College Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2025

The bell rings and class is over. It’s time to enter the working world. Whether you’re a graduate or still in college, landing your first job can be hard. Many companies demand experience—and since you likely have none—you’ll need another way to wow recruiters.

Don’t panic. Everyone has to start somewhere. Since you’re fresh out of college, recruiters won’t expect you to have years and years of experience under your belt. Instead, what matters most is that you have a genuine interest in the role applying for.

Whilst many college students cast the net wide and apply for every vacancy that pops up, this method is rarely the way to go. Be selective and choose roles that align with your educational background and suit your future career aspirations. Also, tailor your resume to meet the criteria of the vacancy for the best chance of landing an interview.

Ready to get started? In the following guide, we’ll take you through all the steps you need to cover to perfect your college resume and figuratively get your foot in the door.

How to use this college resume guide

We want you to make the most out of this resume guide. So, before you dive in and get started, take a look at our checklist below.

What to focus on when writing your college resume

You’re bubbling with potential. But how can you prove it to the recruiter? Luckily, we have the answer. Presenting yourself as a would-be professional takes finesse and a few insider tips. The first decision you need to make is what to focus on in your resume.

Here are some of the main points you’ll want to cover:

• Academic accomplishments (e.g., GPA, Dean’s List, AP or IB coursework)
• Relevant skills and tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Canva, coding languages)
• Volunteer or work experience with clear outcomes (e.g., raised $2,000 for a local cause, improved customer service efficiency)
• Strong, clear communication (make every word count and show your personality)

Let’s take a look at how you can emphasize each focus below:

Highlight your academic accomplishments

Your college experience counts—don’t forget to include it. If you have no work experience, you’ll need your schooling to shine. Be sure to share your biggest accomplishments.

Talk about the tools you can use

Tech rules the world. So, if you have mastery over some of the most valuable software and tools, let the recruiter know about it. Add them to your skills and objective sections.

Detail your volunteer or work experience

Spoiler: You may not have a ton of work experience. That’s perfectly okay. Nobody expects a college student to come with 10+ years of industry experience. However, if you do have any part-time or voluntary experience, you’ll want to detail it clearly.

Use strong, clear communication

Your resume needs to sell you as a professional. Think of it as an advert for your skills, experience, and education. The language you use here matters.

Don’t use any jargon or complex phrases. Instead, stick to simple and accessible wording. This approach gives you the best chance of success.

Bonus: Make sure your resume layout is clean and concise, too. Use a solid structure and bullet points (wherever possible) to make the document easy to scan.

Focus on these things when writing your college resume. Next up, let’s talk about the best resume format for your next application.

How to choose the right resume format

Don’t be bamboozled by the terminology. Your resume format is the structure of the document—plain and simple.

You have a few options to choose from:

• Reverse-chronological format: the most common resume format.
• Functional format: best for newcomers to the workplace.
• Combination format: a mixture of the other two formats.

Typically, we recommend using the reverse-chronological format for most candidates. However, since you’re currently a college student or recent graduate, the functional format may be a better choice.

The functional structure groups your experiences by skill sets. It’s a quick way to showcase your talents without focusing too heavily on your lack of experience.

We’ve covered how to make your resume look great, but what about the content? Let’s move on to what you should include in this document.

What to include in your resume header

Kicking things off, we need to talk about your resume header. This section contains your basic contact details. After all, if you wow the recruiter, they’ll want to get in touch.

These are the elements you should include:

• Your name: Write down your first and last name here.
• Job title: Add the job title of the role you’re applying for.
• Contact details: List a professional email address and phone number.
• Location: Finally, provide your city and state (You don’t need your whole address).

Here’s an example of how that may look:

How to write a resume objective

After your header, it’s time to work on your resume objective. This is a short statement—usually a few sentences long—that covers what you plan to do in your career.

Job candidates usually write a resume summary that covers their career history. However, an objective looks forward, not backward. Focus on the skills and education you have, but also on what you plan to do when you break into your chosen field.

Here’s how that may look in action:

The above objective details the skills the candidate already has, e.g., “natural ability to connect with people.” But it doesn’t end there. It also includes a line about the candidate’s career aspirations, too.

How to write a quantifiable resume experience section

If you do have prior experience, you can add some work experience to your resume. (If not, you can skip this section entirely!).

For each position, list the company name, location, your job title, and the dates you worked there. You can then use bullet points to add in some key accomplishments.

Check out our example below:

This work experience section includes a part-time job at Target. It demonstrates bullet points featuring tangible metrics, adding real value to the recruiter.

College resume work experience samples

The work experience you share will depend on your background. You may choose to include voluntary positions, part-time work, or even internships.

Whatever the case, you’ll want to play to your professional strengths. That means pulling out the skills and talents you’ve honed during these experiences.

Let’s take a look at how you can share each of the above positions:

Volunteer positions

You can either include volunteer roles in a specific volunteer work section (we’ll cover that later!) or in your work experience section. Lay it out as you would any other job role.

Part-time jobs

Have you picked up a few part-time jobs whilst at college? That’s great news. Recruiters value any type of experience, especially if you can detail how it aligns with the vacancy.

Internships

Did your college degree include an internship? If so, you’d better shout about it. 85% of employers say internship experience is either very or extremely important for soon-to-be graduates.

Listing your skills on your resume

Sliding impressive skills onto your resume is a must. Chances are, you’ve got a bunch of top talents you want to share. But—with limited space—which should you prioritize?

The key is ensuring you choose highly relevant skills. Check the core criteria in the job advert to identify the “must-haves.” Start by adding the ones you have to your resume.

The core competencies you share should be a good mix of hard and soft skills. This shows you’re a well-rounded candidate who can contribute to all areas of the business.

Let’s take a look at an example:

Best hard skills to feature on your college resume

The hard skills you list will depend on the industry you’re breaking into. These talents are specific to the vacancy and are often technical or software-based.

Here's an example for a college student starting a marketing career:

Best soft skills to feature on your college resume

Your hard skills may draw the recruiter in, but your soft skills will give them a reason to stay. These are the natural talents that make you an exceptional employee.

Here are some of the soft skills you may want to include:

Education on a resume

As a college student or graduate, you know the power of education. This next section is your time to put your best foot forward.

The education resume section is exactly what it says. It’s where you get to detail your academic achievements, including your formal education and any extra training.

Formal education

Whether you’ve recently completed your college degree or you’re studying, you should have it in this section. Note: If you’re still at college, make this clear on your resume.

Be specific about the level of education you have. You can also display academic honors such as Cum Laude or the Dean’s list.

Extra training

Have you completed any job or industry-specific training? You may have undertaken special courses while at college, attended a night school, or studied online.

Don’t overlook these additional professional certifications. They will help you stand out to recruiters and give you a competitive edge when applying for entry-level or graduate roles.

Here’s how a college resume education section may look (including an extra certificate):

Extra sections to include in your college resume

If you’ve followed all the steps we’ve shared, you should be ready to write an interview-winning college resume. But why not add something extra special to the mix?

If you have leftover space, include some extra resume sections. These bring your application to life and give the recruiter another reason to pay attention.

Let’s detail three optional sections.

Language section

Speaking a second language is a quick way to turn a recruiter’s head. You can add a specific language section to your resume to emphasize these skills.

Hobbies and interests section

When you lack formal work experience, having hobbies on your resume can make a big difference. This shows a recruiter that there’s more to you than just your education.

Volunteer work section

We’ve already covered the value of volunteer work. Want to differentiate this from your work experience section? You can add a dedicated section instead.

Conclusion

Writing a great college resume doesn’t have to be hard. Use the advice we’ve shared in this guide to get started. When you’re ready, our drag-and-drop resume builder tool makes it easy. Simply choose a format that works for you and get moving.