Resume Awards and Honors

Wondering How to List Awards on Resume? And Honors? Weigh the impact of an Awards and Honors section before deciding where to position it on your resume.

Where list Honors and Awards?

If content will be limited to community awards or academic honors from outdated college days, position the section toward the bottom of the resume. On the other hand, if you were the number one sales representative in the nation or received a prestigious, well-recognized professional honor, bump the category into prime shelf space near the top of the page.

Remember the single-item list rule: if your award list suffers from only one item, weave it into a Qualifications Summary, the Experience section or an Education section, always if the award is section-related.

What to include on your Awards and Honors Resume Section?

This section can include awards relating to your career accomplishments, community volunteerism, contributions to service organizations, or academic accolades. The following is an example.

Awards and Honors Resume Example

COMMUNITY & ACADEMIC HONORS

Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Volunteer of the Year
Business & Professional Woman of the Year, Central California Nominee
Tri-County Regional Occupation Program, Outstanding Service Award
State University, Outstanding Senior Graduate, Social Science Department
State University, voted by professors as Commencement Speaker

Awards and Honors on bottom place

This example of an Awards section was relegated to the bottom of the resume because the candidate was two years past graduating from college and had more impressive business experiences and accomplishments under his belt.

AWARDS & HONORS

Finalist in Division Speech Contests, Toastmasters International
Most Valuable Player, UCLA Water Polo
Outstanding Young Rotarian, Rotary International, Van Nuys Chapter
Academic Scholarship Recipient, National Bank, Promising Professionals Program

Awards and Honors in the middle

This Resume Award section was well deserving of its position at the visual center of the page.

AWARDS & HONORS
2007     National Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc.
2006    Western Region Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc.
2005     Rookie Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc.
2004     #2 Salesman in California, Pacific Bell Yellow Pages
2003    #3 Salesman in Northern California, Pacific Bell Yellow Pages

Special Awards on Resume

Here’s a trick for presenting the same accomplishments as in the preceding list when there has been a gap of several years since winning any special award.

AWARDS & HONORS

Impressive 5-year record of regional and national sales honors, including:

  • National Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc.
  • Western Region Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc. Ei
  • Rookie Salesman of the Year, Syntac Communications, Inc.
  • #2 Salesman in California, Pacific Bell Yellow Pages
  • #3 Salesman in Northern California, Pacific Bell Yellow Pages

Prefacing the awards on resume with a statement about a “5-year record” eliminates the need to list the actual dates. Savvy interviewers, however, will ask questions about when these awards were attained and what you’ve accomplished in the meantime. Be ready with a positive response.