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26 College Student Resumes That Landed Jobs in 2025

• College Student Resumes
• College Student Resumes by Role
• College Student Resumes for Academics

Writing Your College Student Resume

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

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

After reviewing countless  resume samples , we’ve determined what types employers want to see from college students. Furthermore, we used that knowledge to create  26 college student resume examples to help inspire your resume in 2025 .

College Student Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

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

Undergraduate Student Resume

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

University Student Resume

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

College Student No Experience Resume

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

Current College Student Resume

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

First Job College Student Resume

• Leander, for instance, lays it all on the table, highlighting their hands-on experience in simulation projects and robotics optimization and divulging that the job opportunity would present a much-needed opportunity to advance their technical knowledge.

College Student Marketing Intern Resume Example

• Our advice? Take a cue from Nerrisa. Volunteering at Campus Connect and dropping by seminars like Branding Essentials, she uses wins from these moments to showcase her practical experience in marketing—in fewer words, less telling, more showing.

College Student for Internship Resume

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

College Student Assistant Medical Laboratory Technician Resume Example

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

College Student HR Executive Assistant Resume

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

College Student Case Assistant Resume

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

College Student Resident Assistant Resume

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

College Student Warehouse Worker Resume

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

College Student Teacher Assistant Resume

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

College Student Biology Lab Technician Resume

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

College Student English Tutor Resume

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

College Application Resume

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

College Admission Resume

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

College Freshman Resume

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

Harvard College Resume

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

College Level Resume

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

College Student Academic Highlights Resume

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

First Year College Student Resume

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

Freshman College Student Resume

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

College Student Education Resume

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

College Student Social Work Resume

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

Related resume guides

• College Graduate
• Grad School
• Entry level

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sample college student resume objectives

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

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

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

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

College Student Resume Formats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Formatting guidelines for your resume

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

Skills to pay the bills

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

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

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

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

Work Experience and Projects

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WRONG – general work experience descriptions

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

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

RIGHT – specific, quantified descriptions

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

Projects can be anything

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

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

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

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

Project ideas for college students

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

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

Your Education Section

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resume Builder for College Students

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

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

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

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

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

• • Won the annual Computer Science 2020 contest for suggesting improvements to the university website
• • Took additional courses on network device configuration management
• • Built 3 mock-up websites in 1 semester
• • Learned how to perform troubleshooting on library computers
• • Focused on building mobile applications and developing interactive websites
• • Helped students aged 7-13 learn how to use a computer
• • Taught students aged 14-17 basic troubleshooting
• • Was part of the Infrastructure team
• • Resolved a total of 17 incident tickets in three months
• • Performed root-cause analyses across various systems
• • Monitored key metrics and produced monthly reports on potential areas of improvement
• • Participated in a 4-week job shadowing program
• • Received one-on-one mentoring from a senior web developer

5 Undergraduate Resume Examples & Guide for 2025

Undergraduates focus on acquiring knowledge and skills relevant to their field of study while engaging in extracurricular activities. Highlight your academic achievements, relevant internships, and any leadership roles you’ve held in clubs or organizations on your resume. Incorporate abilities like teamwork, problem-solving, and effective communication to demonstrate your readiness for professional challenges. Mention any projects or volunteer work that illustrate your commitment and ability to make a positive impact within a team or community.

All resume examples in this guide

Undergraduate Lab Technician

Undergraduate Financial Analyst

Undergraduate Marketing Intern

Undergraduate Software Developer

Written by Volen Vulkov - Reviewed by Lidia Yordanova

Resume Guide

This Undergraduate Resume Guide Will Help You:

Looking for Related Resumes?

The Perfect Format for Your Undergraduate Resume

The Ideal Header for Your Undergraduate Resume

An Inspiring Objective to Keep Recruiters’ Attention

How to Highlight Work Experience in Your Undergraduate Resume

The Volunteering Section: a Great Way to Showcase Your Transferable Skills

The Top Skills Your Undergraduate Resume Needs

The Education Section: Your Time to Shine

Certificates - the Key to Every Recruiter’s Heart

Need More? Add Some of These Sections to Your Undergraduate Resume!

Key Takeaways: How to Impress Recruiters and Land an Interview As an Undergraduate

What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word ‘resume’?

If you’re like most people, probably something that instantly comes to your mind is ‘experience’. And that’s quite understandable.

Generally speaking, a resume is one of the easiest ways to demonstrate your experience and skills to potential employers.

But what if you have no experience? What should undergraduate students who have focused their efforts on studying put on their resumes?

Long story short: even undergraduates with no experience need strong resumes.

In fact, the experience section is just one bit recruiters pay attention to. There are many other things they want to learn about you.

For instance, your skills, ability to deal with challenging situations, general approach to conflict, desire to learn and grow, and many more.

And these things can make you stand out from other applicants - regardless of whether you’re looking for an internship or a full-time entry-level position.

If you’re keen to learn how to write an undergraduate resume that makes you stand out - read on!

Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders are 84% higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

This undergraduate resume guide will help you:

• Find out what sections your resume needs to have
• Craft a compelling resume summary that gets the attention
• Highlight your strengths and education without putting emphasis on your lack of experience
• Showcase your college activities in a way that fascinates recruiters
• Separate the wheat from the chaff and focus on what matters.

Looking for related resumes?

• Freshers Resumes
• College Resume
• Entry-level Resume
• Law School Resume
• Data Science Intern Resume
• Entry-level Engineering Resume
• Entry-level Sales Resume
• Intern Resume
• Marketing Intern Resume
• PR Intern Resume
• Social Media Intern
• Data Analyst Entry-level Resume
• Entry-level Financial Analyst Resume

The perfect format for your undergraduate resume

When looking for resume advice online, most things you’d find would typically include stuff like “talk about your education”, or “focus on your relevant hard skills”, or even “share why you’re the best applicant”.

But when you’re an undergrad with no experience whatsoever, general advice often sounds irrelevant and even inadequate.

In fact, you might be wondering what your relevant hard skills are and how to describe your education in a meaningful way.

We get that.

But we also know that you want to build a resume that gets the attention of recruiters in the most positive way possible.

And the first thing you should think about is the resume format.

Some of the most popular resume formats include:

• The reverse-chronological format
• The functional format
• The hybrid format.

Now, the reverse-chronological format is not really something you, as an undergraduate, should consider. It’s more suitable for professionals with long years of experience.

The functional format , on the other hand, is great for inexperienced undergraduates who want to emphasize their transferable skills, interests, and activities.

And if you have some experience to mention, go for the hybrid resume format . It’s a combination of the first two that allows you to focus on both your experience and your personality.

Some general tips to keep in mind include:

• Choosing a 12p font
• Using 10” resume margins
• Sticking to a one-page resume format (two-page resumes make sense only if you have over 10 years of experience)
• Saving your resume as PDF .

Once you’ve mastered the formatting, another question comes up: what should your undergraduate resume include ?

Something great about undergraduate resumes is that you can experiment with sections . Here are some worth considering:

Remember, resume layouts can vary by country – for example, a Canadian resume format could look different .

Top sections for your undergraduate resume:

• Header - for your name, email address, phone, and a link to your LinkedIn or personal website
• Objective - for your long-term vision and priorities
• Skills section - for your hard, soft, and transferable skills
• Education section - for all your degrees and relevant courses
• Certification section - for your certifications
• Strengths section - for the qualities that make you stand out from others
• Achievements section - for the times your hard work paid off.

When you choose the top sections you want to include in your undergraduate resume, it’s important to add specific information that recruiters value. For instance:

What recruiters love seeing on undergraduate resumes:

• Whether you’ve taken any additional courses that have upskilled you.

The ideal header for your undergraduate resume

The header section is often treated as unimportant by many undergraduates. Probably due to the fact that it’s the shortest part of your resume.

However, if you make even the slightest mistake in your email address or your phone number, recruiters will not be able to get back to you.

So make sure your header section is free from mistakes. Let’s check out some examples:

2 undergraduate resume header examples

Can you spot any mistakes?

Firstly, look at the title - it says ‘Student’. It’s okay, but it’s far from perfect.

Ideally, here you would mention the position you’re applying for or at least your major.

Then let’s look at the e-mail address - it’s very informal. We advise you to stick to the [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] format instead.

Then comes the location - it’d be better if Lesley had mentioned the city she currently resides in. That’s especially important if she’s applying for an on-site job.

Last but not least, the link. It leads us to Lesley’s personal Facebook account, and that’s a huge no-no. Especially if Lesley has some wild party photos in there.

Much better!

This resume summary looks much better and paints a much more precise picture of the applicant.

It starts by mentioning the person’s looking to become a journalist. In this way, employers know exactly what position would match the applicant’s wants and needs.

Moreover, this fits well with their link - we can assume that it leads to all articles Lesley has written for the university newspaper.

The email and location also look neat.

Now that’s a perfect header! Time to look at your undergraduate resume’s objective.

An inspiring objective to keep recruiters’ attention

Once you’ve decided what positions you want to apply to, it’s time to craft a resume objective .

Regardless of whether you’re in your first or last year of studies, a well-written resume objective can help you land an interview even when you have no work experience whatsoever.

That’s why describing how you’ll add value to the team is mandatory here.

Another thing worth considering is adding relevant keywords. This can help you pass applicant tracking systems that most recruiters use, even if you have little to no experience.

In short, think of your resume objective as a quick way to get recognition for your skills and qualifications from employers.

Let’s look at some good and bad resume objectives examples!

Focusing on what matters: 3 undergraduate resume objective examples

How does that resume objective make you feel?

Not too excited or impressed, right?

This automatically means you should stay away from such short, uninspiring objectives. Otherwise, you risk having your resume tossed in the bin.

Let’s try again:

Although this resume objective looks a bit better, it’s still far from ideal.

It’s a good idea to mention your top skills. However, linking them to the actual area of work or position is what would make you stand out.

Let’s give it one last try:

Now that’s something else!

This computer science undergraduate has done a great job in highlighting their education, interests, and top skills.

What’s more, they have also mentioned the position and field they’re interested in.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can always go to our resume experts for guidance !

It’s now time to move on to the next section, where we’ll discuss what needs to be done if you’re one of the few chosen undergraduates who have some work experience.

We advise you to read through that section even if you have no relevant work experience.

How to highlight work experience in your undergraduate resume

It’s common for undergrads to look for jobs - regardless of whether they’re doing it to get money or to get experience.

In both cases, there are some dos and don'ts when it comes to highlighting your previous experience. Be it relevant to what you’re applying for or not.

Generally speaking, your experience section should always include:

• The name of your previous employer
• The position
• The dates of employment
• A short description of the company
• Your main responsibilities

Let’s look at some examples first and discuss our findings after:

Right and wrong: 2 undergraduate resume experience examples

• • Served food
• • Greeted customers
• • Shift work
• • Always on time

Treat the example above as something you shouldn’t do.

Let’s start from the beginning.

The ‘position’ and ‘workplace’ fields look alright, but the description needs attention. Instead of plainly stating the place is a restaurant, this applicant could have said what kind of food the restaurant serves, for instance.

Also, look at the way they have listed their responsibilities. Do you spot anything wrong?

First off, there is no consistency. Some bullets start with verbs, others - with nouns or even adverbs.

Our advice is to always list your responsibilities using action verbs . They make you look responsible and ready to take action. And to be honest, recruiters love this.

Then, we need to look at the actual wording of the responsibilities.

Serving food requires valuable skills like attention to detail. At the same time, working in shifts means you have to be adaptable and have strong time management skills.

But as you can see, the applicant has not highlighted any of these transferable skills in their experience section.

See how this could have been done differently:

• • Helped customers choose their food according to their requirements and preferences
• • Delivered orders in a timely manner and according to restaurant policies
• • Improved my multitasking skills by covering 6-10 tables at a time
• • Guaranteed 100% customer satisfaction even during night shifts

See the difference?

Using action verbs and describing your responsibilities in detail makes a much stronger first impression than simply stating what you had to do.

What’s more, when you start thinking about the results of your work and how much you have actually achieved, you prepare for one of the most common interview questions - “Tell me about your experience”.

This piece of advice is also suitable for you if you have only volunteer experience.

The volunteering section: a great way to showcase your transferable skills

As mentioned earlier, not all undergraduates have experience.

Yes, those who do are usually considered lucky, but that’s mostly because they can prove they have the required skills.

The same goes for volunteering.

And while the volunteering section is a bit easier to tackle, there are still some things to keep in mind.

Inspiring change: 1 good and 1 bad volunteering section examples

Look at the example above. What do you get from it?

Not much, right? That’s why you should strive to do better.

The aim of every section of your resume should be to add value. So focus on this when describing exactly what you’ve done as a volunteer.

The second example helps you get a clearer understanding of the volunteer role and the skills required for it.

More specifically, it tells us that this person has great people-, event-, and time-management skills.

Speaking of skills, let’s look at the two different types of skills your undergraduate resume needs.

The top skills your undergraduate resume needs

As an undergraduate, you can often lack perspective regarding the skills you have and the skills you need to develop.

Knowing that there are two main types of skills - hard and soft - might make things easier for you.

In general, hard skills depend on your major and your interests. Some of the most popular hard skills for undergraduates include:

Hard Skills for undergraduates' resumes

• MS Powerpoint
• Software development
• Web development
• Linear progression
• Troubleshooting
• Database management
• Proofreading
• Forecasting
• Data mining
• Data engineering
• Data visualization
• Illustrator
• Graphic design
• UX/UI design
• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Project management
• Financial modeling
• Performance tracking

If you’re pursuing a more technical degree (e.g. in Computer Science or Engineering), then you can also go for a section outlining your technical skills .

How to describe soft skills on an undergraduate resume

Recently, recruiters and applicants alike have started to put more and more emphasis on the importance of soft skills .

They are applicable to almost any industry and role, and that’s exactly why some of them are often called transferable skills.

For instance, if you’re an experienced problem-solver, you’d be able to adopt a problem-solving approach as a software developer, accountant, or even translator.

A great way to emphasize your soft skills is by adding a talent section to your undergraduate resume.

Here’s a list of soft skills worth considering by undergraduates!

Soft skills for undergraduates' resumes

• Communication
• Active listening
• Presentation skills
• Positive mindset
• Open-mindedness
• Conflict management
• Cultural sensitivity
• Collaboration
• Encouragement
• Cooperation
• Coordination
• Idea exchange
• Negotiation
• Self-management
• Decision-making
• Self-confidence
• Brainstorming
• Team-building
• Self-motivation
• Lateral thinking
• Logical reasoning
• Persistence
• Observation
• Time-management
• Public speaking
• Responsibility
• Goal setting
• Prioritization
• Stress management
• Organization

And while adding your hard and soft skills to a ‘strengths’ or ‘talents’ section is great, make sure to also include a separate skills section to your undergraduate resume.

This will help you pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen applicant documents for certain keywords.

The education section: your time to shine

Since you’re still a student, the education section is something you should devote great attention to.

Make sure that you include the relevant courses you’ve taken and the highest grades you’ve received.

And remember: pointing out how different majors, minors , and projects have helped you develop certain skills and personal qualities will without a doubt impress recruiters.

It will also give them more insight into the industry knowledge you have and the value you can bring to the company.

And if you want to get bonus points, combine your undergraduate resume’s education section with a strong certificates section.

Certificates - the key to every recruiter’s heart

Certificates show you are willing to learn more than what’s expected from you. They also show you know how to put theory into practice.

That being said, they are a great way to stand out from other applicants and land an interview.

If you’re wondering which certificates are worth listing in your resume, think about the impact they have had on your life.

For instance, if you’re applying for a position in finance, a Power BI certificate would be much more relevant than a first aid certificate.

And remember: list only certificates you actually have.

If you’ve not taken any courses, then don’t include a ‘courses’ / ‘certificates’ section. Hiring managers can tell if you make skills and certifications up!

Top #3 undergraduate certificate types for your resume

• Foreign language certificates
• Soft skills certificates
• Technical certifications

Need more? add some of these sections to your undergraduate resume!

Depending on the position, you could also include a section describing your language skills . When in doubt, ask yourself - would you need foreign languages to accomplish your day-to-day tasks?

If you feel creative, you could also add a non-traditional section to your undergraduate resume.

A pie chart of what your typical day looks like or a quote that’s turned into your life philosophy. You decide!

Just make sure to keep things professional. Follow the rule - if you wouldn’t share it with your tutors, don’t share it with your prospective employers!

Key takeaways: how to impress recruiters and land an interview as an undergraduate

Undergraduate resume examples.

Explore additional undergraduate resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

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