Resume Examples and Tips for College Students and Graduates

When you're a college student or recent graduate, it can be a challenge to figure out what to include on your resume. After all, most college students don't have an extensive employment history. Employers know that, however, so they don't expect to see a lengthy list of jobs.

But just because you are at the beginning of your career doesn’t mean that you don’t have significant accomplishments to include in your resume. As a college student or recent graduate, you have many achievements that will qualify you for internships, summer jobs, and your first post-graduation position.

You can also highlight the skills that best qualify you for the jobs for which you're applying. Taking the time to show the employer that you have the right skills will help get your application considered for an interview.

Read below for advice on how to write a resume as a college student or graduate, along with lists of resume examples to review and download to get started on writing your own resume.

What to Include in Your Resume

If you're not sure what to include, do some brainstorming about all of your past experiences, including work-related positions, volunteering, academic experience, campus leadership positions, extracurricular activities, internships, and any awards or special recognition you may have received. They can all be included on your resume.

Make a list of all you have accomplished during your time at college, and include the achievements that are most relevant to the job you are applying for your resume. You'll need to tweak your resume each time you apply, but it's well worth the extra effort.

Resume Writing Tips for College Students and Grads

Emphasize Academics

If you have limited work and extracurricular experience, you can emphasize your academic history.

• Put the “Education” section of your resume at the top of your resume so that it is the first thing the employer sees.
• Along with the name of your school and degree, include any achievements, such as a high GPA or any academic awards (such as making the Dean’s List).
• If you have taken courses related to the job you’re applying for or completed school projects that required skills related to the job, list those as well.

Match Your Skills to the Job

Look at the job listing or postings you are applying for — your goal here is to match your experience and skills with the job requirements.

• Circle the experiences and skills on your brainstormed list of experience that relate directly to the job (or jobs) you have targeted.
• Incorporate those circled items into your resume.
• You can elaborate on some of these experiences in a bulleted list under each one.

Highlight Your Achievements

Based on your experiences, you might choose to divide your resume into different categories, such as “Work History,” “Volunteer Experience,” “Relevant Coursework,” and more. If you do not have much relevant experience, you might put all of these under the same category of “Related Experience.”

Create a Skills Section

You can also create a “Skills” section on your resume to highlight skills you have gained throughout your experiences. For example, if you are applying for a job as a computer programmer, you might list the programming languages you are familiar with under the “Skills” section of your resume.

Print Your Resume

It's much easier to review your resume to check the formatting and catch errors, if you print it out. You'll be able to make sure there is plenty of white space, your resume is readable, and you haven't made any mistakes.

Resume Examples for College Students and Graduates

Use a resume example or a resume template to guide your own writing. A resume example can help you decide what kind of content to include, as well as how to format your resume. However, be sure to tailor a resume example to fit your own experiences, and the job you are applying for.

Download the resume template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see more examples below.

More Resume Samples Listed by Type

Review more sample resumes and resume templates for college students and graduates applying for internships, summer jobs, and full-time positions to get ideas for your own resume.

Type of Student

Review resume examples listed by type of student and graduate.

• College Student Resume
• College Student Resume with a Summary
• Resume Focusing on Coursework
• Resume with GPA Listed
• College Senior Resume Example
• Entry Level Resume Examples
• Law Student Resume
• Summer Job Resumes and Cover Letters
• Teaching Abroad Resume
• Tutor Resume Example for a Student

Type of Job

Review resume examples for specific types of entry-level jobs for graduates.

• Business / Banking Resume
• Business / Technology Resume
• Camp Counselor Resume Example
• Education / Teaching Resume
• Entry Level Management Resume
• Publishing / Journalism Resume
• Summer Lifeguard Resume
• Summer Sales Associate Resume
• Teaching Abroad / International Education Resume
• Summer Job Resume Examples

Use these downloadable resume templates to create your own resume.

• College Resume Template
• Resume Template
• Microsoft Resume Templates

Review Your Resume Before You Apply

If you can, have someone from your campus career office, or perhaps an alumnus in the field that you are interested in, take a look at your resume to make sure that you have included as much pertinent information as possible. Otherwise, ask a friend or family member to review your resume for you.

This person can also read through your resume to spot any errors, including grammar and spelling mistakes, and issues with the style and layout.