Additional Information on Resumes: What to Include & Examples

Certifications & Licenses

“Including certifications and licenses on your resume, particularly when it’s a requirement for a role, is important because it allows for the hiring team to see with a glance that you meet the specific requirement for the position,” Frana shares.

Industry-mandated certifications, like CPR for healthcare workers or a CPA license for accountants, should almost always be included. Supplemental certifications, like online courses or specialized training, can help reinforce expertise and initiative.

Formatting tips:

• Include the certification name, issuing organization, and completion year.
• List required or industry-recognized certifications first.
• Use the same formatting style for every certification entry.

Example certifications and licenses section:

Certifications can also be incorporated into skills or education sections when relevant, especially if you want to save space, you only have one certification to highlight, or your credentials aren’t required for the role, but you still want to highlight them.

Example of certifications in the skills section:

Example of certifications in the education section:

Honors & Awards

“Adding honors and awards to your resume is a way to show proof of your leadership and performance successes,” said Frana. “Whether you include it in a separate section, or as part of your work experience, highlighting recognition for an achievement that’s relevant to the role you’re applying for gives employers more context about you and your abilities.”

Formatting tips:

• Include the award name, organization, and year received.
• Bold the name of major awards or honors if you want them to stand out.
• Keep award titles short and easy to scan.

Example honors and awards section:

In some cases, it might make more sense to include awards and honors under the educational institution or workplace wherein you received them.

Example of honors and awards in the education section:

Example of honors and awards in the work experience section:

Publications

“Employers are looking for candidates who embrace learning and have a growth mindset,” as Frana explained. “Having publications to share illustrates to them that you’re a thought leader and subject matter expert who possesses these skills.”

Formatting tips:

• Include the publication title, publication name, and date.
• Put publication titles in quotation marks and italicize the associated organization when appropriate.
• Use reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent publication.

Example publications section:

Depending on your career path and education, your publications may fit better under your work experience or education.

Example of publications in the work experience section:

Example of publications in the education section:

Speaking Engagements

Frana emphasizes the credibility that speaking engagements bring to your resume: “For management, training, consulting, or any other role that requires stakeholder communication, including speaking engagements on your resume can add value to your candidacy.”

Formatting tips:

• Include your role, event name, and year.
• Keep event names consistent in formatting and capitalization.
• List the most relevant or recognizable speaking engagements first.

Example speaking engagements section:

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work can demonstrate leadership, initiative, teamwork, and transferable skills, especially for entry-level professionals or career changers.

“Volunteer work can be very valuable to include on your resume, either in a separate section or included with your work experience,” said Frana. “For example, if you’ve been on a career break and spent time volunteering, you can include a bullet or two in your work experience section to indicate relevant experience and skill-building through volunteer work.”

Formatting tips:

• Include your volunteer title, the organization name, and dates involved.
• Add bullet points if the experience included major responsibilities or achievements.
• Consider formatting volunteer entries similarly to work experience entries.

Example volunteer work section:

Volunteer work can be included in your work experience section if it’s highly relevant to the role, fills employment gaps, or represents a significant time commitment. Likewise, if your volunteer experience is closely connected to your academic background, leadership activities, or field of study, it can fit naturally within your education section.

Example of volunteering in the work experience section:

Example of volunteering in the education section:

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

“Professional involvement and memberships show an employer a commitment to your industry and that you take initiative to grow and develop in your field,” noted Frana. “Including this information on your resume highlights this involvement in an easy-to-see way for an employer.”

It’s also important to note that professional affiliations on resumes can also reinforce important keywords for applicant tracking system (ATS) scans.

Formatting tips:

• Include the full organization name in addition to abbreviations.
• Use a simple list format and avoid adding excessive details unless you’re an active contributor with results to highlight.
• Prioritize memberships most relevant to your industry or career goals.

Example professional affiliations section:

Languages With Proficiency Levels

Include language skills when they’re relevant to the role, especially for client-facing, regional, multilingual, or global positions. Be specific and honest about your proficiency level, as “putting language skills on your resume can be a differentiator, especially for roles that include client interaction and/or working with a globally distributed team,” Frana shares.

Common proficiency levels include:

• Native or Bilingual Proficiency
• Fluent or Full Professional Proficiency
• Professional Working Proficiency
• Limited Working Proficiency
• Elementary Proficiency

Formatting tips:

• Include both the language and your proficiency level.
• Use consistent proficiency labels throughout the section.
• List stronger language skills before beginner-level languages.

Example languages section:

If you need to conserve space, languages aren’t as relevant for the role, or you only want to add one, languages can also go in your skills section.

Example of languages in the skills section:

Training & Continuing Education

Include relevant workshops, seminars, bootcamps, or online courses when they support your qualifications or demonstrate continued learning.

As Frana shared, “Showing training and coursework you’ve completed adds value to your candidacy, especially if there’s relevancy to the role you’re applying to. As some roles require continuing education credits, this section is a good way to highlight those classes as well.”

Formatting tips:

• Include the course name, provider, and completion year.
• Group similar training programs together when possible.
• Keep course entries concise and relevant to the role.

Example training and continuing education section:

Training and continuing education can also be incorporated into an education or certifications section when relevant.

Example of training and continuing education in the education section:

Example of training and continuing education in the certifications section:

Testimonials & Endorsements

“Testimonials and endorsements offer ‘social proof’ of your results,” said Frana. “For consulting, freelance, or project-based roles, including a testimonial or endorsement from a client can make an impact.”

Formatting tips:

• Keep testimonials short and focused on results or strengths.
• Include the name and title of the person giving the endorsement.
• Use quotation marks to separate testimonial text clearly.

Example testimonials and endorsements section:

Testimonials may fit more naturally within work experience or education sections, depending on the context.

Example of testimonials and endorsements in the work experience section:

Example of testimonials and endorsements in the education section:

Hobbies & Interests

“Hobbies and interests can be valuable when they’re particularly relevant to the role you’re applying to, or if they’re related to the company’s mission, vision, or values,” Frana said. Only include them when they reinforce relevant skills, demonstrate leadership or discipline, or align with company culture.

Formatting tips:

• Keep hobbies professionally relevant.
• Use bullet points or a short list for readability.
• Prioritize interests that demonstrate transferable skills or leadership.

Example hobbies and interests section:

Projects & Portfolio Work

Projects and portfolio work can be especially valuable for students, freelancers, creatives, and professionals in technical fields.

Frana added, “Early career professionals or career changers may consider including relevant projects on their resume. Linking a portfolio of your work can be a helpful tool to show an employer your ability to demonstrate the key skills required to do the job successfully.”

You can also include projects that demonstrate relevant skills, measurable impact, or hands-on experience.

Formatting tips:

• Include the project name, year, and a short description of the outcome or purpose.
• Start project descriptions with action verbs when possible.
• Include measurable results or tools used if they strengthen the example.

Example projects section:

Projects can also be incorporated into work experience or education sections when relevant. The examples below showcase how this might look.

Example of projects in the work experience section:

Example of projects in the education section:

Multiple Types Under an Additional Information Section

If you have several types of relevant information to include, you can group them under a single “Additional Information” section instead of breaking each into its own standalone category. This approach works especially well when you only have a few entries per category or want to save space on your resume.

As Frana explains, “For relevant information that should be included on your resume but isn’t necessarily enough to warrant its own separate section, you can create an additional information section to highlight the most important and relevant ‘extras’ outside of your work experience.”

Strategically grouping information can help keep your resume concise while still showcasing certifications, languages, awards, affiliations, volunteer work, and other supporting qualifications.

Formatting tips:

• Use clear subheadings to separate different categories.
• Consider using a two-column resume format so the information doesn’t take up too much space.
• Maintain consistent spacing, formatting, and date styles throughout the section.

Example additional information section:

Entry-Level Professional or New Grad

For entry-level professionals and recent graduates with little to no experience, additional information sections can help compensate for limited work experience by highlighting transferable skills, leadership experience, coursework, volunteer work, and extracurricular involvement.

For example:

Experienced Professional

Experienced professionals can use additional information sections to reinforce industry expertise, professional involvement, certifications, publications, and measurable accomplishments.

For example:

Career Changer

Career changers should focus on certifications, training, projects, and transferable experience that demonstrate commitment to the new field and help bridge experience gaps.

For example:

Professional Returning to the Workforce

Professionals returning to the workforce can use additional information sections to showcase continued learning, volunteer leadership, recent training, and projects that demonstrate active skill development.

For example:

Professional With Employment Gaps

For professionals with employment gaps, additional information sections can help highlight volunteer experience, certifications, projects, and continued education completed during periods away from traditional employment.

For example: