resume tips college students

College Resume - Examples & Writing Guides for 2024

You’ve just sat down to write a college student resume.

An A+ resume that converts.

Whether you need a part-time job to cover your bills or a college internship for more experience, we are here to help.

This guide will take you through a simple step-by-step process of creating a college student resume. 

• An example of a finished college resume that works
• How to write a college resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your college resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

For some added inspiration, here’s a college student resume example, created with our very own resume builder :

The above example gets serious results, and yours will too. Simply follow the steps below.

Check out some of these related resume examples that you might be interested in:

• No Experience Resume
• Internship Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Students and Graduates Resume
• High School Resume
• Teacher Resume

How to Format a College Student Resume

The first step when creating any resume is to pick the best resume format.

Formatting has a number of benefits, but mostly it allows the hiring manager to read your resume with ease.

The most common resume format for a college student is “functional” or “skill-based”, which allows the hiring manager to immediately see the benefits in hiring you. We recommend college students starting with this format.

Students will usually have stronger skills than their work history, which makes the functional resume a good choice. It’s also ideal for those who have gaps in their employment history.

Now that you have the best format, you need to organize your resume layout .

Use a College Student Resume Template

Before you go ahead with crafting your college student resume, you may want to use a college student resume template.

A resume that is neat and orderly will be a breeze for recruiters to read.

Oh, and it’s the best way to prevent formatting issues.

What to Include in a College Student Resume

The main sections in a college student resume are:

• Contact Information
• Volunteer Experience
• Extracurricular Activities

Want to go a step further? You can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification
• Personal Projects

Interests & Hobbies

But what should you write for each of these sections? Read on to find out.

Want to know more about resume sections? View our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Now, this section doesn’t require flair, but it must be factually correct. Messing up the contact section can mean the recruiter can’t contact you – oops! 

The contact information section must include:

• Title - In this case, “College Student” or “High-school Graduate”
• Phone Number – Proofread this multiple times
• Email Address – Use a professional email address ([email protected]), not one from your childhood ([email protected]).
• (Optional) Location - Applying for a job abroad? Mention your location.
• Abigail Pearce - College Student. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Abigail Pearce - Student. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a College Student Resume Summary or Objective

So, this is a job you really want.

This may even be a job you NEED.

However, your competition is fierce. 

And with so much competition, you need to convince the hiring manager within the first few sentences.

To do this, use a resume summary or objective .

These are short paragraphs that go on top of your resume, just under your contact information. They give an overview of your entire resume.

But what is the difference between the two sections?

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.

Dependable marketing sophomore with 1 year part-time experience in a marketing internship to oversee marketing campaigns that maximise profit. Experience includes PPC campaigns, SMM, web design, brand development, and more.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of what you want to achieve professionally.

Current undergraduate sophomore in marketing with hundreds of classroom hours in marketing and sales related courses. Passionate about maximizing revenue with effective marketing campaigns. Experience includes creating campaigns for my own personal projects in my first term at College X. Skilled in WordPress, Facebook Ads Manager, Photoshop, ClickFunnels, and more.

So, which one is best, summary or objective?

Those with some work experience should go with a resume summary. On the other hand, those who seriously lack work experience should go with a resume objective.

How to Make Your College Student Work Experience Stand Out

Recruiters like to feel confident that you can do the job. There is no easier way to do this than to list your work experience .

Here’s the best way to structure your work experience section:

• Position name
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

The Pizza Cabin

03/2019 - 01/2020

• Served food to 40+ people a night and multiple tables at a time.
• Educated customers on menu items and daily specials.
• Received 98% positive customer feedback.
• Engaged customers in a personal, yet professional manner, which helped me to win “Employee of the Month” 4 times.

To separate your resume from the competition, you should focus on your achievements instead of daily tasks. This will allow the recruiter to see the obvious benefits in hiring you.

Instead of saying:

“Served customers”

“Served food to 80+ people a night and multiple tables at a time”

Simply, the first statement is way too vague. There zero chance the recruiter will be impressed by this.

The second statement shows that you were able to serve 80+ people and multiple tables at a time. This tells the recruiter that you are able to work under pressured conditions and to time constraints – impressive!

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Now, not every applicant will have worked in a similar job before.

If this is you, there is a simple way to get around this.

Simply call-upon crossover skills from any previous jobs.

For example, if you held a customer service role at a local pizza restaurant, you can talk about any crossover skills and experiences. Just like a sales associate, you would be able to show you used strong communication and sales skills.

As a student, make sure to check out our student resume guide!

How to Correctly List your Education

Next, it’s time to talk about your education.

Whether it’s a college junior resume or college sophomore resume, your education section is crucial.

There’s nothing too complicated with this section, just simply enter the information for your in-progress degree in the following format:

• Degree Type & Major
• University Name
• Expected Graduation
• GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add

Majoring in Marketing

University of Chicago

2019 - Present

• Relevant Courses: Principles of Marketing, Managerial Communications, Quantitative Methods, and Macroeconomics.

Now, you may have some questions on this section. If so, here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions that we get:

• What if I haven’t completed education yet?

As we mention above, you should still mention your current place of education, despite not finishing yet

• Should I include my high school education?

If you have not yet finished your college degree, you should also include your high school education

• What do I put first, my education or experience?

Experiences are the priority, so those go first

Want more information? Check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top 10 Skills for a College Student Resume

You’ve got all the skills.

But here’s the thing –

Your competition is well-skilled too!

Show the hiring manager that you’re the top candidate by listing your best skills.

But what are the best skills for a college resume?

Create a list of hard skills and soft skills that you have developed so far in life, such as the following:

Hard Skills for a College Resume:

• Microsoft Office
• Typing Speed
• Copywriting

Soft Skills:

• Creative Thinking
• Communication
• Time-Management
• Team Player
• Decision-Making

Tailor your skills to the job description. You can have the best skills in the world, but the recruiter won’t appreciate them if they’re not relevant to the job.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of 100+ must-have skills this year.

What Else Can You Include?

We’ve now covered every essential resume section .

But the school bell hasn’t rung just yet.

You need your resume to stand out!

Acing the above sections should be enough to get you shortlisted, but adding the following sections could give you a further advantage over the other applicants.  

Awards & Certifications

Have you ever won an award?

Have you completed any third-party courses?

Do you hold any specialized certifications?

Regardless of what it is, if there is anything that you’re proud of, be sure to include it here.

Here’s an example:

Awards & Certificates

• Food Handlers Card & Food Safety Manager Certification 
• “Critical Thinking Masterclass” – Coursera Course

Need to speak multiple languages at your new job?

Yes or no, being able to speak a second language is impressive.

And with so much competition, this could be the difference.

Add a language section if you have space. 

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Intermediate

Now, you may be wondering, “why would a recruiter want to know that I’m a part of the football team?”

Well, it allows the recruiter to get to know who you are on a personal level.

But it doesn’t stop there…

Certain hobbies demonstrate that you have soft skills, like teamwork and communication. 

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Your resume should now be ready to send.

No application is complete without a convincing cover letter.

In opposition to a generic resume, a personalized cover letter shows that you care about working for this specific company .

Here’s how to structure a winning cover letter:

You should complete the following sections:

Personal Contact Information

Your full name, profession, email, phone number, and location

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Full name, position, location, email

Opening Paragraph

It’s no secret that recruiters skim through their pile of resumes. As such, use concise language to mention:

• The position you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

With the recruiter intrigued, you can get deeper into the following specifics:

• Why you chose this specific company
• What you know about the company
• How are your top skills relevant for the job
• Which similar industries or positions have you worked in before

Closing Paragraph

Don’t just end the conversation abruptly, you should:

• Conclude the points made in the body paragraph
• Thank the recruiter for the opportunity
• Finish with a call to action. This is a good way to keep the conversation going. A simple “At your earliest opportunity, I’d love to discuss more about how I can help you achieve X” will work

Formal Salutations

End the letter in a professional manner. Something like, “Kind regards” or “Sincerely.”

For more inspiration, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Key Takeaways

Building a college resume doesn't have to be hard.

Follow the tips in this guide for a college resume that is head & shoulders above the competition. 

Here are our best tips on how to create a college resume:

• Make your resume easy to read by formatting it correctly. Prioritize the reverse-chronological format, and then follow the best practices on content layout
• Use a resume summary or objective to hook the recruiter
• In your work experience section, highlight your most notable achievements to date
• Include a convincing cover letter to separate you from the competition

Suggested Reading:

• How to Make a Resume with No-Experience [21+ Examples]
• 21+ Essential LinkedIn Profile Tips For Job-Seekers
• Use Resume Keywords to Land the Job [880+ Keywords]

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College Student

College Student resume examples & templates

Choosing the right resume format for car sales

Include your contact information, make use of a summary, outline your college work experience, include the relevant key skills that make you a great candidate (even as a college student), detail your education & relevant certifications, pick the right resume layout and design for a college student resume.

Stepping out into the professional world as a college student or fresh graduate can seem difficult and confusing, with so many options on the path to a good job. You can give yourself a winning edge with the right methods for creating an awesome college resume. You might actually get a dream job right out of the gate, with a little luck and a toolbox of insights. 

Writing a resume for a college student is different from one for an established professional. You’ll need to highlight varied experience from internships , academic positions, volunteer work , and more. Remember, other college students have the same coursework and degrees to show, so your resume is key to proving why you’re the best candidate for a competitive position.

Resume guide for a college student resume

Accelerate success with Resume.io. Our guides and resume examples cover over 500 professions, and our resume builder makes creating a compelling resume easier than ever.

This resume guide and corresponding college student resume example will cover the following:

How to write a college student resume

• Choosing the right resume format for college students
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your college experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the job market looks like, and what salary you can expect

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

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Lack of work experience is what usually makes student or graduate resumes inherently different from most job seekers. 

But, you can still build a strong professional profile to impress anyone! To create a persuasive narrative, gather as much information as possible about the job you’re applying for, the skills needed, and the people doing the hiring. Identify the company’s needs and showcase how you’re the person who can fulfill those needs. To craft a great college student resume, stick to this winning formula:

• Remember to highlight accomplishments rather than responsibilities. All of your classmates were assigned similar tasks, but what unique value did you bring to the class or internship?
• It’s essential to customize each application you submit for the specific employer or opportunity. You should not only tailor the writing but also the formatting and tone of your resume.
• When submitting online, optimize your resume with appropriate keywords so it won’t be filtered out by ATS screening software . Read more about ATS below.

Optimize for the ATS

Automated recruiting technology is a reality in today's job market and hiring practices. You'll need to understand the nature of applicant tracking systems (ATS) to pass this technical barrier to getting an awesome position. 

ATS software is designed to help recruiters and hiring managers sort through hundreds of resumes. This is done by automatically processing, analyzing, and scoring your resume based on keywords. As a result, certain vital sections of your resume will require extra attention.

The terms that describe job qualifications and requirements are often the same ones that the ATS searches for when processing your resume. So, pay attention to what’s obvious and give yourself an easy advantage. Stay consistent with the employers' terminology in your resume wording. 

U.S. survey results show that, in general, 75% of resumes are never seen by human eyes. Automated screening technology can become a resume black hole. If you're sending your resume through an ATS channel, keywords may be the deciding factor whether a recruiter will actually get to see it. To learn more about conquering the ATS, check out our article Resume ATS optimization .

The most commonly used chronological resume format is designed as a straightforward way for job candidates to organize their experience and qualifications below employer headings and dates, in order from most recent to earliest. But, for college students or recent graduates who lack work experience, other resume formats may be more suitable. 

Like every consideration when preparing your resume, the format you choose should depend on the type of job and industry, and how best to present yourself as an ideal match. 

In cases where specialized knowledge and skills are just as important as where you have worked until now—if not more so—a functional resume may be your best bet. It offers greater flexibility to emphasize your most relevant strengths up front in a section labeled “Experience.” 

A hybrid, or combination, resume format offers even more versatility. Job seekers can integrate chronological and functional elements in the most applicable manner, and perhaps even put their education section higher up on the page. 

Never underestimate the importance of a distinctive resume header to set yourself apart from other candidates. An eye-pleasing header design gets your resume noticed for the right reason. Not only does it contribute to the document’s overall reader-friendliness but also readily identifies who you are and how you can be contacted for an interview.

The most important goal is that your contact information is easily accessible. Just as important, however, is that it’s professionally presented. 

• Full name & title . List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you are pursuing.
• Professional email address . Use a clean format like [email protected] . Don’t use a quirky, unprofessional email address or an .edu.
• Phone number . List a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
• Location . List only your city and state . Note 'Willing to Relocate' here if applicable.
• LinkedIn . Even as a college student, you should create a LinkedIn profile that is active , relevant, and aligned with your resume. Include the URL in your header.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth : Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination .
• Personal details : Marital status, social security number, passport number , etc.

Jenna Smith

Research Assistant

090-080-0000

[email protected]

Rarely does a college student or new graduate have much to showcase in the way of rich work experience. But, what you can have is a college student resume that paints a picture of a determined, positive, and productive personality. 

This is what your summary is for . It's your personal story. In fact, it may be your best chance to stand out from hundreds of other applicants, including college students with similar educational backgrounds. 

So, make sure not to squander this valuable opportunity by merely copying and pasting a block of generic text. Instead, catch the recruiter's eye off the top, in the very first line of your resume summary. Show that you've done your homework and that you have what it takes to succeed.

The whole point of the resume summary is to project a certain character and image, which is relatively easy to do in this more flexible freeform resume section. Since we're dealing with first impressions and perceptions, that image needs to be purposefully crafted. Here are some examples of possible content:

• Describe the personal qualities you think are appropriate for the industry and position. Inspire the future employer's confidence that you're a good fit for the job.
• Use action verbs and energetic, positive language. Come across as an upbeat, vibrant, productive person who will be a joy to work with and employ.
• Sprinkle in one or two of the most valuable skills you bring to this job. For example, CRM software knowledge for an office manager job could be a crucial advantage.
• Mention one or two aspects of your work / life experience that show you are productive and determined.

Need inspiration for your summary? Check out our related resumes: 

• Early Childhood Educator resume sample
• College Student resume sample
• Student resume sample
• Academic Librarian resume sample
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• ESL Teacher resume sample
• Tutor resume sample 
• Teacher Assistant resume sample 
• Substitute Teacher resume sample
• Middle School Teacher resume sample
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• College Professor resume sample
• Internship resume sample
• High School Teacher resume sample
• Academic Tutor resume sample 
• College Admissions resume sample
• Academic resume sample
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• Teen resume sample
• School Counselor resume sample
• Instructional Designer resume sample
• Camp Counselor resume sample
• Special Education Teacher resume sample

You can find adaptable college student resume example summaries below:

Eager and ambitious business administration student with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. Demonstrated leadership abilities through involvement in student organizations and extracurricular activities. Strong academic foundation in finance, marketing, and management, supplemented by hands-on experience gained through internships in the business sector.

Creative and empathetic sociology student with a keen interest in cultural studies and social justice. Proficient in critical thinking, research, and written communication, with a focus on exploring complex societal issues and promoting diversity and inclusion. Seeking opportunities to apply my interdisciplinary perspective and storytelling abilities in roles that foster social change and promote understanding across diverse communities.

Enthusiastic and driven computer science student with a passion for technology and innovation. Possesses a solid foundation in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C++, coupled with coursework in algorithms, data structures, and software engineering. Experienced in developing web applications, mobile apps, and software solutions through hands-on projects and internships.

Even as a student, your work experience section needs to shine. Luckily, “experience” can be defined as more than just transitional employment. Let’s look at how this resume section can give you an edge by reflecting your life experience and your vibrant, productive personality. 

• Internship experience . This is one of the most impressive substitutes for "full" employment experience. Recruiters pay special attention to this when considering student or graduate resumes .
• Summer / temp jobs . Experience as a waitress , clerk , or nanny counts for more than you might think in terms of transferable skills. Courtesy, patience, discipline, dependability, willingness to work long hours are just a few examples.
• Social initiatives / volunteer work . These are almost always impressive on a college student resume. Volunteering demonstrates altruistic traits and a cooperative team spirit .
• Self-directed or community projects . Cite examples of commitments and collaborations that extended from your personal interests and talents.

List your current (or most recent) job at the top of this section and work your way back to your first job. Only go back as far as you’ve been in college and stick to experience that is directly related to the role you are applying for. 

Under each employer and role heading, describe your contributions in concise bullet point statements, omitting “I.”  Start each bullet point with an action verb like led, motivated, orchestrated, collaborated, or managed.

Make sure to focus on results and concrete information that demonstrates tangible outcomes as opposed to generic duties. This will impress the employer and help them see why you’re a cut above other college students.

Take a look at the college student employment history resume sample below:

Sales Associate at Coffee Grinders, Boston  September 2015 - June 2018 

• Greeted customers and assisted them with purchasing products.
• Helped customers grind coffee beans and sample new products.
• Maintained a clean and welcoming store environment.
• Handled financial transactions.
• Monitored and recorded inventory records.

How to write a college student resume with no work experience

Remember, no employer is expecting to see a 10-year work summary on your college student resume. Concentrate on projecting a positive, productive image to make a strong first impression. 

If you have no experience, your summary can be a goal statement—perhaps a bit more imaginative but still relevant and focused. Just aim for a general description, combining a variety of past projects, personal qualities, and life experiences. 

In your employment history section, showcase your involvement in extracurricular activities such as clubs, organizations, sports teams, or volunteer work. Describe your roles and responsibilities within these activities, highlighting any leadership positions or notable achievements. 

Finally, include a skills section where you can list any technical skills , languages , software proficiency, or certifications that are relevant to the jobs you're applying for. By focusing on your academic achievements, skills, and extracurricular activities, you can create a compelling resume that demonstrates your potential as a college student with no prior experience .

The skills section of a college student resume 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 resume.

Start by creating a master list. The master list is a free-form document—electronic 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 resume to the job application.

Once you've found an actual job application or opportunity, tailor your resume and skills section to the job listing. We've talked about keywords already, and the point of this step is to satisfy both the hiring specialist and the ATS. 

Pay attention to the skills terminology used in the job description and ensure your skills outline matches the same wording if possible. This may seem trivial but may become the difference between getting a job interview and being filtered out.

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

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

• Office Technology Skills
• Motivated Attitude
• Social Media Platforms
• Advanced Communication Skills

As a college student, your education is likely the most consequential experience you’ll have to show on your resume. That’s why it’s important to carefully complete this section with the right details to impress the hiring manager or scholarship committee.

As with your employment history section, you’ll want to list each degree from most recent to oldest. Create a subheading with the degree name, university, dates attended, and location. Since you’re likely still studying, you can add “present” instead of an end date.

Underneath the subheading, you should add 2-3 bullet points that describe your most impressive academic achievements, relevant coursework , and leadership roles. It’s also a good idea to include your expected graduation date if you’re still a student. Your GPA is also an essential piece of information, but only list it if it’s 3.5 or above. If your GPA for your major is significantly higher than your overall score, include that instead. 

If you’re still in college, you can add your high school education in much the same way as your college one. If adding a GED , simply include the date completed. Once you’ve completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, remove your high school details to make more room for professional experience on your resume. 

Check out our adaptable education resume sample below and learn more about adding your education to your resume .

Bachelor of Film and Media Studies, Boston University, Boston  August 2016 - Present 

• Working towards a Film and Media Studies degree

High School Diploma, Regis High School, New York  September 2012 - May 2016 

• Graduated with High Honors
• President of the Journalism Club

Layout, design and formatting considerations are vitally important for a successful college student resume. There are two main reasons for this: visual perception by humans and processing compatibility with automated systems. 

Make it easier on recruiters. Employ chunking, which makes the text more readable and digestible by breaking it into bite-sized pieces. This is achieved through the use of white space and graphical elements such as boxes, lines, images, and other formatting that improves legibility.

Recruiters are likely to pay a lot more attention to your resume if you apply a visually attractive, suitably-formatted template based on research-backed design principles.  Just as you should customize the content of your resume for each position you apply to, your layout and design should also match the image of the employer or opportunity. 

Professionally designed resume templates make it easy to create a perfectly formatted layout and give you the ability to switch between styles with ease.

Key takeaways for building a college student resume

You can get an awesome job as a college student. Your college student resume is a hugely important instrument for that. The summary section provides the best opportunity for your college student resume to stand out and show personality.

The education section is a focal point for most college student resumes. Your resume skills section will be defined by the job you are pursuing within a specific industry. Tailor it to the job description and your knowledge of the industry. 

Our online resume builder makes the process of college resume creation much easier and helps avoid hidden technical pitfalls.

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

College Student Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

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How To Write a College Student Resume

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College Student Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

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Joseph Corbin (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Philadelphia, PA 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example

Motivated student with strong academic performance in high school, including an “A” average for Mathematics. Demonstrated success in a leadership role through multiple school athletics and work activities. Naturally curious and eager to explore and understand new topics.

Key Skills 

• Complex problem-solving
• Data analysis
• Group leadership
• Mathematics
• Microsoft Excel
• Team collaboration

Graduate, Benjamin Franklin High School, Philadelphia, PA | August 2018 to June 2022

• “A” average in all Mathematics classes, including AP Calculus

High School Athletics

Spring Track Team 

Co-Captain (Senior year)

• Voted into team leadership role; coordinated with the head coach to help organize meets and answer various questions from team members
• Served as a valued mentor and resource to underclassmen

Member (all four years)

• Gained and demonstrated a strong sense of dedication and teamwork
• Contributed to team’s placing in the top four out of 18 high schools in the region for three consecutive years

Work Experience

Host / Server / Team Lead, Domino’s Pizza, Philadelphia, PA | Summer 2018 and 2019

• Greeted visitors and took and served food orders in a fast-paced environment
• Proposed several changes to the order entry process for servers and delivery drivers, improving efficiency and collaboration among the two groups
• Helped restaurant place No. 3 in the region for customer satisfaction in July and August 2019

Hobbies & Interests

Avid reader (six or more books per month) | Painting | Running

Advanced proficiency in Spanish (A- average for classes taken in all four years of high school)

Rob Smith  (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Columbus, OH 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example

Efficient and hardworking student with a strong interest in computer science. Draw on technical knowledge base covering UX design, JAVA, MySQL, and HTML. Demonstrated success objectively measuring software performance while participating in a rapid development cycle.

• Efficiency improvement
• Group collaboration
• Independent research
• Technical troubleshooting
• User experience (UX)

Graduate, AAE High School, Columbus, OH | August 2018 to June 2022 3.7 GPA | Top 10% of graduating class

Tech Support, XYZ Company, Columbus, OH | June 2020 to present

• Quickly and professionally respond to various tech support tickets
• Install hardware and software as needed to maintain systems
• Work with managers to develop rapid response systems to major tech threats
• Co-design and deliver educational materials to staff on proper tech use

Retail Sales Associate, Smith Clothing Company, Columbus, OH | August 2019 to May 2020

• Gained strong foundation in positive customer relations
• Operated cash register and balanced the till at end of day (EOD)

Certifications

• Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+
• Nielsen Norman Group UX and UX Master

John Miller (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Columbus, OH 12345 | LinkedIn | Portfolio

High school student with a strong interest in marketing and advertising. Freelance graphic design professional with a growing portfolio and client relationships with major local nonprofits. Enjoy collaborating on a team to explore topics and solve complex challenges.

• Data visualization
• Graphic design
• Marketing strategy
• Task prioritization
• Writing and editing

Candidate: Diploma, Douglass High School, Columbus, OH | expected June 2023 3.8 GPA | SAT scores: 760 math, 680 verbal (1440 combined)

High School Athletics and Activities

Member, Debate Team | August 2020 to present

• Collaborate closely on a 10-person team to research debate topics and form and organize compelling arguments

Member, Cross-Country Running Team | Fall 2021 and 2022

Freelance Graphic Designer, XYZ Company, Columbus, OH | April 2018 to present

• Conceptualize and create diverse marketing materials to spec
• Engage and partner with marketing teams to design campaigns and track return on investment
• Design logos and event graphics for client nonprofits
• Make infographics using data provided by sales teams
• Developed an award-winning print ad for a local coffee shop

Library Materials Associate, Community Library, Columbus, OH | June 2014 to April 2016

• Greeted students and verified account status for check-out
• Helped students find and incorporate various research sources
• Set up display technology for individual and group use
• Managed schedules for meeting and study rooms
• Reshelved materials at EOD

Technical Skills

Adobe InDesign, Photoshop | Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

When applying to colleges, you may find some schools require a resume . You can write a great resume for your college applications by showing your relevant high school and other experiences and emphasizing how you’ve explored topics and pursued your interests. Incorporating this theme into each section of your resume can increase your chances of being accepted into your preferred college or university. The advice and examples provided below can guide you in achieving this goal.

1. Summarize your college student qualifications in a dynamic profile

Your resume profile should catch admissions officers’ interest by giving the top reasons they can expect you to engage actively in their campus community. Can you share some instances from your life where you have exhibited curiosity and dedication toward excellence? Your answer to this question can lead to your best profile points. For example, maybe you’ve earned an “A” average in the school subject likely to become your college major. Or perhaps you’ve done freelance work that’s helped you develop a hobby into a possible career track. With details like these at the top of your college resume, you can show your potential to thrive in a college setting.

Profile Example

Motivated student with strong academic performance in high school, including an “A” average for mathematics. Demonstrated success in a leadership role through multiple school athletics and work activities. Naturally curious and eager to explore and understand new topics.

2. Add a compelling section featuring your college student experience

Use your resume’s experience section(s) to give examples of exploring and pursuing topics that interest you. Colleges and universities generally want students who are engaged, diligent, and curious about the world. So view your experience from this perspective and write down anything that reflects your gaining or showing these qualities.

You aren’t limited to details about work experience, especially if the jobs you’ve held so far don’t speak to your career interests. On a resume for college applications, the strongest experience section will often come from a different area. For example, maybe you’re most proud of having been on the debate team or teaching yourself HTML outside school. Below is a list of possible experience sections you might develop on your resume:

• Community service
• High school athletics
• Internship experience
• Personal accomplishments
• School clubs and societies
• Study abroad experience
• Summer coursework

Experience Example

Spring Track Team

3. Include education and certifications relevant to college students

View your resume’s education section as another chance to show active engagement in learning. Give basic details about your high school. But also feel free to name study areas or materials that have sparked your interest and may become a focus for you at the college level. For example, if your English classes have let you choose from a reading list for each unit, you could name some of the books or texts you decided to read and why. Also note any AP classes you’ve completed, school awards you’ve won, or other distinctions you’ve earned, like a high GPA or class rank. These can all help admissions officers see your potential.

Below are templates and examples to help you format your high school education, along with any certifications you’d like to add to your resume. Note that optional template areas appear in [brackets].

• Candidate: Diploma, High School Name, City, ST | expected graduation date
• [Select study areas or materials of interest]

Certification

Certification Name or Title , [Awarding Organization] | [Year]

Service Excellence Certificate, VCU Advanced Solutions | 2023

4. List college student-related skills and proficiencies

Add a key skills section to show how you excel in a learning environment. For instance, maybe you like to research a topic independently, or you prefer the stimulation of working in a group. On the other hand, perhaps you’re open to learning by various methods. Whatever your learning style, you can highlight it in your key skills section so admissions officers see how you’d apply yourself at their school. Below are some common keywords for college student resumes:

5. Consider adding personal hobbies or interests

You may have heard that hobbies and interests should be left off a resume. While this is often true for regular job seekers, it doesn’t apply to aspiring college students. Hobbies and interests can be a strong feature of your college application resume because they help show your all-around sense of curiosity. Feel free to highlight them in a separate section, typically toward or at the bottom of your resume.

Hobbies and Interests

How To Pick the Best College Student Resume Template

For college applicants, a clear and straightforward resume template is usually best. Opt for a visual design that lets the admissions officer quickly review your most relevant information. Select a traditional resume font , and avoid any template with a colorful or elaborate design.

Frequently Asked Questions: College Student Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for college student resumes -.

For aspiring college students, good resume verbs will relate to the process of learning and discovery – think “explored,” “researched,” or “uncovered.” But there are various others you might use to describe your school, work, and other life experiences so far. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your college application resume:

How do you align your resume with each college application? -

The National Center for Education Statistics forecasts that total undergraduate enrollment will increase by about 9% (to nearly 17 million students) between 2021 and 2031. 

To optimize your resume for each college application:

1. Take cues from what you know about the school. 2. Refer to their website, brochures, notes from the campus tour, or any other information you’ve gathered on what the school is known for and what you’re most drawn to about it. 3. As you look over these materials, highlight words or phrases that are repeated or emphasized.

These terms can tell you what details you may want to feature in your resume profile or key skills sections (as long as they’re accurate to your experience).

For example, say you’re drawn to the college’s study-abroad program. Consider using your profile to showcase any travel or exchange programs you’ve done, along with your foreign language skills. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each college opportunity.

What is the best college student resume format? -

In nearly all cases, use a Combination (or Hybrid) resume because it’s easiest for admissions officers to learn about your pertinent skills and background. It’s also easiest for you to align with your goals.

With the Combination format, you focus on your most relevant skills and experience in your experience section(s) and an intro section. (This combination of experience and intro content is where the format gets its name.) Your resume intro should usually include a profile summary and key skills section, but you may also add a highlights or awards section. By carefully choosing the details for these intro sections, you can (a) position yourself for your desired school program and (b) give admissions officers a clear, quick view of what you offer.

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Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

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Writing a College Resume: Tips and Examples

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• Before You Arrive
• Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Living On Campus
• Outside The Classroom
• Graduation & Beyond
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Admissions
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

The resume you create as a college student is going to play an important role in securing meaningful summer employment, getting a rewarding internship, or landing your first full-time job after graduation. The challenge, of course, is that you are a college student so you most likely don't have a lot of work experience that seems relevant to your target job. However, you do have course work, activities, and skills that will be attractive to an employer. A good resume presents these credentials clearly, efficiently, and effectively.

Tips for a Winning College Resume

• Limit the resume to one page
• Keep the style simple with standard margins and a readable font
• Define your relevant experience broadly—significant class projects can be included
• If you have room, add activities and interests to paint a fuller picture of yourself

No one who is hiring a current college student is going to expect to see a long list of publications, patents, and work experience. The goal of a well-crafted college resume is to show that you have the skills and foundational knowledge needed to succeed at your job, and you have the potential to develop into an accomplished expert.

Formatting and Style

Don't overthink the appearance of your resume. Clarity and ease of reading has much more value than a fancy, eye-catching design. If you find yourself spending more time working with colors and graphic design than with content, you're taking the wrong approach to your resume. An employer wants to see who you are, what you've done, and what you can contribute to the company. If you're considering a resume template with three columns, a skills bar graphs, and your name in fuchsia letters, stop yourself and create something simple.

A few general guidelines can help you craft an effective resume.

• The length: Most college resumes should be one page long. If you can't fit everything on a page, try cutting some of the less meaningful content and tightening the descriptions of your experiences.
• The font: Both serif and sans serif fonts are fine for resumes. Serif fonts are those such as Times New Roman and Garamond that have decorative elements added to the characters. Sans serif fonts such as Calibri and Verdana do not. That said, sans serif fonts are often more readable on small screens, and you'll find the most common recommendation is to go with sans serif. As for font size, choose something between 10.5 and 12 points.
• The margins: Aim to have standard one-inch margins. If you need to go a little smaller to fit everything on a page, that's fine, but a resume with quarter-inch margins is going to look unprofessional and cramped.
• Headings: Each section of your resume (Experience, Education, etc.) should have a clear header with a little extra white space above it and a font that is bolded and/or a point or two larger than the rest of the text. You can also emphasize section headers with a horizontal line.

What to Include

As you think about what information to include in your resume, be sure you're also thinking about what to exclude. Unless you're early in your college career and had an impressive job in high school, you'll want to leave out credentials from high school.

In general, a resume needs to present your academic information (grades, relevant coursework, minor, degree), relevant experience (jobs, significant projects, internships), awards and honors, skills, and interests.

Relevant Experience

"Experience" often means jobs you have had, but you should feel free to define this category more broadly. As a college student, you may have had significant projects or research experiences that were part of a class. You can use this section of your resume to draw attention to these accomplishments. You will also want to define "relevant" broadly. The time management and customer service skills you developed in a food service job may, in fact, be relevant to a job in a museum or publishing company.

In the education section, you'll want to include the college or colleges you have attended, your major(s) and minor(s), the degree you will earn (BA, BS, BFA, etc.), and your expected graduation date. You should also include your GPA if it is high, and you can include selected coursework if it is clearly relevant to your target job.

Awards and Honors

If you won a writing award, were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa , made the Dean's List, or earned any other meaningful honors, be sure to include this information on your resume. If you don't have anything worth mentioning, you don't need to include this section on your resume, and if you have just a single academic honor, you can list it in the "Education" section rather than a separate section focused on honors and awards.

If you have specific professional skills that will be attractive to an employer, be sure to list them. This includes programming skills, software proficiency, and second language fluency.

Activities and Interests

If you find you still have white space on the page, consider adding a section that presents some of your more meaningful extracurricular activities and other interests. This can be particularly valuable if you gained leadership experience in your clubs and activities, or if you participated in something like the college newspaper where you developed your writing skills. If space allows, the mention of a couple hobbies or interests can help present you as a three-dimensional human being and provide topics for conversation during the interview.

Tips for College Resume Writing

The best resumes are clear, concise, and engaging. To achieve this result, make sure you follow these suggestions:

• Edit meticulously. One error is too many on a resume. If the document you are using to get a job has mistakes, you are telling your potential employer that you are not detail-oriented and you are likely to produce sub-par work. Make sure your resume has no errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, style, or formatting.
• Focus on verbs. Verbs represent action, so place them first in your descriptions and use them to show what you have done. "Managed two work-study students" will be much more engaging and effective than "Two work-study students served under me." Each item in this bullet list, for example, begins with a verb.
• Emphasize your skills. You may not have a lot of work experience yet, but you do have skills. If you're highly proficient with Microsoft Office software, be sure to include this information. You definitely should include proficiency with programming languages or specialized software. If you've gained leadership experience through campus clubs, include that information, and you'll want to draw attention to your writing skills if you're strong on that front.

Sample College Resume

This example presents the type of essential information you'll want to include on your resume.

Abigail Jones 123 Main Street Collegetown, NY 10023 (429) 555-1234 abigailjones@emaildomain.com

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Ivy Tower College, Collegetown, NY Biology Research Assistant, September 2020-May 2021

• Set up and operated equipment for PCR genotyping of bacteria
• Propagated and maintained bacterial cultures for genomic study
• Conducted literature review of bacterial infections in large farm animals

Upstate Agricultural Laboratories Summer Internship, June-August 2020

• Collected oral and rectal swabs from diverse livestock
• Prepared agar medium for bacterial cultures
• Assisted in PCR genotyping of bacterial samples

Ivy Tower College, Collegetown, NY Bachelor of Science in Biology Minors in Chemistry and Writing Coursework includes Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Pathogenesis Lab, Genetic Systems, Immunobiology 3.8 GPA Expected Graduation: May 2021

AWARDS & HONORS

• Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honor Society
• Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
• Winner, Hopkins Award for Expository Writing
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Adobe InDesign and PhotoShop
• Strong English editing skills
• Conversational German proficiency

ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS

• Senior Editor, The Ivy Tower Herald , 2019-present
• Active Member, Students for Social Justice, 2018-present
• Avid racquet ball player and cookie baker
• Items to Exclude from Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• What Is a Double Major?
• Must Reads for College-Bound Students
• How Important Is a College Minor?
• Sample Appeal Letter for an Academic Dismissal
• A Bad Academic Dismissal Appeal Letter
• What Are the Best Work Study Jobs?
• What It Means to Be a 'Super Senior' In College
• College Dorm Life: What Is an RA?
• 5 Reasons to Join an Intramural Sports Team in College
• The College Resources You Should Use More Often
• How to Get Your Homework Done in College
• 10 Ways to Reduce College Stress
• How To Work on a College Group Project
• How to Be Successful in College
• 10 College Safety Tips

Résumé Tips for College Students

Knowing how to successfully write a résumé is a crucial skill for any job hunter. Consider a résumé as your first impression. This document offers the opportunity to succinctly present your professional self and get you in the door for an interview. While a résumé is incredibly important on the road to employment, it can be tricky to write. Here are some tried and true résumé tips to get you started on the right foot.

Parts of a Résumé

All résumés are different. A résumé should be tailored to fit your individual work history, profession and even style preferences. All résumés must possess these five elements, according to Monster.com .

• Contact information. This includes your name, street address, phone number, email and professional social media accounts. This section should be prominent at the top or side of the document.
• An objective or a summary. Whether you use an objective or a summary depends on your level of relevant experience. Objectives explain what you hope to professionally accomplish. This is ideal for those who are new to the workforce or who are switching job fields. A summary gives a succinct explanation of your relevant professional history.
• Skills. A bulleted list of some kind, this section should note any relevant proficiencies you have. You can include both hard skills (technical-based) and soft skills (those that transfer to many types of work).
• Professional experience. The bulk of your résumé will describe previous jobs and work experience. Each listing should include your job title, the name of the company you worked for, city and state and dates you worked there by month and year. You should include a bulleted list of what you did at each job under its heading. Make sure to emphasize your accomplishments, rather than day-to-day duties. (For the purpose of résumé writing, an accomplishment is anything that saved your employer time, money or resources.) If you can, use numbers and data.
• Education. This section often goes at the bottom of a résumé. However, if your education is particularly relevant to the position you’re applying for and you have no work experience in that area, it may be helpful to move it higher. This section should include the name, city and state of your college, major, if you graduated with honors and GPA.

The Right Words

Résumés require a specific type of writing style. An easy way to master this style is through action words, or vocabulary to describe your work in a professional and competent light. The Muse offers some great examples to make your résumé pop:

If you…

• Led a project: organized, headed, oversaw, produced, coordinated
• Helped a project to emerge: built, created, designed, developed, launched
• Saved your employer money: conserved, decreased, yielded, consolidated, lessened
• Increased efficiency or sales: furthered, accelerated, gained, improved, sustained
• Made something better: replaced, merged, overhauled, revitalized, streamlined
• Managed people: aligned, mentored, mobilized, trained, supervised
• Helped customers: informed, resolved, advised, consulted, fielded
• Researched: examined, evaluated, calculated, identified, assessed
• Wrote things: documented, composed, edited, persuaded, corresponded
• Oversaw things: authorized, delegated, monitored, screened, verified
• Achieved something: completed, exceeded, showcased, surpassed, outperformed

Other Helpful Tips

While résumé writing is an art rather than a science, there are other common sense tips that you can use to make sure you get ahead.

• Tailor your résumé to the job you’re applying for. Look at the job description. What words do they use? What competencies do they require? How can your past experiences meet those needs? Adjust your language to reflect these things, particularly in your objective.
• Make the document easy to read. Employers don’t spend much time reading résumés. They skim. Don’t use type smaller than 10 point. Include plenty of white space. Align your employment dates in a column so they’re easy to find. No HR manager should have to work to find the information they need.
• Keep your résumé to one page. Again, no one will read it if it’s more.
• You don’t have to include everything. Remember, a résumé is a document that will help you get an interview for a specific position. Use it to sell the relevant experience you have. Consider leaving out work experience if it’s not directly related the position.
• Don’t lie. This should seem obvious, but sometimes people forget. Not telling the truth about your past work history will most likely come back to haunt you.

Preparing for Success

Writing a successful résumé is just one way to get yourself ready for the workforce. At the University of West Florida, our online degree programs successfully train you to get to the next stage of your career, whatever it might be. With more than 25 online programs at various levels of study, you’ll be able to find the right program for you that’s flexible enough to fit your life.

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Resume Examples and Tips for College Students and Graduates

What to Include in Your Resume

• Resume Writing Tips
• College Resume Example & Template
• Resume Samples Listed by Type
• Review Your Resume

When you're a college student or recent graduate, it can be a challenge to figure out what to include on your resume. After all, most college students don't have an extensive  employment history . Employers know that, however, so they don't expect to see a lengthy list of jobs.

But just because you are at the beginning of your career doesn’t mean that you don’t have significant accomplishments to include in your resume. As a college student or recent graduate, you have many achievements that will qualify you for internships, summer jobs, and your first post-graduation position.

Along with paid employment, you can list  volunteering , summer jobs, paid and unpaid  internships , coursework, and school activities on your resume.

You can also highlight the skills that best qualify you for the jobs for which you're applying. Taking the time to show the employer that you have the right skills will help get your application considered for an interview.

Read below for advice on how to write a resume as a college student or graduate, along with lists of resume examples to review and download to get started on writing your own resume.

If you're not sure what to include, do some brainstorming about all of your past experiences, including work-related positions, volunteering, academic experience, campus leadership positions, extracurricular activities, internships, and any awards or special recognition you may have received. They can all be included on your resume.

Make a list of all you have accomplished during your time at college, and include the achievements that are most relevant to the job you are applying for your resume. You'll need to tweak your resume each time you apply , but it's well worth the extra effort.

Resume Writing Tips for College Students and Grads

Emphasize academics.

If you have limited work and extracurricular experience, you can emphasize your academic history.

• Put the  “Education” section  of your resume at the top of your resume so that it is the first thing the employer sees.
• Along with the name of your school and degree, include any achievements, such as a high  GPA or any academic awards (such as making the Dean’s List).
• If you have taken courses related to the job you’re applying for or completed school projects that required skills related to the job, list those as well.

Match Your Skills to the Job

Look at the job listing or postings you are applying for — your goal here is to  match your experience  and skills with the job requirements.

• Circle the experiences and skills on your brainstormed list of experience that relate directly to the job (or jobs) you have targeted.
• Incorporate those circled items into your resume.
• You can elaborate on some of these experiences in a bulleted list under each one.

Highlight Your Achievements

Based on your experiences, you might choose to divide your resume into  different categories , such as “Work History,” “Volunteer Experience,” “Relevant Coursework,” and more. If you do not have much relevant experience, you might put all of these under the same category of “Related Experience.”

Create a Skills Section

You can also create a  “Skills” section  on your resume to highlight skills you have gained throughout your experiences. For example, if you are applying for a job as a computer programmer, you might list the programming languages you are familiar with under the “Skills” section of your resume.

Print Your Resume

It's much easier to review your resume to check the formatting and catch errors, if you print it out. You'll be able to make sure there is plenty of white space, your resume is readable, and you haven't made any mistakes.

Resume Examples for College Students and Graduates

Use a resume example or a resume template to guide your own writing. A resume example can help you decide what kind of content to include, as well as how to format your resume. However, be sure to tailor a resume example to fit your own experiences, and the job you are applying for.

Download the resume template  (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see more examples below.

Resume Example for College Students and Graduates (Text Version)

Kenneth Applicant 8907 Greentree Avenue Louisville, KY 40201 email@email.com (000) 123-4567 (cell)

ACCOUNTANT PROFILE

Highly analytical and detail-oriented emerging professional, poised to excel within entry-level Accounting role requiring strong mathematical and organizational acumen.

• Accounting : Well-studied in financial and managerial accounting, tax preparation, variance analysis, and FASB / GAAP best practices.
• Information Technology : Adept in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (including Excel macros), QuickBooks, Turbo Tax, NetSuite, and Concur.
• Communications : Communicate well both orally and in writing, effectively explaining complicated financial data to clients and stakeholders.
• Key Strengths : Work well both independently and as a dedicated team member. Natural and proactive problem-solver, diligently reviewing work products to identify and eliminate errors.

BSBA in Accountancy (May 2018); 3.79 GPA UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, Louisville, KY

Dean’s List; Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society; Agnes Avery Accounting Scholarship; Accounting Society Secretary

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, Louisville, KY Student ~ Accountancy , 09/2014-06/2018

Completed comprehensive studies in Accountancy. Completed coursework included: Advanced Accounting Problems, Advanced Managerial Cost Accounting, Auditing Theory and Practice, Advanced Taxation, and Advanced Accounting Information Systems. Accounting co-op experiences: 

• Bardstown Physicians Associates (Spring 2016): Performed accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general ledger accounting for physicians’ business office.
• German Manufacturing (Spring 2017): Honed expertise in payroll accounting for a 700-member workforce.
• Stengel Enterprises (Winter 2018): Helped senior accountant and CPA to compile financial and tax records during IRS audit.

OFFICE SUPPLIES CO., Louisville, KY Seasonal Retail Sales Consultant , Summers 2016 and 2017

Provided attentive customer service to patrons of high-volume office supply store. Helped customers with product selection, stocked shelves, and operated point-of-sale system.

Key achievements : 

• Earned “Most Valued Associate” two summers in a row.
• Rehired by management in recognition of punctuality, attention to detail, and excellent work ethic.

More Resume Samples Listed by Type

Review more sample resumes and resume templates for college students and graduates applying for internships, summer jobs, and full-time positions to get ideas for your own resume.

Type of Student

Review resume examples listed by type of student and graduate.

• College Student Resume
• College Student Resume with a Summary
• Resume Focusing on Coursework
• Resume with GPA Listed
• College Senior Resume Example
• Entry Level Resume Examples
• Law Student Resume
• Summer Job Resumes and Cover Letters
• Teaching Abroad Resume
• Tutor Resume Example for a Student

Type of Job

Review resume examples for specific types of entry-level jobs for graduates.

• Business / Banking Resume
• Business / Technology Resume
• Camp Counselor Resume Example
• Education / Teaching Resume
• Entry Level Management Resume
• Publishing / Journalism Resume
• Summer Lifeguard Resume
• Summer Sales Associate Resume
• Teaching Abroad / International Education Resume
• Summer Job Resume Examples

Use these downloadable resume templates to create your own resume.

• College Resume Template
• Resume Template
• Microsoft Resume Templates

Review Your Resume Before You Apply

If you can, have someone from your campus career office, or perhaps an alumnus in the field that you are interested in, take a look at your resume to make sure that you have included as much pertinent information as possible. Otherwise, ask a friend or family member to review your resume for you.

This person can also read through your resume to spot any errors, including grammar and spelling mistakes, and issues with the style and layout.

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Include all your achievements: You can include more than paid work experience on your resume.

Highlight your most relevant skills: Focus your resume and cover letter on the skills that qualify you for the job.

Tweak your resume for the job: Take the time to tailor your job application materials for every job you apply for.

Start with a template: Download a template to use as a starting point for writing your own resume.

Get assistance: Need more help? Check with your college career services office for guidance.

10 Resume Writing Tips for College Students

• Post author By Guest

Creating a captivating resume can be a daunting task for college students – the reason for that is obvious: at this early stage of their lives, students haven’t reached many significant achievements .

However, when you take a look at the list of skills that are valuable for employers , you will understand that there is much more you can write about than what you initially anticipated. If you know how to write a resume, you will easily convince your potential employer that you possess the exact skills they are looking for!

Here are some resume writing tips that will help you present your background in a manner employers would appreciate:

1) Before you start, make a list of your experiences:

Your resume descriptions will require precise language that should sound professional, but represent your personality at the same time. Achieving that tone is the most challenging aspect of writing resumes – anyone could take inventory of their experience, but not everyone can make them sound in a way that will make the employer think “ That’s exactly what I need! ”

The best approach is to start with small steps and make a list of the most significant experiences you have gone through up to this point. You can list any achievements from the fields of academics, internships, jobs, athletics, community service , and school activities. Distinguish the experiences of the list that helped you learn the most or motivated you the most.

2) Highlight the most relevant experiences and skills:

Take a look at that list you just brainstormed – what are the most relevant experiences and skills for the job you’re applying for? The most effective applicant resumes are those that are aimed toward the requirements for a specific job. While you’re at college, you have the ability to arrange a meeting with the staff of Career Services. This is a valuable opportunity for you to see your future in a certain career and understand what that niche requires.

Don’t worry if you can’t make a final decision just yet – you can pick a broad area or several goals for employment and make a few versions of your resume, depending on the job you are applying for.

3) Show yourself as a dynamic person:

When you describe your experiences relevant to a specific job, you should present yourself as an active persona. Add powerful impressions to your statements with action verbs that will represent your skills, such as trained, learned, organized, wrote, interviewed, oriented, researched, led, evaluated, calculated, etc.

READ MORE:   Key Action Words to Use in your Resume

4) Make your experiences sound impressive and responsible:

The mundane aspects of your individual experiences should be left out if you want your resume to present you as a responsible person who acts as a real professional.

5) Include information about the successes you achieved in a certain role:

When you write about an experience, try to portray any accomplishment or success you achieved in that role. Employers are only looking for job candidates who are able to achieve positive results for their companies, so these aspects of your resume will be greatly appreciated.

For example, when you write about being part of a certain organization, think about how you made it a little better and contributed to its success.

6) Appreciate yourself as an engaged learner:

This is your most important role as a student in college, so make sure to include the successes you have achieved while studying. If you have a high GPA, make sure to include that information in the resume. Describe the serious academic projects you took part in, such as independent studies or senior theses. This will present you as an active learner with skills in presentation, research, and writing.

7) Showcase leadership skills:

Your potential employers will value leadership skills, so make sure to include information about motivating, training, leading, recruiting, and organizing your peers while taking part in a certain co-curricular activity. Not all students can have leadership skills, so you should be proud of such accomplishments and make sure to include them in your resume.

READ MORE:  6 Things You Must Do to Be a Great Mentor and Leader

8) Give value to community service:

Your potential employers will appreciate the fact that you took part in community service. This type of activity indicates that you are a mature person who is willing to give without expecting anything in return.

9) Review and revise:

If you want your resume to end up being perfect, you will have to review it obsessively. You cannot allow any grammar or spelling mistakes to go unnoticed under your radar. Don’t be afraid to ask for constructive criticism from your friends, parents, advisors, and career services staff.

10) Share samples of your work:

Your perfect resume will be worthless if it doesn’t entice potential employers to seek more information about you and your work. Include a link to a portfolio site, LinkedIn page, or your personal webpage, where you will showcase recommendations and samples of your work.

Your resume can make a great impression on potential employers only if you work on it obsessively and perfect it to the best possible version. Take your time to complete it and make sure to follow all the above-mentioned steps.

Author: Robert Morris is freelance writer from essay writing service Ninjaessays.com. Loves writing tips and tricks for students. He is interested in improving his writing and learning through technology.

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Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide

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A resume is a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, and differentiate you from other candidates seeking similar positions.

• Campus Life

Did you know that recruiters spend just seven seconds looking at a resume , on average? This means yours really needs to stand out! 😮

From picking the right keywords to avoiding unnecessary details, creating a resume that will wow recruiters within such a short time is no easy feat.

If you’re wondering how to craft a resume that sets you apart from hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of other applicants — you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together nine effective ways you can make your resume shine! ✨

• Customization Is Key When It Comes to Resumes
• Incorporate the Right Keywords
• Quantify Your Achievements
• Write an Engaging Objective
• Keep Your Resume Concise and Clutter-Free
• Make Your Resume Easy to Scan
• Use a Resume Builder
• Proofread (And Proofread Again!)
• Stick to a One-Page Format

1. Customization Is Key When It Comes to Resumes

Customizing your resume for each specific role you apply for is an excellent way to convince a hiring manager that you have everything they need!

Read through the job description and see how you can tailor your resume to showcase the exact skills and qualifications employers want in the right candidate. Failure to do so can make recruiters skip right by your resume in favor of other applicants.

You can even go a step further by heading to the company’s website to get a feel about the organization. 

Take note of what kind of projects they work on, whether they support any charities, and look for other ways in which you may be a good fit for them and incorporate those points into your resume.

💡 Tip: Keep multiple copies of your resume that you can modify depending on the role you’re applying for. For example, if you are interested in working in marketing and communications, you can have one resume specific to PR roles, one specific to PPC campaigns, and one resume that is just for content marketing.

2. Incorporate the Right Keywords

Did you know that 55 percent of recruiters use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan resumes? 

The ATS filters through your information and reads the keywords to determine whether you’re the right fit for the company. 

This means that even if you have all the relevant skills and experience, you might not land the job unless your resume has the correct terminology .

Want to move your resume to the top of the stack for hiring managers? Here’s what you can do!

• Review the job description for the role you’re aiming for as well as other similar positions.
• Notice common words or phrases .
• Add these keywords to your resume through different sub-headers (for example education, skills, work experience) and content to increase your chances of your resume getting the tick of approval from a software tracking system.

💡 Tip: There is a fine line between using keywords strategically and stuffing your resume with them. Don’t overdo it!

3. Quantify Your Achievements

It’s one thing to say that you’re fit for a job and another to demonstrate your capabilities through quantifiable examples on your resume . 

By illustrating concrete results, impacts, or outcomes, you can make the claims on the resume more credible. Providing numbers also presents the bottom-line performance and shows you are results-oriented. Therefore, wherever possible, let numbers tell the story. 

Learned a new language? Specify your skill level (beginner, intermediary, proficient). Volunteered for a local food bank? Mention how many meals you prepared or delivered to provide a sense of what you achieved during the stint. 

Instead of writing that you “significantly improved sales skills” at your summer job, tell recruiters that you “oversaw a 20 percent growth in client acquisition” to highlight precisely how effective your contribution was.

💡 Tip: When mentioning numbers, don’t forget to include how you got the results. For instance, an “intermediate” level in German could sound vague unless you highlight that you took an end-of-course assessment to reach your current level.

READ MORE: These Are the Skills You Need to Get a Job After College

4. Write an Engaging Objective

A resume objective is a short (usually two-or-three line) statement of your career goals at the top of your file. 

Looking for your first job after graduation? An eye-catching objective tells potential employers about your skills and abilities even when you lack the necessary experience in that field.

In fact, an ideal resume objective isn’t just about highlighting your aspirations. It’s also a smart way to tell employers what you bring to the table and how your experiences can add value to the company.

5. Keep Your Resume Concise and Clutter-Free

When it comes to your resume, employers don’t need your entire life story — they only want the most relevant information to decide whether you’re the right person for the job on offer. 

This means it’s vital to have a clear and concise resume that highlights your accomplishments perfectly. 

Here are our tips for cutting the clutter:

• Show your key selling points at the very beginning. If a data science degree is important in your field, it shouldn’t be buried at the end of a three-page resume.
• Focus on your accomplishments instead of job descriptions. If the bullet point can be extrapolated to someone else’s resume, it’s a job description, not a specific accomplishment.
• Avoid irrelevant or outdated information. Want to include your pizza delivery experience in your job application as a research analyst? Use an editor’s eye to decide whether you’re holding on to your past for emotional reasons.

6. Make Your Resume Easy to Scan  

Your resume should be easy to read and formatted to look both modern and professional. 

Even if you’re the next Picasso, a resume isn’t the best place to showcase your design skills (save this for your portfolio instead). 🤪

Too many fonts or colors can add extra noise and be displeasing to hiring managers. 

Instead, a simple resume helps your achievements stand out and make it easy for recruiters to find critical information at a glance. 

You can also break up information in the form of short, bite-sized subheadings. Use subheaders for training, skills, or special projects you were involved in , using bullet points to stress results or achievements.

7. Use a Resume Builder

A resume builder is an online tool that generates a resume with your provided information in a template of your choice.

Using a resume builder helps to save time that you’d otherwise spend formatting a Word document or other file to create a professional-looking resume. 

Casting a wider net? With a resume template, you can customize each job application much faster and improve your odds of landing a job within your anticipated timeline.

In a vastly competitive world, making an excellent first impression is one of the most important things. 

Building a resume yourself can be overwhelming, especially when you think about all the information you need to include, but a resume template helps you organize your information in a unique and appropriate way .

Our top three (free!) resume builders 🏆

1. Resume Genius has an extensive collection of professional resume templates varying from “Taj Mahal” to “Classic.” Users can access the easy fill-in-the-blank sections to build a comprehensive resume in no time. 

2. Resume.io is our favorite resume builder for customizing resumes for specific jobs. The platform also has a built-in grammar checker to ensure you’re delivering a top-notch, error-free resume.

3. Jobscan is great if you want to ensure your resume passes the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) test. The resume builder is up-to-date with ATS trends and provides you with ATS-specific tips to get your resume noticed. 

8. Proofread (And Proofread Again!)

In the rush to be an early applicant, you might be tempted to submit your resume without a final check.

Though it may seem like a time-consuming exercise, proofreading can mean the difference between getting an interview and getting rejected . 

A correct preposition, an Oxford comma, and perfect spelling can all show you in a positive light. Go through your resume slowly from beginning to end to check for spelling or grammatical errors . 😏

You can also run it through any of the readily available spellcheck apps or ask a friend to check it for mistakes to be doubly sure. 

READ MORE: 17 Study Apps Every College Student Needs to Have

9. Stick to a One-Page Format

A survey by Saddleback College revealed that 48 percent of hiring managers prefer a one-page resume for entry-level positions — another reason why you should consider sticking to the basics and keeping your resume short! 

Since companies often receive hundreds of applications for open positions, they prefer candidates who show them concrete results without utilizing much of their time.

This means if you have just one page to write, you should jot down the most important and resourceful information about yourself. 

A clean, well-formatted, single-page resume also shows you are organized and can summarize all your skills and achievements within a one-page limit. 

This way, your accomplishments are easily visible, and you won’t overstuff your resume with irrelevant information.

Now that you have an impressive resume, check off these final few steps to land that coveted job interview: ✔️

• Check your social media accounts. Many recruiters take the trouble of looking beyond your resume, so you should delete any awkward or incriminating posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. 
• Add a cover letter along with your resume to express that you’re enthusiastic and keen to be part of the company. This is another opportunity to spell out why you’re perfect for the role! 
• Personalize your resume file name before you send it out. Trivial as this may seem, companies receive hundreds of applications for each job post, and hiring managers may lose your file if you label it as “Resume.docx.” Consider adding your first and last name to distinguish yourself from others. For instance, “RyanSmith_Resume.docx.”

Finding a job can be tedious and frustrating because most employers have hundreds of applications flooding their inboxes.

Fear not! An impressive resume can help you stand out and improve your chances of landing your dream job. 😌

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6 Tips for Your College Application Resume

Your resume will be an important part of your career life, serving as a catalog of your professional accomplishments, experience, and achievements. But even before you’re a full-fledged working adult, it’s still a good idea to start building your resume.

Many high school students use this space to record and describe their accomplishments, such as awards, volunteer and paid work, prestigious program participation, and more.

So, if you’ve taken the time to create a resume, can you submit it to colleges to augment your application? In some cases, yes. Keep reading to find out how to craft the ideal resume for colleges.

Which Schools Allow You to Submit Your Resume?

The schools allow you to submit your resume via the Common Application. This list is not exhaustive; it includes the top 20 universities and liberal arts colleges that allow you to do so.

•     Brown University
•     Claremont McKenna College
•     Cornell University
•     Dartmouth College
•     Johns Hopkins University
•     Northwestern University
•     University of Pennsylvania
•     Vanderbilt University
•     Vassar College
•     Washington and Lee University
•     Washington University in St. Louis

Should You Submit Your Resume?

It’s a good idea to submit your resume if there is important information you’re unable to include on the rest of your application, such as professional experiences or special projects.

If you don’t have something new to say, then you shouldn’t include a resume. That is, you shouldn’t regurgitate information the adcom can find elsewhere on your application. You can, however, use it as a space to expand on or illustrate accomplishments if you don’t feel you’ve been able to in the activities section or your essays.

How to Write a Resume for College Applications

1. include information you feel isn’t represented elsewhere..

As you’ll find in your career, not every experience relates to the opportunity you have at hand. When you enter the job market, you’ll learn to tailor your resume to specific positions based on how your work history relates to them. This is true of your college applications, too. For each experience you include, consider how it bolsters your overall profile — and only add the ones that do to your resume.

First, here’s the essential info you should include on your resume:

• Name and email address (no need to include your actual address)
• Education/high school info, like your GPA and test scores 

Other info you may include:

• Special projects related to your interests (if you’re a writer, this could be a list of pieces you’ve written with a description, or if you’re a programmer, you could also describe your projects).
• Publications (scientific, literary, etc.)
• Non-traditional coursework or academic activities (legitimate online certificates/courses, academic programs, etc.)
• Extracurriculars, hobbies, and skills and interests
• Professional and work experience
• Family responsibilities

2. Don’t rehash your activities section.

Again, don’t use this space to regurgitate information you’ve presented elsewhere on your application. Instead, it should be a space to share unique facets of yourself that don’t fit into other places.

For example, perhaps there’s a specific job you held that you couldn’t properly describe in the activities section. You can use this space to elaborate on the responsibilities you held. Or, as mentioned in the previous section, you can describe specific projects you’ve completed related to your interests. This is especially helpful for more self-driven pursuits, like independent writing.

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

3. Keep it brief (one page) and easy to read.

Your resume should be concise. Since you probably haven’t accumulated a significant amount of experience as a teenager, you should keep it to one page (if you’re an adult student, that’s a different story). At the same time, avoid using teensy font and ultra-slim margins to cram everything into a single page — the resume should be easy to scan and read. Remember: be selective to ensure you have enough room.

Part of making your resume readable means formatting it such that it’s presentable. Use space to your advantages, along with a clear system for organizing the information; the traditional format is chronological, but you may choose to use an alternative format instead. Use headings, too, and make sure your formatting is consistent throughout.

4. Use active and specific language.

Use the active voice when cataloging your achievements. You should also be offering clear evidence. If you can, use numbers and facts to support your experiences.

For example, rather than saying, “Started tutoring business,” you might instead write, “Built a tutoring business by recruiting 15 student tutors and initiating a social media campaign targeting students in need of STEM support; personally worked with 25 students, who improved their GPAs by an average of X points.”

5. Talk yourself up, but don’t be dishonest or unreasonable.

Some students are eager to share their accomplishments. If you’re ever going to talk yourself up, this is the time to do it. You can’t be shy or reluctant to, well, brag a little. Other students will be talking themselves up, and you don’t want it to appear as though you don’t have anything to show for yourself.

At the same time, be careful of hyperbolizing your achievements. Colleges can easily verify the facts on your resume. If your accomplishments seem unfathomable, it will raise a red flag. This will lead colleges to question other aspects of your application, too.

Just as you should with the rest of your application, you’ll need to proofread your resume many times to catch any errors or typos. You should also read it over for clarity and to ensure that it’s as concise as it can be.

If you can, get another set of eyes on your resume before you upload it to your application. A peer, teacher, or guidance counselor can help you make sure your achievements are coming across the way you want them to and that you’re presenting yourself authentically.

Looking for more general guidance on the college application process? CollegeVine is here to make it as seamless as possible. Our free platform allows you to see your chances of acceptance, get essay feedback from peers, and hear from experts in daily livestreams. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account to get started.

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• Resume Tips for Recent College Graduates

If you’re looking to get your foot in the door for a job interview, we put together some resume tips for recent college graduates to get you started. Essentially, a resume and cover letter are marketing documents to secure an interview for a job, internship, or graduate program. Recruiters often spend only about 15 seconds on an initial review. Therefore, a resume must concisely highlight an applicant’s qualifications.

Building a resume may be challenging for those coming straight from college due to limited professional experience. However, there are several strategies to create a strong resume.

Emphasize Education

For recent graduates, prominently place the Education section at the top of the resume. Include details such as your degree, major, minor, and relevant coursework. Highlight any honors or academic achievements.

Include Internships and Part-Time Jobs

You should include internships, part-time jobs, and relevant volunteer work under Work Experience. Focus on how these experiences have prepared you for the role you’re applying for. Highlight transferable skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Showcase Involvement in Campus Activities

Involvement in campus organizations, clubs, or leadership roles can demonstrate essential skills. List these under a separate section, such as Activities or Leadership, and describe your role and accomplishments.

Highlight Projects and Research

Consider including this type of section in your resume if you have completed significant projects, research, or a thesis. Explain the scope of the project, your role, and the outcome. Doing this can be particularly relevant if the projects align with the job you are applying for.

Use a Skills Section

Create a Skills section to highlight both technical and soft skills. Include specific software, tools, or languages you are proficient in and interpersonal skills like leadership, teamwork, or adaptability.

Tailoring a Resume

A generic resume is less effective than one tailored to a specific job. Each job has unique requirements. Tailoring a resume to match the job description shows that the applicant understands the role and has the necessary skills. This alignment increases the chances of being seen as a suitable candidate.

Steps to Creating a Resume

Step 1: gathering information.

Begin by compiling a list of all work experiences, volunteer activities, courses, and skills. This list acts as an inventory. Select relevant information from it to add to your resume.

Step 2: Identifying Relevant Skills

Next, review the job description to identify key skills and qualifications. Highlight experiences and skills that match these requirements. Using the exact keywords in the job description can help human recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) notice you.

Step 3: Organizing Information

Organize the resume into sections for Education, Work Experience, and Skills. This makes the resume easier to read. Fonts should be between 10.5 pt. and 12 pt., with section headings slightly larger. Set margins between 0.5 and 1 inch to ensure readability.

Step 4: Writing Bullet Points

Each bullet point in the experience section should begin with a strong action verb. Avoid using pronouns like “I” or “my.” Instead, focus on what you achieved in each role. For instance, instead of writing “I managed a team,” use “Managed a team of 3 to complete project X ahead of schedule successfully.” Current roles should use the present tense, while past roles should use the past tense.

A well-crafted resume is often the employer’s first impression of a candidate. It should be clear, concise, and tailored to the job. By following these steps and considering the additional tips for recent graduates, applicants can create a resume that effectively communicates their qualifications and increases their chances of being invited for an interview.

UMBC’s Career Center

Be sure to check out the resources and services provided by UMBC’s Career Center . They aim to empower all students and graduates to create their own success stories. 

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Resume Tips for College Students

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As a college student, you may be a little intimidated at the thought of having to put together a resume for an entry-level job. You might not have a lot of work experience to list besides possibly an internship, or you may be an adult learner with some relevant work experience. So, what should you highlight instead? Spectacular grades? Those four semesters working on the student newspaper?

The answer is a combination of them. Here are some resume tips for college students who are hoping to land their dream job right after graduation.

What Is a Resume?

A resume showcases a summary of your work experience, education, and skills. While also including your name and contact information, a resume may or may not include references, too.

Even though a resume is similar to what’s called a curriculum vitae (CV), it is also different. A CV lists your entire career, education, and skills without any limits to its length. A resume, on the other hand, typically contains up to the previous 10 years of your work experience and is one or two pages in length total.

There are three types of resumes: chronological, which is perhaps most common; functional; and combination. The type of resume you may use largely depends on your background. For college students who have little to no relevant job experience, a functional or combination resume may be more beneficial as they either focus on your qualities and attributes or highlight your work experience or skills without promoting one over the other. For adult learners, a chronological resume may be more preferable so that you can highlight your relevant employment some more.

Should I Showcase My Education or Work Experience?

As a college student, you may not have a nice list of relevant work experience to feature on your resume. If you do have some, you can place this information before listing your education; this is also ideal if your degree isn’t related to the job you’re applying to. But what happens if it’s the opposite for you and you have minimal work experience?

You should still include any previous jobs you had, but if they’re irrelevant, keep their descriptions to a minimum. According to job posting website Monster.com , “if you waited tables to help pay for college but your goal is software engineering, you don’t need to provide a description of your day-to-day responsibilities taking orders and clearing tables.” Instead, you should detail any leadership skills or display your determination by fixating on the important parts of your previous work and any projects you contributed to.

If you do have relevant work experience and it extends past one page of the resume but is still within the past 10 years, you can include all of it. However, if you have any gaps in employment, you should address them in either your resume or cover letter, and include transferable skills you learned . If you’re wondering how to address them, you can consult a career services expert for some ideas, such as the one available to you through Shawnee State University Online Campus.

Employers don’t expect you to have a ton of work experience at the beginning of your career, but they want to know what you can bring to the company and how you can be successful. In this case, you should showcase your skills, educational background, and any volunteer work or extracurricular activities. The best way to find out what a company wants is to read the job description — and then show them that you have those exact skills.

There are two types of skills you should include on your resume: soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills include your personality traits, such as your communication or time-management skills. If you’re unsure about your traits, ask your friends or relatives to describe you. Hard skills, on the other hand, are technical skills, such as programming languages or foreign languages. If you notice in a job description that the employer is seeking specific hard skills, list them prominently on your resume and include your proficiency with them. Have advanced knowledge in Adobe Illustrator? Put it on there.

Also, if your education includes coursework that is related to the job, you can mention it on your resume, along with any academic achievements. You should also include your GPA, too — but only if it’s at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If your overall GPA is lower than your major GPA, use your major GPA instead.

Including your extracurricular activities and any volunteer experience can show the employer that you have real-world experience and will add context to your value as an employee. Did you serve in the military? Were you a member of a sorority, fraternity, sports team, or club? Add those also as they demonstrate that you are both community-minded and committed. Don’t forget to mention any skills you learned through them. However, if you have any volunteer or service experience that shows political or religious affiliations, you may want to exclude details as listing may result in inadvertent discrimination by potential employers.

Standing Out In the Pile of Resumes

Many employers, recruiters, and job listing websites use applicant tracking software to screen resumes they receive. This software searches resumes for keywords that match a job description.

To stand out, pay attention to what’s listed in the job description for specific skills, especially in the job responsibilities, key qualifications, and minimum requirements sections. Jot down those phrases and think about how your abilities and skills best fit with those keywords and place those on your resume. Your resume should showcase how you would successfully fulfill the job’s required tasks and the traits the employer is seeking.

Other Resume Tips for College Students

When crafting your resume, try to avoid words that are often overused, such as “hard working,” in order to avoid any miscommunication about your skills. Instead, use verbs that demonstrate what you have accomplished, such as “influenced” or “improved.” If you consider yourself as hard working, include the numbers to support it. You can say something along the lines of, “Increased sales revenue by 150 percent within nine months.”

You should also include an objective on your resume. Also called a resume summary or objective statement, the objective is placed at the top of your resume to help capture the employer’s attention. No more than one or two sentences, the objective should list the most important skills you will bring to the position, using the keywords you found in the job description. Mention your relevant experience and any credentials you may have.

Finally, one of the most important resume tips for college students is to edit your resume. However, don’t begin editing when you’re still putting your resume together — wait until about 24 hours after you’ve finished writing it. This helps give you a fresh set of eyes so that you’re more likely to catch any spelling or grammatical errors. Ensure that all proper nouns, such as company names, are capitalized correctly, and that contact information for references is current.

To help catch any glaring errors, try reading your resume backward so that you can focus on each word. You can also have a friend or family member read your resume. They may be able to catch details you missed and provide suggestions for what you should (or should not) include.

Incorporating these tips into your resume can help give you an advantage over the competition and lead you toward a profession in your field. Properly highlighting your skills, education, and any relevant experience will allow you to stand out among the position’s other applicants.

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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.

Get Started with Your Resume

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

Resume Writing Editable Worksheet

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

Resume Editable Template in Word

Download this template and tailor your content to specific opportunities.

High School to College Resume Sample

Learn how to transition your resume format to make it career ready.

Sample Resumes by Career Cluster

Review three different sample resumes from each of our career clusters.

• 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 Resume?

• Your resume 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 resume will be part of every job, internship, or graduate school application you submit.
• Your resume—along with your cover letter—is what will determine whether you are invited for an interview.
• Your resume is one of the few parts of the job search process over which you have 100% control. The effort you put into your resume also sends clues to potential employers about the level of effort you put into your work. If your resume looks like it was put together quickly with little attention to detail, what message might you be sending? Make sure your resume is excellent!

Drop-in Sessions

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

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

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• 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 resume of no more than 2 pages.
• Learn more about Applicant Tracking Systems here . 
• Use this article to learn how to write an resume that gets through applicant tracking systems. 
• Your resume is a dynamic document.  Continue to add to and edit your resume 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 resume to align with your new field of interest.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, can be used to enhance your resume. Read our best practices for appropriately leveraging AI in your application materials.

How to Write a Strong Resume

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 resume 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 5 classes that are relevant to the position to which you are applying. This is a great way to tailor your resume to a specific position and to show content knowledge that may not be reflected in your major or elsewhere on your resume.  
• 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 resume, 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 resume:

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 resume, 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 Resume 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 resume designed in a program like Adobe InDesign.
• While a creative resume 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 resume along with the creative one. Applicant Tracking Systems cannot always pull information from graphics or heavily designed resumes, so use a traditional resume when applying for a position online and save your creative resume to be emailed directly or to give to someone in-person.
• See more information here about how to design a resume for the creative fields.
• When applying to positions in the federal government, it is appropriate to submit a federal resume. Federal resumes 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 resume builder for a step-by-step guide to craft your federal resume.
• 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 resume 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 resume. 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 resume. 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! Choose your words carefully when writing a resume. Strong action verbs provide power and direction. Start each line of your resume with an action verb instead of more passive words. Use keywords to make sure your resume 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 resume.
• 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 resume. 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

Resume FAQs

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

Undergraduate students should keep their resume to one page, although there are some career fields for which a two-page resume is acceptable (e.g. teaching and federal government). Longer resumes (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 resumes for each job, applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen resumes 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 resume will be screened by an ATS and create an ATS-friendly resume.

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

What will make my resume stand out to employers?

• Putting keywords on your resume that match the job description (as long as they make sense). 
• Making sure your resume 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 resume template?

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

You should avoid using graphics and colors in your resume 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 resume designed in a program like Adobe InDesign, however you should still avoid using a template. See more information here about how to design a resume for the creative fields.

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

ChatGPT and other AI tools can be used to enhance your resume, 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 resume 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 resume if asked about it in an interview.

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

Yes, you may include extracurricular activities, sports, jobs, internships, and volunteer roles on your resume 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 resume 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 resume 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 resume?

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

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

A curriculum vitae (CV) contains significantly more information and is more detailed than a standard resume. Unlike the one-page rule for resumes, 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 resume?

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). Resumes are used when applying for most other types of positions in the U.S.

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7 Best Part Time Jobs: Online, Highest-Paying & for Students

• Klara Cervenanska , 
• Updated August 8, 2024 12 min read

Have you been looking for a part-time job to earn extra income or achieve a better work-life balance? 

There are plenty of options, whether you're seeking more flexibility, aiming to gain new skills in a different industry, or need extra cash as a student.

To choose the best part-time job for you , it's important to understand what a part-time job involves and to consider the key factors in making your decision. 

Think about flexibility, required skills, job duties, and, of course, the salary.

Let's have a look at  the best part-time jobs out there , including the high paying part-time jobs, remote part-time jobs you can do online, and the best part-time jobs for college students .

Let's break it down.

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

What is a part-time job?

Benefits of a part-time job, 7 best part-time jobs out there, high-paying part-time jobs, best online part-time jobs, best part-time jobs for college students , job sites for part-time jobs, resume tips for securing a part-time job, key takeaways: best part time jobs .

A part-time job is a form of employment where an employee works fewer hours per week than a full-time employee. The exact number of hours varies depending on the country and employer. 

In fact, even the Department of Labor (DOL) doesn't specify rules for what constitutes part-time employment. In practice that means that the number of working hours is typically determined by both you and your employer at the specific company where you're applying.

Part-time jobs are ideal for students, parents, retirees, or anyone needing extra income. 

While they offer flexibility, they may come with lower pay and fewer benefits than full-time positions. Despite these drawbacks, they provide numerous advantages.

We looked closer at some of the benefits that part-time jobs offer.

As the job market evolves, part-time jobs are becoming increasingly popular for various reasons. 

Here are some of the benefits of part-time jobs:

• Better work-life balance. Working part-time gives you more time for other things, like looking for another job, going to school, or enjoying hobbies and family time. 
• Greater flexibility. Part-time jobs often come with more flexible schedules, allowing you to plan your working hours around personal commitments and unexpected events.
• Additional income. A part-time job provides extra income, crucial for students, retirees, or those looking to supplement their primary earnings. 
• Helps you develop your skills. Part-time jobs are available across various industries and can range from entry-level to more skilled roles. If you're considering a career change, part-time jobs are excellent for gaining work experience and developing skills beneficial for your future career prospects.
• Boosts independence and time management skills. Having a part-time job helps you become more independent. You learn to manage your schedule, handle your finances, and balance work with other commitments. This experience builds discipline and improves your time management skills.

There are plenty of part-time jobs to choose from, whether you're a first-time job seeker or someone with more experience looking for a career change.

You can opt for a part-time job that you can do from the comfort of your home or a remote job you can do while traveling. These jobs offer a combination of flexibility, decent pay, and the opportunity to develop and gain new skills.

Without further ado, here's a list of 7 best-part time jobs :

1. Customer service representative

Customer service is a great starting point for people without any prior experience who want to start immediately. 

However, bear in mind that you have to be ready for communicating with customers. Even the unsatisfied ones.

• Average base salary: $18.79 per hour
• Main tasks: Communicating with customers, providing information about products, generating sales, developing new customers, collecting and analyzing feedback, and payment processing.
• Skills: Communication skills, problem-solving skills, effective listening.
• Requirements: A high school diploma or equivalent will be required for most jobs, some companies offer special training for their products.

A tutor offers one-on-one assistance to students, tailoring their approach to each individual's needs, unlike a traditional teacher who manages an entire classroom.

Being a tutor is a rewarding job that can positively influence the lives of your students. Especially if you teach something you genuinely enjoy. 

But again, a bad client=bad experience.

• Average base salary: $23.83 per hour
• Main tasks: Developing lesson plans, preparing materials, reviewing homework, and providing guidance.
• Skills: Subject knowledge, patience, active listening, leadership abilities, and communication skills.
• Requirements: Undergraduate degree; specific qualifications for certain subjects.

3. Social media manager

Social media managers are responsible for creating, developing, and managing a company's social media strategy to increase brand awareness and engagement.

You'll get to connect with a lot of influential people and share your creative side. However, while your audience will appreciate your content, they'll also notice any mistakes.

• Average base salary: $21.87 per hour Main tasks: Creating content, managing accounts, analyzing metrics, staying up-to-date with trends.
• Skills: audience research, creativity, and strategic thinking.
• Requirements: You don't need any specific prior experience, but knowledge of social media management is a plus.

4. Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants offer administrative, technical, or even creative services to clients usually from remote places.

And while working remotely without a fixed schedule is surely a huge plus, you'll have to keep in mind that the people you're assisting can be quite demanding, requiring you to be on call 24/7. 

• Average base salary: $26.25 per hour
• Main tasks: Scheduling, making phone calls, managing travel arrangements, managing email accounts.
• Skills: Communication, good organization, and great time management.
• Requirements: Virtual assistant doesn't require any education or former experiences, but a strong online presence and slowly building a portfolio of customers is a great place to start.

5. Therapist

As a part-time therapist, you will provide counseling sessions through various online platforms, allowing you to schedule your own hours. Unlike a full-time hospital job, this role offers flexibility and independence to manage your time and workload.

Helping people in any way is rewarding, without a doubt. But being a therapist can be emotionally draining and requires maintaining a high level of availability.

• Average base salary:  $34.56 per hour
• Main tasks: Diagnosing and treating mental disorders, developing treatment plans, providing counseling.
• Skills: Empathy, patience, active listening, communication, cultural competence in healthcare.
• Requirements: Major in psychology, specific therapy training.

6. Delivery driver

In recent years ordering food and other goods online has become popular among customers all over the world. Whether it's post-delivery services or food delivery. If you don't mind working alone, or even thrive on it, this job is for you. As a delivery driver, you'll spend a lot of time in your car, so make sure you're prepared for long hours on the road.

• Average base salary: $19.53 per hour
• Main tasks: Loading and transporting items, ensuring timely deliveries, planning routes, documenting delivery, and processing payments.
• Skills: Time management, customer service, driving skills.
• Requirements: Valid driver’s license, clean driving history.

7. Accountant

Accountants can work as freelancers and provide services for multiple clients on a part-time basis. Many businesses, especially small enterprises, start-ups, or non-profit organizations need accounting services but do not need a full-time accountant.

This job offers a clear career path and stability. One of the biggest benefits is that it's available in many locations due to the industry's growth. However, there can be periods of heavy workloads and can make this job quite stressful.

• Average base salary: $28.59 per hour
• Main tasks: Tax returns, financial record keeping, reporting and analysis, tax preparation, and compliance.
• Skills: Data analysis, time management, technology expertise, business knowledge.
• Requirements: Bachelor's degree, Master's degree (optional), accounting certification.

People often think part-time jobs don't pay well and are just for extra cash.

However, some part-time jobs can actually offer decent pay.

Here are some of the highest-paying part-time jobs:

• Web developer. Tasks include coding, building and maintaining databases, fixing website problems, utilizing web applications, and monitoring website traffic.This job offers growth opportunities and the chance to gain great transferable skills. While this can boost your salary, it may also lead to stress and heavy workloads. Web developer average base salary: $32.51 per hour .
• Grant writer. Main task is finding funding and writing proposals to earn grant money. You get to help organizations secure funding for important projects, which can be quite thrilling. However, the deadlines can be tight and the work can get stressful. Grant writer average base salary: $34.35 per hour .
• Real estate agent . Duties include showing properties, negotiating, property valuation, arranging viewings, and managing transactions. This job has no income cap. With solid business knowledge, you can earn good money, but it requires a lot of dedication to build your personal brand. Real estate agent average base salary: $43.13 per hour .
• Freelance editor. Work includes reviewing, correcting, planning, and editing content with authors, as well as verifying facts and cited material in publications and written material. With this job you have the freedom to choose your clients and projects. Plus, you get to work on diverse projects, which keeps things interesting. The biggest challenge is finding clients and securing a stable income. Editor average base salary: $32.53 per hour .
• Speech-language pathologist. You'll help people with communication issues, like speech, language, and other communication disorders. You'll need a master's degree and proper licensing. You can work in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, or even build your own client list and work freelance. Speech-language pathologist average base salary: $49.70 per hour .

Are you looking for a part-time job you can do from your living room? No problem. 

Online (or remote) part-time jobs are nothing new.

Here are some of the best online part-time jobs:

• Graphic designer. Graphic design is a relatively easy profession to get into and will let you transition into a wide variety of more specialized design jobs in the future if you decide to stick to it. You'll be creating visual identities, designing layouts, logos, print materials, and media products. 
• Translator. If you already speak another language well, translating should be a relatively easy thing for you to get into. You'll be translating spoken or written material from one language to another, proofread, and edit translated materials.
• Website designer. If you're familiar with design and coding, this might be a good choice. This job involves designing sample pages, creating mockups, and planning website navigation.
• Product tester. If you enjoy trying out new things and are interested in the latest products on the market, this might be just for you.Tasks include providing feedback on products, recording data, and reporting issues (also called bugs). Testers must have good analytical skills and a superb attention to detail.
• Data entry clerk. A data entry clerk is responsible for inputting, updating, and maintaining accurate information in digital databases. While this job can get pretty repetitive, some people actually appreciate the stability and routine it offers.

For many students, a part-time job is essential to help cover school expenses. 

The ideal job should be flexible and not require years of experience or lengthy application processes.

Here's our selection of the best part-time jobs for college students:

• Barista. As a barista, you focus on the art and science of coffee preparation. If you're a coffee enthusiast, look for a specialty coffee shop where you can work with fellow coffee geeks and learn even more about your favorite brew.
• Babysitter.   If you have a natural inclination to be good with kids and even enjoy it, why not! Duties involve caring for children, including feeding, playtime, and bedtime routines.
• Dog walker. This job is especially great for dog lovers, but almost anyone can do it. Lots of fresh air, cuteness overload, okay pay, what’s there not to love? Tasks include walking dogs, playing with them, feeding them, and ensuring their safety.
• Lifeguard. This role requires certification and is suitable for good swimmers who enjoy spending time outdoors. Responsibilities include maintaining beach or pool safety, responding to emergencies, and providing first aid and rescue. 
• Library assistant . This job is ideal for college students who want to work on campus. Duties involve maintaining library materials, assisting with locating books, and checking and processing library returns. 

If you're not a college student yet but are still looking for part-time jobs, check out these 10 jobs great for teens.

Finding part-time jobs has never been easier, thanks to a variety of job sites which either specialize specifically in advertising part-time jobs, or offer the possibility to use filters.

Let's take a look at some of the most useful websites and apps for finding part-time jobs :

• Snagajob. Specializes in hourly work, making it ideal for part-time job seekers. It has a large database of remote jobs and offers career growth tips, which can be helpful if you're starting freelancing.
• Monster. Provides a wide range of listings, both part- and full-time, catering to both employers and job seekers. It offers positions from entry-level to more skilled roles.
• Indeed. A job search engine that offers listings from various industries. Indeed has a personalized job-finding tool, which can be useful for filtering jobs according to your needs and finding part-time positions that suit you best.
• LinkedIn .Serves as a platform for connecting with potential clients and creating an online presence for your business. If you are starting as a freelancer in a part-time job, networking on this platform can be beneficial.
• Glassdoor. A platform for job seekers that provides information on company cultures, benefits, and anonymous reviews, which can be crucial for making informed decisions when choosing the best part-time job.

A resume for a part-time job should be no different from a classic resume.

You still need to include the essential resume sections , such as:

• Contact information
• Resume summary or objective
• Work experience

However, there are some specific things you can include to tailor your resume for part-time positions : 

• Highlight flexibility. Emphasize your availability and willingness to work varying hours, showcasing your ability to adapt to different schedules.
• Showcase relevant skills. Focus on skills directly related to the job you're applying for, such as customer service, time management, or specific technical abilities.
• Include part-time experience. List any previous part-time or volunteer work, demonstrating your experience in handling part-time responsibilities effectively.

And if you want to make your life a little easier, use Kickresume's AI resume writer to automatically generate your entire resume in seconds.

Want a stunning resume in seconds?

Speed up your resume creation with out AI resume builder. It's free to try!

If you're tired of the traditional full-time job scenario and seeking more freedom or you're changing industries and wanting to start fresh, part-time jobs might be the perfect solution. 

With good time management and the right skills, part-time work can be manageable and rewarding. 

Whether you're looking for remote part-time jobs , student part-time jobs, or something that can potentially help build your career, you should definitely consider these 7 best part-time jobs:

• Customer service representative
• Social media manager
• Virtual assistant 
• Delivery driver

Klara graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After having written resumes for many of her fellow students, she began writing full-time for Kickresume. Klara is our go-to person for all things related to student or 'no experience resumes'. At the same time, she has written some of the most popular resume advice articles on this blog. Her pieces were featured in multiple CNBC articles. When she's not writing, you'll probably find her chasing dogs or people-watching while sipping on a cup of coffee.

Product Manager vs Project Manager: Skills, Salary & Courses (+Resume Examples)

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College Student Success: What Does It Look Like, And How Can You Achieve It?

College can be an especially impactful part of a person’s life that often functions as a major transition from childhood to adulthood. Students considering college or beginning their college experience may be wondering what college will look like for them. They may know that they want to graduate with a degree, but the path to graduation may look a little fuzzy. It may be helpful to define what success means to you and establish a plan to achieve it. For further guidance, consider working with a licensed mental health professional.

What does student success look like?

Success looks different for everyone. This may be especially true regarding college student success because college typically has a distinct social aspect that can greatly impact the college experience. For many college students, success includes a few outcomes:

• They succeed academically, whatever that looks like for them.
• They have an overall positive college experience.
• They graduate with the confidence necessary to pursue the next steps in their lives.

Academic achievement

Successful academic achievement can be both a short- and long-term feat. Short-term, this can look like doing well in your classes, whether that means you pass them or you finish the semester on the dean’s list. Long-term academic achievement generally means that you complete your degree and graduate college. It may also involve academic extracurriculars, such as participating in research projects or studying abroad before you graduate. 

Positive college experience

No two students are likely to have the same college experience because this experience tends to be influenced by a variety of choices. Where you choose to live, which classes you take, the clubs and associations you join, the events you attend, and a host of other factors may impact your college experience. It may be helpful to consider what’s most important to you about your time at college and what you want life to look like after graduation. This may help you choose your path during your college years.

Self-confidence

One goal of the college experience may be to instill confidence in individuals on a personal and professional level. When they graduate, successful students are usually confident in their academic growth and have developed the skills necessary to pursue a career in their chosen field or continue their academic studies. 

How can I be a successful student?

Being a successful student typically requires you to find a balance between your college studies and your personal life. Research from Gallup found that students who had a positive college experience were usually more likely to have high overall well-being and engagement with their jobs later on . Behaviors that contribute to a positive student experience typically include working with a mentor, participating in extracurricular activities, and engaging in deep learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom. 

Successful students learn how to balance academics and personal lives

College can be a unique experience because, for many students, the social aspect of it is just as important as the academic aspect. Finding a balance between the two can be daunting, but it’s often crucial to your overall success. 

Here are a few ways you can balance academics with your personal life:

• Create a weekly and daily schedule. Include time for classes, assignments, and social activities. Time blocking is a popular time management strategy in which you divide your day into blocks of time and assign a specific task to each block. This can be a helpful method for breaking your day into class time, study time, and social time.
• Don’t be afraid to say no. At times, you may need to turn down a friend’s invitation to study for a test the next day. While other social opportunities will likely arise, you usually only have one chance to take a test. 
• Reach out when you need help. Some young adults entering college may experience personal challenges, such as housing insecurity and economic hardship. There are usually staff and campus organizations that can point you toward helpful resources and ensure your needs are being met so you can focus on your academic responsibilities.  

Successful students set and achieve goals

Setting and achieving goals can be instrumental to student success. To begin setting goals, think about what you want to achieve during the semester, over the course of your college experience, and later in life as you pursue your career. Generally, these goals should be related and may become stepping stones for one another. 

One helpful exercise may be to write down goals you would like to set for yourself. Short-term goals can benefit from being set up as SMART goals; that is, they should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. For example, you may set a goal to apply to five internship positions in your field by the end of the month. 

It can help to write down mid- and long-term goals as well, but because these goals involve a greater length of time, they’ll usually be more general and may not follow the SMART format. Examples of these goals might include graduating with a certain GPA and securing a job at a certain company after graduation. 

Common characteristics of successful college students

Many successful students share similar traits, including those listed below.

• Engaged - Successful students usually are not passive. They frequently participate in class and ask questions when they don’t understand something. They often pursue additional opportunities, such as research or study abroad programs. 
• Proactive - Students who are successful typically take action to pursue their goals. They may consider what actions need to happen to achieve both their short- and long-term goals and take steps to reach them without needing to be told what to do next. 
• Organized - Effective time management can be a significant contributor to student success. Students who thrive in college normally understand how to balance the demands of their coursework with personal responsibilities, such as part-time work, so that they also have room in their schedule for enjoyable social activities. 
• Connected - Because your social life can be such a critical component of the overall college experience, successful students are generally connected. They often form relationships with their peers and mentors. They frequently participate in student organizations and clubs and may also become part of the local community.
• Adaptable - For many students, college is the biggest transition of their life so far. It can involve moving far away from home, meeting a host of new people, and being given a level of responsibility they have never experienced before. Successful students usually learn how to adapt to these changes and take on any additional changes that come their way. 
• Curious - Curiosity can drive academic growth. Successful students often take the initiative to dive deeper into topics and ask questions about the content. They tend to be highly motivated, especially in classes pertaining to their major.

Who can help me achieve student success?

You are not alone in your college endeavors. You can seek out the support of others to learn from more experienced individuals and build relationships that benefit both your personal and academic growth. 

University faculty and staff

Having a mentor can be a critical component of achieving student success as you pursue higher education. It can be helpful to get to know your professors, especially those teaching courses related directly to your degree. You can go to instructors’ office hours to have deeper conversations about what you’re studying or ask about participating in undergraduate research opportunities. You may also benefit from working with your advisor, campus organization leaders, or grad students.

It can be helpful to get to know your classmates, especially in your degree-specific courses. This can give you a group of people with whom you can share knowledge and form study groups. For many college attendees, these classmates become lifelong friends and helpful connections in your professional network. 

Family or loved ones

The family or loved ones who raised you can still function as a support system as you go off to university. Alumni in the family may help you make connections. Older siblings may have suggestions for effective time management. Sometimes, calling home for a mental health boost when you’re experiencing the strain of a full course load can be helpful. 

Supporting your mental health in college

Your mental health can have a strong impact on your student success and what kind of college experience you have. Here are a few ways to take care of your mental well-being and make the most of your time at university.

• Make choices to support your physical well-being. The status of your physical health often has a direct correlation to the status of your mental health. Try to exercise regularly, aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night, and eat nutritious meals. 
• Practice effective time management. Try to reduce or remove distractions. For example, if you and your roommate end up chatting anytime you’re in your dorm room together, you may benefit from studying in the library and returning to your room when you’re done for the day.
• Avoid substance and alcohol misuse. Various substances and alcohol may be readily available on campus. If you’re under 21, avoid alcohol altogether, and if you’re of legal age, make sure to consume responsibly. 
• Prioritize self-care. You probably won’t be able to relax in a bubble bath when all that’s available are communal showers, so try to find other ways to care for yourself. Practice mindfulness or meditation to calm your mind when you are stressed or overwhelmed. You can also relax and reset by reading a book, listening to music, or creating art. 
• Maintain continuity of care if you have a history of mental or physical health challenges. When you turn 18, you typically gain a great deal of control surrounding your health care, which can also come with greater responsibility. The transition of starting college and possibly moving away from your family can create a slippery slope that may result in a lapse in your treatment plan. Continue to take any prescribed medications according to your doctor’s guidelines and ask your healthcare provider for a referral to providers in your new location (if applicable). 

Resources for student success support

College students may experience a great deal of pressure to achieve success. In addition, the major life transition from high school to college can lead young adults to feel stressed or anxious. Resources and support services are available to help students manage the personal and academic demands of university. 

• Student health center: Most universities have a student health center where students can obtain free or low-cost physical and mental health care.
• Online therapy platforms: Services like BetterHelp offer convenient access to virtual therapy with a licensed mental health professional.
• Career center: At the university career center, students can participate in workshops, career counseling, resume assistance, and numerous other services that can help them find jobs.
• Writing center: Students can receive assistance with writing assignments, including general feedback, proofreading, and help with citations. 
• Tutoring center: Many campuses have tutoring centers where you can receive free tutoring from subject experts. 

A college student’s schedule can be unorthodox and, at times, unpredictable. With online therapy, students can schedule sessions at a time that’s convenient for them, whether that’s between classes or after club meetings. Research generally supports the use of online therapy for treating a range of mental health disorders, and studies suggest that it’s just as effective as in-person therapy .

For many young adults, college can be an exciting but challenging time of transition. Support from the right individuals and resources can help students enjoy their college experience while working toward their academic and personal goals. Online or in-person therapy can be a powerful tool to support your mental health, whether you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder or adapting to living away from home for the first time.

• How To Make Friends In College And Build Positive Connections Medically reviewed by April Justice , LICSW
• Taking On Test Anxiety: 15 Tips For Stressed Out Students Medically reviewed by Julie Dodson , MA
• Relationships and Relations

How To Prepare for College: The Ultimate Guide for High School Students

College prep steps, research colleges you may be interested in, understand each college’s admission requirements, take standardized tests, participate in extracurriculars, take a variety of high school courses, save for college, attend college fairs, talk to your guidance counselor, round up application materials, consider financial aid options, visit campus if possible, tips for preparing for college, stay organized, build good study habits, take ap or dual-credit courses, practice your writing, build your leadership skills, ready to start your education, related blogs.

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Commentary | Ten suggestions for incoming college freshmen | Opinion

1. College isn’t high school. If you managed to finesse your way through high school, staying up to all hours of the wee morning playing video games online, and you think you are going to continue this habit — forget it. You won’t make it. First of all, you need sleep to function in class. And second, the amount of study time required to get a good grade, especially in science technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses, exceeds anything you have attempted previously.

2. College requires sacrifice. Our campus is located in South Florida, a mile from the beach. While I have no problem with a student going to the beach for a few hours on the weekend, the fear of failure must loom larger than whatever it is your friends think is more important in the middle of the week than hitting the books. Learn to tell them “No” early on.

3. College requires time management. My assignments are date-sensitive; they open on a certain date and they close five days later. Once they’re closed that’s it — you’ll get a zero unless you have a valid excuse for missing a deadline.

4. College doesn’t give participation awards. In an era when everyone gets a trophy, sorry — you don’t get an award for simply showing up.

5. STEM courses require solving problems. My college physics teacher had a cartoon on his office door that showed a confused student explaining to his professor that he really understood the material, he just couldn’t do the problems. You cannot learn science by osmosis. Magic happens when the brain, eyes and hands all come together in beautiful synaptic choreography, guiding a pencil across a sheet of paper.

6. Put your cellphone away. When I went to college, there was no internet, no laptops and, of course, no cellphones. If we needed to look up a physical constant, we had the “CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics,” a tome that required two hands and a healthy back to lift. While the improvements in technology and instant access to information are largely positive for students, many are addicted to their cellphones and the instant gratification of likes on social media. If you want to impress your professors while succeeding in your coursework, put your cellphone away — at least during class — and learn how to use it as a study aid.

7. Date your books. Sorry, but as a freshman, you don’t have time to get involved with a boyfriend or a girlfriend let alone the emotional roller coaster that almost always accompanies these relationships. If you are serious about graduating with a degree, especially one in STEM, your love life can wait at least until you are an upperclassman.

8. Do every assignment, even the extra credit. Missed assignments become zeroes. And you never know when a few extra points will come in handy. More often than not, a student with a borderline grade would have been bumped up to the next letter had he or she just completed all of the assignments.

9. Don’t wait until it is too late to ask for additional help. Swallow your pride. College is hard. It is not an admission of intellectual weakness if you need to spend time with a peer tutor or come by the professor’s office for additional help. At Palm Beach Atlantic, we are a small enough university that I can offer generous office hours to reach out to struggling students. Take advantage.

10. Show me that you really care about my class. I go out of my way to help promising students who struggle with the material. However, if you frequently cut my class, blow off assignments and do none of the extra credit, don’t you dare come to my office in April sobbing, “What can I do to pass your class?” My response at that point will be, “Take it over.”

If you want to avoid just squeaking by, here’s your first assignment: Commit these suggestions to memory and put them into practice every day. You will be tested on them frequently throughout your next four years.

Gregory J. Rummo is a lecturer of chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at Palm Beach Atlantic University and an adjunct scholar at the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. He is the author of “The View from the Grass Roots,” “The View from the Grass Roots — Another Look,” and several other volumes in the series.

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