The Best Resume for Freshers (Format & Writing Tips)

If you’re a fresher—a recent college graduate ready to tackle the workforce—your biggest challenge when writing a resume for freshers is a lack of work experience.

To make the resume-writing process easier, experts recommend you use one of the three recruiter-approved resume formats to help highlight your strengths and downplay any gaps.

For freshers, the best choice is the functional resume format, which emphasizes skills and keeps work history minimal.

In this guide, you’ll learn which sections to include and in what order, get ready-to-use resume templates, and pick up tips to optimize your job search. Let’s dive in!

What Is a Fresher Resume?

A fresher resume is simply a resume that’s tailored to meet the unique needs of a soon-to-be or recent graduate. A fresher resume can be used to apply for jobs, internships, or any other professional experience.

The fresher resume should follow the functional format, which consists of the following sections and order:

Contact information: Include your name, phone number, email, and work location (city and state).
Resume objective: Share a brief statement introducing yourself and what your most job-relevant professional skills are, plus what you aim to achieve on the job or in your career.
Skills: Focus on three main skills, with bullet points under each showing what you’ve achieved to prove those skills.
Additional skills section: Expand on your main skills with a simple, bulleted list of additional abilities to demonstrate you possess the required professional qualifications.
Work history: List at least one job in your work history section, even if unrelated to your field, to show you’ve been part of the workforce.

Now that you’ve got a basic idea of how a resume for freshers should look, you can customize your own with the help of our Resume Builder. Simply type in your target job title and receive ready-made content suggestions for all your resume sections. Generate a custom resume in minutes!

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Resume Template for Freshers

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What this resume gets right:

Opts for a functional resume format to share the job seeker’s accomplishments in the skills section
Minimizes the work experience section to draw attention away from the limited number of jobs
Shares impressive achievements in the education section, such as a 4.0 GPA
Adds custom sections to provide more accomplishments that make up for the short work history

How to Write a Resume for Freshers

Starting your first resume can feel overwhelming, especially when you’ve recently graduated and your work experience is limited. But don’t worry: a well-crafted resume is your chance to showcase your potential in a way that grabs employers’ attention.

To help you make the most of your fresher resume and stand out from other applicants, follow these practical tips:

1. Start with a compelling resume objective.

One of the main characteristics of a functional resume is the resume objective section. The benefit of an objective for a resume for freshers is that it allows inexperienced job seekers, like college students or recent grads, to shape their career story and show enthusiasm, even without much work history.

A strong resume objective should briefly mention your most relevant skills, highlight your education or any volunteer work, and clearly state your career goals for the role you want.

Let’s look at an example of a resume objective for a fresher applying for an administrative assistant role at a nonprofit organization.

Objective

As a third-year political science student on merit academic scholarship, I’m enthusiastic about supporting a nonprofit organization as an administrative assistant. I offer strong organizational and communication skills developed during three years of Broad Street Food Bank community service. I’m eager to contribute my experience and skills to the organization’s mission and gain valuable knowledge in the nonprofit sector.

You can also opt for a traditional summary for a resume for freshers. Although the objective is ideal for explaining your situation, you can include a simple summary of your skills and experience, and explain any career gaps in a cover letter.

2. Share accomplishments in the skills section.

This might seem counterintuitive if you’re only familiar with traditional reverse-chronological resumes, but with functional resumes, your achievements mainly go in the skills section.

Because most freshers have little or no work experience, organizing accomplishments by skill—rather than by job—works best. Using this format, you highlight your top three skills in resumes for freshers and back each one up with related coursework, projects, or campus activities.

To help you see how this works, here’s an example for a communications student:

Skills

Research and Writing

Successfully completed research projects, including a comprehensive analysis of media ethics in the digital age.
Authored engaging articles and essays for coursework, consistently receiving positive feedback from professors.
Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills through active participation in the college newspaper, contributing to weekly publications.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Excelled in public speaking and debate, earning recognition for persuasive communication abilities.
Collaborated effectively as part of a team in group projects, ensuring timely completion of tasks and goals.
Developed strong interview techniques through coursework and gathering information for journalistic purposes.

Digital Media Proficiency

Acquired proficiency in media production software, including Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop.
Managed social media accounts for a student organization, increasing engagement and followers by 28%.
Adapted quickly to new technologies, staying up-to-date with digital media trends and tools.

PRO TIP

Use resume keywords directly from the job ad to show you’re a match for the role. This not only grabs a recruiter’s attention but also helps your resume get past applicant tracking systems (ATS). Think of it as speaking the company’s language to boost your chances.

3. Include additional achievements in the education section.

Another smart way to make up for limited work experience in a resume for freshers is to boost the education section with relevant details that show your skills and commitment.

For example, add:

Scholarships or academic awards
GPA or valedictorian status from high school
Extracurricular activities or clubs
Relevant coursework

Here’s an example of how a fresher can optimize their education section:

Education

Bachelor of Science: Chemistry

Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO

Expected graduation date: June 2026

Full-ride merit scholarship

High School Diploma

West High School | Salt Lake City, UT

GPA 4.0
Valedictorian
Student Body President (Senior Year)

4. Keep the work experience minimal.

If you have limited work experience, using the functional format is smart because it moves the work experience section to the bottom of your resume and keeps it short.

In a fresher’s resume format, your work experience should only include:

Job title
Employer name
Dates of employment

See this example of a simple work experience section in a fresher resume format:

Work experience

Emilio’s Pizza Kitchen, Philadelphia, PA

Host | Sep 2022 – Current

George Washington High School, Philadelphia, PA

Tutor | Sep 2021 – Jan 2023

Even if these jobs aren’t related to your career goals, they show you’re reliable, can work with others, and know how to handle responsibility, which are valuable qualities employers look for in entry-level hires.

5. Customize your resume with extra sections.

Once you’ve included all your five main resume sections, you can share more accomplishments in custom sections.

You might not have as much work experience as a more seasoned candidate, but you undoubtedly have achievements that make you an excellent worker.

Some sections you can add to your fresher resume can include:

Extracurricular activities
Volunteer work
Clubs or associations
Personal projects
Sports achievements
Internships

Crafting a strong fresher resume is about highlighting what you do have: your skills, education, and any experience that proves you’re ready to grow. If you’d like more help polishing it, check out our full guide on how to write a resume.

Once your resume is ready, don’t forget your cover letter! A cover letter is your chance to tell your story, show your enthusiasm, and stand out as a college freshman. Let’s look at how to write a cover letter that really works.

Key Tips for Writing a Cover Letter as a Fresher

Acknowledge your limited experience confidently. Briefly address that you’re a fresher, then quickly shift the focus to your enthusiasm, transferable skills, and willingness to learn.
Highlight relevant academic projects and activities. Use coursework, class projects, volunteer work, or campus involvement to show you possess practical skills related to the job.
Expand on your career plans. Share a timeline of your professional goals to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment. A strong vision for the future shows employers you have long-term potential.
Show genuine interest in the company and role. Research the organization to identify common values and mission. Explain how your values match the company’s culture and how that makes you excited to contribute, even as a newcomer.
Focus on your soft skills. Employers aren’t only looking for a strict set of skills. Emphasize qualities like communication, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving. Technical knowledge is easier to train than genuine work ethic.
Customize your cover letter for each job application. Tailor your letter to every job description and company culture you apply to. Ensure the skills or achievements you’re highlighting reflect the company’s needs, and use the appropriate tone and language for their company “style.”
Keep it concise and professional. Use perfect grammar and a polite tone. Keep your letter between three and four paragraphs, and end with a polite call to action expressing your eagerness for an interview.

These tips will help you create a fresher cover letter that adds value to your application. However, if you need some inspiration to get rid of writer’s block, take a look at our cover letter examples for every job and industry.

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Resume Templates for Freshers

To help you kickstart the resume writing process, we’ve created this selection of resume templates already formatted for a fresher like you. Click your favorite resume and simply fill it in with your details.

Key Takeaways

A fresher’s resume format should include all five main resume sections organized in a functional resume style.
Start with a resume objective that shares your top skills and achievements and states your career goals.
Include an extended skills section where you list achievements that demonstrate your skill set.
Keep your work experience minimal by only sharing the jobs you’ve held, along with the employers, location, and dates of employment.
Include keywords from the job description to assure recruiters you meet the job requirements and to bypass the ATS.
Optimize your education section with extra achievements like GPA or scholarships.
Customize your resume with additional sections to showcase achievements that make up for a lack of work experience.
If you want to reassure employers that your fresher status isn’t a setback, include a cover letter that shows your commitment, relevant skills, and serious career goals.
Instead of writing your resume from scratch, save time using our Resume Builder to automatically generate a unique resume based on your desired job title.

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About the Author

Gabriela Hernandez • CPRW, Career Advice Writer

Gabriela is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. She focuses on helping job seekers improve their professional resumes to highlight their unique skills and experience. Gabriela holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Puerto Rico and offers more than four years of specialized experience helping candidates navigate the complexities of today’s online job market, with a strong focus on resume optimization and effective self-presentation.