When you apply for a job, you are likely one of dozens (if not more) candidates—and, in many cases, your resume is a chance to make a great first impression. With that in mind, being able to write a compelling resume that stands out in the stack could be your ticket to landing more interviews.
Of course, writing a resume as a college student can be easier said than done. Depending on where you are in your college career, you may have little to no actual work experience and probably do not have a degree under your belt yet, either.
The good news? Even with minimal experience, you could craft a resume that highlights your skills and work ethic to ultimately grow your career. It all begins with understanding the most important components of a resume for college student job applicants as well as following some practical tips for a more engaging read.
How to Write a College Student Resume
So, what exactly should you include in your resume as a college student? While this may vary a bit based on the specific job for which you are applying, there are a handful of things that any potential employer should be able to easily locate on your resume.
Contact Information
Start with the basic contact information and personal details an employer would need to get in touch with you. This should include your first and last name, state, phone number, and email address. Depending on the job for which you apply, you may also want to include a URL to your personal website (if it contains relevant content, such as a portfolio) or your LinkedIn page. Remember this is the information a prospective employer would use to reach out if they want to schedule an interview with you, so make sure all your contact info is up to date.
Education
Next, be sure to include an education section. Even if you have not yet graduated from college, listing your current school and degree program (along with an anticipated graduation date) can be helpful—especially if you are applying for a job or internship in your field of study.
If you do have a degree (like an associate or bachelor’s degree) under your belt already, you want to include this in your education section as well. List the exact program and school from which you graduated in addition to your date of graduation and GPA if your GPA was at or above a 3.5.
Work Experience
If you have any work experience relevant to the job for which you are applying, this should be included on your resume, too. This can include not just part- and full-time jobs but also any freelancing work, volunteer work, or internships you have completed. Make sure to highlight the relevant skills and duties you carried out from each job that are related to the job you want.
Relevant work experience should always be highlighted first. However, if you have any non-relevant work experience, you may still wish to include this on your resume. Doing so demonstrates to a potential employer that you have kept busy, are well-rounded, and have a strong work ethic. The only exception to this structure is if you are doing a chronological resume. In that case, you should list your most recent work experience first and oldest last.
Key Skills
This section of your resume is where you should highlight key hard skills or even soft skills that apply to the job you want. Hard skills may encompass technical expertise, such as the ability to code websites in HTML or proficiency with specific software. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more like character traits that are beneficial for most jobs. These can include skills in communication, leadership, and public speaking. Additionally, consider incorporating your key skills into a summary at the beginning of your resume, serving as your elevator pitch. This can often make a separate skills section unnecessary unless you have significant, fixed, and transferable skills that are particularly relevant to the job description.
Activities and Associations
If you are a member of any industry associations or have been involved in activities related to your chosen field, these should also be listed on your resume. For example, if you play a college team sport, you might include this on your resume to demonstrate that you value collaboration and working as a team. Meanwhile, if you are a member of any industry associations as part of your schooling, this should be highlighted as well.
Hobbies and Interests
If your resume is already nearing the end of the page with just the information already covered, you can feel free to skip the “hobbies and interests” section. However, this may only be worthwhile to add if your resume is on the shorter side and you want to flesh it out a bit. List hobbies and interests that are relevant to your chosen field, finding creative ways to connect them.
Keywords
These days, more employers are using artificial intelligence (AI) and other software to digitally scan resumes for certain keywords and phrases. This is done to save human resources staff and hiring managers time and hassle. With this in mind, take time to consider and include any keywords or phrases that may be relevant to the position for which you are applying. Not sure which keywords to add? Take a moment to study the job description for inspiration; you could likely pull some ideas from there. Additionally, there are digital tools which can scan job listings for repeated keywords. Make sure when you find these keywords that they are integrated correctly, and that you can validate your knowledge and experience with these terms with your on job experiences when you do your interview.
Use the Right College Student Resume Format
The format of your resume matters, so be careful not to overlook this aspect of writing a college resume. Above all else, the document should be easy to read and skim as needed. In general, resumes should be written with text aligned to the left side of the page and with headers dividing each section (“Education,” “Work Experience,” etc.).
To ensure your resume can be properly viewed on any device, save the file as a .PDF when you are done with it. Otherwise, you may lose some of your formatting when the file is opened on another computer or device.
Still unsure where to begin with the format and content of your resume? Explore some example resumes below for new college students, recent college graduates, and college students pursuing an internship. From there, you could apply some of these ideas and concepts to your own resume.
College Student: Resume Example
John Smith
123 Country Club Road
Waterbury, CT 06723
(555) 123-9876
[email protected]
Education
Post University – Waterbury, CT
- BS in Data Science (In Progress)
- Anticipated graduation date: May 2024
- GPA: 3.5
- Dean’s List, 2022-2023
Work Experience
ABC Computing – Avon, CT
Data Science Specialist (Internship) – May-August 2023
- Assisted in data collection and analysis
- Collaborated with other data specialist team members
- Presented reports to management
Key Skills
- Proficiency in programming and coding
- Predictive modeling
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
- Cloud computing
Activities and Associations
- Data Science Association – Member since 2022
- Data Science Club – Vice President and Member since 2021
College Student, No Experience: Resume Example
John Smith
123 Country Club Road
Waterbury, CT 06723
(555) 123-9876
[email protected]
Education
Post University – Waterbury, CT
- BS in Data Science (In Progress)
- Anticipated graduation date: May 2024
- GPA: 3.5
- Dean’s List, 2022-2023
- Relevant Coursework: Mathematical Analysis, Advanced Data Analysis, Data Models, Computer Information Systems
Work Experience
Arbor Lane Grocery – Waterbury, CT
Store Clerk and Cashier – January 2021-Present
- Solved customer issues and answered questions courteously
- Processed customer returns and refunds efficiently
- Greeted customers and helped them locate items
Key Skills
- Proficiency in programming and coding
- Predictive modeling
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
- Cloud computing
Activities and Associations
- Data Science Association – Member since 2022
- Data Science Club – Vice President and Member since 2021
College Student Looking for Internship: Resume Example
Gemma Martin
456 East River Road
Waterbury, CT 06723
(555) 123-6352
[email protected]
Education
Post University – Waterbury, CT
- Bachelor of Science – Human Resource Management
- Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2024
- GPA: 3.3
- Dean’s List, 2021-2023
Work Experience
Loving Hearts Preschool – Greenwich, CT
Preschool Assistant – March 2022-Present
- Provide assistance to classroom teacher and students
- Help design lesson plans and plan activities
- Communicate with parents and guardians daily
- Prioritize student safety and well-being at all times
Key Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Canva
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Ability to work and collaborate in a team setting
Activities and Associations
- Society for Human Resource Management – Member since 2022
- Association for Talent Development – Member since 2021
First-Year College Student: Resume Example
Gregory Jones
388 Rose Avenue
Waterbury, CT 06723
(555) 123-0293
[email protected]
Education
Post University – Waterbury, CT
- Bachelor of Science – Marketing
- Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2027
- GPA: 3.8
- Dean’s List, 2023
Work Experience
University Library – Waterbury, CT
Circulation Desk Attendant (Work/Study) – August 2023-Present
- Help students locate books and reference materials
- Maintain library databases
- Keep library shelves organized and stocked
Self-Employed – Freelance Content Writer
January 2023-Present
- Develop content strategies for clients
- Craft blog posts, social media posts, and website content for clients
- Communicate with clients to understand their content needs and goals
Key Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and Adobe Photoshop
- Strong attention to detail
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Ability to work and collaborate in a team setting
Activities and Associations
- American Marketing Association – Member since 2023
Write a Matching College Student Cover Letter
As redundant as it may seem to write a cover letter to submit along with your resume and application, putting in the time and effort can really help you stand out from other job applicants.
When writing a cover letter, there are a few basic “rules” to keep in mind. For starters, the letter is typically recommended to be three paragraphs, however, limit the length to one full page, and make sure the document is properly formatted. To make creating a business letter template easy and professional, use the same header from your resume.
From there, work off the job posting to develop the content of your letter, drawing connections between your own work and education experience to explain why you would be an excellent candidate for the job. Additionally, be sure to close your letter by restating the job title for which you are applying.
Tips for Writing a Student Resume
Writing a strong student resume takes some time and careful thought, but considering these tips, you could be off to a solid start. One crucial tip is to tailor your resume to each specific job description. This shows attention to detail and, while the changes may not be drastic, these edits make your resume directly related to the job posting, allowing the employer to visualize you in that role. By aligning your skills and experiences with the job requirements, you demonstrate that you understand the position and are well-suited for it.
Promote Your Hard Work
Do not be shy about highlighting the hard work you have invested over the years, whether it be in school, at previous jobs, or both. This is not the time to be bashful. Potential employers want to know about your accomplishments, so this is your opportunity to brag. However, be accurate with your accomplishments, tell them what you have done and show off, but do not embellish or exaggerate what you have achieved.
Use Action Words
Whenever possible, incorporate action words into your resume, particularly when describing past work you have done or activities in which you have been involved. Some popular action words or verbs to use in a resume include “led,” “organized,” “facilitated,” “supervised,” “trained,” and “developed.”
Be Concise
In most cases, a resume should be no more than a single page in length. If your resume spills onto a second page, do your best to scale back. A resume that is too long may be difficult for a hiring manager to skim, so including too much information could work against you. However, you also do not want the resume to have too much white space either. If you find your resume is looking a little short of a complete page, see if there is more relevant information you can expand on or if an adjustment to the format would make it look fuller. However, if you find yourself in a scenario where there is no content you wish to add or subtract, consider adjusting the format of your resume so you can achieve the ideal single page length.
Proofread
Do not forget the crucial step of proofreading your resume before submitting it to a potential employer. This should include reading it out loud to yourself to catch errors or awkward phrasing. If possible, ask a trusted friend or colleague to proofread it for you; it never hurts to have a second set of eyes.
Formatting Is Important
Last but not least, remember to format your resume so it is easy to read and simple to skim each of the sections. This means there should not only be section headings but also bulleted lists and other visual components that make the document smoother to navigate. Make sure, too, that you use a font that is easy to read, a list of appropriate fonts can be found on Jobscan.
Get the Support You Need in Your Career Development
There is certainly a lot to keep in mind when creating a college student resume, especially if you do not have much experience with crafting this kind of document. Fortunately, once you have a solid resume in place, you can easily update and tailor it as needed to fit each individual job for which you apply.
Looking for additional support when it comes to perfecting your resume and preparing for the job market? Post University’s Center for Academic Success and Center for Career and Professional Development are both available to all students at no additional cost—so be sure to take advantage of resume writing, portfolio building, interview skill development, and other resources!
Thank you for reading! The views and information provided in this post do not reflect Post University programs and/or outcomes directly. If you are interested in learning more about our programs, you can find a complete list of our programs on our website or reach out directly!
Please note jobs and/or career outcomes highlighted in this blog do not reflect jobs or career outcomes expected from any Post program. To learn more about Post’s programs and their outcomes, please fill out a form to speak with an admissions advisor.