More often than not, students are still deciding what to include in their college resumes. Students from different fields will have to create different kinds of resumes depending on their majors and career goals to make it easier for the hiring manager or an HR representative to decide whether they want to hire them or not. As much as possible, include everything.
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What is a College Resume?

A college resume is a document that summarizes your academic and extracurricular experiences. Most colleges require you to include this resume in your application packet. It’s usually one of the first things an admissions officer will review when considering your application.
A college resume should highlight your achievements, skills, and abilities. It should also show any leadership roles and community service you’ve participated in and any awards or honors you’ve received. You can use a college resume as a way to communicate all of these things in one place!
College Resume Templates
How to choose a college resume template?
There are many free and paid resume templates available online. Some of them are good, while some are not. So how do you choose one that is suitable for your needs? There are some things you need to consider when choosing a college resume template:
Make sure the template is easy to read.
Your prospective employer will only spend a few seconds on your resume, so make sure that it takes at most that for them to understand what you’ve done and your experience. A clean design with simple font styles and layout will make this much easier.
Use simple fonts such as Times Roman or Calibri font size 11 or 12 for maximum readability. Avoid using fancy fonts since they are hard to read, especially when printed on standard paper size (8 ยฝ by 11 inches).
Make sure to limit your resume to a single page.
This will help you focus on highlighting key points in your professional career and avoid any unnecessary details that may take away from the overall message.
Check the formatting of each section.
Don’t just look at the overall appearance of the document; look at each section individually as well. Make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors and that each section has consistent formatting throughout. Also, check that everything is spelled correctly and punctuated correctly (e.g., dates should always be written as DD/MM/YYYY).
No unnecessary fonts or graphics
Make sure there are no unnecessary fonts or graphics on your resume if possible, but if you’re using one, then make sure it doesn’t clash with anything else on the page (like another font!) if you must use graphics such as graphs or images.
Make sure to limit your resume to a single page.
Make sure there is enough white space between sections to look clean and organized. You can also use bolder fonts for headings and subheadings and smaller fonts for descriptions. This will make it easier for readers to scan your resume quickly without squinting their eyes at tiny font sizes! Also, consider using bullet points instead of complete sentences for sections, making it easier for readers to understand the information provided in each document section.
Important Parts of a college resume template
College students need to have a resume template handy when they are applying for jobs and internships. The college resume template comes in handy when it comes time to create a professional-looking resume. A college student can use the college resume template as a starting point but then personalize it with their own work experience and history.
The following is a look at some of the parts of a college resume template:
Contact Information
The contact information section is just like in a standard resume. You should include your name, address, phone number, and email address. If you are applying to a large company, consider using their job application system. This will help them keep track of all their applicants, and it will also help them prepare for interviews by knowing the number of people who applied for the same position that you are applying for.
Education
This is the most important section on your resume template for college students. This section should have all of your educational accomplishments listed in chronological order starting with high school and going through each level of education that you have completed up until today. Include all awards and honors that you have received during your high school and college years (if any). Make sure that you include the following:
- All of your extracurricular activities.
- Any volunteer work you did while attending these schools.
- Any leadership roles that you held within these extracurricular activities or organizations?
The Experience Section
This is the first section of a college resume template. In this section, you will describe your previous jobs, internships, and volunteer work. You should include all of your job duties and responsibilities and highlight your achievements, such as awards and recognition received at work. If you have little experience or if you are a freshman in college, then focus on what skills you have obtained through these experiences. This section can also describe your academic accomplishments, such as getting good grades or being awarded scholarships.
Skills and Abilities
The third section of a college resume template is skills and abilities. This section should contain only those skills that are directly related to your major or career goal (and possibly other closely related fields). Include both hard skills (such as computer programming languages) and soft skills.
Awards and Honors
This section should include any awards or honors that you have received during your education. These can include academic awards, such as Phi Beta Kappa or summa cum laude, and other types of awards. This information should also go in this section if you were elected to any office in an organization or club.
Activities
This section should list all activities that you were involved with while at college. Not only will this give the reader an idea of what kind of person you are, but it will also show that you are productive and well-rounded. Be sure to include any leadership positions that you held in these activities, such as president, vice president, or treasurer. You should also include any internships or jobs related to your major or career plans after graduation.
How to Write a College Resume
A college resume is a good way to show off your skills. It can also serve as a way for you to highlight your education and extracurricular activities. A well-written college resume can help you get the attention of recruiters and employers.
Here are steps on how to write a college resume:
Choose an appropriate format.
The first step in writing a college resume is choosing a format that works for you. The two most popular formats are chronological and functional. The chronological format lists jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent job first), and the functional format lists skills and experience first. Both of these formats have advantages. Chronological resumes tend to look more polished and professional than functional ones, but they may be harder to manage if you have gaps between jobs or if you need to have relevant jobs listed on your CV. Functional resumes are easier to update and manage but can also look less formal than chronological CVs.
In general, it’s best to choose one format and stick with it throughout the document โ otherwise, it can appear confusing or disorganized.
Write for Applicant Tracking Systems
The second step in writing a college resume is to write it with applicant tracking systems (ATSs) in mind. ATSs are programs that automate the screening process, scanning thousands of applications at once to find the best candidates for each job opening. If you don’t tailor your resume for the ATS, it will likely be screened out before anyone even reads it. Including keywords from the job posting and making sure they appear prominently on your resume.
Include contact details for potential referees
Suppose you have worked with someone who could speak to your strengths on paper, including their email address, so that they can send you a letter of recommendation with just a click or two! You may also want to consider including the name of anyone else who could speak to those same traits in person โ this can include professors and advisors at school, as well as any managers or supervisors from previous jobs or internships.
Make Your Personal Summary Impactful
A personal summary is a short resume section highlighting your most relevant skills, accomplishments, and experiences. Once you complete this section, writing the rest of your resume will be easier because it will guide you in putting together a list of relevant professional experience.
Provide Accurate Educational Credentials
When writing a college resume, you want to ensure that your credentials are accurate. If you’re applying for an internship or entry-level job, your qualifications will likely be checked against your educational institution’s records. It’s important that you have all of the following:
- Your diploma/certificate (or proof of completion)
- Your GPA
- Your major and minor areas of study
- Your grade point average (GPA) in each major area of study
- This information should be included in one section of your resume.
Proofread
Proofreading is an essential part of the writing process. It’s the last step before submitting your college resume, so it’s important to ensure everything is perfect.
Make sure that every word and punctuation mark is correct. Make sure you include all of your relevant experience and skills on the resume without making it appear too long.
Consider using spell-checkers and grammar-checkers when reviewing your resume before submitting it to employers. These tools can help eliminate some of the most common errors in resumes, but they could be more foolproof.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has helped you create a resume to help you land your first internship or entry-level job. Whether or not writing the resume is one of your favorite activities, we hope the process was easier than you might have thought. Good luck, and happy job hunting!
FAQs
What is the best resume format for college students?
The best resume format for college students is a combination resume that highlights both skills and experience. It includes a skills section, education section listing your degree and GPA, work/volunteer experience, activities, honors/awards. Use relevant headings and bullet points to call out highlights.
How do you write a college resume?
Tips for writing a college student resume:
- Put education at the top including school, degree, major/minors
- Include GPA if above 3.0, relevant coursework
- List work experience, highlight transferable skills gained
- Note internships, research projects, volunteering activities
- Mention extracurriculars, leadership roles, honors
- Tailor resume to target jobs or graduate programs
- Focus on achievements, use quantified facts/data when possible
- Use clean fonts and formatting with consistent styling
What is a college resume format?
A college student resume format typically has:
- Header with contact info and linkedin URL
- Education summary as the first section
- Skills or work experience next
- Extracurriculars, volunteer work, honors
- Concise bullet points under each category
- Optional references section
- Clean, consistent fonts and styling
What should a resume look like for a college freshman?
A college freshman resume should focus on:
- High school academic achievements and activities
- College education listing school, intended major
- Part-time jobs, internships, volunteering
- Technical, computer, language skills
- Leadership in extracurriculars, sports, clubs
- Conferences, seminars, or training attended
- Achievements and awards related to your goals
- An eye-catching and easy to skim format