what to put on college student resume

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24 College Student Resumes That Landed Jobs in 2024

College Student

Best for candidates with 3+ years of experience

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Writing Your College Student Resume

Companies sometimes require that entry-level candidates have experience, but how do you get experience when even entry-level jobs make it difficult to apply?

Getting that first job or internship can be the most challenging part of your career. Fortunately, as a college student, you’re in a great position to get that first break you need. Once you get your degree, you’ll have the experience employers are seeking, but until then, how can you build an effective resume or write a cover letter as a college student?

After reviewing countless  resume samples , we’ve determined what types employers want to see from college students. Furthermore, we used that knowledge to create  24 college student resume examples to help inspire your resume in 2024 .

College Student Resume Example

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Why this resume works

• This lets employers know when you can work full-time. Whatever you do, be honest. Stretching the truth won’t get you any points with employers. It’s better to be upfront and willing to learn a skill rather than try to succeed by the skin of your teeth.
• The golden rule on your college student resume is to lead with your strengths. If you’ve got a relevant internship, add it. If you’ve done any related class projects, list them. No matter what you include, make sure to highlight transferable skills.

Undergraduate Student Resume

• To impress the recruiter, demonstrate the dedication you have had in your previous posts despite minimal experience.

University Student Resume

• In that case, your university student resume can capitalize on your analytical skills, which helped identify cost-saving opportunities and cut overall expenses by six percent.

College Student No Experience Resume

• Luckily, there are a host of  resume templates  you can use to format your experience well, so long as you adjust based on your qualifications.
• For example, you can add or remove sections based on the amount of work history you have (or don’t have).
• For example, being on the club basketball team may feel irrelevant to business analysis. But by focusing on how you’ve organized practices and led a local volunteer effort, your  college student no experience resume  can point to qualities that might appeal to a thoughtful employer.

Current College Student Resume

• A reverse-chronological format is still the most accepted, but if you want to highlight your skills, try using a functional format instead.
• Adding relevant metrics shows that you know what matters to your employer and you’ve positively impacted your previous workplace.

College Student for Internship Resume

• That’s okay—you can weave in other things, like projects and part-time jobs. Of course, if you do have internship or job experience, put that at the top.
• It’s as easy as checking the  job description . Then just list your relevant abilities according to what matches the keywords listed by the employer.

College Student Assistant Medical Laboratory Technician Resume Example

• Do you have a unique interest related to science? Are you involved in a sport? Do you volunteer? All of these hobbies are great additions to your resume.
• If you’ve just graduated, you can bulk up your education section.
• Feel free to add any college awards you won and your GPA (if it’s higher than 3.5).

College Student HR Executive Assistant Resume

• As a rule of thumb, we recommend including one if you’re light on experience or are going through a substantial career change. Otherwise, leave it out in favor of work experience. 
• Good skills to include on an HR executive assistant resume are “talent acquisition,” “conflict resolution,” “legal compliance,” and “compensation/benefits.”
• An even more effective way to breathe life into your skills is to weave them into your work history or project bullet points.

College Student Case Assistant Resume

• Show off your personality using contrasting colors, classic fonts, and well-organized layouts. Our ready-to-build  resume templates  or handy  Google Docs interactive resumes  can help you keep your resume both tasteful and personable.
• If you don’t have certification, then now’s the best time to get it. Better late than never!

College Student Resident Assistant Resume

• Though an objective isn’t required, it can help employers see your skills and experience straight away.
• Just make sure to tailor it for every job you apply for by including the name of the employer, the position you’re seeking, and some matching keyword skills (that are true about you) gleaned from the  job description . 
• You also shouldn’t feel limited by your work experience. If you’ve done any relevant projects or have volunteered, include them! Employers love to see transferrable skills like collaboration, a good work ethic, and organization.

College Student Warehouse Worker Resume

• If you’re struggling to get going, consider using a  resume outline  to help you structure your experience—just don’t forget to fill out all the sections thoroughly!
• While it’s not impossible to land an excellent job without internships or experience, having some kind of work history, even in the form of projects, will allow you to be more picky and skim from the top of warehouse positions.

College Student Teacher Assistant Resume

• Adjusting formatting details, like the layout and header colors, can make your resume pop and reveal a bit about yourself. (Red and pink are bold, daring colors, while blue and green are calming.)
• Adding a  hobbies and interests section to your resume  can also help catch the eye of employers, provided you list hobbies that are relevant to the desired job, such as creative pursuits, volunteering, or research.
• Even if you’ve never had experience as a teacher assistant, you can instill confidence by demonstrating the impact of your communication skills. Did you effectively resolve an issue using negotiation? Write something that added helpful clarity? Show how you used communication to affect others positively!

College Student Biology Lab Technician Resume

• Don’t get too carried away here; after all, it’s still a resume and not a flier for a Wednesday Night Disco. But, one to two colors can be appropriate for all but the most conservative working environments. 
• Numbers can be frustrating to calculate and add to your resume, but trust us when we tell you that they make a world of difference. Hiring managers are consistently more willing to interview people with metrics on their resumes, as they convey job competence and confidence.

College Student English Tutor Resume

• Breaking up each work experience into bullet points can make your resume both easier to read (with fewer blocks of dense text) and easier to write.
• Instead of writing one big chunk of cohesive text, you can focus on pulling out as many highlights about your work history at each job as possible. 
• A project can be anything. Seriously, your final group project from that writing seminar counts, or you could highlight a blog you’ve been working on in your free time.
• Hint: Projects also make great stories to discuss on your college student cover letter .

College Application Resume

• Suppose you’re applying for a Bachelor of Arts in education. Express your passion for teaching and eagerness to advance your knowledge of education theories and practices. Even better, emphasize your long-term ambition to shape future generations through innovative education methods.

College Admission Resume

• Take a leaf from how Brian narrates his stints as a restaurant server, project presenter, and volunteer. Well-described, such experiences paint a picture of a well-rounded character who can take on varied challenges of an engineering program, enhancing their appeal in the eyes of the college admissions committee.

College Freshman Resume

• Use past projects to advantage here even if they’re only a year long. Clearly state how you used skills such as Canva and Microsoft Teams to make specific impacts during this time. Another great addition to your college freshman resume is any work experience under your belt.

Harvard College Resume

• You see reputable (and free) spell checkers like Grammarly? They’re your backstage crew making sure that your Harvard college resume is polished—no typos, grammatical mistakes, or punctuation errors in sight. And getting a friend or family member to take a peek? It’s always a brilliant move.

College Level Resume

• It’s a piece of cake. Maybe you’ve been a superstar nanny or the quickest cashier around. Identify competencies from these gigs, whether communication, time management, or leadership, and then blend them into your work experience. Simply put, connect the dots in your college level resume, and you’re golden.

College Student Academic Highlights Resume

• Say you have some work experience, but it’s not relevant to the job. That’s okay—instead of trying in vain to match the  job description , focus on transferable skills like customer service, organization, event planning, public speaking, and computer literacy.
• If you lack much work history, adding projects, coursework, or volunteer experience is the next best way to showcase your potential. You can also list your involvement in clubs, organizations, or peer mentorship.
• Write them like you’d write work experience by using active verbs and incorporating metrics (numbers).

First Year College Student Resume

• Your time contributing to a project is tangible evidence of your skills and experiences. Depending on what you include, it could showcase your communication and organizational skills or more technical abilities, like your proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Freshman College Student Resume

• Do you love gardening or nature photography? Awesome, it shows you’re inherently passionate about biology. Do you spend your time baking as well? It’s a sign that you know how to follow instructions and observe changes over time—skills that will come in handy as a lab assistant.

College Student Education Resume

• A career objective statement is typically a brief 1-3 sentence pitch that highlights your inspiration for the role (internship, in this case), but with a twist—it’s better custom-fitted to match the hiring company’s needs. Plus, it’s a sweet spot for reiterating your enthusiasm to contribute to the potential employer’s goals.

College Student Social Work Student Resume

• In your college student social work student resume, right after your work experience, slide in your Projects section. It’s a good spot to detail experiences like that community outreach workshop or mental health seminar you attended. And when you talk about your wins, throw in some numbers to beef up your credibility.

Related resume guides

• College Graduate
• Grad School
• Entry level

Before we dive into the difference between a  resume objective  vs. a  resume summary , let’s get some definitions out of the way:

• Resume objective : A statement of your qualifications, interests, and skills that make you a good fit for the role to which you’re applying.
• Resume summary : A summary of your past experience detailing your high-level accomplishments and projects.

When you’re applying for a job or internship as a college student, you likely won’t have extensive work experience. So, we’d recommend including a resume objective instead of a resume summary.

The goal of your resume objective is to set the stage for your resume. It should highlight your skills applicable to the job at hand, and it should be specific for each job to which you’re applying.

Most resume objectives are boring and generic. By taking the time to craft a customized and effective resume objective, you give yourself an edge over other applicants and increase your chances of getting an interview.

Before we dive into the rules for creating a strong resume objective, let’s look at some examples.

Sample college student resume objectives

• “Recent college graduate with a degree in marketing looking for a full-time role where I can utilize my experience in social media and paid advertising to help an up-and-coming brand like Club Z! Inc. spread awareness and acquire more users.”
• “Diligent college student at the University of Pittsburgh who is equally committed to academic excellence (3.8 GPA) and service (student leader at the local food shelter) looking for an opportunity at Unidos as a part-time employee to utilize these talents to improve customer satisfaction.”
• “Recent graduate with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) seeking an opportunity within an established management organization to utilize my organizational and quantitative abilities. Epic seems to have a culture of empowering employees to have ownership over their problems, and that culture fits my work style perfectly.”

You can see that all of these resume objectives specifically mention the company that the student is applying to. Tailoring is the golden rule of resume objectives.

Here are some other rules to make your objective the best it can be:

• Again, take the time to  customize your resume objective for each company to which you’re applying .
• Don’t be afraid to inject your personality. Making an impression will help you stand out among the hundreds of other applicants.
• Keep it to two to three sentences.
• Mention any relevant skills or certifications you have for the role to which you’re applying.

College Student Resume Formats

One of the hardest parts of using a resume maker  as a college student is the blank page. The “getting started” part is overwhelming—you’re unsure what your resume should look like, let alone what should be in it!

When it comes to formatting your resume, the best advice is to keep it  simple . You need to convincingly make the case that you deserve an interview for the role to which you’re applying.

In short, your resume should likely contain the following sections:

• Header: This is your name and job title. Have your job title match the job title to which you’re applying.
• Resume objective: We talked about this above, a quick summary of your skills and what you’re seeking.
• Education: As a college student, this should include your anticipated graduation date, the field of study, and relevant classes.
• Skills: List six to ten technical skills relevant to your career.
• Work experience: If you have any relevant internships or part-time jobs, mention them here.
• Projects: Did you do any side projects that demonstrate your competency? Include them!

Not all of these sections need to be included in your resume.  Your resume should focus on your strengths.

If you don’t have much relevant work experience, you can omit that section in favor of discussing your projects or classwork.

However, no matter what format you choose, there are a few writing guidelines you should adhere to throughout your resume.

Formatting guidelines for your resume

• Keep your resume to one page! Your resume should only extend to a second page when you have 10+ years of experience.
• Avoid any spelling or grammar errors by double-checking your text and having a friend review your resume. Don’t let typos be the reason why you don’t get an interview.
• Break up your work experience into small, consumable bullet points. Nothing is harder to read than a big wall of text.
• Use reverse-chronological order to keep your most recent experience/projects at the top.
• Don’t include fancy images or graphics. It’s highly likely a computer will read your resume before a human ever does, and images are hard for computers to scan.
• Don’t list more than ten skills on your resume. (We’ll expand on this below.)

Skills to pay the bills

When building your skills section, it can be tempting to list any and every skill you know. You’ll have to resist this temptation.

Before a human reviews your resume, an automated system called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will score your resume based on whether or not it includes the “right” keywords. These filters are largely screening for specific skills.

Doesn’t this mean that you should include as many skills as possible to beat the ATS? Unfortunately, you need to make your resume appealing to both the ATS and a human, and nothing is a bigger red flag to a hiring manager than a candidate with a laundry list of skills!

You’re much better off focusing on  six to ten skills you’re an expert in  than including more that you kind of know. Generally, if you wouldn’t be comfortable being interviewed on a given skill, don’t include it on your resume. 

Work Experience and Projects

In any resume, no matter the career stage, your work experience and projects should take up at least 70 percent of the overall space. These will decide whether you get an interview or not.

Once you have a few years of experience, then the size of your projects section will decrease as the size of your work experience section expands.

If you have an internship relevant to the job you’re applying for, this should be listed in your “work experience” section. As a college student, your work experience can also contain any part-time jobs you had while in school, even if they don’t seem relevant to the position to which you’re applying.

It’s not easy to balance work and school, so having a part-time job demonstrates responsibility and drive.

When talking about your work experience, there are a few key tips you should follow:

• Mention the skills you demonstrated on the job.
• Quantify the impact of your work whenever possible.
• Talk specifically about your role; avoid being too general.
• Use action verbs like “owned” or “led” to highlight your leadership abilities.

Numbers truly speak louder than words, especially on your resume. By providing numerical context around your work, you show your ability to contribute meaningfully to your workplace.

Compare these two descriptions of an internship. Which do you think would be more compelling to a hiring manager?

WRONG – general work experience descriptions

Marketing Science Associates April 2020 – Current, New York NY Digital Marketing Intern

• Created testing plan for Facebook ad copy
• Built key reports for the executive team around KPIs
• Oversaw the creation of the blog for SEO purposes
• Worked closely with clients to understand their product positioning to incorporate into ad copy

RIGHT – specific, quantified descriptions

• Created A/B testing plan for Facebook ad copy, improving ROI by 15%
• Built key reports for the executive team around KPIs such as marketing spend, new leads, revenue generated, and ROI
• Oversaw the creation of the blog for SEO purposes which grew from 1,000 to 5,000 monthly organic visitors
• Worked closely with clients to understand their product positioning to incorporate into ad copy, leading to client satisfaction of 99%

Projects can be anything

If you don’t have much (or any) relevant work experience for your resume, don’t fret. You can still  create a highly effective resume  by showcasing your projects.

As a college student, you’ve likely done a lot of class projects that are relevant to the job or internship you’re looking to get. This is the perfect place to talk about those projects. You can even mention projects you completed outside of class. Talk about your goals, the methods/skills you used, and the project’s outcome.

The key is to include anything that will convince the hiring manager you have the drive, skills, and ability to translate your academic knowledge to the real world and contribute to the roles for which you’re applying.

Here are some potential projects you can work on for different majors:

Project ideas for college students

• Are you a business student? Detail a case study that you analyzed and presented in a class.
• If you’re a marketing student, you can write a short blog post about how you’d improve the paid marketing strategy for a company you admire.
• As a graphic designer, this is a great opportunity to talk about some of the projects in your portfolio.
• If you’re looking for a data analyst role, talk about how you analyzed stock data to determine areas of opportunity.
• As a human resources major, you’ve likely created processes for companies as part of a class, so talk about that.
• Software engineering students complete meaningful coding assignments all the time. Discuss one of those or talk about your side project.
• If you’re looking to break into product management, discuss a hackathon you were part of or create a case study for a feature your favorite product is missing.

Basically, the projects you include on your resume can be just about anything. They simply have to demonstrate you know what is required of the kind of role you’re applying to, and that you can meet those requirements.

Your Education Section

As a college student, it should go without saying that you need to include an education section on your resume.

Here’s what you need to include in your education section no matter what:

• The school you’re currently attending (or recently graduated from). You do not need to include your high school.
• Your graduation date (or expected graduation date). You can give just the month and year.
• The kind of degree you’re working toward (bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, master’s, etc.).
• Your field of study.

Once you include all that, there’s more flexibility. If you have a strong GPA (greater than 3.5), you should include it, too.

If you don’t have much experience yet, then you can add relevant courses or awards to your education section, provided they’re relevant to the job for which you’re applying.

For example, if you’re applying for a role as a data scientist, then it makes sense to include any math, economics, or programming classes you completed.

Here’s an example of an effective education section for a college student looking for a marketing role:

If you received any awards or honors during your time in college, list them here. These can include getting on the Dean’s List, any department-specific awards relevant to your major, or formal recognition for your work or volunteer efforts.

Resume Builder for College Students

There you have it—we’ve discussed the building blocks to help you land a job or internship as a college student!

In summary, here are the keys to making an effective resume as a college student:

• Inject your personality into your resume objective and customize it for each company to which you apply.
• Your resume format should include a header, resume objective, skills section, education, and work/ project experience.
• Include any relevant internships or part-time jobs you’ve had during college and quantify the impact of your work.
• If you don’t have much working experience, include relevant projects you’ve completed either in the classroom or on your own time.
• Your education section is your chance to highlight classes you’ve completed that will convince the hiring manager you have the right tools for the job.

Finding a job or internship as a college student can be incredibly stressful. Building an AI resume  is a huge first step, so pat yourself on the back. After you’re done with the writing, you can  check your resume  against our AI-powered tips to see how your resume matches up.

Just remember, it does get easier after you get some experience first. We can’t wait to see where you’ll go!

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The Complete Guide to an Irresistible College Student Resume (Resume Examples Included)

• Martin Poduska , 
• Updated July 10, 2024 9 min read

Are you a college student looking for your first internship? Or perhaps a fresh graduate who’s about to apply for her first real job?

If so, then you’ve probably already tried to write your first resume — and became painfully aware of your lack of work experience.

Yet, even if you had a few moments when you felt useless (even the best soon-to-be graduates feel that way), you should remember that every person has skills and knowledge to show off.

The main challenge is discover and transcribe these skills and experiences into words in the right way.

In case of a college student resume, you can look to relevant courses or volunteering experiences. Or perhaps you were wise enough to do an internship during your studies.

In any case, we’ll show you how you can write a fantastic college student resume even if you’ve never worked a day in your life.

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

CHAPTER 1: Before You Start Writing

Chapter 2: how to write a great college student resume in 6 easy steps, 1. personal details, 2. professional summary / objective statement, 3. education summary, 4.  skills summary, 5. work history, 6. testimonials.

• Final tips to consider before you press "Send"

Like all things, a good resume starts with having the right mindset. The mindset you adopt during writing will reflect in the impression your resume will give off once it's finished.

Yet, the most important thing about writing powerful resumes might sound a bit counter-intuitive at first: Your resume shouldn’t be about you, it should be about the employer.

Instead, it needs to present you as a capable candidate who'll be an asset to the company you're approaching. Do you still have no idea how can you be an asset to a great company with your current skill level?

Why would anyone want to hire a fresh graduate?

There’s no reason to feel intimidated. Even if you have no experience under your belt, there are people out there who’ll be glad to employ you.

Still, you might be asking, why exactly would an employer want to hire someone who has next to no experience?

There are several reasons. Keep these things in mind and make sure at least some of them reflect in your resume.

• Quick learning and adaptability. You’re a blank canvas. Since it’s probably going to be your first work experience, your employer will be able to shape you role however they see fit within the business.
• Saving on employee salaries. As an entry level employee, you’re probably willing to work for significantly lower salary than seasoned professionals.
• Comfortable with new technology. Recent graduates have grown up around technology and have developed the ability to pick up new tools rapidly.
• Investing into someone who shows potential. Talented people are scarce and far in between. If you invest into someone who shows potential early, your investment will return later.
• Enthusiasm. Everyone is excited about their first job and will work their hardest in order to make a good impression. Graduates bring bounds of creative energy and are more competitive than employers later in their career.

6 Tips to Remember Before You Start Writing Your Resume

Managers are expected to solve hundreds of tiny problems every day. Making the decision as for whether to hire you or not is going to be one of those problems.

You want to help them solve it as painlessly as possible.

• Be relevant. A hiring manager wants to know whether you’re going to bring value to the company and be a good fit for their company culture. Your resume should give them a clear answer to that question. Asking the ‘so what’ question witch each bullet point will help you achieve that.
• Follow the 6 seconds rule. Most recruiters only spend about 6 seconds reading each resume. Make sure your strongest points immediately discernible to make a recruiter give your resume a second look.
• Pack your resume with keywords. Take a closer look at the job advertisement and scan it for a number of words that best describe the position. Include them in your resume. Incorporating keywords will help you get through these applicant tracking systems so your resume gets to a hiring manager.
• Avoid using buzzwords. Some phrases have been used so much in resumes they became meaningless. Avoid words such as “thinking outside the box”, “creative” or “problem solver.” For a more complete list, check this article .
• Use action verbs. While buzzwords are highly discouraged, there are some power words you might want to use. These include expressions such as “achieved”, “advised”, “delegated” and others. Check out this list  for more.
• Fit your resume on a single page. As a college student, you certainly don’t have enough experience to fill 2 pages.

The format of your resume will heavily depend on the information you have to work with. If you have a lot of of internship experience, you’ll want to highlight it just bellow your summary and education sections.

On the other hand, if you didn’t have any jobs related to your desired career, you can play up your education.

If the job requires technical skills like C# or Ruby, consider putting it just below the education section and right above your work experience.

In any case, always make your resume revolve around your greatest strengths and adjust its structure accordingly.

Looking for your first job?

Stand out from your peers with a cool resume.

You don’t have to fret too much about this section. It only becomes relevant once your resume catches an employer’s attention. For this reason, you also don’t want to give it too much space on the page.

Insert it into the header of your resume and follow these simple guidelines:

• Contact details. Put your name at the beginning of your resume. Don’t forget to include your email address and telephone number. Make sure your email address sounds professional. It’s nigh impossible to be taken seriously with an email address like [email protected].
• Address. If your address is close to the workplace you’re applying to, include it in your resume as it could be seen as a positive. This can be an address of your student accommodation , college, or home address. Just put the one that’s closest to the job. Usually, it’s enough to provide your city and state, e.g. Kent, Washington.
• Links to your online profiles. This includes your LinkedIn profile, personal website and/or your web portfolio. Don’t forget to customise your public LinkedIn URL so it looks something like this: “www.linkedin.com/in/yourname” (default version is pretty difficult to read or transcribe as it contains special characters and numbers). Just click the “Edit your public profile” button in the top-right corner of the page.
• Don’t include your photo. Be careful with this one! In some countries, including your photo is a common practice, in most others just an awkward faux pas . A great majority of experts agree that it’s better not to include a photo on your resume (and a college student resume is no different) unless you’re explicitly asked otherwise.

Example: Personal Details

YOUR NAME Email:  [email protected]  |  Phone:  +1-202-555-0157 LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/yourname  |  Portfolio:  behance.net/yourname

Your resume should never focus on what YOU want. On the contrary, it should tell a potential employer why THEY want to hire you. What’s the best way to do it?

Write a professional summary that clearly summarises the key qualifications you have to offer a potential employer. Also, don’t forget to include any relevant experiences or skill that can set you apart from other candidates.

Let’s say you worked your way through college financing your own education. This demonstrates your dedication and work ethic. Receiving a scholarship proves your academic excellence. Or perhaps you had a great internship experience. Take your time to pick those accomplishments that are closely related to the job you’re applying for. Most importantly, keep it short and relevant . Avoid anything vague.

Example: Professional Summary

• MA English graduate with five years of experience in academic and creative writing.
• Superior skill in communicating complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. 
• Achieved high academic honours while maintaining part-time employment.
• ICT background and closely familiar with SEO and the intricacies of writing for the web . 

As a fresh graduate or college student, you should put the education section above your work experiences . After all, your degree is probably still one of the strongest cards you can play at this point.

Therefore, every college student resume should list their academic distinctions such as summa cum laude, scholarships, honours such as dean’s list, and other awards.

Only list your GPA if it’s higher than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale . If your overall GPA is lower than that, mention your major GPA. Highlight your accomplishments and consider adding those of your courses that are related to the job you’re applying for. If you’re yet to graduate, include your graduation date.

Example: Education Summary

University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland BA in Business and Marketing, Expected Graduation June 2017

• Academic accomplishments: GPA 3.8 / 4.0, Dean’s list, Received second place in the university’s business plan competition
• Relevant coursework: Marketing Management, Survey Research, Strategic Internet Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Marketing Analytics

Depending on the information you have to work with, it will be either the work experience or the skills section that will take up most space. If you’ve done several internships and have acquired some experience to speak of, you can simply follow regular resume guidelines .

Yet, the approach that most experts recommend in case of a college student resume is to focus on your skills . This is what they call a “functional resume.”

Read through the job description again and select skills that are crucial for the position. See how they overlap with your own skills and group your experience under each of the respective skills headings.

Notice that no company names or job titles are mentioned here. These will be listed in the work history section. However, don't hesitate to mention any class projects, volunteer work or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your ability and are related to your target job.

Example: Skills

Writing and Communication:

• Degree with an emphasis on clarity and structure in written and oral communication.
• Wrote blog posts, news features, technical documents and marketing copies. 
• Former editor-in-chief of the university newspaper.
• Experience writing business and grant proposals, pitch documents and advertising copy.
• Translated documents and interpreted conversations in Spanish, German and English.

Creative and Analytical Thinking

• Analysis of audience, purpose and style of documents. 
• Strategic choice of wording, tone, format and source of information.
• Ability to take fact-based materials and make them interesting.

Software and Social Media

• Knowledge of social media, blogging and digital marketing.
• Experience with Google Wave, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress and Blogspot. 
• Managed social media accounts with more than 30.000 followers in total.

In the end, employers want to see those dates and positions. Now that you’ve done most of the work in the previous section, all there’s left to do is to list your work experiences chronologically. Include dates, company names, and job positions.

Don’t forget to list your volunteering positions too. It might not be a paid work experience but it’s an experience nevertheless.

At the same time, volunteering looks insanely good on any college student resume. It speaks volumes about your character, work ethic, and social engagement.

Example: Work History

• Marketing Intern — Wayne Enterprises, Inc., Gotham City — Summer 2014
• Editorial Assistant — Daily Planet, Metropolis — Summer 2013
• Cleaning Officer — LexCorp, Metropolis — Dec 2012 –  Jun 2013
• Soup Kitchen Volunteer — Martha Wayne Foundation — 2010 – Present

Don’t be afraid to insert testimonials at the end of your college student resume. They say more about you than you could ever explain yourself. First, when you describe yourself, it can easily sound like bragging. Second, as a student, you have no authority yet. Let your mentors, supervisors, and professors do the bragging for you.

Witch each testimonial, include the person's name, title and position. If they only gave you a full-blown recommendation letter, extract 1-3 sentences and make sure you don’t take them out of context.

Example: Testimonials

• “Sally was always well organised and punctual with her work and her intelligence was evident. I hope you will consider giving her a place.” —  Professor John Doe, University of Gotham City
• “I have no hesitation in recommending Sally for the job. She is a very good student, a hard worker, and will, I am sure, be an asset to your company and team.” — Dr Suzanne Smith, University of Gotham City

Final tips to consider before you press "Send"

• Use off-peak hours for maximum attention , especially if you’re reaching out to an employer directly. Hiring managers are busy people and you want them to receive your resume when they have enough time to read through it.
• Always follow-up. If you receive no answer within several days after submitting your resume, don’t hesitate to send a follow-up email to remind the company of your application.
• Break some rules. Don’t be afraid to adjust the resume structure we’ve outlined above. Always think about how can your college student resume best communicate your strengths.
• Tailor your college student resume for every role. A generic resume will always miss the mark. It’s impossible to keep your resume relevant if you don’t consider particular demands of every job. Review the job description and modify your resume accordingly.
• Your formatting needs to be consistent. All typefaces should be the same and sizing should be consistent throughout a resume. The same applies to spacing and capitalising.
• Check your resume for typos. Having typos in your resume means an instant death for your application. It portrays you as careless and even incompetent for not using the spellcheck feature in your text editor.
• Attach a cover letter.  Your resume should never go unaccompanied. Write a short cover letter and insert it into the body of your email. If you don't know how to write one, check out our Complete Guide to Writing Powerful Cover Letters .

Give your learning a boost, explore our wide array of resume samples . Get inspired to create a resume that paves your way to a promising career.

Martin Poduska is a resume expert and career advice writer at Kickresume. He leads Kickresume’s team of writers and is the main person responsible for upholding the standards of expertise and quality on the blog. In addition to having written nearly 100 in-depth, painstakingly researched resume advice articles, as chief editor he has also edited and revised every single article on this blog. Tens of thousands of job seekers read Martin’s resume advice every month. Martin holds a degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Amsterdam.

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How To Write A College Student Resume (With Examples)

• General Resume Examples
• Resume With No Experience
• Student Resume
• College Resume
• Entry Level Resume
• Military Resume
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• First Resume
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As a college student, a resume may seem daunting because you may not have much experience, but there are a lot of other opportunities to make your resume stand out to employers. The opportunities that you can showcase include any volunteering you did, studying abroad, any specialized classes, or internships you’ve done.

To help you write your college student resume, we’ll go over how to write a college student resume, provide a resume example, and go over some tips to keep in mind.

Key Takeaways:

Emphasize your education and honors/awards received in college.

Take advantage of the many opportunities college gives to you and use those to spice up your resume.

Make your resume job/ internship application-specific.

Include extracurriculars, volunteer experiences, certifications, publications, interesting projects, or impressive leadership experiences if you have any.

What is a college student resume?

How to write a college student resume, current college student resume example, college student resume template, tips for writing a college student resume, college student resume faq, final thoughts.

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A college student’s resume is a document that summarizes your academic qualifications and your time spent in college. You probably had to write a brief resume for your college applications. Writing a resume as a college student is similar to that, except with a more professional edge.

Since you don’t have years of professional experience, hiring managers will understand when you don’t have that, which is why they will be looking at your academic history. They will be wondering how you have applied yourself in college both inside and outside of the classroom.

As mentioned above, college is full of opportunities to have enriching experiences. Take advantage of them — they will greatly help you not only by filling out those blank spots on your resume but also by giving you something to stand out from the rest of the competition .

Hiring managers and recruiters will be looking for signs of maturity, self-motivation, and work ethic . Keep these elements in mind as you decide how best to sell yourself based on your college experiences.

To write a college student’s resume, you should start with a resume header that includes your contact information and then go into your resume objective statement. Your top claim to fame is your educational experience and the extracurricular activities you were involved with.

Here’s a more detailed list of what each section of your resume should include:

Resume header . Your resume header should include your contact information. Open with your first and last name, which should be a slightly larger size or otherwise emphasized above all else. Include your location ([City, State] is fine), phone number, and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn or an online portfolio , feel free to include a link to those here as well.

Important tip: Never put your contact information into an actual header on your word processing software. Some applicant tracking systems (robots that parse resumes to weed out unqualified candidates) can’t read the information in a header.

If the ATS can’t find your contact information, your resume will be thrown out before it even reaches a human reader .

Resume objective statement . We normally steer job-seekers away from resume objectives toward resume summary statements .

However, it’s perfectly appropriate for a college student to use a resume objective instead. Be sure to keep it short (1-3 sentences), include keywords from the job description, and state your relevant skills and career goals.

That being said, if you have substantial or impressive work/internship experience under your belt that truly makes you perfect for the position, opt for a resume summary statement that emphasizes your qualifications and expresses your value to the employer.

Education . Depending on how valuable you find your education section as compared to your experience section, you can swap the order around. We put education third based on the assumption that it’s your most valuable asset at the moment.

Your education section should always include the following information:

Name/Location of the school you attended

Dates attended, date graduated, or anticipated date of graduation

Name of your major/degree

The rest of the information is optional, but more is usually better (especially if the rest of your resume is light):

GPA (if it’s over 3.5)

Minor (if relevant)

Academic honors (Latin titles, Dean’s List , Honors Programs, etc.)

Merit scholarships

Publications and/or research

If you really want to beef up your education section, you can also include more details about relevant coursework . This can be a great way to incorporate keywords from the job description and showcase that you have solid foundational knowledge.

Experience . Once you’ve progressed in your career, this will be a history dedicated to your work history, but for now, keep the heading more open-ended by calling it something like “Relevant Experience.” The reason why this heading works is because it allows you to put down a whole host of experiences in just one section. Items you can put here include:

Work experience (summer jobs, part-time work, etc.)

Internships

Volunteer work

Freelancing experience

Relevant coursework (if you didn’t include it in your education section already)

Study abroad

Club membership/leadership positions

In general, you should keep things in reverse chronological order (the most recent stuff first). Always be sure to quantify your accomplishments whenever possible. Make it easy for a reader to see what value you added to each experience you were a part of.

Extracurriculars. If you’re a part of one or many extracurricular activities, it might be worth including a separate section detailing your involvement with each. Be sure to highlight the key skills you picked up from each experience to show how it relates to the job you’re applying for.

Skills . You’ve certainly acquired some skills during your time in college. Try to give a healthy mix of hard skills and soft skills . Hard skills are those you must be taught, and be tested or measured in some way. Soft skills refer to the intangible, interpersonal qualities that make you great to work with.

Where you can, add a bit of detail to flesh out each skill more fully. For example, if you put down “HTML” as a skill, give a brief description like “wrote webpages during a 3-month internship with XYZ Inc.”

Also, try to make sure that each soft skill you list comes with a correlating piece of data in your experience section. For instance, if you write that you have excellent communication skills , there better be some proof of those skills in action elsewhere on your resume.

Hobbies and interests . If you’re still not at a full page , you can consider adding relevant hobbies and interests. Even something seemingly irrelevant, like a love of working on miniature models, can paint a picture of a candidate who regularly hones her attention to detail in her free time.

Remember, every resume should be job-specific . You should b e tailoring it to each job you apply to. This will help you get noticed by hiring managers.

With that in mind, check out this current college student resume example:

Prateek Student

102 University Blvd. | University, CA 33409 | (555) 555- 5555 | [email protected] CAREER OBJECTIVE Dedicated outdoor education student with extensive teaching experience seeking hands-on internship opportunities.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE The Pool Pros, University, California Lifeguard Senior Manager and Educator (June 2015-May 2018

• Managed over 100 lifeguards at three public pool locations.
• Completed 20 training classes for lifeguard certification and recertification each season.
• Organized and implemented water conservation and education classes for 50 students per season.

Outdoor Leadership Liaison and Leader, (August 2017- May 2018)

• Organized outdoor excursions for 200+ university students.
• Led training workshops for outdoor skills monthly to 20 students per workshop.
• Kept communications between outdoor nonprofit leaders and university officials to ensure the safety of university students while on excursions.

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Lander, Wyoming Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Semester Team Leader, (August 2018- May 2019)

• Led 15 students on two semester-long wilderness immersion school expeditions.
• Trained students in wilderness safety, leave no trace principles and each student completed Wilderness EMT certifications.

EDUCATION CERTIFICATIONS California State University , University, California Bachelor in Outdoor Education and a minor in emergency medical response GPA: 3.90 Graduated May 2018 Received NOLS scholarships for a semester abroad in India. Dean’s List all semesters.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) , California Licensure Wilderness EMT certificate expiration date May 2020 EMT certification expiration date May 2020 BLS Healthcare responder expiration date August 2021

Here is a college student resume template to help you get started on yours. Be sure to tailor your resume to fit your needs and the position you are applying for:

Your name [Address, City, State ZIP code]| [Phone Number] | [Email Address] | [LinkedIn Profile (optional)] CAREER OBJECTIVE Dedicated and motivated college student seeking [Internship/Part-time] EDUCATION [Degree Pursuing, e.g., Bachelor of Science in Computer Science] [University Name, City, State] [Expected Graduation Month, Year] [GPA: X.X/4.0] Relevant Courses [Course Name] [Course Name] PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE [Job Title] [Company/Organization Name, City, State] [Dates of Employment] [Brief description of responsibilities and achievements] [Job Title] [Company/Organization Name, City, State] [Dates of Employment] [Brief description of responsibilities and achievements] EXTRACURRICULAR [Club/Organization Name, Position held, Dates] [Brief description of your role and contributions]

When writing a college student resume, you should include action verbs to help show what you did and be sure to keep your resume relevant to the job you are applying to. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when writing yours:

Use action verbs. Action verbs help you show a potential employer what you did. Some example action verbs to use are:

Proofread. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is sending your resume in without proofreading it first. Take an extra couple of minutes and read through your resume for any spelling or grammar mistakes. You can even have a friend or a professor look over it to catch anything you might have missed.

Choose the right format. You want your resume to be easy to read so make sure you choose a format that won’t get tossed aside because it has a million different fonts and colors. The top resume formats to use are chronological, functional, and combination.

Keep it relevant. You only want to add the relevant information. They won’t want to hear about your pottery club if you are applying for a tech company. Rereading the job description is a great way to know what relevant information you should include. This will

Get help. If you are completely stuck, ask for help. They have centers at most colleges that help with this kind of thing. They won’t judge you for having the wrong format or too much information. The entire point of college is to learn and get prepared for the workforce, and getting help is doing that.

Getting help will also give you feedback on how to improve your resume. Career centers are the best places to get help with resumes and cover letters .

Keep it to one page. Since you don’t have much experience, your resume should be one page long. If your resume is too long, potential employers will pass yours over. Keeping your resume to one page will also help you keep it relevant and concise.

Select the right font. The font that you use should be professional and easy to read. The most professional fonts are sans-serif or serif fonts and examples of those include Calibri, Helvetica, and Georgia .

What should be on a college resume?

A college resume should include education history, relevant jobs, extracurricular activities, leadership experience, and any skills relevant to the job.

Since college students may not have much work experience, it’s important to emphasize your education history and any relevant jobs that may have armed you with skills for the job you’re applying for.

You can also demonstrate your abilities by including volunteer work, internships, or extracurricular activities.

How do you write a resume for a college application?

The five things you need to write a resume for a college application are:

Your relevant contact information

Detailed education history and test scores

Experiences

Awards/honors

Any additional skills you’d like to share

These are the different sections required for a resume for a college application. Most sections are self-explanatory, but your experiences section might be a little tricky for some.

In this section, you have the opportunity to differentiate yourself because you’ll want to articulate more than your responsibilities. Focus on your accomplishments and provide numbers for context and scale.

Do you need a resume for college?

No, you don’t need a resume for college, unless a school specifically requests one. The items typically requested on a college resume are typically things that are asked on your college application.

However, resumes can be used to streamline this information and can be advantageous for those with extensive leadership achievements in and outside of the classroom.

A resume can also be used to tell a story, rather than just a list on an application, and can allow applicants to expand on experiences not mentioned in other places.

How can a college student make a resume for a first job?

A college student should include contact information, a resume summary, education, experience, skills, and any additional achievements on their resume for a first job. The candidate should have the relevant experience to draw on for an entry-level job by including all of this information.

Many managers hiring for entry-level jobs understand that college students may not have extensive work experience and will be looking for certain keywords throughout the resume that highlight education, experience, and skills.

Education can include your degree or any special training, experience may include work, volunteer, or internship experience, and skills may include anything that highlights a good fit for the open position.

How long should a college student’s resume be?

A college student’s resume should be one page. Resumes should be this length so that employers and hiring managers can review them quickly. Typically those looking to hire a candidate only have a few minutes to review a resume, so you should make sure it’s relevant and succinct, with all of your impressive information listed early.

Once you gain more experience, your resume may become longer but is typically only recommended for those applicants with over ten years of experience in the workforce.

How do you write a resume for college with no experience?

When writing a resume for college with no experience, be sure to emphasize your education instead. Your education and experiences in school will be key in helping you craft an effective resume for college. Be sure to include relevant internships, any soft or hard skills you possess, and projects you may be proud of.

You may also want to include hobbies, interests, certifications, languages spoken, or any additional achievements you may have received, whether they were in or outside of an academic environment.

What makes a college resume stand out?

Any relevant experience you have will make your college resume stand out. Your relevant experience may include any internships, volunteer positions, or extracurricular activities. To get an idea of what relevant experience you should include, reread the job description. This will include any keywords that you can add to help make your resume stand out more.

Adding any relevant awards or achievements can help your resume stand out. Awards and achievements help show any potential employer that you have the skills and abilities to do the work.

Writing a resume as a current college student is exciting because of the flexibility you have in crafting it. Every college student will have a unique resume and that’s a great thing because it helps you stand out from each other.

When writing a resume as a current college student, keep in mind that the best way to make your resume stand out is by taking advantage of the many opportunities being in college gives you.

Try new things: take on a new project or volunteer opportunity. It not only will help your resume but will also give you great pre-professional experience that will help you decide which career path you should take .

Harvard Extension School – Resume and Cover Letters

University of Pennsylvania – Undergraduate’s student resume samples

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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• College Student Resume Examples Guidelines

How to Write a College Student Resume: A Guide for Recent Grads

College student resumes differ from traditional resumes in that they lean heavily upon coursework, internships, and other college-level achievements to demonstrate a candidate’s value.

Customers Interviewed by:

The objective of any resume is to demonstrate your skills , experience, and value to potential employers. This can be a challenge for college students who don’t have much (or any) workforce experience. But don’t worry! Employers don’t expect recent grads to have a lot of work experience, and college student resumes are meant to look different than the resumes of seasoned professionals .

In this article, we’ve provided suggestions for what to include on your college resume, resume writing tips, and advice from our community of recruiters, hiring managers, and job coaches.

What to Include on Your College Student Resume

College resumes differ from traditional resumes in that they lean heavily upon coursework, internships, and other college-level accomplishments to demonstrate a candidate’s value. Here are some suggestions for what to include on your recent graduate resume. Not all items are necessary, but any additions that can be leveraged to demonstrate your value as a candidate should be.

Headline and Summary Statement

A resume headline is an excellent opportunity to grab a hiring manager’s attention. You can think of your headline as the title of your resume. It helps frame what’s to come and gives hiring managers an idea of who you are at a glance. When possible, include the job title or other hard skill keywords in your headline.

Similarly, resume summary statements can be used to display your unique offering in one condensed block of text. While summary statements are not required, they provide an opportunity to further curate your skills and experience.

While coursework will eventually fall off your resume, it’s perfectly acceptable for recent college graduates to include relevant classes and skills learned on their college student resumes. Tailor the courses you include to the job, highlighting only relevant coursework and skills learned. Include hard skills keywords where possible.

Internships

College students and recent grads already know that internships are one of the best ways to gain experience and get a foot in the door. If you’ve worked an internship, highlight your contributions with concrete details, backed by numerical statistics wherever possible.

GPA, Awards, and Accolades

If your GPA is impressive, including it in your college student resume could help demonstrate your commitment to your work and other soft skills hiring managers are looking for. Same goes for any awards or accolades; they’re great supporting evidence of your potential as an employee. These things, however, are not required and can be left off your resume at your discretion.

Volunteer Experience

Including volunteer work on your resume is a good way to show hiring managers that you know how to follow through on your commitments and are generous with your time. It’s also a great way to display unique skills learned through your volunteer experiences.

Activities, Projects, Associations, and Clubs

Recruiters and hiring managers are often looking for evidence that a candidate is passionate about their industry—or passionate about anything at all. Several of the recruiters we interviewed (see below) communicated that, at the end of the day, they want to make a person-to-person connection when reading a resume. Including extracurricular activities and passion projects, whether in association with your college or not, are great ways to tell your story and bolster a hiring manager’s confidence in your soft skill abilities.

Work Experience

Delivering pizza or stocking the shelves of your university bookstore may not be relevant to the position you’re applying to, but any job experience can illustrate your commitment to a company and your ability to multitask. Where possible, highlight transferable skills such as client communications, team management, and creative ideation. Be sure to include any promotions.

3 Jobscan Tips for Writing Your College Student Resume

Ditch the ‘objective’ section..

Including an objective on your resume is a dated tradition that still lingers about, especially among entry-level candidates. While having a clear idea of what you’re looking for in a position is important to your job search, career objectives put the emphasis on your needs rather than the company’s. They don’t say much about how you can contribute, and as we noted above, the purpose of your resume is to illustrate the value you can bring to an organization.

Create multiple master resumes.

As a recent college grad, you may not know exactly which field or industry to target at the beginning of your job search. This is especially common for graduates with more general degrees like Business Administration or English. While you’ve no doubt acquired many new skills during your college career, they may not be specific enough to pave a solid path toward any one job.

In these cases, you can create master resumes for multiple career paths. For example, a Communications major could have a Journalism master resume and a Digital Marketing master resume that looks completely different.

When possible, include keywords from the job posting.

Resume keywords are primarily hard skills that recruiters, hiring managers, and applicant tracking systems are looking for when they initially screen resumes. You’ll find position-specific keywords in the job posting. Look for opportunities to include these keywords in the context of your coursework and/or relevant internships. You can also look for places to include keywords in your resume headline, summary section, and skills section.

Use the Jobscan resume checker to optimize your resume keywords.

5 Pieces of College Resume Writing Advice from Our Community of Recruiters, Hiring Managers, and Job Coaches

We asked recruiters, hiring managers, and job coaches about what impresses them on a college resume. Here’s what they told us.

1. Focus on your education and academic achievements in lieu of job experience.

“ If you have no work experience whatsoever, then you should show more detail in your ‘ Education ’ section. Your academic experience is your professional experience in this case. If you led a project, led a meeting, participated in a club or organization, gave a presentation, or anything else like that, it may be worth mentioning to fill out your resume and show employers what you can do.”

Biron Clark, Former Recruiter and Founder of CareerSidekick

2. Be relevant.

“If you are a recent graduate applying to a marketing position, it would be ideal to include any relevant and pertinent courses taken on your resume. In addition, updating your resume to include marketing-related work or activities done, whether via an internship, a volunteer opportunity, or any club associations, will help you to stand out and be seen as a more qualified candidate.”

Robert Moses, Founder of The Corporate Con/noisseur

3. Put a spotlight on your volunteer experience.

“If I see that a candidate volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, and the task was to build a house, I know this person has no qualms about picking up a tool and learning how to use it to build something useful to others.”

Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., CEO at D. Boyer Consulting

4. Get personal.

“ My one recommendation is to include something personal on your resume: hobbies, interests, background, etc. I understand the need to take a professional approach to a resume, but often what stands out is a little personality. At the end of the day, it’s people hiring people. This type of stuff stands out as we look for people who are as much as a culture fit as a technical fit.”

George Kuhn, President at Drive Research

5. Highlight your creativity and passion projects.

“ I’m obsessive about looking for personal projects that an applicant includes on a resume. I find these examples illustrative of an individual’s creativity, attention to detail, and also self-motivation in many cases. I’m less ‘wowed’ by a project that was obviously part of a school curriculum requirement than one that was created through an applicant’s personal interest in a subject. I believe examples of an applicant’s approach to such projects provides an invaluable insight into how they handle professional tasks in the future.”

Zack West, Hiring Manager at Novomotus

College Student Resume FAQs

What should i put on my resume as a college student.

College resumes can include relevant coursework, internships, GPA, accolades, awards, volunteer work, work experience, relevant extracurricular activities, projects and clubs.

How do college student resumes differ from other professional resumes?

College student resumes often include more coursework, internships, projects, and other college-level achievements to communicate a candidate’s skills and capabilities.

What skills should I include on my college student resume?

College students should pay attention to the hard skills listed in the job description and include them on their resumes when possible. Include relevant skills from coursework, internships, volunteer work and any applicable work experience.

Further reading:

• Timely Career Advice for 2020 and 2021 Graduates
• The Best Fonts for Your Resume

Build Your College Student Resume

See? We told you not to worry! There are so many ways to create a detailed, professional, and impressive college student resume. But we know how intimidating it can feel getting started. We can help with that, too.

Our free resume builder is easy to use and will take all the guesswork out of creating your recent grad resume. It only requires three steps:

• Choose an ATS-friendly resume template
• Fill in your information using our simple forms
• Download and/or print it out and submit

Our resume builder makes the process less stressful, so you can focus on optimizing the content in your resume instead of worrying about formatting. Try it out!

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Student Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Whether you just graduated college or you’re taking a gap year before continuing your studies, one thing is for sure.

You’re looking for a job.

All that’s standing between you and your next position is a great resume.

But how can you write a resume that stands out from the crowd if all your experience so far is studying?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Creating a compelling resume to help you stand out from the crowd is easy, even if you’re just starting on your career journey.

And in this guide, we’re going to teach you how. 

Here’s what we’re going to cover:

• What Makes a Great Student Resume Example
• 9 Steps to Writing an Amazing Student Resume
• What to Include In Your Student Resume

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Student Resume Example

That’s a great example of a student resume.

Let’s get into the ins and outs of what it does right:

• Keeps everything on one page. Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes daily, so it’s important to stick to a one-page resume so they don’t discard your application straight away.
• Uses a reverse-chronological resume format. This is the favorite resume format for hiring managers worldwide since it puts your most recent achievements and experiences first.
• Includes professional contact details. This section should always contain your full name, a professional email address, phone number, location, and any relevant links to professional websites or social media profiles that might boost your application.
• Starts with an eye-catching resume objective. To grab the hiring manager’s attention, this student resume example starts with a strong resume objective to convey their top skills and their professional goal.
• Lists education first. Since this candidate is a recent graduate, their student resume places their education section at the very top and provides details on the relevant courses they’ve taken.
• Focuses on skills. The student resume example pictured above includes a tailored skills section that aligns with the job and shows what they can do for the employer.
• Organizes text in bullet points. This resume uses bullet points instead of large paragraphs, so the content of the resume is organized and easy to read.
• Includes optional sections. The candidate leverages optional sections such as languages and personal projects to add more value to their resume and stand out from other applicants with similar skills and qualifications.

9 Steps Toward the Perfect Student Resume

Now you know what an excellent student resume looks like.

It’s time to create your own.

First things first, let’s go over all the sections your resume should include .

The essential sections of a student resume are:

• Contact Information
• Resume Headline
• Work Experience

If you have leftover space on your resume, you can also use some of the following sections to make your application stand out:

Extracurricular Activities

• Personal Projects

Hobbies and Interests

• Volunteering
• Certificates

Awards and Recognitions

Publications.

As a student or recent graduate, don’t expect to include all of these sections in your resume. Instead, use them to your advantage. 

For example, you might not have any work experience, in which case you can replace that section with something else, such as an internship that helped you hone some essential skills for the job you're applying to.

We’ve split the process of creating your student resume into easy-to-follow steps, starting with:

#1. Pick the Right Format

Before you can fill out your resume, you need to decide on the best format for your job application.

There are three resume formats you can choose from:

• Reverse-chronological (also known as the chronological format)
• Functional (also known as the skill-based format)
• Combination (a mix of the reverse-chronological and functional formats)

For 99% of cases, we recommend that you choose the reverse-chronological resume format when making your student resume.

The reverse-chronological format is the most practical, since it lists your most recent experience and achievements first, making it the perfect format when you’re applying for a job.

It’s also hiring managers’ favorite format worldwide, so it’s what they expect to see in your application.

Here’s an example of what the reverse-chronological resume format looks like:

#2. Pay Attention to the Layout

Now that you have the formatting out of the way, it’s time to consider your resume’s layout .

Before the hiring manager reads your resume, they’re going to look at it. And if they see a messy, unorganized document, they aren’t going to be impressed.

Follow these tips to make sure your student resume makes a good first impression:

• Keep it on one page. A good resume should never exceed one page, especially if you’re a student with limited experience. Hiring managers only want the most important details about why you’re the right person for the job.
• Set the line spacing. Make sure your text is easy to read by setting appropriate line spacing. Use 1.0 between text and 1.15 between double lines and after subheadings.
• Adjust the page margins. To make your resume look neat, set your resume’s margins to one inch on all sides of the page. Otherwise, you might end up with a stretched-out or empty-looking document.
• Choose a professional font. Another important aspect of your resume is the font. Pick something professional but not overused. Instead of Times New Roman, go for something understated like Roboto, Lora, or Ubuntu.
• Save it to the right file format. Unless the hiring manager asks for another format, your resume should always be saved as a PDF file . This way, your student resume’s layout is going to look the same across any device or software that the hiring manager uses to open it.

Use a Professional Resume Template Instead

Getting the format and layout of your resume just right can sure get tricky. 

You’ll have to spend hours tweaking the margins, adjusting font sizes, and fixing the line spacing – all the while having to make sure nothing spills over to page two. 

What if you could skip all the hassle?

Just use one of our free resume templates and create your student resume in minutes.

Each of our professional templates is designed in cooperation with HR professionals from around the world to make sure your application is ATS-friendly, easy to read, and beautiful to look at.

Not to mention, you can choose a resume template that shows off a bit of your personality while adhering to industry standards. 

Just look at how one of our templates compares to a standard text editor resume:

#3. Add Your Contact Information

Once you’re ready to fill in the contents of your student resume, it’s time to start with your contact information.

This usually goes in a designated resume header , so it’s easy for the hiring manager to find it at a glance.

Here’s what to include:

• Full Name. (E.g.: John Smith )
• Professional Title. We recommend matching the title to the job you’re targeting (E.g.: Paralegal) or specifying your education. (E.g.: Graphic Design Graduate )
• Email Address. Use a professional email address, not a quirky handle from your World of Warcraft days. (E.g.: write down [email protected] , not [email protected] )
• Phone Number. If you’re applying abroad, always include the dialing code in front of your phone number.
• Location. The city and state/country are enough information.
• Relevant Links. Any other information, such as a link to your LinkedIn profile, GitHub, or a portfolio website, is optional and depends on the job you’re applying for.

Ultimately, your contact information section is the easiest, yet most crucial, section of your student resume.

If you make a single typo in your email or phone number, the hiring manager won’t be able to reach you, and you’ll miss out on an opportunity.

So, before submitting your resume, make sure to double-check, and even triple-check that everything in this section is up-to-date and accurate.

John Smith - Graphic Design Graduate

+1 907 446 1234

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/john.smith

Fairbanks, Alaska

90744461234

[email protected]

#4. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

Hiring managers have to look at countless resumes daily.

So, they won’t spend more than six seconds on each before deciding if it’s worth reading in detail.

This is where a snappy resume summary or objective can make a difference.

Your resume summary or objective is a brief paragraph at the start of your resume that tells hiring managers who you are and what you bring to the table, in just 2-4 sentences.

Depending on your experience, you can take one of two routes:

• Resume summary. If you've got a bit of professional experience under your belt, write a resume summary. It's your chance to give a quick snapshot of your experience, skills, and what you've accomplished so far.
• Resume objective. If you're just starting, a resume objective is the right choice for you. It outlines your skills, any relevant experiences, and your professional goals.

To paint a clearer picture, here’s what a student’s resume summary with more experience might look like:

Recent college graduate with a B.A. in English from University X seeking an entry-level job as a content writer. Previous experience includes working as an English tutor for 2 years at University X, where I worked with 100+ students, helping them improve their essays. Additionally, I managed a personal blog about tech, publishing over 40 articles in the last 3 years.

But if you’re still a student, you probably don’t have a lot of work experience to rely on for your resume summary.

Don’t worry! You can still write a fantastic resume objective, like so:

Enthusiastic recent graduate with a degree in Environmental Science, aiming to secure an entry-level position at Green Solutions Ltd. Experienced in conducting field research and using GIS software through university projects and internships. With a strong passion for sustainability and environmental advocacy, I’m looking to apply academic knowledge in a practical, impactful way.

This goes to show that even without any work experience to leverage, you can still write a job-winning resume .

#5. List Your Education First

While the work experience section is what your resume would usually start with, the rule is reversed when you’re a student or a recent graduate .

If you’re applying for a job in the same field as your education, you want to emphasize the knowledge and skills you’ve gained so far.

So, the less work experience you have, the more detailed your education section should be.

Here’s the most important information that you should include when listing your education :

• Degree Name. (E.g.: BSc in Business Administration )
• University Name. (E.g.: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania )
• Location. (E.g.: Philadelphia, PA, USA )
• Years Attended. (E.g.: 09/2018 - 06/2022 )

You should always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your newest degree (such as a Ph.D. or MBA) and ending with your oldest.

Next, there are a ton of optional details that can look great on your student resume. These include:

• Honors and Awards. Your resume is a great place to show off a little. List any awards or acknowledgments you received during your education. (E.g.: Summa Cum Laude )
• Relevant Coursework. List a few courses that are directly related to the job you’re applying for. (E.g.: Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Surgical Nursing )
• Thesis or Dissertation. We recommend that graduate and post-graduate students include this, especially if applying to research-heavy fields like data science .
• Minor. If you minored in another field and it’s relevant to the job, include it. (E.g.: BA in Political Science, Minor in Economics )
• Grade Point Average. Include your GPA on your resume if it’s impressive. Anything below 3.5 isn’t worth listing.

Here’s an example of what this looks like on a resume:

There’s no need to list your high school education unless it’s the only degree you have.

#6. Expand on Your Work Experience

The first thing hiring managers usually want to see is your work experience section .

It’s probably the most important section of your whole resume, and it’s where you need to wow the hiring manager. Here’s how to format it correctly:

• List jobs in reverse chronological order. Start with your latest work experience and work your way back to older roles. Just don’t go too far back – your part-time job over summer break probably doesn’t belong on your resume.
• Add your exact job title. Be accurate when describing your previous job, and avoid buzzwords . If you were a babysitter , say that instead of trying to be witty and going with ‘toddler whisperer.’
• Include the company details. All you need to add are the most important details, such as the company’s name and location. If it’s not a well-known business, you can describe what it does.
• Specify the employment period. Use the mm/yyyy format throughout your student resume instead of specifying the exact dates you started and quit.
• Mention your responsibilities and achievements. Use several bullet points, no more than 5-6 for your most recent work experience and 2-3 for older roles.

Here’s an example of what that looks like in practice:

What If My Work Experience Isn’t Relevant?

If you’re applying for a job in the field you’ve been studying for, you might have picked up a part-time job while you were a student.

So, you’re probably wondering - is that summer gig you did worth mentioning in your resume?

The answer is yes.

Even if your only work experience so far seemingly has nothing to do with the job you’re applying for, it’s probably better for you to include it.

For example, if you worked as a cashier at your local supermarket and now you’re applying for a job as an accountant , there are enough similarities between the two jobs for you to make a great resume.

Just focus on the transferable skills from your time as a cashier. Both jobs require working with numbers, being good at mathematics, and attention to detail.

Usually, showing you have some work experience is better than presenting a resume with zero work experience.

What If I Don’t Have Any Work Experience?

If you’re still a student or you just graduated, you probably don’t have any work experience to leverage.

Don’t worry - most college students don’t.

But that doesn’t have to stop you from writing a great resume!

Hiring managers know that most candidates applying for entry-level jobs aren’t super experienced, and that’s okay.

So, instead of work experience, you can focus on any of the following sections:

• Internships. If your program included any internships or hands-on experiences, mention them. Internships can be super useful on your resume, especially if they help you develop skills for the position you’re applying for, and they can look better on your resume than any part-time job in an unrelated field.
• Volunteering. Having a cause that you care about and are willing to work for shows hiring managers that you’d be a dedicated employee, and that’s why volunteer work looks great on a resume. Whether you spent some time at a local soup kitchen or just helped collect trash in the parks, you can always mention it in your application.
• Projects. Any project you’ve participated in can go here, so long as it’s relevant to the job. Your graduation thesis, coursework, or personal projects can all make a difference. For example, if you’re an aspiring animator and you make funny flash animations that you upload on YouTube for your friends, that’s always a great addition to a first-time job application .

Here’s an example of a student resume that focuses on volunteer experience and personal projects instead of work experience:

Do you want to join a cause you’re passionate about? Learn how to write a volunteer resume here.

#7. Emphasize Your Relevant Skills

The skills section of your resume should tell the hiring manager what your expertise is and why you’re the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of essential skills you can mention:

• Soft skills. These are a mix of social skills, characteristics, and other personal traits. For example, leadership, critical thinking, time management, and so on.
• Hard skills. These are your measurable abilities. So, anything from baking cupcakes to complex coding skills.

Your resume should aim for a mix of both soft and hard skills.

If written correctly, the skill section can look something like this:

Now, when listing skills on your resume, here are a few essential tips to keep in mind:

• List hard skills with experience levels. For each skill you list, you can mention your proficiency, from beginner to expert. This tells the hiring manager how much training you might need if they hire you.
• Keep it relevant and tailored to the job. You might have some awesome and rare skills, but they’re not always going to be useful. Your Photoshop skills won’t make a difference in an application for a job as a writer .
• Include some universal skills. Some skills can be useful anywhere. These include both soft skills (like communication ) and hard skills (like using Microsoft Office or Google Office Suite).
• Back up your skills. Instead of just listing skills as buzzwords (like “critical thinker” or “problem-solving-master”), make sure you prove what you’re saying. Give examples of when you’ve put those skills to good use, such as in your work experience section.

And for a student resume, here are a few of the top skills almost every single employer will value:

• Verbal and Written Communication
• Adaptability
• Punctuality
• Organizational skills
• Flexibility
• Conflict resolution
• Problem-solving abilities
• Time-management

#8. Leverage Optional Sections

So far, we’ve covered the essential information for your student resume.

But if you have any leftover space, there are a few other sections you can add.

Imagine this: the hiring manager has to decide between you and another candidate, but your resumes are nearly identical. You have very similar experiences, backgrounds, and credentials.

This is where some less essential resume sections can tip the scales in your favor.

Optional sections can help you backup your skills and experience and set you apart from candidates with the same professional background as yours.

These sections include:

Are you fluent in more than one language?

If you’re bilingual or even trilingual, you should always mention that in your resume!

Even if the position you’re applying for doesn’t require any specific language skills, it can still come in handy at some point.

Companies are becoming increasingly international, and you never know when you might end up working on a project or a client where you can put your knowledge to good use.

To list languages in your resume , simply write them down and include your proficiency level:

• Intermediate

Optionally, you can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

And remember - you should never lie about your language skills. You never know when the interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language you claim to know!

As you might remember from your college application , extracurricular activities look great on a resume.

Different after-school projects and clubs can help you gain practical skills and increase your chances of landing a good job right after college. For example, if you were part of a debate team and you’re applying for a job as a lawyer , that could give your resume a boost.

Some activities, like student council responsibilities, show maturity and leadership skills that would translate well to a work environment. 

Here’s an example of how to list extracurricular activities on your resume :

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

Public Speaking Club

Founder and President

09/2018 - 09/2019

• Founded a club to help fellow students improve at public speaking and promote discussion-based events.
• Organized 5+ public speaking lectures.
• Brought in professors from the university and organized 2 speaking workshops.

But regardless of whether they’re related to the job or not, extracurricular activities still show the hiring manager that you’re hard-working and committed.

If you want the hiring manager to get a more well-rounded idea of you as a person, you can include hobbies and interests on your resume .

While this section isn’t going to get you hired, it could tip the scales in your favor.

When the hiring manager is looking at two near-identical resumes from two equally qualified candidates, the deciding factor might come down to something as minor as your personality and interests.

For example, imagine that the company you’re applying to values teamwork and promotes health amongst its employees. If your resume says your hobbies include team sports like basketball, that could convince the hiring manager that you’d be a good cultural fit for their team.

Certifications

The best investment is always in your future, and hiring managers love candidates who do just that.

If you have any extra qualifications or certificates , add them to your resume.

For example, if you graduated with a BA in Marketing, and you’re applying for a Digital Marketing role, that’s great. But it’s even better if the hiring manager sees that you completed an advanced SEO course and that you’re ready to roll!

Do you have a piece of paper with your name on it that says why you’re so smart and qualified? If so, add it to your resume.

It could be an award from a competition or some other recognition of your excellence - academic or otherwise.

For example, you might have been selected for a very rare scholarship , or your hard work as an illustrator won your project a nomination.

You don’t need to be modest on your resume - if you earned something cool, show it off. Any awards can back up your expertise and show the hiring manager that you’re worth a chance.

Have you worked on your university’s student paper? Maybe you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic .

Whatever the case is, publications are always impressive on a resume.

Include them under a designated “Publications” section and provide a URL so the hiring manager can check out your work.

#9. Include a Cover Letter

Cover letters are essential for a successful job search , and your student resume won’t be complete without one.

Forbes reports that 56% of hiring managers prefer that applicants include a cover letter with their resume.

Crafting a great cover letter tells the hiring manager that you have an eye for detail and that you’re ready to go the extra mile to join the team. You’re not just randomly sending out the same resume to every job listing you find.

So, to learn how to write your own , let's explore what makes an effective cover letter:

Here are some straightforward tips to make your cover letter great:

• Check your contact information. The information in your cover letter’s header should be the same as what’s on your resume, so double-check for any mistakes.
• Use the hiring manager’s name. A little research can help you find it, and it helps establish a more personal connection than just writing “To Whom It May Concern.”
• Start with a strong opening. Mention a couple of your best skills or achievements right at the start to grab the hiring manager’s attention.
• Go into more detail in the body. Talk about your accomplishments or skills in more detail, and mention anything you couldn’t fit on your resume, like explaining why you want to work remotely .
• Conclude by asking them to reach out. A good closing paragraph includes a call to action that asks the hiring manager to do something, like contact you or arrange an interview.
• Sing it like a professional. Choose an appropriate closing line, like “Best regards” or “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Here’s a great example of a student cover letter :

5 Student Resume Examples

Looking for more resume inspiration?

Check out the different student resume examples below to see what a job-winning resume might look like.

#1. Recent Graduate Resume

#2. Experienced Student Resume

#3. Internship Student Resume

#4. College Freshman Resume

#5. High School Student Resume

Key Takeaways

And there you go!

That’s how you create a powerful student resume from scratch.

Now, let’s quickly summarize what we’ve learned so far:

• Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, so you want yours to grab their attention immediately. Write a brief paragraph in your resume header to tell them who you are and why you’re perfect for the job.
• Unlike in most resumes, where work experience goes first, if you’re a student, your education should be at the top of your resume.
• Don’t worry if you don’t have any work experience yet - when you’re applying for an entry-level job, hiring managers don’t expect you to.
• Instead of work experience, you can focus on internships, volunteering, personal projects, or extracurricular activities to show off your skills and fill in your resume.
• Your skills could make or break your job application. Research the most in-demand skills for the job you want and list the ones you have in your resume.
• Always add a matching cover letter to your student resume to show the hiring manager you’re ready to go the extra mile for the job.

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How to Write a College Resume That’ll Get You Hired (Plus an Example!)

When you’re in college, a strong resume is one of the first things that helps you land an internship or part-time job. It represents you to employers when you can’t be in the room (yet!) and is essential to convincing them to call you for an interview based on your previous experiences and current skills. Whether you have a resume you used for college applications or are starting completely from scratch, putting effort into your resume now gives you a higher likelihood of success and sets a solid foundation, making it a breeze to update in the future as you—and it—evolve.

If you feel like you have nothing to put on your resume, don’t worry. After advising hundreds of students on these documents, I know you have more to offer than you think! I frequently meet first-year college students who believe they can’t include many of the things they did before college on a resume. You absolutely can—and you should—until those get outranked by all the other awesome things you’ll accumulate over the course of your college career. Even if you’re a freshly minted high school graduate, you have valuable skills and experiences employers want, and this guide can help you showcase them.

Read on to learn about what goes on your resume, how to format it, and what else you can do to ensure it makes you shine—and to see our college resume example.

What Goes on a College Resume

In setting up your resume, you should use a few core sections to help you easily lay out all the information a recruiter is looking for when they make quick decisions about whether or not to interview you. (And yes, recruiters do skim, reportedly spending an average of 7.4 seconds making their first pass on a resume, so you want to make a good impression fast).

Contact Info

It’s traditional to start with your basic contact information at the top of your document including your name, email, phone, and the city and state where you live. Use your full name (and maybe bump up the font a point or two because you’re a big deal!), and if you have a nickname you prefer, you can include it in parentheses.

Use your college email as it’s typically professional and establishes your educational brand. Now is also a good time to check that your phone’s voicemail greeting is up-to-date. In case a recruiter calls while you’re busy—or you don’t recognize the number and swipe it to voicemail—this greeting could be their first impression of you. Even recording something as simple as, “ Hello, you’ve reached Christine. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible, ” can help them feel confident they reached the right person and that you’re able to present yourself professionally.

Your physical location can be based either on your school’s address or your permanent home address. If you’re targeting opportunities in one location or the other, include the most local address so they know you’re familiar with the area (and likely won’t have a problem finding housing).

Pro tip: Save space by listing your email, phone, and location all on one line. If you have a LinkedIn profile , you can add that in your contact information section as well. The result might look like this:

Karla Perez Stillwater, MN ∙ (000) 765-4321 ∙ [email protected] ∙ www.linkedin.com/krperez

For college students, education should be right below the contact information on your resume. This immediately orients your reader to the fact that you’re a current student and conveys important information, like what you’re studying. What you include in your education section can also demonstrate that you’re a good match for the opportunity you’re targeting, increasing your chances of a recruiter call.

The basics you should always include are:

• Your school’s name
• Your expected graduation date
• The type of degree you’re pursuing: For example, you might write “Bachelor of Arts” or “Associate’s Degree.”
• Any majors, minors, or concentrations: If you’re applying to opportunities in these areas, this will help an employer see you already have some knowledge and a motivation for working with them.

Depending on your personal strengths and what jobs you’re applying for, you might also want to include:

• Your GPA: But only if it’s strong. (It’s usually good to include 3.5 and above.) If you stumbled through some of the general requirements you had to take but nailed all the courses in your major, consider adding two GPAs—your cumulative GPA and your major GPA—to show you have stronger grades in your chosen discipline.
• Standardized test scores: If you’re applying to opportunities in quantitative fields, like finance or consulting, you might consider listing standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT.
• Relevant coursework: Selecting and highlighting three to five classes that match closely with the specific opportunity you’re applying to is a really fast way to tailor your resume and make you a more attractive match. For example, if you’re targeting an internship in computer science, you can list your “Introduction to Python” and “Introduction to Algorithms” classes.
• Other colleges or universities you’ve attended: If you’re a transfer student or you studied abroad at another university, adding these schools can signal that you have other strengths, such as cultural awareness or language skills, or give you a chance to highlight key classes you took elsewhere.
• Your high school: If you’re shooting for an opportunity local to your high school or went somewhere well-known, then you may want to keep that as your last entry for educational experience. Otherwise, high school is the first entry to cut when you’re short on space. It has gotten you to where you need to be, but the focus should now be on the higher-level degree you’re working on and you should dedicate as much space as you need to boast about all of your amazing college accomplishments!

Here is an example of what a completed “Education” section might look like:

Candidate for Bachelor of Arts degree ,   St. Olaf College , Northfield, MN Double Major: Political Science and Economics ∙ Expected Graduation: May 2023 ∙ GPA: 3.7 Relevant Coursework: Introduction to Political Theory, Politics and Human Rights, Global Interdependence

The experience section is where the real substance of your resume lives. This is the chance to show a snapshot of the jobs and internships you’ve had (if any), the work you did, the skills you used, and your accomplishments. Let’s talk about what experience you can include, how to pull out skills and demonstrate your value, and what it should look like on the page.

Experience can cover a lot of things. It can be full-time jobs, part-time jobs, internships, or research. Unpaid work—like volunteer and community roles—counts too! Don’t discount the value these other kinds of experiences can add to your resume just because you didn’t earn money. You can leverage all of your experiences on a resume by pulling out transferable skills , or broader talents you’ve developed that will be beneficial even if you aren’t applying to the same type of role.

Take a significant class project, for example. That can be built out as experience as long as you’re clear it was for a class. If you worked on a group project, you probably collaborated on a team, organized, worked under deadlines, completed some independent tasks, presented your work to others, and had some kind of outcome. Even if you were doing something that might not seem widely applicable, like designing a rocket, many of those skills can transfer over to another role. Say you had to do cost comparisons for the materials you selected for your rocket, those same analysis skills could be useful to a business role or for a part-time job where you have to order supplies for a restaurant.

You can also create targeted headers for your Experience section(s) if there are themes that correlate with the internship or part-time job you want. Specific headers—such as “Research Experience,” “Marketing Experience,” or “Software Engineering Experience”—can immediately help your reader see that you’re aligned with the needs they have for their open role.

If you don’t have something that specific, it’s OK. You can still shift your experiences into categories like “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience.” For example, if you’re applying to research roles, you’d want to put any research related work under “Relevant Experience,” and your cashier job and website building side hustle would go under “Additional Experience.” These two headers are great for allowing you to bump the best of your experiences up toward the top of your resume.

Once you decide which headers to use, make sure each entry includes basic information—the title of your role, the organization’s name, the location, and the dates you worked there—along with bullet points describing what you accomplished. For example:

Intern , Minnesota State Senate , St. Paul, MN June 2019–August 2019

• Researched prior legislation and current bills, summarized content, and identified alternate actions
• Coordinated the schedule for Senator Harriet Maxwell and kept accurate minutes for all meetings
• Drafted memos for important interoffice updates outside of normal meeting schedule

A skills section is a great way to make your most valuable knowledge and expertise stand out—and be easily spotted by a recruiter. Which skills belong in your own skill section depend on the jobs you’re applying for, so be sure to read the job description carefully to figure out what skills are most relevant for each particular role.

Skills that might appear in this section include (but are definitely not limited to): technical skills; software or other tools you know well; languages you can speak, read, or write; other job-specific skills like using a POS system or cash register; and, for some jobs, even your ability to drive different vehicles.

From this range, you can see why it’s important to change things up based on what job you’re applying to! Some skills—for example, being fluent or conversational in a second language—might be relatively permanent fixtures on a college resume. If you’re looking for a part-time job waiting tables, you might add the fact that you can bartend, whereas you might list your mastery in JavaScript instead when going after that software engineering internship you have your eye on.

Once you’ve decided which skills are most important for this role, you can simply list them on your resume. If you have a few different types of skills, you can separate them into categories. For instance:

Languages: Spanish (Fluent); Russian (Basic) Software: JavaScript, Python, CSS

Note that just listing your skills in a separate section isn’t always enough. You also want to make sure to describe how you’ve used key technical and job skills elsewhere on your resume (usually in the bullet points of your experience section).

Other Optional Sections

There are some other sections you can consider adding depending on your experiences and what your target employer might be looking for. For example, a consumer product firm might be looking for examples of design work. In that case you could add a section called “Design Projects,” which might include significant assignments from some of your academic classes or independent projects that you’ve developed in your spare time. Don’t be afraid to include links to your work if you’re submitting your resume online! (Just avoid hyperlinking out from important words, as this could trip up the online systems that scan most resumes.)

Another popular section is “Leadership Experience” where roles like being the vice president for one of your student organizations or being a co-captain for your athletic team would be a good fit. Employers love to see leadership themes on resumes, as it demonstrates the transferable soft skills they’re looking for like communication, collaboration, and initiative.

An “Activities” section can also demonstrate skills. If you dedicate time to learning more about consulting cases with your consulting club, you likely increased your analytical skills in a team setting, which is valuable for many business roles. If you’re an athlete, you can showcase your ability to manage your time, create or be part of a cohesive team, or organize and motivate teammates during practices. These skills gained as an athlete can be ideal if you’re applying for a heavily collaborative role. Additionally, if the activities that you’re involved in are directly applicable to the job, these are powerful to include as it demonstrates interest and dedication. So if you’re majoring in healthcare administration, adding that you’re a member of the Healthcare Society on your campus can be a major plus for an employer.

Any optional sections like these will usually need to be set up similar to your experience entries. Include the organization (or class), your role, the location, the dates you participated, and your key achievements. Here is an example of an entry you might put under a “Leadership” heading:

Head Delegate , Model United Nations , Northfield, MN September 2019–April 2020

• Researched global topics such as human rights and sustainable energy and developed persuasive positions
• Represented Chile as a delegate in an education simulation at a conference with 2,000+ participants; negotiated with others and collaborated on common goals to deliver resolutions on political issues
• Liaised between the delegation and the Secretariat, serving as a first point of contact and resolving issues

6 Tips for Writing a Successful College Resume

From formatting to crafting strong descriptions, attention to detail can pay off when tackling your resume. Here are six tips to help you develop a great resume:

1. Choose the Right Resume Format for You

Your parents or other family members might share their resume and have you copy it because it has worked for them. But they’re at a different place in their career and their format may not be the best one for you.

There are three main types of resume formats for laying out your experiences, skills, and education—the functional resume , the combination/hybrid resume , and the chronological resume . The chronological format is almost always the best fit for college students.

With a chronological resume, you’ll list your experiences within each category/section in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent, based on end date). Since this is the most traditional and common resume format, recruiters are familiar with it and can quickly see what you have to offer.

2. Be Clear and Consistent

In terms of resume formatting, there are a lot of small choices to make about things like font, style, and spacing. Whatever you decide, make sure it is easily readable, consistent, and not overly fancy. You could have the greatest content in the world, but if it’s too difficult or annoying to read, a recruiter is going to move on.

In order to make a document easy to scan, use clear headers for your sections. Maybe they’re bold and in all caps, or maybe they’re a couple font sizes larger, but they should be the same throughout your resume. The rest of your content should be consistent as well. For example, all your organization or previous employer names might be in italics, your dates all right aligned, your locations in plain text, and the titles of your roles in bold. Keeping things uniform helps the recruiter easily absorb all the relevant information you want them to have.

3. Make Sure It Can Pass Through an Application Tracking System (ATS)

Formatting is also important because your resume will likely pass through something called an applicant tracking system (ATS), a type of software that helps recruiters organize incoming candidate applications. Recruiters can apply filters or search for keywords, and the ATS will show candidates matching the desired criteria, making it easier to identify good candidates in large applicant pools.

In order for your resume to pass this first round and make it to the human who has the power to get you to an interview, the ATS needs to see you’re a good match. But there are formatting choices that can confuse an ATS—for example, some won’t read the content inside tables, text boxes, or graphics. And if the ATS can’t read your materials, your resume might be filtered out. (Read more about formatting your resume for an ATS here .)

This all means that using one of the fancy resume templates you see online isn’t necessarily the best move . Most basic formatting can be achieved with bolding, italics, and spacing, and you will still end up with a good-looking resume—meaning that starting with a blank document can actually be a better bet. (If you still want to use a template, we’ve curated 41 free ATS-friendly templates here .)

4. Create Impactful Descriptions

Give the descriptions you use for your experiences some TLC, as this is what recruiters will focus on once you’ve caught their attention. I often discover students undersell—or simply forget—all the things they’ve done that might be interesting and of value to an employer (including those transferable skills).

Here’s an exercise that can help. Reflect on an experience (such as an internship you had or volunteer work you completed) and quickly jot down what you did. You don’t need to have much structure for this—try it as a brainstorm. Think about answering some of these questions:

• What was your role?
• What were the goals for that position or experience?
• What tasks did you specifically do?
• What projects did you work on?
• Were there any side projects or tasks you completed?
• Who did you work with?
• What did you contribute?
• What did you accomplish? (Or what did/do you intend to accomplish? This can be a useful way to think about things especially when considering research or longer term projects that are still in progress!)
• Can it be quantified? Numbers can paint a clear and impressive picture of your accomplishments to someone reading your resume. You might write that you fundraised as part of the Student Government Association, and that will generally get your point across, but if you can say you increased SGA fundraising by 30% and were able to create two new social events attended by 100+ students each, that will make more of an impact. Look for ways to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible.

Once you have a good brainstorm, take the information you gathered and try crafting several statements using this formula:

Action Verb + Subject + Outcome/Purpose/Result (i.e. Accomplishment)

So you might say:

Organized a fundraiser event for 70 participants resulting in $1,000 in donations to a local hospital

Your descriptions are most valuable when leading with an action verb that reflects specific skills. For example, swap “Worked on” for “Collaborated on” and “Responsible for” with “Oversaw.” Other verbs I often recommend students use include:

• Communicated
• Facilitated

5. Tailor Your Resume for Each Opportunity

Always tailor your resume to each specific job you apply to. Making it easy for the recruiter to connect your skills to what they are looking for can increase your chances of success. The job description is your blueprint and key to doing this. A couple of these exercises could help you identify what you’ll want to highlight.

• Activity 1: Take the job description and go through and underline everything you’ve had some experience in. This might be specific tasks, software/programs/tools, or qualities. Write a quick note in the margin to highlight when you’ve done that. Underline things where you have transferable skills too. For example, if you’ve used a software that is similar to a software they’re looking for, underline it. A recruiter should be able to see on your resume that you used similar skills and would be a quick study.
• Activity 2: If you aren’t sure which skills to emphasize, take the entire job description and pop it into a simple online word cloud generator, like TagCrowd . It automatically shows you the words most used in the description, which are likely of highest importance to the company or role. If you have those skills, make sure you mention them in your descriptions and mirror the language as exactly as possible (our friend the ATS will be looking for precise keywords!).

These activities can help you identify the right action verbs, keywords, and tools—like software—to weave into your descriptions. They can also help you decide what past experiences to include or which of your college courses are relevant to this role and which direct and transferable skills to highlight to make your resume a stronger fit for your target job.

6. Keep a Few Other Tried-and-True Tips in Mind

Here are a few other parting tips to keep in mind as you build your document:

• Avoid writing in first person (“I,” “we,” “our,” and “my” statements).
• Bullet points will make your document more readable—usually two to three per entry works well. But it doesn’t have to be even: Give more description space to the most relevant entries.
• Attention to detail matters. Proofread—not just for typos, but to make sure formatting is consistent (like date dashes). Employers will use your resume to make assumptions about how detail-oriented you are.
• Review any headers you put in all caps. Some spell checkers are programmed to assume that they’re acronyms and skip them.
• Ditch jargon and acronyms wherever possible. Don’t assume the reader always knows what you’re talking about. Sometimes the first person reading your document is a general recruiter and not familiar with the technical side of a role.
• Be aware of tenses. If you’ve completed an experience, those descriptions will be in past tense, and current roles can be described in present tense. (If you’re still actively involved in a role you can list the role through “Present,” and if more than one entry has the same end date, make a strategic decision to put the most relevant experience first.)
• Acceptable margins are usually between one and 0.7 inches.
• Pick a readable font, like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and try not to go below font size 11.
• As a college student, stick to a one-page resume. However, you should consider keeping a longer version (called a master resume) for your own personal use. That’s where you keep a full record of your experiences to make it easier to pull out the relevant ones each time you tailor your resume for a specific job.

What Does a College Resume Look Like?

A college resume should showcase your education, experiences, and skills (direct and transferable!) in a clear way, while keeping in mind what is most relevant to your target employer. The resume below shows a student highlighting their relevant education and experiences specifically for internship opportunities in government and politics.

Download sample college resume

There are many ways to write and format a resume. Ultimately, you want one that best represents you and your accomplishments to recruiters for the job at hand. Try out some of these tips, and I hope they help you succeed in catching that recruiter’s eye!

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College Student Resume Example With Summary Statement

How to Write a Student Resume With a Professional Summary

When a college student has to prepare a resume, it can be difficult because they may not have much professional work experience. The good news is that your academic, extracurricular, and other experiences can still show an employer you have the qualifications and know-how to do the job—if you present this information correctly on your resume.

Here's how to prepare a resume as a college student, including tips for writing a professional summary and an example to use as you write your own.

What to Include in Your Resume

Begin with a resume summary statement. A  resume summary statement  (also known as a resume summary or summary of qualifications) is a list or a few sentences at the top of a resume that highlights your qualifications for a position. It is a great way to quickly show an employer why you are a strong candidate for a position.

Resume summary statements can be useful at any career level, including as a college student.

The summary statement should be located below your name and contact information. In a few sentences (or bullet points), state some of your skills and accomplishments that make you an ideal fit for the job. Try to include  keywords  from the job listing.

Mention a strong GPA. Along with your school and degree information, include any achievements, such as a high  GPA  (3.5 or above) and academic awards (Dean’s List, scholarships, and other honors).

Emphasize your teamwork and leadership skills. Employers are always interested in job candidates who have demonstrated personal initiative in assuming leadership roles and proven themselves to be productive team members. Be sure to describe all leadership positions you have held within campus organizations or in academic team projects.

Emphasize all related experience. Even if you do not have much employment history, you can include  volunteer experiences and any extracurriculars related to the job. You can put all these experiences in a section titled “Related Experience,” or divide them into different sections.

Tips for Writing an Effective Resume for a College Student

Highlight your education. As a student, you should highlight your academic successes at the beginning of your resume, before the “Experience” description. If you have completed any projects or taken courses related to the job you are applying for, you can include these as well.

Finesse your experience section. Even if you don’t have actual work experience, you should still include an “Experience” section in your resume. In this section, you can describe your college program, internships, or volunteer work you have performed. Instead of using the header “Professional Experience” for this section, use a more general title such as “Research and Analytical Experience,” “Related Experience,” or “Experience Highlights.”

Look at other resume examples. Look at some  resume examples  or templates to guide your writing. A resume example can help you decide what kind of content to include, and a template can help you format your resume. However, be sure to tailor a resume example to fit your own experiences and the job you are applying for.

Proofread. Proofread your resume carefully before submitting it. A clean, error-free resume will show you are professional and you pay attention to details. Ask a friend or family member, or a college career counselor, to read the resume for you as well.

Related: Best Resume Writing Services

Resume Example With Summary Statement

Below is an example of a resume for a college student that includes a resume summary.

Louise Lerner 87 Washington Street Hopedale, NY 10003 (555) 555-1234 louise.lerner@email.com

• An honors student with a record of academic and extracurricular success
• Extensive leadership experience, particularly within a higher education setting
• Adept at working across departments, with faculty, administrators, and students
• Award-winning written communication skills

XYZ University Hopedale, New York: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy Cumulative GPA: 3.93; Honors recipient every semester (Expected graduation: May 2025)

Georgetown University Study Abroad University of Trier, Germany (Summer 2024)

American University Washington, D.C.: Washington Semester in American Politics (Spring 2024)

RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL EXPERIENCE

U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. Intern , Spring 2024 Generated concisely written synopses of current legislative action for use by the department, members of Congress, and the general public through the Department of Education website.

• Researched and presented to policymakers several successful school design and construction projects to support the “Administration Schools as Center of Community" proposal.

American University, Washington, D.C. Research Assistant ,   Spring 2024 Examined how the increasing dependence of needy students on federal loans instead of grants for higher education has affected college access and enrollment, culminating in a 65-page paper.

• Received “Outstanding Final Paper” award.

Historical Society of Hopedale, New York Research Assistant ,   Spring 2023 Researched archival materials, wrote text panels, and selected objects for a historical exhibit on Hopedale in the 1930s.

More College Student Resume Samples

Here are more examples of resumes for college students and recent graduates, with downloadable templates, that you can use as a starting point for your own resume:

• College Graduate Resume
• College Senior Resume
• College Resume Example and Writing Tips

Key Takeaways

Use a summary statement. Beginning your college student resume with a summary statement allows you to highlight your relevant job skills even if you lack extensive professional experience. It’s a smart way to catch the interest of a hiring manager right off the bat.

Showcase your achievements. Don’t hesitate to “toot your own horn” on your resume: Describe your GPA (if it’s above 3.5), academic achievements, and contributions to campus and community organizations.

Highlight related experience. Participating in extracurricular activities and campus organizations helps to develop teamwork, communication, and leadership skills that are very attractive to employers. Describe how these experiences have provided you with many of the soft skills that will enable you to be a productive employee.

20 good skills to put on resume for new grads

Looking for the top skills to include on your resume as a new grad? This guide highlights 20 essential skills to showcase your value to employers.

As a new graduate, it can be challenging to know which skills to highlight on your resume. Employers are looking for candidates who can bring a diverse set of skills to the table, and it's essential to show that you have the skills that are in demand in today's job market. Here are the top 20 skills that new grads should consider including on their resumes:

1. Critical thinking

Employers expect candidates to have strong critical thinking skills to solve problems and make informed decisions. Demonstrate your ability to analyze complex situations, evaluate different perspectives, and develop creative solutions that meet business goals. Provide examples of how you have used critical thinking to improve processes, increase efficiency, or solve complex problems.

2. Creativity

Employers appreciate candidates who can bring fresh ideas to the table and find innovative solutions. Highlight your creativity by sharing examples of how you have solved problems in unconventional ways or how you have introduced new processes that have led to positive results. Provide specific examples of how your creative approach has positively impacted your previous roles or projects.

3. Leadership

Leadership skills are highly sought-after by employers as they demonstrate the ability to motivate and manage others effectively. Highlight your experience in leading teams or projects, and provide examples of how you have inspired team members to achieve common goals. Share specific examples of how you have created a positive work environment, delegated tasks, and provided constructive feedback to team members.

4. Teamwork

Employers value team players who can collaborate, communicate effectively, and support their colleagues. Highlight your ability to work in a team by sharing examples of how you have contributed to a team's success and how you have handled conflicts or disagreements. Demonstrate how you have actively participated in team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects.

5. Time management

Effective time management is crucial in the workplace, and employers look for candidates who can manage their workload efficiently. Demonstrate your ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and handle multiple projects simultaneously. Share specific examples of how you have managed your time effectively to complete projects on time and handle unexpected challenges.

6. Organization

Employers seek candidates who are organized and can manage multiple tasks and projects effectively. Highlight your organizational skills by providing examples of how you have kept track of details, managed projects, and met deadlines consistently. Share specific examples of how you have organized your workday, kept track of project timelines, and prioritized tasks to meet deadlines.

7. Attention to detail

Employers look for candidates who pay attention to detail, especially in industries such as healthcare, finance, and law. Showcase your ability to catch errors, maintain accuracy, and deliver high-quality work. Highlight specific instances where your attention to detail has resulted in positive outcomes, such as catching errors before they become costly mistakes, ensuring compliance with regulations, or improving the quality of deliverables.

8. Adaptability

The job market is constantly evolving, and employers want candidates who can adapt to new situations and challenges. Highlight your flexibility by sharing examples of how you have adjusted to changes in your previous roles or how you have learned new skills quickly. Demonstrate your ability to be open to new ideas, take on new responsibilities, and adjust your approach to achieve results in a changing environment.

9. Customer service

Employers want candidates who can provide exceptional customer service to build strong relationships with clients. Highlight your experience in providing customer service and showcase how you have handled challenging situations to ensure customer satisfaction. Share specific examples of how you have handled difficult customers, resolved complaints, and exceeded customer expectations.

10. Communication

As a new graduate, it's essential to showcase your communication skills through your resume and interview. Employers seek candidates who can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to convey ideas, collaborate with team members, and interact with clients. Highlight your ability to tailor your communication style to different audiences, use active listening skills, and convey complex information in an easy-to-understand manner. Share specific examples of how you have effectively communicated in your previous roles or projects.

11. Data analysis

Data analysis is becoming increasingly important in many industries. Highlight your ability to collect and analyze data by showcasing your experience in data analysis tools and techniques. Share specific examples of how you have used data analysis to inform decision-making, identify trends, and solve complex problems.

12. Technical skills

Depending on your field, you may need to have technical skills, such as coding or proficiency in specific software programs. Highlight your technical skills by providing examples of how you have used them in previous roles or projects. Showcase your ability to learn new technical skills quickly and adapt to changes in technology.

13. Project management

If you've managed projects in the past, be sure to highlight your experience. Employers want candidates who can manage projects from start to finish. Showcase your project management skills by sharing specific examples of how you have planned, executed, and monitored projects, managed resources, and delivered successful outcomes. Highlight your ability to collaborate with stakeholders and communicate project progress effectively.

If you've worked in sales, highlight your experience. Sales skills are valuable in many industries. Showcase your sales skills by providing examples of how you have achieved sales targets, built relationships with customers, and closed deals. Highlight your ability to prospect, negotiate, and communicate effectively with clients.

15. Marketing

If you've worked in marketing, highlight your experience. Marketing skills are valuable in many industries. Showcase your marketing skills by providing examples of how you have developed and executed marketing campaigns, managed social media platforms, and analyzed market trends. Highlight your ability to create compelling content, work with cross-functional teams, and measure the success of marketing initiatives.

16. Public speaking

Public speaking is a valuable skill that requires confidence, preparation, and effective communication. Showcase your ability to speak in front of an audience by highlighting your experience in delivering presentations, leading discussions, or participating in public speaking events. Emphasize your ability to connect with the audience, deliver messages with impact, and handle questions and feedback.

17. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are essential in the workplace and involve communication, collaboration, and relationship-building. Highlight your ability to build positive relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders by providing examples of how you have worked with diverse teams, managed conflicts, and demonstrated empathy and respect. Emphasize your ability to listen actively, provide feedback constructively, and communicate effectively in different settings.

18. Research

Research skills are valuable in many industries and involve gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data to inform decisions and solve problems. Highlight your ability to conduct research by showcasing your experience in designing and implementing research studies, collecting and analyzing data, and synthesizing information. Emphasize your ability to use various research methods, tools, and technologies, and to present findings in a clear and compelling way.

19. Writing

Writing skills are essential in many industries and involve communicating ideas, information, and messages through various media. Highlight your ability to write by showcasing your experience in writing different types of documents, such as reports, proposals, emails, or social media posts. Emphasize your ability to write clearly and concisely, adapt to different audiences and purposes, and use correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

20. Presentation skills

If you've given presentations in the past, highlight your experience in delivering effective and engaging presentations. Emphasize your ability to plan and prepare presentations, use visual aids and multimedia effectively, and deliver messages with clarity and impact. Provide examples of how you have adapted your presentation style to different audiences, managed time effectively, and received positive feedback.

Hard Skills vs soft skills

When crafting your resume or preparing for an interview, it's important to understand the difference between hard skills and soft skills. Both types of skills are valuable, but they serve different purposes in the workplace. Here's a breakdown of hard skills vs. soft skills and how to showcase them effectively:

Hard Skills:

Hard skills are specific, technical skills that can be taught and measured. Examples of hard skills include programming, data analysis, or graphic design. These skills are typically learned through formal education, training programs, or on-the-job experience. Hard skills are often used to demonstrate proficiency in a particular area or to qualify for a specific job.

To showcase your hard skills, it's important to be specific and provide concrete examples of how you have used these skills in past roles or projects. Use relevant keywords and include any certifications or training programs you have completed to demonstrate your expertise in these areas. You can also highlight any technical tools or software programs you are proficient in.

Soft Skills:

Soft skills, on the other hand, are personal attributes that are often harder to measure or quantify. Examples of soft skills include communication, teamwork, and leadership. Soft skills are often considered to be just as important as hard skills because they can affect how well you work with others and adapt to new situations.

To showcase your soft skills, provide examples of how you have used them to achieve specific goals or overcome challenges. Use specific examples to demonstrate your ability to work well with others, communicate effectively, or lead a team. Soft skills can also be highlighted in your cover letter or personal statement, where you can discuss your personal values and work ethic.

Common Questions

What skills should i include on my resume.

It depends on the job you are applying for and the industry you want to work in. Generally, you should include skills that are relevant to the job and showcase your strengths and abilities.

How many skills should I include on my resume?

You should include the skills that are most relevant to the job, but try to keep it to around 10-15 skills. Including too many skills can make your resume look cluttered and unfocused.

Should I include soft skills on my resume?

Yes, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management are highly valued by employers. These skills can demonstrate your ability to work well with others and adapt to new situations.

How should I format my skills section on my resume?

You can format your skills section as a bullet list or a table. Use bullet points to list your skills and highlight the ones that are most relevant to the job. You can also group similar skills together and use subheadings to make the section more organized.

How can I showcase my skills on my resume?

You can showcase your skills by providing examples of how you have used them in past roles or projects. Use action verbs and specific examples to demonstrate your achievements and show how your skills can benefit the company.

Can I include skills that I don't have much experience in?

It's okay to include skills that you are still developing, but make sure to be honest about your level of experience. You can also highlight your willingness to learn and improve in these areas.

Should I customize my skills section for each job application?

Yes, you should customize your skills section for each job application to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job. Use keywords from the job description to ensure that your resume passes the initial screening process.

Should I include certifications or training in my skills section?

Yes, you can include relevant certifications or training in your skills section to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area. This can also show that you are committed to continuous learning and professional development.

In conclusion, as a new graduate, it's essential to highlight the skills that are in demand in today's job market. By including the skills listed above on your resume, you'll be able to show employers that you have the skills and abilities they're looking for in a candidate. Good luck with your job search!

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A résumé is a professional document highlighting your skills, education, goals, and experience. Employers will often spend less than 30 seconds looking at each résumé, so yours needs to stand out while clearly demonstrating your qualifications for the job, internship, or other opportunity. 

Get Started

Use these resources curated by the Career Center to help you craft a strong résumé.

Editable Worksheet

Use this worksheet to help you plan and develop your résumé content.

Editable Template in Word

Download this template and tailor your content to specific opportunities.

High School to College Transition

Learn how to transition your résumé format to make it career-ready.

Samples by Career Path

Review three sample résumés from each of our career paths.

• Communication, Arts, and Marketing
• Consulting, Finance, and Business
• Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact
• Government, Law, and Public Policy
• Healthcare, Nursing, and Counseling
• Science, Technology, and Engineering

Why do you need a strong résumé?

• Your résumé is a tailored document that conveys to a potential employer the skills, experiences, and qualifications you have for a position you are interested in pursuing.
• In most cases, your résumé will be part of every job, internship, or graduate school application you submit.
• Your résumé—along with your cover letter—is what will determine whether you are invited for an interview.
• Your résumé is one of the few parts of the job search process over which you have 100% control. The effort you put into your résumé also sends clues to potential employers about the level of effort you put into your work. If your résumé looks like it was put together quickly with little attention to detail, what message might you be sending? Make sure your résumé is excellent!

Drop-in Sessions

Once you have a draft of your résumé, stop by our office for a 15-minute résumé review.

Get immediate feedback on your résumé as a supplemental resource to drop-ins.

• Content and formatting matter. If you have great content, but your reader can’t easily make sense of it or find it, you won’t get invited for an interview. Likewise, if you have a beautiful document, but don’t articulate your skills and experiences effectively, you won’t get invited for an interview. 
• If you're an advanced graduate student, you may, at times, submit a résumé of no more than 2 pages.
• Learn more about Applicant Tracking Systems here . 
• Use this article to learn how to write a résumé that gets through applicant tracking systems. 
• Your résumé is a dynamic document.  Continue to add to and edit your résumé on a semesterly or annual basis as you gain more experience. If your career interests change, it is recommended you rethink how you convey your experience on your résumé to align with your new field of interest.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, can be used to enhance your résumé. Read our best practices for appropriately leveraging AI in your application materials.

How to Write a Strong Résumé

Start with a blank document or our ATS-friendly, editable template . We don’t recommend using templates from sites such as Pinterest or Canva as they become restrictive when you are trying to adjust formatting later. Then add each of the sections detailed below.

Use this worksheet to help you plan and develop your résumé content. 

1. Contact Information

First, add your contact information at the top of the page

Your name should be large (e.g. 14 pt font or larger)

Your contact information should include your email address, phone number, city, and state (street address is not needed), and a personalized link to your LinkedIn profile.

To personalize your LinkedIn profile link, click on ‘Edit Public Profile & URL’ in the top right corner of your profile page. Edit your custom URL to your name.

Baldwin Eagle

Chestnut Hill, MA | 617-552-XXXX | baldwin@bc.edu | linkedin.com/in/baldwineagle

2. Education

Next, as a current student, your education section should be listed at the top under your contact information.

Information that should be included: 

• Institution name, city, and state
• School or college, including study abroad institutions and graduate schools, where relevant
• Date of graduation (month and year)
• Major, if known
• GPA, if above a 3.0 or if required by an employer

Other optional information:

• Relevant coursework: You can share up to five classes that are relevant to the position to which you are applying. This is a great way to tailor your résumé to a specific position and to show content knowledge that may not be reflected in your major or elsewhere on your résumé.  
• Academic honors or awards: e.g. Dean’s list (with dates) or other academic recognition can be included here
• High school can be included through your second year of college if space permits unless there is a compelling reason to keep it there (e.g. for networking purposes). 

3. Experience

For most students, your experience section(s) will come after Education. An exception would be if the position description calls for key technical skills.

• Keep in mind that your experience is not just your paid experience. It can include jobs, internships, research, volunteer work, leadership, or campus involvement. You can choose how you title your experience section(s). Some ideas include: Relevant Experience, Volunteer Experience, Leadership & Involvement. 
• Since you want your most relevant experience closer to the top of your résumé, consider how you want to represent your various experiences. What experiences are most relevant in terms of skills gained and content learned to the positions to which you are now applying? 
• Within each section, list your experiences in reverse chronological order by end date. 

How to write strong bullet statements for each experience:

Great bullet statements will describe your achievements rather than tasks.

Start each bullet with an action verb, then demonstrate the value you added to your work by stating what you did (Project), how you did it (Action), and why you did it (Result).

• What was the project or task?
• What actions did you take? (think specifically about your individual contributions)
• What was the result or outcome of your contribution?

Cite numbers whenever possible to demonstrate the scope of your work (e.g. number of people supervised, number of children in classroom, size of event, budget you oversaw, etc.).

• Example Action Verbs

4. Additional Sections to Consider

Following are some additional sections you may include on your résumé:

Objective or Summary: For most students, this is unnecessary and simply takes up space. However, if you are looking to enter a field in which you have very limited experience, it can be helpful to include a short objective that articulates what you are seeking and can show that you are applying to a role with intent and purpose. 

Skills/Interests: It is strongly encouraged to include a section on skills such as computer skills, languages, laboratory skills. For most students, this section will appear at the bottom of your résumé, but for students interested in science and technology, see specific tips in the next section. Personal interests such as hobbies can be included if space permits.

Career Field-Specific Résumé Tips

Creative fields.

• When applying for a creative position, such as a graphic designer, web designer, or creative manager, it can be appropriate to have a creative résumé designed in a program like Adobe InDesign.
• While a creative résumé can include graphics and colors, it should still look professional and be easy to read. 
• It’s a good idea to have a traditional version of your résumé along with the creative one. Applicant Tracking Systems cannot always pull information from graphics or heavily designed résumés, so use a traditional résumé when applying for a position online and save your creative résumé to be emailed directly or to give to someone in-person.
• See more information here about how to design a résumé for the creative fields.
• When applying to positions in the federal government, it is appropriate to submit a federal résumé. Federal résumés are generally 2-5 pages in length and include more required information, including U.S. citizenship status, veteran status, the address and contact information for prior employers and supervisors, and specific USAJobs.gov job identification number.
• As the large majority of federal jobs are posted on USAJobs.gov, we recommend using the website’s  résumé builder  for a step-by-step guide to craft your federal résumé.
• List the number of hours worked during clinicals.
• List any non-clinical work or volunteer experiences you have had. This shows the recruiter that you are well rounded.
• It is critical to keep your Nursing résumé to 1 page only.
• Additionally, if you have worked with any data entry system such as EPIC, list it under the skills section.
• Prioritize key technical skills, such as laboratory (e.g. PCR, gel electrophoresis, western blot, etc.) and statistical analysis software (e.g. R, SPSS, STATA, etc.), in the top half of the résumé. This is especially important if the position description explicitly calls for them.
• Include a research experience section that outlines any on- or off-campus research you have been involved with. Be sure to include relevant achievements in the bullet statements.
• If applicable, include a publications section following the citation style most commonly used in that field of research.
• For teaching in the public schools, create a Licensure and Certifications section, just below your Education section. The title and contents of this section depend on the norms for the state in which you are seeking work. For Massachusetts, include your SEI Endorsement; your 51A Mandated Reporter Training; your MTEL results (if you have passed all of them, you do not need to list each one); and any other endorsements or certifications you have achieved. 
• Create a category for Teaching and Related Experience, or break it up between two categories, such as Practicum Experience and Other Teaching Experience.
• Emphasize experiences with children with special needs; with English Language Learners; communicating with parents; using technology in the classroom, including remote teaching; using assessments to modify your teaching and improve student learning; and/or developing curriculum.
• Emphasize positive outcomes for your students - e.g. “collaborated with teachers to design and teach math units with an emphasis on encouraging students to build a strong foundation, explore the topics, and enjoy math.”
• View sample resume one and sample resume two .
• Prioritize key technical skills, such as programming languages (e.g. Python, C++, JavaScript, etc.) and analytical software (e.g. SQL, Spark, Hadoop, etc.), in the top half of the résumé. This is especially important if the position description explicitly calls for them.
• Include a projects section that outlines any personal or group projects you have been involved with to develop your coding skills. Be sure to include relevant achievements in the bullet statements.
• If applicable, include a link to your GitHub in the contact information section.
• In your heading beneath your name, include any theatre-related professional organization memberships such as SAG and AFTRA.
• For actors, include your physical description—height, weight, hair and eye color, and vocal range. Actors should also include a color 8 x 10 headshot with their resume. Singers should specify their notes.
• Column One: Name of play or movie.
• Column Two: Role you played.
• Column Three: Name and location of the theatre, the director’s name. You can save space by abbreviating "director" to Dir."

Action Verbs and Keywords

Can one word make a difference? Yes! Strong action verbs provide power and direction, so start each line of your résumé with an action verb instead of more passive words. Use keywords to make sure your résumé gets noticed. 

Management Skills

• administered
• consolidated
• coordinated
• prioritized
• recommended
• strengthened

Communication Skills

• corresponded
• interpreted

Clerical or Detailed Skills

• implemented
• systematized

Research Skills

• interviewed
• investigated

Technical Skills

Teaching skills.

• communicated
• facilitated

Financial Skills

Creative skills.

• conceptualized
• established
• illustrated
• revitalized

Helping Skills

• demonstrated
• familiarized
• rehabilitated
• represented

Keyword Strategies

• When you’re applying for a position, be sure to include keywords or skills from the job listing in your résumé.
• Browse online job listings in your field. Words that appear consistently in a variety of ads are your "key" words. Company pages on LinkedIn are another good resource.
• Talk to professionals in your industry.
• Include at least four industry- or job-specific keywords in your résumé. The ideal number is 12.

Keyword Examples*

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: Award-winning corporate controller with more than ten years’ experience in two $500 million corporations. Impressive record implementing financial record database architecture that saved over $2 million annually. Proficient in Oracle, Prism, Red Brick, and SAP systems, as well as MS Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.

SKILLS Languages: C, SQL, C++, Assembler, Pascal Software: Oracle Developer 2000, Informix NewEra, FoxPro OS: UNIX, Windows NT/95/3.11, MS-DOS RDBMS: Oracle7, Informix 7

*Pam Dixon,  Job Searching Online for Dummies

Résumé FAQs

What are the exceptions to the “one-page résumé” rule.

Undergraduate students should keep their résumé to one page, although there are some career fields for which a two-page résumé is acceptable (e.g. teaching and federal government). Longer résumé (up to two pages) are acceptable for graduate school applications as well. 

What is an applicant tracking system? How do I know if a company is using one?

Because companies receive so many résumés for each job, applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen résumés electronically are commonly used. Over 98.8% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS while 66% of large companies and 35% of small organizations rely on them ( Jobscan ). Given that so many companies use this technology, assume that your résumé will be screened by an ATS and create an ATS-friendly résumé.

The ATS will screen your résumé and cover letter for keywords that match the job description, so make sure to use keywords from the job description in your résumé and your cover letter.

What will make my résumé stand out to employers?

• Putting keywords on your résumé that match the job description (as long as they make sense). 
• Making sure your résumé is readable, neat, and free of typos and spelling or grammatical errors.
• Dividing your experience into Relevant Experience and Additional Experience with Relevant coming first.
• Using bullet points rather than blocks of text to describe your experiences. Start each bullet point with a strong action verb, and show the result or purpose of what you did in each bullet point.
• Using numbers to quantify achievements when possible (e.g. served over 100 customers per day during a three-hour shift).
• Having a well-rounded variety of experiences and activities.

Should I use a résumé template?

While it might be tempting to use a résumé template from sites such as Pinterest or Canva because it is predesigned, it is best to stay away from résumé templates and create a Word document from scratch. Résumé templates are often not compatible with ATS and could render your résumé unreadable by many employers. See our editable résumé template for ATS-friendly formatting. 

You should avoid using graphics and colors in your résumé unless you are applying for a creative position, such as a graphic designer, web designer, or creative manager. For these roles it may be appropriate to have a creative résumé designed in a program like Adobe InDesign, however you should still avoid using a template. See more information here about how to design a résumé for the creative fields.

Can ChatGPT write my résumé? How should I use it?

ChatGPT and other AI tools can be used to enhance your résumé, but should not be used to write one for you! AI should not replace your own creativity and perspective and the results generated are meant to provide suggestions rather than to be copied and pasted word-for-word. Think of these ChatGPT résumé prompts as a supplement to your own ideas and insights, not a replacement.

When using AI to help with your application documents, submit prompts that are specific to the role for which you are applying. This will help you create materials that are tailored to the position and demonstrate your relevant skills and experience.

Just like any other writing, edit and proofread anything generated by AI before submitting. Make sure the content flows well, the wording is typo- and error-free, and the metrics are accurate. You should be able to speak to every bullet point on your résumé if asked about it in an interview.

Should I include things I did in high school on my résumé?

Yes, you may include extracurricular activities, sports, jobs, internships, and volunteer roles on your résumé up through your second year in college or until you start replacing your high school involvement with activities you are involved in at Boston College. You may still keep work experiences from high school on your résumé if you have space and/or they are relevant to your future career interests.

What document format should I use when applying for jobs online?

There are pros and cons to submitting your résumé either as a PDF or Microsoft Word document. Read more here . Either way, follow the format instructions on the employer’s website or in the job description, if they provide them.

Should I include my pronouns on my résumé?

Some people choose to put their personal pronouns at the top of their résumé after their name. This is entirely optional. Do what feels most comfortable for you.

What is a CV? How is it different from a résumé?

A curriculum vitae (CV) contains significantly more information and is more detailed than a standard résumé. Unlike the one-page rule for résumés, there is no page limit for a CV. The CV includes your career history as well as your education, awards, special honors, grants or scholarships, research or academic projects, and publications. You might also include professional references, coursework, fieldwork, descriptions of dissertations, and a personal profile that lists your relevant skills and attributes. 

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Writing a CV  and a video overview of putting together your first CV .

Is there a difference between an undergraduate CV versus a graduate CV?

There are no formatting differences between an undergraduate and graduate CV except that a graduate CV might be longer because graduate students typically have more experience.

When would I use a CV? When would I use a résumé?

CV’s are primarily used when applying for faculty positions in higher education or high-level positions in the sciences. CV’s are also often used in countries other than the U.S., but they can vary by country so make sure to research each country’s specific guidelines ( Interstride’s country insights can be helpful here). Résumés are used when applying for most other types of positions in the U.S.

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Ten tips to prepare for a successful CALS Career Day

AMES, Iowa – It's that time of year, when students re-read their resumes and practice their interview skills with their roommates. On Oct. 8, over 253 companies will be lined up and waiting to interact with students attending the Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Day.

The in-person event will be held from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Lied Recreation Athletic Center, 518 Beach Road in Ames. It is open to the public, as well as Iowa State students and alumni.

"Despite the constraints of the current labor market, it's refreshing to see so many companies and organizations that value the quality of our students and programs within the college," said Mike Gaul, director of career services at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Iowa State's Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Day remains one of the largest career fairs of its kind in the country. A list of participating organizations can be found on the CALS Career Services webpage . Following Career Day, many companies will remain on campus for interviews Oct. 9.

Organizations interested in attending the Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Day should reach out to Gaul, [email protected] .

Ten tips to get prepared for Career Day

CALS Career Day co-chairs Jack Campbell, senior in agricultural business, and Abbie Probasco, junior in agricultural business, shared some tips for the more than 1,500 students who annually attend the event in search of jobs and internships.

Prepare your resume

There are a number of templates available online for students who don't already have a resume, but Campbell recommends a simple, well-structured format. Let your skills and experiences make you stand out rather than a fancy design.

Probasco suggests bringing several physical copies of your resume, printed on resume paper if possible. ISU Printing Services and the Student Innovation Center offer resume paper, and students are able to load their own resume paper into any printer on campus.

CALS Career Services also offers a drop-in resume review for CALS freshmen. Through Oct. 2, students can head to 0015 Curtiss Hall from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday or 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday with a printed copy of their resume to get feedback.

Research the companies

Before walking into Lied Recreation Athletic Center, students should have an idea of what kind of work the companies they are interested in do and what positions they have open. Researching the company can also help generate questions, facilitate conversations and calm nerves.

"So many students just circle Oct. 8 on their calendar and show up that day," Campbell said. "That's great, we want them to show up. But the career fair starts now, and you can always be doing small things to prepare you for the day."

Make a profile on CyHire

Have you registered for Career Day in CyHire yet? If not, here's a simple how-to:

• Go to CyHire
• Log in with your ISU netID
• On the left-hand side of the screen, click "Profile" and set up your profile. Here, you can enter your resume and contact information.
• On the left-hand side of the screen, click "Events." Scroll down to Oct. 8, the Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Day 2024. Click "Register Now"

From there, you can filter through all the employers who plan to attend Career Day, view open job postings, contact information and what students they are looking for. Conversely, the employers attending will have access to the profiles and resumes of all the registered students.

Apply ahead of time

After exploring open postings, Probasco said students should apply for jobs and internships before Career Day. This allows the student to learn more about the specific job, the hiring process and ask questions about what they saw during the application process.

Pick out a professional outfit

Career Day is a business professional event, and both Campbell and Probasco recommend picking out your outfit a day or two before to help lessen the stress day of. Dress to impress, but it doesn't need to be your outfit that stands out. Let your resume be the thing they remember, Campbell said.

For students who don't have business attire on hand, Probasco recommends the Free Business Attire Pop Up Shop , located in room 2255 in the Memorial Union.

Establish a purpose

"Know your purpose of why you're going to Career Day," Probasco said. "Are you wanting to just network? Are you wanting to get an internship? Are you wanting to get full time job? If you know before you go, you'll make the most out of your time."

Regardless of your purpose, come with questions. Campbell recommends having a few in the back of your mind to help keep the conversation flowing.

When you enter the building, Campbell said, the first thing to do is to walk one lap around all the tables. Get a lay of the land and see where your preferred companies are. You might see a new company that catches your eye, or you might just feel a little more comfortable.  

During your lap, Probasco suggests talking to a company you don't have on your list. Starting with a low-stakes interaction can help new Career Day-goers see what the process feels like, giving them some more confidence when speaking to other companies.  

Know what you are going to say

Have a 30-second introduction ready to kick off the conversion, Probasco said. Walking up with a handshake and your name, major, expected graduation date and why are coming up to them is a good way to start.  

Ask for the job

Once your conversation about the internship or full-time job is done, Campbell encourages you to just ask for more information. Inquiring about the next step or if they have interviews on campus shows your genuine interest in the position. If they say "yes," great! You have an interview. If they say "no," great! You can see what you can do this year to better prepare yourself for the next Career Day.

Career fairs can be intimidating, but Campbell and Probasco agree to take a deep breath and just go for it.  

Mike Gaul, Career Services, 515-294-4725, [email protected]

Madelyn Ostendorf, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications, 515-294-8892, [email protected]  

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Borrowers will have to start paying student loans again soon. Find out when

Starting in October, federal student loan borrowers need to start making payments toward their loans otherwise they may face consequences, like a hit to their credit score.

President Joe Biden's 12-month “on-ramp” to repayment expires at the end of the month, which means you really need to start making payments.

Here's what to know.

What about the 12-month "on-ramp" for student loan repayments?

Last year Biden offered a  12-month “on-ramp”  to repayment “so that financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies.

That began Oct. 1, 2023.

When do student loan repayments resume with penalties?

It is now almost 12 months later, which means that on-ramp is set to expire on Sept. 30. Anyone who doesn’t begin making payments in October risks a hit to their credit score.

Why do credit scores matter?

Good credit scores are vital  because they determine whether you can get a loan and what you’ll pay in interest for that loan. They’re also used to determine many other things in your life. For example, insurers might use credit scores to set your premiums, landlords might use them to decide if they’ll rent to you, and banks can look at them to determine what sort of credit card you can get and on what terms.

How many federal student loan borrowers are at risk of credit score hits?

About 10 million borrowers were behind on their repayments as of January, according to a  Government Accountability Office report  last month.

Of those, 6.7 million were already at least 90 days past due, or seriously delinquent, but they were protected from negative credit reporting due to the on-ramp.

How soon could nonpayers see their credit scores drop?

If no payment is received within 90 days, the account will be considered seriously delinquent and reported to the credit bureaus.

“It shows up when the payment’s 90 days past due,” said Liz Pagel, consumer lending leader at credit reporting agency TransUnion. “If you don’t pay in October, November, and December, in January, you’ll see that October payment past due. So then is when it’ll impact your credit report.”

How can borrowers avoid a ding on their credit score?

Borrowers need to start making payments in October to avoid any hit to their credit score, Pagel said.

There is one caveat. “Your balance might be bigger because you’ve been incurring interest the whole time,” from September 2023, she said. “That could have a slight impact on your credit score, but it’s not huge.”

What if borrowers don’t have money to pay?

The worst thing to do is ignore the payment, said Jared Chase, director of M&A and financial adviser at Signature Estate & Investment Advisors.

“Doing nothing isn’t an option,” he said. “You really need to formulate a strategy, and you don’t have to go it alone. Sit with a financial adviser to strategize. There are programs that will assist you or reduce your payments.”

Debt counselors from nonprofits like  Upsolve  can also work with you to determine a plan to pay your loans.

For some borrowers, finding a new, more affordable government payment plan may be difficult right now.

New applications for Biden’s new income-driven repayment (IDR) programs that offer lower monthly payments are currently paused with Biden’s  Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan mired in the courts . Federal courts blocked Biden’s full implementation of the SAVE plan and other IDR plans and it’s unclear what will happen.

One program that’s still available is  Fresh Start , but only through Sept. 30 so borrowers must hurry and contact their loan servicer. Fresh Start allows people with defaulted federal student loans to get out of default.

Other reasons you need to pay your student loans

Aside from damage to your credit score, which can last  up to seven years , there are other reasons to make sure you make your student loan payments. If your student debt defaults,  according to Federal Student Aid :

◾ The entire balance of the loan (principal and interest) becomes immediately due

◾ The government can collect your debt by withholding your federal and state income tax refunds and other federal payments

◾ Previously, the government could also garnish your wages but that has been canceled.

“Definitely don’t sit back and do nothing,” Chase said. “At minimum, make the minimum payment as a start. As your income increases and financial situation’s better, you can add to your payments to reduce the principal.”

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and  subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter  for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning. 

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Applying to college? Seven current students on how to stand out and stay sane.

What these undergrads wish they had known before navigating the process.

by Allie Volpe

It’s that time of year again: Summer is over, class is in session, and high school seniors are filled with dread. Yes, it’s college application season. The formula required to get into many colleges these days involves striking a delicate balance between highlighting personal and academic accomplishments, outlining future interests and aspirations, and painting a picture of who you are versus who you want to be.

The prospect of documenting an entire high school career while also selling your personality can be daunting. It’s normal for aspiring undergrads — and their parents — to feel overwhelmed. But you can manage it, whether you’re applying to five schools or 15.

Vox’s guide to college application season

This is what admissions officers really want to read in college essays

You got into college. How will you pay for it?

I talked to the people who are most familiar with how high-stakes it can all feel: seven current college students who successfully navigated the process for themselves. Here, they offer their best advice on staying organized, quelling anxiety, and the mistakes they wish they’d avoided.

Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

“At first, I only applied to one school, and then got wait-listed. I ended up applying to more after that. I wasn’t really thinking about college as much as I should have, and I was dead set on this one school. I just assumed the application process and acceptance was going to be a lot easier than it was. I put all my eggs in one basket. I was so overwhelmed and I wanted to get the application out of the way. I wish I would have applied to more schools from the start. I wish I would have relied more on support and help from other people, like my school counselors and friends who had already applied to colleges and got accepted.”

—Alani Sage, 19. Applied to five schools, accepted to four, wait-listed at one. Now attends the University of Alabama.

Trust that you can turn heartbreak around

“I was one of those students who didn’t get accepted into a dream school, and you feel like it’s the end of the world, like you have no other hope. But now that I look back, I honestly think every single thing that happens, it’s for a reason. If you adapt and accept things head-on, you’ll thank yourself. I’m really happy now. I think that this experience was better for me, better for becoming more mature, more independent.”

—Amna Ahmed, 19. Applied to 22 schools, accepted to 10, wait-listed at six. Now attends Wake Forest University.

Use social media (but don’t let it discourage you)

“Reddit is a great resource. Subreddits r/CollegeResults and r/ChanceMe are great resources because people post their admitted profiles and you can see what their extracurriculars were and you know what they did to get into X school. r/ChanceMe, you post your own application and people say if they think you’re going to get in or not.

“Create a story for yourself that is so authentic and unique to you that anyone that reads it would be like, ‘That is so you.’”

Take what people say about your application with a grain of salt, because at the end of the day, they’re not the admissions officer. It’s okay to compare yourself and your application to other people, but it’s not the be-all, end-all. Use it as inspiration but don’t think, ‘This person’s just better than me. I’m never going to have a chance.’”

—Dylan Ott, 18. Applied to 15 schools, accepted via early decision to the University of Pennsylvania .

Focus on authenticity

“College apps are very tricky if you haven’t previously heard advice or if you don’t have other family members that have gone through them. I struggled a lot, because my family is from India, and they weren’t accustomed to the American college admission process. For example, a lot of my peers could afford college counselors when my family didn’t even know what those were.

I struggled with selling myself and knowing how to tell my story in a way that was unique to me, because from a very young age, I felt pressure trying to be more like people around me. Whenever I was writing my essays, I would try to frame myself as someone that had this background that my peers did, even though I didn’t. Create a story for yourself that is so authentic and unique to you that anyone that reads it would be like, ‘That is so you.’ Pick one angle about yourself to go with. For me, I talked about my self-growth and development, from being pretty shy to being super confident, starting a TikTok, and being in debate.”

—Tanu Tripathi, 20. Applied to 11 schools, accepted to six. Now attends the University of Texas.

Just keep writing

“I spent a lot of time finding my story and writing down my life, asking my parents about things through my childhood that I couldn’t remember that I could draw connections to right now. It was me dumping much of my life onto the page, and then rewriting it and rewriting it and rewriting it again for a long time.

Those 250-word blurb answers were the hardest for me. I wrote about all my interests first and then saw what would match the essay questions for each school. Then you can edit them and change it to match, so you’re not really writing as many essays as you need to. In all, for every single school, there were over 50 essays. But I didn’t write 50 essays. A lot of these are reused, and a lot of them were also 150-word ones. For those questions, I always tried to answer them very creatively and in a way that most people wouldn’t just to show another side of myself.”

—Jeremy Hsiao, 21. Applied to 11 schools, accepted to six, wait-listed at two. Now attends Stanford University.

Stay organized and have an emotional outlet

“I figured out a system of organization that worked for me. Making a drive on Google was huge. I called it ‘college.’ Within that drive I had different folders for scholarships, supplemental essays, and then my Common App. Once you have those folders, make a huge spreadsheet for all the colleges you’re going to apply to. Divide out your spreadsheet into three different sections: early action, a November 30 or December 1 deadline, and then your regular decision colleges. Having it all in one place helped a lot.

Everyone’s going through this at the same time, and it’s really important to talk to your friends and family throughout the whole process for your mental health. Make sure you’re not keeping all the stress and all the overwhelming feelings inside of you. Make sure you’re ranting to your friends, ranting to your mom. Getting it all out is generally going to help you so much more in the long run.”

—Chahat Kapoor, 20. Applied to 15 schools, accepted to nine, wait-listed at two. Now attends University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Highlight the commonality in all your activities

“I talked to a lot of my admission officers and interviewers after I got into these schools and they told me what stood out about my profile was it was so clear what type of student I was going to be. All my activities, my awards, my essays, even my extracurriculars, touched on my leadership and value of community service, specifically in the health field. My junior year of high school when I started thinking about college, I sat down and I wrote out all my extracurriculars and all my awards, and I saw that so many things I did were involved in the health field, and I also had a lot of leadership positions, so that naturally became what I would present in my profile.”

—Olivia Zhang, 19. Applied to 26 schools, accepted to 20, wait-listed at two. Now attends Harvard University.

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September 17, 2024

16 Volunteer Resume Examples

These priceless volunteer resume examples will help you land your next volunteer role quickly.

Resume Examples and Guide For

High School Student Volunteer Resume

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Volunteering is a noble pursuit that not only benefits communities but also enriches personal and professional growth. Whether you're looking to start your volunteering journey or showcase your extensive experience, a well-crafted resume is essential. This comprehensive guide offers diverse volunteer resume examples and expert advice to help you create a compelling document that highlights your dedication and skills.

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Entry-Level Volunteer Resume Examples

For high school students, volunteering is an excellent way to gain experience and demonstrate community engagement. This high school student volunteer resume example showcases how to present limited experience effectively.

[email protected] - (555) 123-4567 - Chicago, IL

Dedicated high school student seeking volunteer opportunities to contribute to the community while gaining valuable experience in social services and environmental conservation.

Food Sorter and Distributor

Local Food Bank

09/2022 - Present

Chicago, IL

• Sort and organize donated food items for distribution
• Assist in packing food boxes for families in need
• Participate in food drives and community outreach events

Animal Care Assistant

Chicago Animal Shelter

06/2022 - 08/2022

• Provided care and attention to shelter animals
• Assisted with feeding, grooming, and exercise routines
• Supported shelter staff during adoption events

Chicago High School

• GPA: 3.8/4.0

Strong communication and interpersonal skills • Basic computer proficiency (Microsoft Office, Google Suite) • Fluent in English and Spanish

Why this resume is great

This high school volunteer resume is excellent because it clearly presents the student's volunteer experiences, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements. The objective statement effectively communicates the student's goals, while the inclusion of relevant skills and extracurricular activities provides a well-rounded view of their capabilities and interests.

College students often have more diverse experiences to showcase. This college student volunteer resume example demonstrates how to balance academic achievements with volunteer work.

Diego Lopez

[email protected] - (555) 987-6543 - Houston, TX

Passionate college student majoring in Environmental Science with a strong commitment to community service and sustainability. Seeking volunteer opportunities to apply classroom knowledge in real-world environmental conservation efforts.

Environmental Conservation Volunteer

City Parks and Recreation Department

03/2023 - Present

Houston, TX

• Participate in weekly park clean-up initiatives
• Assist in planting and maintaining native species gardens
• Educate park visitors on local flora and fauna

Construction Volunteer

Habitat for Humanity, College Town Chapter

09/2022 - 12/2022

• Contributed 100+ hours to home-building projects for low-income families
• Learned basic construction skills and safety procedures
• Collaborated with diverse teams of volunteers and homeowners

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science - Environmental Science

Houston University

09/2021 - 04/2025

• Relevant Coursework: Environmental Policy and Regulation, Ecosystem Management, Sustainable Development

Certifications

First Aid and CPR Certified

Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics Trainer

Data analysis and research • Project management • Public speaking • Bilingual (English and Spanish)

This college student volunteer resume excels by aligning the volunteer experiences with the student's academic focus. It effectively showcases relevant coursework, skills, and certifications that enhance their volunteer contributions. The resume also demonstrates leadership and commitment through campus involvement, presenting a well-rounded candidate for environmental volunteer roles.

Recent graduates can leverage their academic achievements and volunteer experiences to position themselves for meaningful opportunities. This recent graduate volunteer resume example shows how to present a mix of education and practical experience.

Maria Horvat

[email protected] - (555) 246-8102 - San Diego, CA

Recent graduate with a degree in Social Work and a passion for community development. Seeking volunteer opportunities to apply academic knowledge and gain hands-on experience in social services while making a positive impact on underserved communities.

Youth Mentoring Program

09/2021 - 05/2023

San Diego, CA

• Provided one-on-one mentoring to at-risk youth
• Developed and implemented goal-setting strategies with mentees
• Collaborated with program coordinators to evaluate mentee progress

Intake Volunteer

Homeless Shelter

• Assisted with client intake and needs assessment
• Provided resource referrals and support to shelter residents
• Participated in shelter maintenance and meal preparation

Bachelor of Social Work - Social Work

San Diego University

09/2019 - 04/2023

• Dean's List (All Semesters)
• Magna Cum Laude
• Mental Health First Aid

Trauma-Informed Care Training

Case management • Crisis intervention • Grant writing • Fluent in English and Croatian

This recent graduate volunteer resume stands out by effectively combining academic achievements with practical volunteer experience. It highlights relevant coursework and skills directly applicable to social work, demonstrating the candidate's readiness for more challenging roles. The inclusion of professional memberships also shows commitment to the field and ongoing professional development.

Experienced Volunteer Resume Examples

Experienced volunteers in nonprofit organizations often have a wealth of skills and accomplishments to showcase. This nonprofit organization volunteer resume example demonstrates how to highlight leadership and impact in the nonprofit sector.

[email protected] - (555) 135-7920 - Dallas, TX

Dedicated nonprofit professional with 7+ years of volunteer experience in program development, fundraising, and community outreach. Seeking to leverage expertise in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to drive meaningful change in mission-driven organizations.

Program Development Volunteer

Global Health Initiative

03/2018 - Present

• Lead a team of 10 volunteers in designing and implementing health education programs in underserved communities
• Secured $50,000 in grant funding for a mobile health clinic project
• Developed partnerships with local healthcare providers to expand service reach by 30%

Fundraising and Events Coordinator

Hunger Relief Network

06/2016 - 02/2018

• Organized annual gala event, raising over $100,000 for food security programs
• Managed a database of 5,000+ donors and implemented targeted outreach campaigns
• Trained and supervised a team of 25 event volunteers

Master of Public Administration

Dallas University

09/2014 - 04/2016

Bachelor of Arts - Sociology

Dallas College

09/2010 - 04/2014

Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP)

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Strategic planning • Grant writing and management • Volunteer coordination • Data analysis and reporting • Fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese

This nonprofit organization volunteer resume excels by showcasing the candidate's extensive experience and concrete achievements in the nonprofit sector. It effectively highlights leadership roles, quantifiable impacts, and relevant certifications. The resume also demonstrates a progression of responsibilities and a commitment to professional development, making it ideal for high-level volunteer or paid positions in nonprofit organizations.

Community service volunteers often have diverse experiences across various local initiatives. This community service volunteer resume example shows how to present a range of community-focused activities and skills.

[email protected] - (555) 024-6810 - Columbus, OH

Dedicated community servant with 5+ years of diverse volunteer experience. Committed to fostering positive change through active engagement in local initiatives and collaborative problem-solving.

Program Coordinator

Columbus Community Center

09/2020 - Present

Columbus, OH

• Develop and manage after-school programs for underprivileged youth, serving 50+ children weekly
• Recruit and train 15 volunteer tutors, improving student academic performance by 25%
• Organize monthly community events, increasing resident participation by 40%

Logistics Volunteer

Columbus Food Bank

03/2019 - 08/2020

• Coordinated food distribution to 200+ families weekly
• Implemented inventory management system, reducing waste by 15%
• Assisted in grant writing, securing $30,000 for new refrigeration equipment

Team Leader

City Beautification Project

05/2018 - 02/2019

• Led a team of 20 volunteers in neighborhood clean-up and gardening initiatives
• Collaborated with local businesses to sponsor community gardens, establishing 5 new green spaces
• Organized educational workshops on sustainable urban living, attended by 300+ residents

Marketing Associate

Tech Solutions Inc.

06/2017 - Present

• Manage social media campaigns and content creation
• Analyze market trends and competitor strategies

Bachelor of Arts - Communications

Ohio University

09/2013 - 04/2017

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Certified

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate

Event planning and coordination • Public speaking and presentation • Grant writing • Social media management • Fluent in English and Arabic

This community service volunteer resume is outstanding because it effectively showcases a diverse range of volunteer experiences and achievements. It highlights leadership roles, quantifiable impacts, and specific skills relevant to community service. The resume also demonstrates how the candidate balances professional work with extensive volunteer commitments, presenting a well-rounded individual dedicated to community improvement.

Environmental volunteers often combine passion with practical skills. This environmental volunteer resume example demonstrates how to present environmental expertise and impactful conservation efforts.

Mason Gonzalez

[email protected] - (555) 369-2580 - Charlotte, NC

Passionate environmental advocate with 6+ years of volunteer experience in conservation and sustainability initiatives. Skilled in project management, environmental education, and community engagement, seeking to contribute to impactful environmental programs.

Conservation Project Leader

Charlotte Nature Conservancy

07/2019 - Present

Charlotte, NC

• Manage habitat restoration projects, successfully rehabilitating 50 acres of wetlands
• Lead team of 30 volunteers in invasive species removal and native plant reintroduction
• Develop and conduct educational programs, reaching 1000+ community members annually

Climate Ambassador

Global Climate Action

03/2018 - 06/2019

• Organized climate change awareness campaigns, engaging 5000+ local residents
• Collaborated with local businesses to implement sustainable practices, reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 15% in participating companies
• Represented the organization at regional environmental policy meetings

Volunteer Coordinator

City River Cleanup Initiative

05/2017 - 02/2018

• Coordinated monthly river cleanup events, mobilizing 200+ volunteers
• Implemented a data collection system to track pollution sources and types
• Partnered with local schools to integrate river ecology into science curricula

Environmental Consultant

Green Solutions LLC

• Conduct environmental impact assessments for corporate clients
• Develop sustainability strategies and green business practices

Master of Science - Environmental Management

Charlotte University

05/2020 - 05/2020

Bachelor of Science - Environmental Science

05/2016 - 05/2016

Hometown, USA

LEED Green Associate

Certified Environmental Educator (CEE)

Project management • Environmental impact assessment • GIS mapping • Grant writing • Public speaking • Fluent in English and Spanish

This environmental volunteer resume excels by showcasing a strong combination of volunteer leadership, professional experience, and relevant education in the environmental field. It effectively highlights specific projects, quantifiable achievements, and a progression of responsibilities. The resume also demonstrates a commitment to ongoing learning through certifications and professional affiliations, making it ideal for high-impact environmental volunteer roles or transitioning into paid positions in the field.

Specialized Volunteer Resume Examples

Medical volunteers often bring specialized skills to their roles. This medical volunteer resume example shows how to highlight medical expertise in a volunteer context.

Camila Lopez

[email protected] - (555) 481-3690 - Fort Worth, TX

Dedicated medical professional with 5+ years of experience as a Registered Nurse, seeking volunteer opportunities to provide compassionate care in underserved communities and disaster relief situations.

Registered Nurse

Fort Worth General Hospital

06/2018 - Present

Fort Worth, TX

• Provide direct patient care in the Emergency Department
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive patient treatment
• Mentor new nursing staff and students

Medical Volunteer

Doctors Without Borders

03/2020 - 09/2020

Various Locations

• Provided emergency medical care in refugee camps
• Conducted health education sessions on hygiene and disease prevention
• Assisted in setting up mobile clinics in remote areas

Nurse Volunteer

Fort Worth Free Clinic

01/2019 - Present

• Provide basic health screenings and vaccinations to uninsured patients
• Assist in managing chronic conditions for regular patients
• Contribute to community health education initiatives

Emergency Response Volunteer

Red Cross Disaster Response Team

09/2017 - Present

Fort Worth Chapter

• Participate in disaster preparedness training and simulations
• Respond to local emergencies, providing first aid and medical support
• Assist in organizing blood drives and health fairs

Bachelor of Science - Nursing

Fort Worth University

Registered Nurse (RN) License

Basic Life Support (BLS)

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)

Emergency and trauma care • Multilingual patient communication (English, Spanish, Portuguese) • Electronic Health Records (EHR) proficiency • Triage and patient assessment • Cultural competence in healthcare

This medical volunteer resume shines by effectively blending professional nursing experience with diverse volunteer roles. It showcases a range of medical skills applicable in various settings, from local clinics to international missions. The resume demonstrates a strong commitment to community service and ongoing professional development, making it ideal for medical volunteer positions requiring both expertise and adaptability.

Education volunteers play a crucial role in supporting learning across various settings. This education volunteer resume example illustrates how to present teaching skills and impactful educational contributions.

Liam Martinez

[email protected] - (555) 792-4680 - Seattle, WA

Passionate educator with 4+ years of teaching experience and a strong track record of volunteer work in diverse educational settings. Committed to fostering inclusive learning environments and empowering students of all backgrounds.

High School English Teacher

Seattle Public School

08/2019 - Present

Seattle, WA

• Develop and implement engaging curriculum for 9th and 10th grade English classes
• Mentor students in extracurricular writing and debate clubs
• Collaborate with colleagues to improve school-wide literacy initiatives

Literacy Tutor

Seattle Community Center

01/2020 - Present

• Provide one-on-one tutoring to adult learners working towards GED completion
• Develop personalized learning plans to address individual student needs
• Assist in organizing community reading events and book drives

ESL Instructor

Refugee Resettlement Agency

06/2018 - 12/2019

• Taught English as a Second Language classes to newly arrived refugees
• Created culturally sensitive learning materials for diverse student groups
• Assisted students with job application processes and interview preparation

Volunteer Coordinator and Instructor

Seattle Youth Center

06/2017 - 08/2019

• Organized and led hands-on science experiments for children ages 8-12
• Recruited and trained 15 volunteer instructors each summer
• Developed partnerships with local tech companies for guest speaker series

Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction

Washington State University

09/2017 - 04/2019

Bachelor of Arts in English Literature - English Literature

Liberal Arts College

State Teaching License

TESOL Certificate

Curriculum development • Differentiated instruction • Classroom management • Educational technology integration • Fluent in English and Spanish

This education volunteer resume excels by showcasing a blend of professional teaching experience and diverse volunteer roles in education. It effectively highlights the candidate's ability to work with various age groups and in different educational contexts. The resume demonstrates a commitment to inclusive education and community engagement, making it ideal for volunteer positions in both traditional and non-traditional educational settings.

Animal shelter volunteers combine compassion with practical skills. This animal shelter volunteer resume example shows how to present animal care experience and dedication to animal welfare.

Sophie White

[email protected] - (555) 903-5791 - Denver, CO

Dedicated animal lover with 3+ years of volunteer experience in animal shelters and rescue organizations. Skilled in animal care, behavior assessment, and adoption counseling. Seeking to contribute to animal welfare initiatives and support shelter operations.

Senior Volunteer

Denver Animal Rescue

04/2020 - Present

• Assist in daily care for 50+ animals, including feeding, grooming, and exercise
• Conduct behavioral assessments for incoming animals
• Train new volunteers on shelter protocols and animal handling techniques
• Participate in community outreach events and adoption fairs

Foster Coordinator

Denver Humane Society

09/2018 - 03/2020

• Managed foster program for 100+ animals annually
• Recruited and trained foster families, increasing program capacity by 30%
• Coordinated medical care and supplies for animals in foster homes
• Maintained detailed records of foster placements and outcomes

Wildlife Care Assistant

Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Summer 2017 - Summer 2018

Nearby Nature Reserve

• Assisted in the care and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife
• Prepared specialized diets and administered medications under supervision
• Maintained clean and safe environments for recovering animals

Veterinary Assistant

Denver Animal Hospital

01/2021 - Present

• Support veterinarians in examinations and treatments
• Monitor post-operative patients and administer medications
• Educate pet owners on proper animal care and preventative measures

Associate of Science - Veterinary Technology

Denver Community College

05/2022 - 05/2024

Bachelor of Science - Biology

Denver University

09/2016 - 05/2020

Pet First Aid and CPR Certified

Fear Free Certified Professional

Animal handling and restraint • Basic veterinary care • Behavior assessment • Adoption counseling • Record keeping and database management

This animal shelter volunteer resume stands out by effectively combining volunteer experience with relevant professional work and education. It showcases a progression of responsibilities in animal care settings and highlights specific skills valuable in shelter environments. The resume also demonstrates a commitment to ongoing learning through certifications and involvement in various animal welfare initiatives, making it ideal for advanced volunteer roles or potential paid positions in animal shelters.

Disaster relief volunteers need to showcase their ability to work under pressure and adapt to challenging situations. This resume example demonstrates how to highlight these crucial skills and experiences.

Omar Abdullah

[email protected] - (555) 014-7925 - Boston, MA

Dedicated disaster relief volunteer with 5+ years of experience in emergency response and recovery operations. Skilled in crisis management, logistics coordination, and community outreach. Committed to providing compassionate support to affected communities during times of crisis.

Red Cross Disaster Action Team, Boston Chapter

• Lead rapid response team for local disasters, providing immediate relief to affected families
• Coordinate shelter operations during large-scale emergencies, managing resources for up to 200 individuals
• Train new volunteers in disaster response protocols and psychological first aid
• Participate in disaster preparedness education programs in schools and community centers

Team Member

FEMA Corps, National Service

08/2016 - 05/2018

• Deployed to multiple disaster zones across the country, assisting in various recovery operations
• Conducted damage assessments and helped survivors navigate federal assistance programs
• Supported logistics for emergency supply distribution and temporary housing set-up
• Collaborated with local government agencies and NGOs in coordinating relief efforts

International Rescue Committee, Various Locations

Summers 2014 - Summers 2015

• Assisted in refugee camp operations, providing basic needs and support services
• Participated in health and sanitation awareness campaigns in crisis-affected communities
• Supported the distribution of emergency supplies and food rations

Emergency Management Specialist

Boston Office of Emergency Management

• Develop and maintain city-wide emergency response plans
• Coordinate inter-agency disaster preparedness drills and exercises
• Manage public communication strategies for crisis situations

Master of Public Administration - Emergency Management Concentration

Boston University

09/2018 - 04/2016

09/2012 - 04/2016

Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)

ICS 100, 200, 700, 800

Wilderness First Responder

Crisis management and decision-making • Logistics coordination • Emergency shelter operations • Psychological first aid • Multilingual (English, Arabic, French)

This disaster relief volunteer resume excels by showcasing a robust combination of volunteer experiences, professional work, and relevant education in emergency management. It effectively highlights the candidate's progression from entry-level volunteer roles to leadership positions, demonstrating increasing responsibility and expertise. The resume also emphasizes crucial skills for disaster relief work, such as crisis management and multilingual communication, making it ideal for high-level volunteer positions or transitioning into professional emergency management roles.

International Volunteer Resume Examples

Peace Corps volunteers gain unique experiences that can be valuable in many career paths. This Peace Corps volunteer resume example shows how to present international service and cross-cultural skills effectively.

Amanda Khan

[email protected] - (555) 125-8036 - Portland, OR

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with 2 years of service in community development and education in rural Senegal. Skilled in project management, cross-cultural communication, and sustainable development practices. Seeking opportunities to leverage international experience in nonprofit or social impact organizations.

Community Development Volunteer

Peace Corps Senegal

09/2020 - 09/2022

• Designed and implemented a women's entrepreneurship program, training 50+ participants in business skills and microfinance management
• Collaborated with local leaders to establish a community garden, improving food security for 200+ families
• Taught English as a Second Language to 100+ students, ages 12-18, in the local secondary school
• Facilitated health education workshops on malaria prevention and water sanitation, reaching 500+ community members
• Wrote and managed a $5,000 USAID Small Project Assistance grant for a school library project

Global Outreach Nonprofit

10/2022 - Present

Portland, OR

• Manage international youth exchange programs with partner organizations in 5 countries
• Develop curriculum for cross-cultural communication workshops
• Coordinate logistics for volunteer groups traveling abroad

Habitat for Humanity, Portland Chapter

06/2019 - 08/2019

• Participated in home-building projects for low-income families
• Assisted in organizing fundraising events, raising $10,000 for local projects

Bachelor of Arts - International Relations

Portland University

09/2016 - 04/2020

• Minor in Sustainable Development Studies

TEFL/TESOL Certification

Project management • Grant writing and management • Cross-cultural communication • Community mobilization • Fluent in English, French, and Wolof

This Peace Corps volunteer resume excels by effectively showcasing the diverse skills and experiences gained during international service. It highlights specific projects and quantifiable achievements that demonstrate the candidate's ability to work in challenging environments and create sustainable impact. The resume also shows how Peace Corps experience translates into valuable professional skills, making it ideal for roles in international development, nonprofit management, or cross-cultural communication.

UN Volunteers often work on complex global issues. This UN volunteer resume example demonstrates how to present international experience and contributions to sustainable development goals.

Valentina Silva

[email protected] - (555) 236-9147 - Memphis, TN

Dedicated international development professional with 3 years of experience as a UN Volunteer, specializing in gender equality and women's empowerment programs. Skilled in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, and impact assessment. Committed to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through collaborative and innovative approaches.

Gender Equality Program Officer

07/2020 - 07/2023

Nairobi, Kenya

• Coordinated the implementation of women's economic empowerment projects in 5 counties, benefiting 2000+ women entrepreneurs
• Developed monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess project impacts and ensure alignment with SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
• Facilitated partnerships between UN agencies, local NGOs, and government bodies to enhance program effectiveness
• Organized capacity-building workshops for 100+ local staff on gender mainstreaming in development projects
• Contributed to policy briefs and reports on gender-responsive budgeting and women's political participation

01/2020 - 06/2020

Memphis, TN

• Assisted in research and data analysis for global education initiatives
• Supported the organization of youth engagement events during the UN General Assembly

Summer 2019 - Summer 2019

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

• Provided logistical support for mobile health clinics in underserved communities
• Assisted in health education outreach programs focused on maternal and child health

Master of International Development

Memphis University

01/2018 - 12/2019

• Thesis: "Empowering Women Through Microfinance: A Case Study in Rural Kenya"

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science - Political Science

09/2014 - 04/2018

• Minor: Women's and Gender Studies

Results-Based Management (RBM) in UN System

Gender Responsive Budgeting - UN Women Training Centre

Project cycle management • Stakeholder coordination • Grant writing • Monitoring and evaluation • Policy analysis and advocacy • Fluent in English, Spanish, and Swahili

This UN Volunteer resume stands out by effectively showcasing the candidate's substantial experience in international development and gender equality initiatives. It highlights specific projects and quantifiable impacts, demonstrating the ability to work on complex global issues. The resume also shows a strong alignment with UN values and Sustainable Development Goals, making it ideal for continued work within the UN system or other international organizations focused on social impact and gender equality.

NGO volunteers often work on diverse projects across various sectors. This NGO volunteer resume example illustrates how to present a range of experiences and skills gained through NGO work.

[email protected] - (555) 347-2580 - Baltimore, MD

Dedicated NGO professional with 5+ years of diverse volunteer and work experience in sustainable development, human rights, and environmental conservation. Skilled in project management, community engagement, and cross-sector partnerships. Committed to driving positive social and environmental change through innovative and collaborative approaches.

EcoAction International

03/2021 - Present

Baltimore, MD

• Manage climate resilience projects in 3 Southeast Asian countries, impacting 10,000+ community members
• Develop and implement capacity-building workshops for local partners on sustainable agriculture techniques
• Secure and manage $500,000 in grant funding for community-based adaptation projects
• Lead monitoring and evaluation efforts, producing impact reports for donors and stakeholders

Human Rights Advocate

Amnesty International

09/2019 - 02/2021

• Conducted research and contributed to reports on human rights violations in conflict zones
• Organized awareness campaigns and petition drives, mobilizing 50,000+ supporters
• Facilitated workshops on human rights education for youth groups and schools

Master of Science - Sustainable Development

Baltimore University

• Thesis: "Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Adaptation Strategies"
• Minor: Environmental Studies

Conservation Volunteer

Summer 2018 - Summer 2018

Assisted in biodiversity surveys and habitat mapping in remote areas. Participated in community outreach programs on sustainable resource management.

• Assisted in biodiversity surveys and habitat mapping in remote areas
• Participated in community outreach programs on sustainable resource management

Education Volunteer

08/2017 - 07/2018

Taught English and Mathematics to 100+ students in underresourced schools. Developed extracurricular programs focusing on environmental awareness and gender equality.

• Taught English and Mathematics to 100+ students in underresourced schools
• Developed extracurricular programs focusing on environmental awareness and gender equality

Project Management for Development Professionals (PMD Pro)

Human Rights Education Trainer

Project design and management • Fundraising and grant writing • Stakeholder engagement • Policy analysis and advocacy • Fluent in English, Korean, and Portuguese

This NGO volunteer resume excels by showcasing a rich tapestry of experiences across various sectors and international settings. It effectively demonstrates the candidate's versatility and ability to adapt to different cultural contexts. The resume highlights specific projects, quantifiable impacts, and a progression of responsibilities, making it ideal for senior roles in NGOs or international development organizations. The combination of volunteer and professional experiences, coupled with relevant education and skills, presents a well-rounded profile of a committed global changemaker.

Career Transition Volunteer Resume Examples

Transitioning from a corporate career to nonprofit work requires showcasing transferable skills. This corporate resume to nonprofit volunteer resume example demonstrates how to highlight relevant corporate experience for nonprofit roles.

Thomas Brown

[email protected] - (555) 458-3691 - Tucson, AZ

Results-driven professional with 10+ years of corporate marketing experience, transitioning to the nonprofit sector. Seeking to leverage expertise in strategic planning, data analysis, and team leadership to drive impactful social initiatives. Passionate about applying business acumen to solve community challenges and create sustainable change.

Senior Marketing Manager

TechGrowth Inc.

06/2013 - Present

• Lead a team of 15 marketing professionals, driving campaigns that increased market share by 20%
• Manage $5M annual budget, optimizing resource allocation for maximum ROI
• Develop and implement data-driven marketing strategies, resulting in 35% growth in customer acquisition
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align marketing initiatives with overall business objectives

Marketing Advisor

Tucson Food Bank

01/2022 - Present

• Develop and implement social media strategy, increasing online engagement by 50%
• Create targeted fundraising campaigns, raising $100,000 for new distribution center
• Train staff and volunteers on digital marketing best practices

Board Member

Youth Empowerment Nonprofit

• Provide strategic guidance on organizational growth and program development
• Assist in grant writing and donor relations, securing $250,000 in new funding
• Mentor youth participants in professional development and career planning

Master of Business Administration

Tucson University

09/2011 - 04/2013

Bachelor of Science - Marketing

09/2004 - 04/2008

Digital Marketing Specialist

Strategic planning • Data analysis and visualization • Project management • Team leadership • Budgeting and financial management • Public speaking and presentation

This career transition resume effectively bridges the gap between corporate experience and nonprofit aspirations. It showcases transferable skills such as leadership, strategic planning, and budget management, which are valuable in both sectors. The resume highlights recent volunteer experiences that demonstrate commitment to social causes and the ability to apply business skills in nonprofit contexts. The inclusion of nonprofit-specific professional development activities shows dedication to learning about the sector, making this resume ideal for nonprofit roles seeking candidates with strong business acumen and a passion for social impact.

Retirees bring a wealth of life and professional experience to volunteer roles. This retiree volunteer resume example shows how to present a lifetime of skills and knowledge for meaningful volunteer opportunities.

Krista Wilson

[email protected] - (555) 569-4702 - Fresno, CA

Retired educator with 35 years of experience in teaching and school administration, seeking meaningful volunteer opportunities to contribute to community development and youth empowerment. Offering a wealth of knowledge in curriculum development, mentoring, and program management.

Fresno High School

08/2005 - 06/2020

• Led a staff of 100+ educators, implementing innovative teaching methodologies
• Developed and managed annual budgets exceeding $5 million
• Increased graduation rates by 15% through targeted intervention programs
• Established partnerships with local businesses for internship and mentorship programs

English Teacher

Various Schools

09/1985 - 07/2005

• Taught English Literature and Composition to grades 9-12
• Served as Department Head for 10 years, mentoring new teachers
• Developed curriculum for advanced placement courses

Master of Education in Educational Leadership - Educational Leadership

Fresno University

09/1998 - 04/2000

Bachelor of Arts - English Literature

Fresno College

09/1981 - 04/1985

National Board Certified Teacher

Adult Literacy Tutor Certification

Curriculum development • Program management • Mentoring and coaching • Public speaking • Grant writing • Conflict resolution

This retiree volunteer resume excellently showcases a lifetime of professional experience and skills that translate well into volunteer roles. It highlights the candidate's extensive leadership experience and demonstrates how those skills are being applied in current volunteer positions. The resume effectively balances past professional achievements with current community involvement, showing a seamless transition from career to volunteerism. The inclusion of recent volunteer experiences and ongoing professional affiliations demonstrates continued engagement and a commitment to lifelong learning, making this resume ideal for organizations seeking experienced volunteers for leadership, mentoring, or advisory roles.

Gap year volunteers often gain diverse experiences that can be valuable for future career paths. This gap year volunteer resume example illustrates how to present gap year activities and skills acquired during this time.

[email protected] - (555) 680-5813 - Mesa, AZ

Motivated and culturally aware recent high school graduate with diverse international volunteer experience gained during a gap year. Seeking opportunities to apply newly acquired skills in cross-cultural communication, community development, and sustainable practices in a professional setting.

EcoVentures

• Participated in reforestation projects, planting 1000+ native tree species
• Assisted in sea turtle conservation efforts, protecting nesting sites and monitoring hatchlings
• Conducted biodiversity surveys in rainforest ecosystems
• Engaged in community outreach programs on sustainable tourism and waste management

Teaching Assistant

Rural Education Initiative

01/2023 - 04/2023

• Taught English and basic computer skills to 50+ students aged 8-14 in underresourced schools
• Developed interactive learning materials using locally available resources
• Organized after-school activities focusing on environmental awareness and health education
• Assisted in the construction of a community library, enhancing access to educational resources

Community Development Intern

Youth Empowerment NGO

05/2023 - 08/2023

• Supported the implementation of microfinance programs for women entrepreneurs
• Facilitated workshops on financial literacy and basic business skills for 100+ participants
• Assisted in grant writing, helping to secure $10,000 for a local clean water project
• Collaborated with local leaders to organize community health fairs and vaccination drives

Mesa High School

09/2021 - 06/2022

• Provided academic support to fellow students in mathematics and science
• Developed study guides and practice materials for standardized tests

High School Diploma

09/2018 - 06/2022

• GPA: 3.9/4.0
• Honors: National Honor Society, President's Volunteer Service Award

Wilderness First Aid

Cross-cultural communication • Basic project management • Environmental conservation techniques • Teaching and mentoring • Adaptability and problem-solving • Fluent in English and Arabic, Conversational Spanish

This gap year volunteer resume excellently showcases the diverse and valuable experiences gained during a year of international volunteerism. It effectively highlights the variety of skills acquired, from environmental conservation to teaching and community development. The resume demonstrates the candidate's ability to adapt to different cultural contexts and take on responsibilities in challenging environments. The inclusion of specific projects and quantifiable achievements adds credibility to the experiences. This resume is ideal for entry-level positions in nonprofits, environmental organizations, or international development, as it shows a strong foundation of practical skills and a global perspective gained through hands-on experiences.

How to Write a Volunteer Resume

A well-structured volunteer resume should include the following sections:

• Contact Information
• Professional Summary or Resume Objective
• Volunteer Experience
• Professional Experience (if applicable)
• Resume Skills
• Certifications (if applicable)
• Awards and Recognition

Tailor this outline to your specific experiences and the volunteer position you're applying for.

For volunteer resumes, a combination or functional layout often works best. These formats allow you to highlight your relevant skills and experiences, which may come from various sources, not just paid work.

Your resume header should be clear and professional, providing essential contact information for potential organizations to reach you.

Emily Thompson 1414 Community Lane, Volunteer City, USA 57913 Phone: (555) 791-2468 | Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emilythompson

This example provides clear, professional contact information, while the bad example is too casual and lacks important details.

Your resume summary should concisely highlight your most relevant skills, experiences, and motivations for volunteering. It's your chance to make a strong first impression.

Dedicated environmental advocate with 3+ years of experience in conservation projects and community outreach. Skilled in habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, and environmental education. Seeking to contribute to marine conservation efforts through hands-on volunteer work and public engagement initiatives.

The strong summary is specific, highlighting relevant skills and experience, while the weak one is vague and doesn't effectively showcase the candidate's potential value to the organization.

Volunteer responsibilities can vary widely depending on the organization and role, but some common ones include:

• Community outreach and education
• Fundraising and event planning
• Administrative support
• Direct service provision (e.g., tutoring, mentoring, care-giving)
• Environmental conservation and cleanup
• Data collection and research assistance

When describing your volunteer experience, focus on:

• The organization's name and your role
• Dates of service
• Key responsibilities and tasks
• Specific achievements or impacts
• Skills developed or utilized

Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer City Chapter

06/2021 - Present

• Contributed 200+ hours to home-building projects, assisting in the completion of 5 houses for low-income families
• Learned and applied basic construction skills, including framing, roofing, and finishing work
• Mentored new volunteers in safety procedures and construction techniques
• Participated in community outreach events, educating the public about affordable housing issues

Why it works

This example effectively demonstrates the volunteer's contributions, skills gained, and impact made. It uses action verbs and quantifies achievements where possible.

If you're new to volunteering, focus on on these things for your resume without work experience :

• Transferable skills from school, hobbies, or other activities
• Relevant coursework or projects
• Personal attributes that align with the organization's mission
• Any community involvement, even if informal

Example for a resume without formal volunteer experience: Community Engagement: • Organized a neighborhood cleanup, mobilizing 20 residents to collect 50 bags of litter • Assisted elderly neighbors with yard work and grocery shopping during COVID-19 lockdowns • Participated in school fundraisers, helping to raise $2000 for new library resources

What's the Best Education for a Volunteer Resume?

Include your highest level of education, relevant coursework, and any training specific to the volunteer role you're seeking. Don't forget to mention ongoing education or professional development.

Bachelor of Science - Environmental Studies

Green University

09/2018 - 05/2022

Eco City, USA

• Relevant Coursework: Conservation Biology, Environmental Policy, Sustainable Development

What's the Best Professional Organization for a Volunteer Resume?

Professional organizations can demonstrate your commitment to a cause or field. Some relevant organizations for volunteers might include:

• Points of Light
• National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government
• Association for Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE)
• Habitat for Humanity
• American Red Cross

Awards that showcase your dedication to service and community involvement can strengthen your volunteer resume. Some examples include:

• President's Volunteer Service Award
• Local community service awards
• Recognition from specific organizations you've volunteered with
• School or university service awards

Good volunteer opportunities depend on your interests and skills, but some widely recognized options include:

• Local food banks or soup kitchens
• Animal shelters
• Environmental conservation projects
• Tutoring or mentoring programs
• Hospitals or healthcare facilities
• Senior centers
• Disaster relief organizations

Hard skills valuable for volunteer work often include:

• Language proficiency
• First aid and CPR certification
• Data entry and database management
• Grant writing
• Social media management
• Event planning
• Specific software skills relevant to the role

Soft skills are crucial for volunteer work. Some of the most valuable include:

• Communication
• Adaptability
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Cultural sensitivity

Certifications can enhance your credibility as a volunteer. Some valuable certifications include:

• Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA)
• Certificate in Volunteer Management
• First Aid and CPR
• TEFL/TESOL (for teaching English)
• Nonprofit Management Certification

If you're looking to create your very own volunteer resume here are some tips to consider.

• Tailor your resume to the specific volunteer opportunity
• Quantify your achievements whenever possible
• Use action verbs to describe your experiences
• Highlight both your skills and your passion for the cause
• Include relevant personal projects or initiatives
• Proofread carefully to ensure professionalism

For most volunteer positions, a one-page resume is sufficient. If you have extensive relevant experience, a two-page resume may be appropriate. Always prioritize the most relevant information and be concise.

The focus of a volunteer resume should be on demonstrating your commitment to service, relevant skills, and alignment with the organization's mission. Emphasize experiences that show your ability to contribute effectively, your passion for the cause, and your understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the volunteer sector.

Crafting an effective volunteer resume is about showcasing your unique blend of skills, experiences, and passion for service. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or just starting your journey in community engagement, your resume should reflect your commitment and potential value to the organization. Remember to tailor your resume for each opportunity, highlighting the most relevant aspects of your background. By following the guidance and examples provided in this comprehensive guide, you'll be well-equipped to create a compelling volunteer resume that opens doors to meaningful service opportunities. Your dedication to making a difference, combined with a well-crafted resume, will undoubtedly catch the attention of organizations looking for committed volunteers like you. To start building your volunteer resume, sign up for Huntr today .

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Chattanooga State Community College offers unique welding program to students

by Jakai Spikes

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga State Community College says a new welding program is giving students a unique opportunity.

Chattanooga State representatives say they know being a student that's about to graduate from high school can be stressful.

Especially if they don't know if college is the right choice for them.

The welding program at Chattanooga state allows students to start a welding career without the cost of attending college.

Every trainee will have to complete 80 hours of hand on experience with welding to earn an American Welding Society certified welder certification.

Patrick O'Hagan, assistant vice president of economic state of development, explained more about some of the benefits that come along with the program:

"Thanks to Chattanooga 2.0 and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce we were able to offer stipends to those individuals in the training program. So each week they are receiving money in the form of a stipend to offset transportation, food, housing cost, and different bills they have to keep up with so they're not worried about going to school and working at the same time."

The program also offers students training in financial literacy, resume writing, and conflict resolution.

Will transformational leadership still affect the entrepreneurial intentions of higher vocational college students after COVID-19? Moderating role of perceived creativity and economic confidence

• Published: 19 September 2024

Cite this article

• Shenlong Tang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1144-0314 1 &
• Ting Cui   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5285-8442 2  

The study aims to identify the influence factors on Chinese higher vocational college students’ entrepreneurial intention after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The research uses the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method to analyze the data. Findings show entrepreneurial mentors’ transformational leadership and education and training positively influence entrepreneurial intention, with entrepreneurial attitude mediating this relationship, while perceived creativity and economic confidence moderate the entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention. This study adds to the literature by highlighting the effect of transformational leadership and provides pioneering evidence on perceived creativity and economic confidence’s moderating effects after COVID-19.

L’étude vise à identifier les facteurs d’influence sur l’intention entrepreneuriale des étudiants des collèges professionnels supérieurs chinois après le COVID-19. La recherche utilise la méthode PLS-SEM pour analyser les données. Les résultats montrent que le leadership transformationnel des mentors entrepreneuriaux et l’éducation et la formation influencent positivement l’intention entrepreneuriale, avec l’attitude entrepreneuriale qui médie cette relation, tandis que la créativité perçue et la confiance économique modèrent l’attitude entrepreneuriale et l’intention entrepreneuriale. Cette étude ajoute à la littérature en soulignant l’effet du leadership transformationnel et fournit des preuves pionnières sur les effets modérateurs de la créativité perçue et de la confiance économique après le COVID-19.

Zusammenfassung

Die Studie zielt darauf ab, die Einflussfaktoren auf die unternehmerische Absicht von Studenten an chinesischen Hochschulen für höhere Berufsbildung nach COVID-19 zu identifizieren. Die Forschung verwendet die PLS-SEM-Methode zur Analyse der Daten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die transformationale Führung und Bildung und Ausbildung von unternehmerischen Mentoren die unternehmerische Absicht positiv beeinflussen, wobei die unternehmerische Einstellung diese Beziehung vermittelt, während wahrgenommene Kreativität und wirtschaftliches Vertrauen die unternehmerische Einstellung und unternehmerische Absicht moderieren. Diese Studie ergänzt die Literatur durch die Hervorhebung der Wirkung transformationaler Führung und liefert bahnbrechende Beweise für die moderierenden Effekte von wahrgenommener Kreativität und wirtschaftlichem Vertrauen nach COVID-19.

El estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los factores de influencia en la intención emprendedora de los estudiantes de colegios vocacionales superiores chinos después del COVID-19. La investigación utiliza el método PLS-SEM para analizar los datos. Los hallazgos muestran que el liderazgo transformacional de los mentores emprendedores y la educación y formación influyen positivamente en la intención emprendedora, con la actitud emprendedora mediando en esta relación, mientras que la creatividad percibida y la confianza económica moderan la actitud emprendedora y la intención emprendedora. Este estudio contribuye a la literatura destacando el efecto del liderazgo transformacional y proporciona evidencia pionera sobre los efectos moderadores de la creatividad percibida y la confianza económica después del COVID-19.

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Tang, S., Cui, T. Will transformational leadership still affect the entrepreneurial intentions of higher vocational college students after COVID-19? Moderating role of perceived creativity and economic confidence. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-024-09704-4

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-024-09704-4

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