation that issued it.
The date you earned it, and the expiry date if it has one.
A credential ID or verification link if the issuer provides one.

List a certification you are still working on with an expected date, for example "AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Associate (in progress, expected Nov 2026)". If you have several substantial certifications, leave out short course-completion certificates so the important ones are easier to find.

Frequently asked questions

Does section order affect ATS parsing?: Parsers find sections by their headings, so heading names matter more than order. The order mainly affects what a person reads first.
Should I include a references section?: No. Employers ask for references when they need them, and "References available on request" uses a line to say something they already assume.
Where do projects go if I have work experience?: After Work Experience, if you include them. At that point they support your work history.

Check your headings and section order

The ATS checker compares each heading with its list of standard names, tells you when your summary is not near the top, and flags Education above Experience once you have two or more jobs.

Run the ATS check

Related guides

All 15 resume guides, in the order you would use them while writing a resume.