College Student Resume Examples
Graduate from inexperienced job seeker to confident candidate! Our college student resume examples will help you build a strong application for any job you want.
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College Student Resume Summary Examples
Your resume summary is the first section that appears on your resume, right after the contact information. It comprises a compelling paragraph summarizing your top qualifications to capture the recruiter’s attention.
Most recruiters spend only seven seconds scanning a resume; therefore, the resume summary should include only the most job-relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications.
Depending on your desired role, you’ll list skills and achievements from your academic experience or past jobs. If you lack a lot of formal experience for the job you want, you might want to check out our college student resume objective examples instead.
Below, we’ll share one good example and one weak example of a college student’s resume summary so you can better visualize what this section entails.
Good example:
“Creative marketing junior at Northeastern University, president of the school’s American Marketing Association chapter, two-time 1st place winner of case study competition and social media content creator with 3.4k followers on TikTok and 2.2k followers on Instagram. Possess excellent digital marketing skills, SEO skills and brand development.”
Why this example works:
- It starts strong with impressive academic achievements, immediately grabbing potential employers’ attention.
- Includes quantifiable accomplishments such as amassing thousands of followers on social media, a highly relevant and attractive feat in the marketing industry.
- Evident practical experience is balanced by listing critical skills required for the role.
Bad example:
“Marketing college student soon to graduate with honors. Experienced in social media, branding and placements. I possess the skills and education necessary to succeed in the role. I work well with others and can be relied upon as a leader.”
Why this example fails:
- It is too vague about the candidate’s accomplishments.
- It doesn’t feature any quantifiable or verifiable achievements; it only gives recruiters the candidate’s word that they’re an accomplished marketer.
- Spends too much time mentioning they’re apt for the role and can be a leader while omitting the job requirements.
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Enter the details about your job title. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts, which you can copy and paste.
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Then, pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
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All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!
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College Student Resume Work Experience Examples
Your work experience is one of the most crucial sections of your college student resume. This section houses detailed descriptions of your most impressive achievements, which are important aspects of writing a resume. Let’s compare the two examples below to determine professional resume work experience.
Good example:
LuxeWash Car Wash and Detailing | Dallas, TX | 06/2021 – Present
- Designed and produced flyers, brochures, and online promotions, resulting in a 34% seasonal car wash package sales boost.
- Created and collaborated on event marketing strategies, attracting 100+ new customers to local community events.
- Managed customer scheduling and inquiries, ensuring smooth workflow and reducing customer wait times by 56%.
Why this example works:
- This business administration student showcases relevant marketing and administrative work skills, proving they possess practical skills and theoretical knowledge.
- The presence of numbers to validate achievements demonstrates the organizational and mathematical skills needed to generate and keep track of this performance data.
- Uses these quantifiable achievements to demonstrate the candidate’s efforts had a tangible impact on the business.
Bad example:
LuxeWash Car Wash and Detailing | Dallas, TX | 06/2021 – Present
- Responsible for all the business marketing operations, such as social media marketing, advertising and client-facing materials.
- Collaborated with team members in organizing highly successful marketing events to attract new clients.
- Supervised daily operations, greeted clients and ensured minimal waiting time and satisfactory client experience.
Why this example fails:
- It only lists generic responsibilities any other employee could have done.
- Doesn’t provide recruiters with examples of unique achievements that showcase what the candidate can bring to the role.
- The listed accomplishments don’t center on the results for the business, leaving recruiters unsure about their success.
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College Student Resume Skills Examples
Here are 18 soft, hard and other college student skills that can help in many roles
- Organizational skills
- Computer skills
- Writing and report-making
- Investigative skills
- Communication skills
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Research skills
- Networking
- Global thinking
- Technical and digital literacy
- Interpersonal skills
- Conflict management
- Budgeting skills
- Public speaking
- Self-management skills
- Collaboration
- Project management
You should include skills throughout various resume sections, including the skills section, to showcase as many relevant qualifications as possible.
Examples of Additional College Student Resume Sections
Your resume should consist of these five essential sections: contact information, resume summary, work experience, skills and education. However, as a college student, you will have had many informal work experiences from which you can extract accomplishments and additional resume sections can be the best place to showcase them.
Some extra sections you can include on your college student resume are:
- Clubs and associations
- Extracurricular activities
- Sports
- Student body government
- Publications
- Academic honors
- Volunteer work
- Hobbies and interests
You should only include additional sections if you have two or more related achievements to showcase in each section, ensuring those achievements are entirely relevant to the role.
Examples of Resume Formats
Not all resumes look the same. You can use three recruiter-approved resume formats to organize your resume’s sections and contents. Check out examples of the chronological, functional and combination resume styles below.
These three resume formats all include the same sections. However, each format highlights a different set of abilities and suits a different type of candidate. Resume formats are a great way to ensure that every candidate, irrespective of years of experience, can shine with their actual achievements.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional formats
- Focus on skills.
- Best for college students who lack work experience.
- Good for people searching for first job related to their major.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination formats
- Balance skills and work history.
- Ideal for most student scenarios.
- Suitable for students with some work experience unrelated to their major.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological formats
- Puts the most focus on work history.
- Best for students with a long career or academic history.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you’ve decided which resume format suits you, picking a college student resume template is a piece of cake.
We offer 30+ preformatted resume templates to make your resume stand out from the applicant pile.
Don’t Forget Your College Student Cover Letter
Increase your chances of getting hired by including a professional cover letter with your resume.
A cover letter can be your secret weapon in landing a job interview for the role of your dreams.
It’s no secret that the job market has harsh competition, especially for college students with no experience or those who think their experience is irrelevant to the job they want.
However, the cover letter is the best place to show employers those transferable skills and how everything you’ve learned has made you a valuable candidate.
Are you already dreading having to write yet another piece of text? We’ve got you covered.
Our professional Cover Letter Generator uses your desired job title and working style to generate a personalized cover letter you can quickly edit with your most impressive achievements.
You can find inspiration in our dozens of cover letter examples for various jobs and industries and the cover letter templates to match!
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