How To Create A College Resume

How To Write A College Admissions Resume

The very first step in writing your college admissions resume is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section

You have one or two colleges that are your top choices and you have your heart set on them, but you may also have a few other schools youre applying to. Each school deserves your full attention. That means you need to tailor your college admissions resume for each school by doing your research. Get to know the makeup of the student body, what the program you intend to enroll in focuses on and what the school is known for.

A college admissions resume that will get you to the head of the class does the following:

• Speaks directly to the college in question and explains why you want to go there and how you will add to the student body.
• Pays attention to design and layout to give it a polished, mature look.
• Highlights the top criteria college admissions officers seek.

What do college admissions deans look for?

Applying to college in this post-lockdown era may be a bit different. Colleges understand the constraints of COVID have had lasting effects on young people. This is what they say they are looking for in candidates now, according to Grown & Flown:

• Self-care
• And as always, extracurriculars and summer activities

College Application Resume Formatting Tips

Before we dive into the nits and grits of CV making, lets talk about formatting. Here are our top tips on how to format your college application resume:

How To Write A College Student Resume

Related video: Resume Tips: How to Write a Resume that Stands Out

A well-written and memorable college student resume will make you noticeable to employers and may help you earn a job. During your time in college, you likely developed knowledge and qualifications that will aid your transition into the professional world. A student resume should give an overview of these experiences and explain how they will benefit you in your upcoming career. In this article, we provide you with a detailed outline of how to write a college resume, followed by an example and some guidelines to keep in mind while you draft the document.

Related: How to Write a Resume Employers Will Notice

Also Check: How To Insert A Line In Word For Resume

Promote Your Work Ethic

In addition to detailing your skills and education, you can impress a potential employer by noting your work ethic in your resume. Mention achievements like perfect school attendance, making the deans list, leadership positions, extracurricular activities, a high GPA and any duties that superiors may have entrusted you with.

Cv Skills Example: The Tools For The Job

The skills section of a college student CV should be defined by the job you’re looking to attain. Even at this early stage of life, job seekers often have more relevant skills and professional qualities than they give themselves credit for. The trick is to choose and describe them correctly on your CV.

Step 1: Create a master list

The master list is a free-form document electronic or or even a piece of paper where you write down every skill and quality you can think of. Keep your master list handy for reference whenever a new job opportunity arises. Grab it for easy cherry-picking to tailor each new version of your specific resumeto the job application.

Step 2: Use industry knowledge

This depends heavily on what job you’re seeking and for what purpose. As a college student there are typically two possibilities. One is a temp job to pay the bills and acquire experience. The other is more farsighted an internship or entry-level position in a job related to your degree or education focus.

Make sure to understand the difference between hard skillsand soft skillsand how to assess their relative importance to specific jobs and employers. Hard skills are pragmatic tools used in daily duties while soft skills relate to social interactions, self-management, teamwork and so on.

Step 3: Analyze the job description

Check out a college student resume sample for the skills section below.

You May Like: Should I List Relevant Courses On Resume

College Student Resume No Experience

Use this template

Why this resume works

• Hiring managers understand that while you’re in school your resume won’t be jam packed with highly relevant work experience. The key is that for things you do include you highlight why they make you a strong fit for the job or internship you’re applying to.
• For example, it doesn’t seem like being on the club soccer team is highly relevant to being a business analyst. But by focusing on how they organized practices and led a local volunteer effort, this student does a really good job of demonstrating qualities that might appeal to a hiring manager.
• Not to mention the hiring manager may be a soccer fan so this could help this student stand out! Don’t be afraid to highlight your interests and hobbies.

College Application Resume Tips

Finally, here are some of our college application tips that didnt fit anywhere else in the article:

Don’t Miss: Language Proficiency In Resume

How To Make A College Resume

If you’re seeking for a course that fits your current skill level, How To Make A College Resume is just what you’re looking for. These are the most popular online courses and classes that will undoubtedly benefit your learning process. With these tips, you will be able to study and build personal talents in order to attain the goals you set for yourself during the learning process.

Use A Professional College Graduate Resume Format

If you dont look the part, they wont hire you.

Thats why resume formatting makes a difference.

Then build it out like this:

• Write a 1-page resume. Set 1-inch margins.
• Use Didot, Calibri, or another 1012pt respected resume font.
• Make these resume sections: heading, summary, education, experience, and Skills.
• Send in a PDF resume. Those look professional on different screens.

Expert Hint: More than 35% of recent college graduates work in low-paid jobs that dont need degrees. To avoid that group, start a robust networking effort now.

You May Like: How To Create A Resume For A 16 Year Old

Craft A Strong Resume

A resume is a tailored document highlighting your skills, education, goals, and experience. It is a summary of qualifications for a job, internship, scholarship, or other opportunity. Employers will often spend far less than 30 seconds looking at each resume, so yours needs to stand out. The resources below will help guide you through the process.

Write A Recent College Graduate Resume Objective Or Summary

Youre not a clone. But

Youd never know it once youre buried in a stack of college resumes.

Worse, youre up against people with years of experience.

Youve got to show your value fast.

Do it with a solid resume objective .

Thats a brief paragraph with a couple greatest hits.

Make it last for easy writing.

See these college graduate resume examples:

Read Also: Naming Your Resume

How To Write A Work Experience Section For Your Student Resume

The work experience section is perhaps the resume section that students dread the most when creating their high school resume or college resume. The reason is that many students dont know where to begin or may not have held a job before.

The good news is that writing a compelling work experience section really isnt as difficult as it seems – even if youve never been in the working world before. In either case, the most important thing is to make sure your work experience section sounds as relevant as possible to the given job or educational opportunity you are applying for.

If you dont have any work experience at all, dont stress! You can instead focus on your:

• Volunteer work
• School activities
• Side projects

Spend time brainstorming how to present these experiences in a way that makes them as relevant as possible to the job or school you are applying for.

For example, did you demonstrate any soft or hard skills that will be useful to the role or your studies? Or maybe you achieved something that showcases what an excellent employee or student you will be? Remember, framing is everything when it comes to your resume! You can do this by integrating keywords that apply to your experiences throughout this section. This will help you to work out what professional experiences will capture the hiring manager or schools attention.

In order to make your achievements shine, you will need to:

How A Resume For College Applications Can Help You At Every Stage

It’s not fun to look at a blank college admission resume with no idea where to start. Having your resume handy can help you more easily put your best foot forward in these situations:

• College applications. Your resume will not only save you time when completing your college applications, it will also ensure you don’t forget anything important. Some colleges allow or even ask for resumes.
• Letters of recommendation. Giving your resume to your recommenders will help them get to know you even better and remind them of your high school accomplishments.
• College interviews. Bringing your resume to a college interview, if allowed, can serve as a positive conversation starter.
• Scholarship applications. Similar to college applications, your resume makes it easier to showcase your accomplishments. Some scholarships even ask for a resume.
• Jobs or internships. You can easily adapt the resume for work and internship interviews.

You May Like: Sending Resume To Recruiter

College Application Resume Template Examples

Use this resume section as an example of how to write and format your own accomplishments. The Balance also provides several resume templates you can use to condense your achievements into an easy-to-read format.

Education:

• Graduated third in a class of 425 students
• Attended Harvard University s Summer Pre-Law Program

Experiences:

• Treasurer, Student Government Association, Grades 9-12
• Captain, Soccer Team, St. Georges High School, Laramie, WY, Fall 20XX Spring 20XX
• Volunteering:

Elements Of A Resume For A College Application

Your resume should give undergraduate admissions committees a brief rundown of your grades, past jobs, awards, leadership activities and presentation skills, and creative capabilities like music, art, writing, or interpersonal skills.

The purpose of the resume is to demonstrate that you have what it takes to succeed academically and socially at the college. To that end, the resume should usually include the following items to paint a complete picture of you:

You don’t have to include all the above items in your resume, but include any that would make you the most attractive candidate for the program.

Read Also: How To Describe Leadership Skills On Resume

What Should Go On A College Resume

Any of the sections below could appear on your resume for college applications. Pick an assortment that works for you!

• Heading with your name, address, and e-mail
• High school information with your graduation date, GPA , class rank, and SAT/ACT scores
• Academic awards, publications, honors, and other achievements
• Coursework

Swap Out Work History For Relevant Experience

While you may not have years of work experience to boast on your resume, that doesnt mean you dont have experience that employers will find valuable. Whether through volunteer activities, extracurriculars, or relevant coursework, you probably have some experience that you can include on your resume.

To make the most of your qualifications, swap out the traditional Professional Experience section for a Relevant Experience section. This allows you to provide a more accurate summary of your achievements and skills.

If you dont have any formal work experience yet, you can use this section to highlight any of the following experience:

• Fraternities or sororities

This section will likely fill up the bulk of your resume, so make sure to add bullet points that help illustrate how these experiences have prepared you for the position you want to fill.

For example, our candidate features her tutoring and study abroad experience on her resume. Furthermore, she adds hard numbers to illustrate her achievements during these experiences:

Improved freshman-level writing scores by 40% through group lessons as well as supplementary one-on-one tutoring

She even includes numbers to illustrate the extent of her research during her study abroad program:

Arranged and conducted interviews with 10+ individuals, ranging in profession from librarians to actors to historians

Don’t Miss: Related Coursework Resume

Writing A Great Resume As A New College Graduate Is Easier Than You Think

Writing your first resume fresh out of university is intimidating.

Thankfully, it doesnt have to be. Employers know that a college education teaches a variety of marketable skills and expertise. Your resume is an opportunity to demonstrate those skills, and show employers what you have to offer.

To best emphasize your talents as a recent college graduate, your resume should:

• showcase your educational background,
• highlight your coursework ,
• and demonstrate your most relevant professional skills.

Projects Can Be Anything

If you don’t have much relevant work experience to draw upon for your resume, don’t fret. You can still create a highly effective resume by showcasing your projects.

As a college student, you likely have had to do a lot of projects for classes relevant to the job or internship you’re looking to get. This is the place to talk about those projects.

Talk about your goals, the methods and skills you used, and the outcome of the project. These can also be things you worked on outside of class!

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 in the roles you’re applying for.

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

Project ideas for college students

With these examples I just want to highlight that the projects you include on your resume can really be anything. They just have to demonstrate you know what is required of the kind of role you’re applying to and you have the ability to meet those requirements.

You May Like: How To Mention Typing Skill In Resume

Find Other Resumes You Like

A good starting point for writing your own resume is checking out other peoples first. Create a profile. Connect with other students from your program, professors, any tutors or teaching assistants you may have worked with, and anyone you may have worked or interned with.

Besides getting your networking off to a good start and being able to search for jobs on LinkedIn, this will also help you scour other resumes as a reference. You might see a specific skill and say, I can add that to my resume, too.

You can also check out resume templates and samples online for your intended field as well.

Tips For Writing A College Resume

Read below for tips on how to write a strong college resume.

• Use action verbs. Action verbs help show your responsibility. When describing your achievements, use action words. Words like led, researched, and to portray your experiences in an energetic way. Check out a list of action words for useful examples.
• Quantify when possible. Whenever possible, include numbers to show your achievements. For example, you might say that you worked the cash register at a store that managed $10,000 daily, or that you helped 50 – 100 customers daily at your retail job.

Recommended Reading: How To Insert A Line In Word For Resume