Public speaking isn’t for everyone — which is why, if you have experience presenting in front of a crowd, you should include it in your resume.

Presentations might include:

• Internal PowerPoint presentations
• Presenting to clients and external stakeholders
• Speaking at conferences
• Poster presentations
• Training and seminars
• Online talks and virtual events

Keep reading for everything you need to know about how to highlight presentations on your resume, including a step by step guide, tips, examples, and what you should (and shouldn’t) include on a resume.

How to add presentation to your resume

Let’s start with a few quick steps for adding presentations to your resume.

1. Choose where you’re going to list presentations. This could be in your work experience, resume summary, or in their own section (more on this later).
2. List the name or topic of the presentation.
3. Specify where you presented or who you presented to.
4. If it was an external presentation, include the name and date of the event.
5. Add any relevant awards or publications.
6. Use a clear action verb like “presented” so your presentation skills stand out to anyone quickly scanning your resume.
7. Upload your resume to a free resume checker for personalized suggestions on making your presentations stand out to a hiring manager.

Now let’s take a look at some concrete examples of what presentations should look like on your resume.

Examples of presentations on a resume

There are a couple of different ways of listing presentations on a resume:

• In your work experience bullet points
• In a ‘Presentations’ section of your resume
• (Optional) In your resume summary

Not sure which choice is best for you? Here’s a brief overview of the pros and cons of each option, including examples for you to follow.

Including presentations in your work experience bullet points

Do This If: You regularly presented to colleagues, clients, or external stakeholders as part of your job.

How To: Include at least one bullet point detailing what you presented, who you presented it to, and any available metrics (including the size of the audience, number of presentations, or impact on the business).

Examples:

• Presented strategic changes in portfolio and marketing plan to C-suite executives; earned expedited promotion within 12 months.
• Designed and delivered 10+ training workshops, presentations, and learning modules using a range of training aids and computer software.
• Presented keynote speech at a 200+ person conference on new and emerging technology.

Listing presentations in a separate resume section

Do This If: Official presentations are a major part of the job you’re applying for and you have significant presentation experience.

How To: Create a “Presentations” subheading underneath your work experience and education. List the most relevant presentation first, including the name of the presentation, conference, and date. If you have any related awards or publications, you can also list those.

Examples:

• “The Evolution of Supply Chain Management,” Supply Chain Visibility Conference, February 2022.
• "Extended Structure in Globular Clusters with Gaia,” European Astronomical Society Annual Scientific Meeting, June 2022.
• Related publication: “Detecting globular cluster tidal extensions with Bayesian inference,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 507, Issue 1, October 2021.
• “Community Management in Social Media Marketing,” B2B Marketing Expo, March 2021.
• Awards: Content Marketing Institute Award for Outstanding Community Engagement.

Highlighting presentations in a resume summary

Do This If: You’re applying for a role that involves regular public speaking and want to draw attention to a key accomplishment involving presentations.

How To: At the top of your resume (beneath your contact information but above your work experience), include 3-5 lines briefly outlining your key presentation skills and experience.

Example:

Learning and Development Manager with more than 10 years of experience in creating and leading work-related training and development programs to help employees enhance their skills or the company's performance.
- Key accomplishment: Delivered lectures to over 70 employees on best practices, how to engage with the media in a crisis, and how to promote brands effectively to communications officers.

If you're not sure whether your presentation skills and experience should be included in your work experience section, summary, or a separate presentations section, upload your resume to the tool below. It'll evaluate your resume and give you feedback on how to improve each section.

When presentations do (and don’t) belong on your resume

Now that you know how to include presentations on your resume, only one question remains — should you?

The short answer is: It depends. Presentations are purely optional — no recruiter is going to pass you over if you don’t include them. Which means that, like anything else on your resume, you should include them if they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for and leave them off if not.

Not sure which category you belong to? Here are some considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to list presentations on your resume.

You should list presentations on your resume if …

• The job you’re applying for involves giving a lot of presentations, training others, or public speaking.
• You want to showcase expertise in your field or specific subject matter.
• You presented at a well-known or prestigious event.
• You were a keynote speaker.
• You have significant publications or awards relating to a presentation.
• The content of your presentations is relevant to the job you’re applying for.
• You’re in an industry like academia where listing presentations is a common practice.

You shouldn’t list presentations on your resume if …

• You’re entry-level and don’t have significant professional presentations to list.
• Your presentations were in a completely different field.
• You attended a conference but didn’t speak at it.
• You have too many presentations to list — even if they’re all relevant, limit yourself to a few of the most recent or impressive examples.