sample resume objective for college student

35 Impressive College Student Resume Objective Examples

The objective statement is the first place you get to pitch yourself to a potential employer. It’s the hook to draw a reader into looking at your resume in full. In your objective statement, you need to concisely convince the hiring manager that you understand what the job entails and that you are the best candidate for the job. Whether you are looking for a part-time job while studying, or for your first job out of college, you will want to make your very best first impression.

Examples of College Student Objective Statements

Below are some examples of objectives statements for college students and college graduates to guide you in writing a powerful opening to your resume:

• Computer science student seeking part-time work with ABC University in IT support, eager to gain first-hand experience while contributing to troubleshooting problems experienced by members of the university community.
• Courteous and responsible student with a stellar driving record and well-maintained 4-door vehicle seeking a position as a part-time rideshare driver.
• Recent graduate with B.S. in Accounting looking for a data entry and bookkeeping position at Fin Corporation, bringing excellent attention-to-detail, enthusiasm to learn and adaptability to take on new tasks.
• Flexible and joyful student pursuing a degree in early childhood education, seeking a role as a teaching assistant and coming with fluency in online tools and the capability to learn quickly.
• Dependable and flexible animal-lover seeking a position as a pet sitter with Creature Comforts LLC, coming with the ability to work independently and an excellent attention-to-detail.
• Reliable book enthusiast and current English major looking to work as a library assistant, bringing an understanding of the library system and an eagerness to learn library management processes.
• Self-motivated, focused and friendly student with a reliable car, insurance and a clean driving record seeking an on-demand runner or delivery driver position, coming with ability to provide a great experience to customers.
• Forward-thinking and dedicated team player seeking part-time work as a graphic designer with XYZ College, leveraging extensive knowledge of a wide variety of design software and tools, and superior command of layout principals and aesthetic design concepts.
• Responsible and outgoing student seeking a part-time host or waiting position at a restaurant, coming with two years of barista experience and an excitement for learning new skills.
• Highly motivated software engineering graduate with strong customer service and communication skills seeking to join Great North Casualty Company, leveraging ability to write code in JAVA, HTML5, and CSS3.
• Personable student looking for a part-time job as a sales clerk at a retail clothing store, coming with two summers of experience working at a café and gift shop.
• Punctual, responsible and hardworking student looking for a job as a barista at Café Coffee, leveraging a love of coffee, a team-oriented attitude, and an enthusiasm for making people smile.
• Emotionally mature and adaptable recent college graduate with a passion for bringing smiles to children, looking for a nanny position, coming with reliable transportation, CPR and First Aid certification, and references.
• Looking for a part-time job as a social media assistant at ABC Staffing, leveraging deep knowledge of various social media platforms, strong organizational skills and attention-to-detail to develop and maintain a professional and welcoming online presence for the benefit of the company.
• Chemistry student with an excellent academic track record, seeking a summer job as a lab assistant at First Labs to support research scientists and explore the possibility of pursuing a research career.
• Friendly and professional team player seeking a part-time job as a customer service associate, leveraging flexibility, great phone presence, and highly organized ability to work quickly and accurately.
• Accomplished student with an aptitude for programming, seeking part-time work with Big Time Realty in support of its IT requirements, bringing superior customer service skills, strong knowledge of various computer hardware and software, and an unbeatable work ethic.
• Outstanding mathematics student seeking part-time work as a math tutor, leveraging exemplary academic track record and ability to communicate complex mathematical concepts to children from primary to secondary levels.
• Detail-oriented accounting college senior (GPA 3.8) seeking a part-time job with Alton Accountants to gain practical experience in accounting, coming with knowledge from coursework and excitement about starting a career in accounting.
• Dependable student seeking weekend job as a lifeguard at Community Pool, leveraging Red Cross First Aid and CPR certifications, and three summers of experience in lifeguarding.
• Punctual and organized art student with a passion for oil painting seeks part-time job in an art supply shop, coming with two years of customer service experience gained through work in cafes and restaurants.
• To obtain a part-time dental office assistant position at Henley Clinic to utilize administrative experience while increasing knowledge of dentistry as a pre-med student.
• Reliable finance student looking to gain work experience as a part-time bank teller, coming with excellent customer service skills and an interest in banking.
• Political science student hoping to pursue a career in law, seeking a summer job as an office assistant at Gray Law Firm to gain first-hand insight into legal practice.
• To secure part-time work as an office assistant, experienced in providing administrative support as a receptionist and coming with fast typing ability (45+ wpm), superior organizational skills, and a desire to work hard.
• Mechanically inclined and reliable student seeking a part-time job at Cycle Store, bringing a passion for cycling and an understanding of cycle maintenance and repair.
• Self-starter and current culinary student seeking a part-time position as a kitchen assistant, confident in fast-paced kitchens and bringing skills in various cuisines.
• Statistics student planning on pursuing a career in business analytics, looking for a part-time job to gain understanding of practical applications of analyses and to contribute to fulfilling the analytical needs of a corporate team.
• Innovative and solutions-oriented student seeking a part-time position within a marketing agency to leverage creativity to gain practical experience for the benefit of the company.
• Art student seeking a part-time job as a receptionist at Art Museum, bringing excellent reception skills gained as a restaurant hostess and a passion for art, particularly oil painting.
• Hardworking and punctual student seeking warehouse packing work, bringing endless energy, optimism, and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Biology student seeking to obtain a position as part-time receptionist at Medical Office, drawing on over two years of office support and reception experience.
• Enthusiastic sophomore seeking a part-time position as a tour guide at State University, looking to apply excellent communication and hosting skills gained as a waitress to show prospective students and their families around campus and give them insight into student life.
• Responsible and driven student eager to gain work experience through part-time work, willing to learn new skills and perform ad hoc duties as required.
• To obtain a part-time analyst position with Econo Analytics, bringing skills gained through mathematics and statistics studies, able to contribute insights into both macro and microeconomic trends.

Getting a good job that is in line with your career goals while you are still in college is a great way to roadtest your career choice and gain experience. If jobs within your future profession aren’t available, getting a different job with transferable skills is another good idea. Think about talking to people you know who might be able to put your resume in front of decision-makers. Whether you have a warm lead from someone in your network or are applying cold to an online job posting, make sure your objective statement is compelling and free from error. This is will get your resume noticed and make a strong first impression.

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College Student Resume Objective: How to Write + Examples

College students are facing  high competition for entry-level jobs . The statistic reveals that only  86% of college graduates are employed . Landing an entry-level job is stressful, and you have to  compete with your peers who are working towards the same degree  as you. Moreover, as a student, you may lack and be unaware of  how to write a college freshman resume that would be of interest to a recruiter. For these and other reasons, your student objective for resume should be strong. Reviewing several career objectives with relevant skills is a great advice to follow.

Crafting a persuasive resume is your real chance to stand out. In particular, you need to start from the very first section that appears at the top of your resume – an objective. Today, the  top resume writers  from our company will explain why you should be using a career objective, how to write one as well as give some examples for your inspiration. So, open the word processor and grab a cup of coffee – let's start.

Stressed about your resume?

Resume writing can be tough if you have no experience you could write about. However, no experience is not a reason for stress, and our seasoned American and British resume experts can prove that. Send us all the information about your education, part-time jobs, research, and extracurricular activities, and we'll create a powerful resume that positions you well for your dream job. Our fees are affordable for any wallet, and we offer an additional 20% discount to college students.

Why use an objective instead of a summary?

Typically, our career experts recommended that the job-seekers use a career summary. This section concentrates on your most notable accomplishments, skills, and relevant experience so that upon its review the employer could know what your key selling points are.

But for a student resume, we strongly insist that you opt for an objective. Here are our top three reasons why:

✓ Firstly, as inexperienced young professional , you probably have no strengths and accomplishments to brag about. That's totally fine – you'll gain the practical skills and experience later – but at this point in your career, there isn't much to summarize so a resume objective makes more sense.

✓ Secondly , an objective makes career goals clear . Again, you have no prior experience, and the recruiter cannot see your strengths. So, you'll have to outline this information for them in 1-2 sentences of your summary, especially if you are applying for an entry level position.

✓ Finally , it allows you to show personality . Imagine a recruiter who reviews dozens of student resumes. All the applicants have similar education level and extracurricular activities, so it's quite complicated to make a choice. But if you manage to capture their attention with your objective, your interview chances will skyrocket. Yet, it is still important to ensure your objective statement matches job description and presents only relevant information.

Do not forget about workplace etiquette rules. Stay on a good note with colleagues. Focus on your professional skills and try to show your proven track record.

How to write a powerful resume objective?

To get noticed and shortlisted, you want to pour enough time and effort into crafting the statement that presents your best side to the employer. As you write, follow these principles:

✓ Use descriptive resume words

Descriptive resume words should be used carefully on a resume since overuse of them might turn the reader off. However, using 1-2 adjectives to highlight your personality traits can be a lot of good. Through these descriptive words you can reveal your attitude to work and working style. Some good examples of descriptive words are:  self-directed, organized, teamwork-driven, responsible, knowledgeable, disciplined , etc.

You can vary the choice of words depending on the position. For instance, if you're applying for an administrative assistant role, it's best to highlight that you are organized and deadline-oriented. Technical skills, organization skills, and soft skills are all part of the strong resume objective.

✓ Show what you expect to deliver

The resume objectives that are focused on your persona and your expectations are out of date. Good modern objectives also throw lights on what you can offer to the employer or even which results you plan to deliver if hired. Even if you are a high school student and working on crafting your high school student resume, you need to illustrate your academic knowledge as well as career goals. For instance, a sales rep may write something like ‘looking to deliver exceptional client service and great in-store experience'. This approach works great for two reasons. Firstly, it differentiates you from other applicants who only write about what they expect from the employer. And secondly, it shows that you have high professional standards and are eager to hit the ground running once hired.

✓ Briefly outline your professional goals

Since this section is called ‘Objective', you might also want to show what your goals are. Employers want to understand your desired career direction so that they can know if you're a right fit. Moreover, job search is a two-way process: you want to get hired by a company that allows you to realize your potential.

That's why it's helpful to include statements like ‘looking for a position with a company that offers extensive training in finance management'. If the company offers that, they'll appreciate your enthusiasm. You can choose to leave your goals out, though. Be sure to read multiple objective examples that highlight relevant skills in order to get an overall idea of how to draft powerful resume objective statements.

The examples of objectives

To get an idea of what a persuasive objective looks like, take a look at the examples offered below. Avoid copying these examples word for word. Your resume objective should be unique and reflect your educational and professional background. Career objective statement should be your own, unique, and relevant to your background and the accumulated experiences.

• Diligent and self-directed marketing student looking to leverage strong written communication, sales, and online marketing skills to help XYZ Company reach more customers and increase sales.

• Psychology major student seeking to apply research and communication skills in a position of Research Associate. Coming with strong learning abilities, attention to detail, and prior academic research experience.

• Hardworking and organized business management student seeking a summer internship position of a Business Analyst. Looking to apply selling skills, business acumen and communication etiquette to foster client relationships for XYZ company.

• Detail-driven student looking for an Administrative Assistant positon to apply knowledge of office procedures and equipment and multitasking skills to ensure excellent administrative support.

• Knowledgeable software engineering student seeking a Junior Web Developer position to write well-designed and efficient code using the best practices in web development.

Writing a student resume: General guidelines

Now that you are aware of how to write an impressive objective, it's time to take care of the rest of your resume as well. Follow our expert tips specific to college student resume writing:

•   Highlight academic accomplishments As a student, you should place the Education section above the Work Experience. Don't limit this section to the school name and degree – as a student, you can brag about any college-related accomplishments and strengths. In particular, you might want to highlight academic awards such as Dean's List and share the research paper or thesis topics if they align with your target job. It's also a good idea to list relevant coursework to show that you have the theoretic foundation needed for the position. Resume objectives for beginners can be oriented toward highlighting your academic experience only.
•   Experience is transferrable If you've worked as a cashier in Mcdonald's or a sales rep in a local accessories store, don't discount this stage. In particular, most typical college jobs teach such skills as sales, customer interaction, work ethic, time management, organization, and more. These skills will definitely be beneficial for your first ‘serious' job. If you had relevant internships or freelance jobs, that's even better as you can present them as relevant professional experience. Add organizational skills to your objective statement and you get a stronger presence on the job market.
•   Keep it to one page For a student resume, a one-page rule is a must. You don't have much experience, so your college activities will easily fit into one page. If you had lots of activities, volunteering projects or part-time jobs in college, consider removing the ones that are irrelevant to your target position to save the resume space. Recruiters are unlikely to read a student's resume that exceeds one page. By the way, if you want to strengthen your business writing skills, here's exactly how to do this:  https://resumeperk.com/blog/9-tips-to-improve-your-business-writing-skills
•   Consider the design Don't underestimate the importance of effective formatting in getting your resume liked by an employer. Good formatting will naturally draw the reader's eye to the most important information on a resume, and a design that is easy on the eye increases the chance that your resume will be read from top to bottom. However, be careful with resume templates and builders if you want to be original. They are good to use as long as you do not copy any information. The same rule applies to using career objective examples.

Bonus: 4 ways to find college student jobs

Curious  how to find a dream job after college graduation  as soon as possible? Make sure you are taking advantage of all available job-hunting methods. In particular, be sure to do the following:

• Job boards Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com, Monster.com, and more are the most popular resources for landing new jobs, so don't neglect them. You can search for jobs using various filters such as location, salary range, job level, and more. These boards also allow you to post your own resume and get found by recruiters.
•   Visit college career centers The career center in your college and university is a comprehensive resource to find job opportunities, get prepared for job interviews, and even get resume help. Many companies prefer to hire the top students once they graduate, so the college center may be a source of opportunities you won't find anywhere else.
•   Attend the job fairs Job fairs give you an opportunity to meet lots of employers, talk about career prospects with them, and hand in an enormous number of resumes in one day. In addition to the fact that you may land a job or an internship if the company representative likes you, it's also a great opportunity to expand your knowledge about existing career options in general. Job fairs are particularly good for people who are seeking an entry level position.
•   Use the power of social media Sign up for the companies that you'd like to work for in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. This is the best way to stay updated and to be the first to hear about the fresh opportunities with them. You might also want to look for jobs on social media using hashtags.

Is your resume up to scratch?

If you're writing your first resume, it may be hard for you to understand if it's good enough to land you a job. Your application should be perfect in terms of content, and orthography, and aligned with your aims. At Resumeperk.com, you can  find resume writing help  from the top professionals. Grab your 20% discount for the first discount. Hiring managers will definitely pay more attention to a resume that stands out. Whether you are a job seeker who is a recent graduate or looking for a mechanical engineer resume for 10+ years of experience, our experienced professionals are here to help you with every aspect of creating an impressive resume with a powerful resume objective.

Our experienced writers can create a powerful resume suitable for each position. However, you may also request a specific resume depending on the job you are applying for, thus it will be tailored individually for your profession:

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24 College Student Resumes That Landed Jobs in 2024

• College Student Resumes
• College Student Resumes by Role
• College Student Resumes for Academics

Writing Your College Student Resume

Companies sometimes require that entry-level candidates have experience, but how do you get experience when even entry-level jobs make it difficult to apply?

Getting that first job or internship can be the most challenging part of your career. Fortunately, as a college student, you’re in a great position to get that first break you need. Once you get your degree, you’ll have the experience employers are seeking, but until then, how can you build an effective resume or write a cover letter as a college student?

After reviewing countless  resume samples , we’ve determined what types employers want to see from college students. Furthermore, we used that knowledge to create  24 college student resume examples to help inspire your resume in 2024 .

College Student Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• This lets employers know when you can work full-time. Whatever you do, be honest. Stretching the truth won’t get you any points with employers. It’s better to be upfront and willing to learn a skill rather than try to succeed by the skin of your teeth.
• The golden rule on your college student resume is to lead with your strengths. If you’ve got a relevant internship, add it. If you’ve done any related class projects, list them. No matter what you include, make sure to highlight transferable skills.

Undergraduate Student Resume

• To impress the recruiter, demonstrate the dedication you have had in your previous posts despite minimal experience.

University Student Resume

• In that case, your university student resume can capitalize on your analytical skills, which helped identify cost-saving opportunities and cut overall expenses by six percent.

College Student No Experience Resume

• Luckily, there are a host of  resume templates  you can use to format your experience well, so long as you adjust based on your qualifications.
• For example, you can add or remove sections based on the amount of work history you have (or don’t have).
• For example, being on the club basketball team may feel irrelevant to business analysis. But by focusing on how you’ve organized practices and led a local volunteer effort, your  college student no experience resume  can point to qualities that might appeal to a thoughtful employer.

Current College Student Resume

• A reverse-chronological format is still the most accepted, but if you want to highlight your skills, try using a functional format instead.
• Adding relevant metrics shows that you know what matters to your employer and you’ve positively impacted your previous workplace.

College Student for Internship Resume

• That’s okay—you can weave in other things, like projects and part-time jobs. Of course, if you do have internship or job experience, put that at the top.
• It’s as easy as checking the  job description . Then just list your relevant abilities according to what matches the keywords listed by the employer.

College Student Assistant Medical Laboratory Technician Resume Example

• Do you have a unique interest related to science? Are you involved in a sport? Do you volunteer? All of these hobbies are great additions to your resume.
• If you’ve just graduated, you can bulk up your education section.
• Feel free to add any college awards you won and your GPA (if it’s higher than 3.5).

College Student HR Executive Assistant Resume

• As a rule of thumb, we recommend including one if you’re light on experience or are going through a substantial career change. Otherwise, leave it out in favor of work experience. 
• Good skills to include on an HR executive assistant resume are “talent acquisition,” “conflict resolution,” “legal compliance,” and “compensation/benefits.”
• An even more effective way to breathe life into your skills is to weave them into your work history or project bullet points.

College Student Case Assistant Resume

• Show off your personality using contrasting colors, classic fonts, and well-organized layouts. Our ready-to-build  resume templates  or handy  Google Docs interactive resumes  can help you keep your resume both tasteful and personable.
• If you don’t have certification, then now’s the best time to get it. Better late than never!

College Student Resident Assistant Resume

• Though an objective isn’t required, it can help employers see your skills and experience straight away.
• Just make sure to tailor it for every job you apply for by including the name of the employer, the position you’re seeking, and some matching keyword skills (that are true about you) gleaned from the  job description . 
• You also shouldn’t feel limited by your work experience. If you’ve done any relevant projects or have volunteered, include them! Employers love to see transferrable skills like collaboration, a good work ethic, and organization.

College Student Warehouse Worker Resume

• If you’re struggling to get going, consider using a  resume outline  to help you structure your experience—just don’t forget to fill out all the sections thoroughly!
• While it’s not impossible to land an excellent job without internships or experience, having some kind of work history, even in the form of projects, will allow you to be more picky and skim from the top of warehouse positions.

College Student Teacher Assistant Resume

• Adjusting formatting details, like the layout and header colors, can make your resume pop and reveal a bit about yourself. (Red and pink are bold, daring colors, while blue and green are calming.)
• Adding a  hobbies and interests section to your resume  can also help catch the eye of employers, provided you list hobbies that are relevant to the desired job, such as creative pursuits, volunteering, or research.
• Even if you’ve never had experience as a teacher assistant, you can instill confidence by demonstrating the impact of your communication skills. Did you effectively resolve an issue using negotiation? Write something that added helpful clarity? Show how you used communication to affect others positively!

College Student Biology Lab Technician Resume

• Don’t get too carried away here; after all, it’s still a resume and not a flier for a Wednesday Night Disco. But, one to two colors can be appropriate for all but the most conservative working environments. 
• Numbers can be frustrating to calculate and add to your resume, but trust us when we tell you that they make a world of difference. Hiring managers are consistently more willing to interview people with metrics on their resumes, as they convey job competence and confidence.

College Student English Tutor Resume

• Breaking up each work experience into bullet points can make your resume both easier to read (with fewer blocks of dense text) and easier to write.
• Instead of writing one big chunk of cohesive text, you can focus on pulling out as many highlights about your work history at each job as possible. 
• A project can be anything. Seriously, your final group project from that writing seminar counts, or you could highlight a blog you’ve been working on in your free time.
• Hint: Projects also make great stories to discuss on your college student cover letter .

College Application Resume

• Suppose you’re applying for a Bachelor of Arts in education. Express your passion for teaching and eagerness to advance your knowledge of education theories and practices. Even better, emphasize your long-term ambition to shape future generations through innovative education methods.

College Admission Resume

• Take a leaf from how Brian narrates his stints as a restaurant server, project presenter, and volunteer. Well-described, such experiences paint a picture of a well-rounded character who can take on varied challenges of an engineering program, enhancing their appeal in the eyes of the college admissions committee.

College Freshman Resume

• Use past projects to advantage here even if they’re only a year long. Clearly state how you used skills such as Canva and Microsoft Teams to make specific impacts during this time. Another great addition to your college freshman resume is any work experience under your belt.

Harvard College Resume

• You see reputable (and free) spell checkers like Grammarly? They’re your backstage crew making sure that your Harvard college resume is polished—no typos, grammatical mistakes, or punctuation errors in sight. And getting a friend or family member to take a peek? It’s always a brilliant move.

College Level Resume

• It’s a piece of cake. Maybe you’ve been a superstar nanny or the quickest cashier around. Identify competencies from these gigs, whether communication, time management, or leadership, and then blend them into your work experience. Simply put, connect the dots in your college level resume, and you’re golden.

College Student Academic Highlights Resume

• Say you have some work experience, but it’s not relevant to the job. That’s okay—instead of trying in vain to match the  job description , focus on transferable skills like customer service, organization, event planning, public speaking, and computer literacy.
• If you lack much work history, adding projects, coursework, or volunteer experience is the next best way to showcase your potential. You can also list your involvement in clubs, organizations, or peer mentorship.
• Write them like you’d write work experience by using active verbs and incorporating metrics (numbers).

First Year College Student Resume

• Your time contributing to a project is tangible evidence of your skills and experiences. Depending on what you include, it could showcase your communication and organizational skills or more technical abilities, like your proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Freshman College Student Resume

• Do you love gardening or nature photography? Awesome, it shows you’re inherently passionate about biology. Do you spend your time baking as well? It’s a sign that you know how to follow instructions and observe changes over time—skills that will come in handy as a lab assistant.

College Student Education Resume

• A career objective statement is typically a brief 1-3 sentence pitch that highlights your inspiration for the role (internship, in this case), but with a twist—it’s better custom-fitted to match the hiring company’s needs. Plus, it’s a sweet spot for reiterating your enthusiasm to contribute to the potential employer’s goals.

College Student Social Work Resume

• In your college student social work student resume, right after your work experience, slide in your Projects section. It’s a good spot to detail experiences like that community outreach workshop or mental health seminar you attended. And when you talk about your wins, throw in some numbers to beef up your credibility.

Related resume guides

• College Graduate
• Grad School
• Entry level

Before we dive into the difference between a  resume objective  vs. a  resume summary , let’s get some definitions out of the way:

• Resume objective : A statement of your qualifications, interests, and skills that make you a good fit for the role to which you’re applying.
• Resume summary : A summary of your past experience detailing your high-level accomplishments and projects.

When you’re applying for a job or internship as a college student, you likely won’t have extensive work experience. So, we’d recommend including a resume objective instead of a resume summary.

The goal of your resume objective is to set the stage for your resume. It should highlight your skills applicable to the job at hand, and it should be specific for each job to which you’re applying.

Most resume objectives are boring and generic. By taking the time to craft a customized and effective resume objective, you give yourself an edge over other applicants and increase your chances of getting an interview.

Before we dive into the rules for creating a strong resume objective, let’s look at some examples.

Sample college student resume objectives

• “Recent college graduate with a degree in marketing looking for a full-time role where I can utilize my experience in social media and paid advertising to help an up-and-coming brand like Club Z! Inc. spread awareness and acquire more users.”
• “Diligent college student at the University of Pittsburgh who is equally committed to academic excellence (3.8 GPA) and service (student leader at the local food shelter) looking for an opportunity at Unidos as a part-time employee to utilize these talents to improve customer satisfaction.”
• “Recent graduate with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) seeking an opportunity within an established management organization to utilize my organizational and quantitative abilities. Epic seems to have a culture of empowering employees to have ownership over their problems, and that culture fits my work style perfectly.”

You can see that all of these resume objectives specifically mention the company that the student is applying to. Tailoring is the golden rule of resume objectives.

Here are some other rules to make your objective the best it can be:

• Again, take the time to  customize your resume objective for each company to which you’re applying .
• Don’t be afraid to inject your personality. Making an impression will help you stand out among the hundreds of other applicants.
• Keep it to two to three sentences.
• Mention any relevant skills or certifications you have for the role to which you’re applying.

College Student Resume Formats

One of the hardest parts of using a resume maker  as a college student is the blank page. The “getting started” part is overwhelming—you’re unsure what your resume should look like, let alone what should be in it!

When it comes to formatting your resume, the best advice is to keep it  simple . You need to convincingly make the case that you deserve an interview for the role to which you’re applying.

In short, your resume should likely contain the following sections:

• Header: This is your name and job title. Have your job title match the job title to which you’re applying.
• Resume objective: We talked about this above, a quick summary of your skills and what you’re seeking.
• Education: As a college student, this should include your anticipated graduation date, the field of study, and relevant classes.
• Skills: List six to ten technical skills relevant to your career.
• Work experience: If you have any relevant internships or part-time jobs, mention them here.
• Projects: Did you do any side projects that demonstrate your competency? Include them!

Not all of these sections need to be included in your resume.  Your resume should focus on your strengths.

If you don’t have much relevant work experience, you can omit that section in favor of discussing your projects or classwork.

However, no matter what format you choose, there are a few writing guidelines you should adhere to throughout your resume.

Formatting guidelines for your resume

• Keep your resume to one page! Your resume should only extend to a second page when you have 10+ years of experience.
• Avoid any spelling or grammar errors by double-checking your text and having a friend review your resume. Don’t let typos be the reason why you don’t get an interview.
• Break up your work experience into small, consumable bullet points. Nothing is harder to read than a big wall of text.
• Use reverse-chronological order to keep your most recent experience/projects at the top.
• Don’t include fancy images or graphics. It’s highly likely a computer will read your resume before a human ever does, and images are hard for computers to scan.
• Don’t list more than ten skills on your resume. (We’ll expand on this below.)

Skills to pay the bills

When building your skills section, it can be tempting to list any and every skill you know. You’ll have to resist this temptation.

Before a human reviews your resume, an automated system called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will score your resume based on whether or not it includes the “right” keywords. These filters are largely screening for specific skills.

Doesn’t this mean that you should include as many skills as possible to beat the ATS? Unfortunately, you need to make your resume appealing to both the ATS and a human, and nothing is a bigger red flag to a hiring manager than a candidate with a laundry list of skills!

You’re much better off focusing on  six to ten skills you’re an expert in  than including more that you kind of know. Generally, if you wouldn’t be comfortable being interviewed on a given skill, don’t include it on your resume. 

Work Experience and Projects

In any resume, no matter the career stage, your work experience and projects should take up at least 70 percent of the overall space. These will decide whether you get an interview or not.

Once you have a few years of experience, then the size of your projects section will decrease as the size of your work experience section expands.

If you have an internship relevant to the job you’re applying for, this should be listed in your “work experience” section. As a college student, your work experience can also contain any part-time jobs you had while in school, even if they don’t seem relevant to the position to which you’re applying.

It’s not easy to balance work and school, so having a part-time job demonstrates responsibility and drive.

When talking about your work experience, there are a few key tips you should follow:

• Mention the skills you demonstrated on the job.
• Quantify the impact of your work whenever possible.
• Talk specifically about your role; avoid being too general.
• Use action verbs like “owned” or “led” to highlight your leadership abilities.

Numbers truly speak louder than words, especially on your resume. By providing numerical context around your work, you show your ability to contribute meaningfully to your workplace.

Compare these two descriptions of an internship. Which do you think would be more compelling to a hiring manager?

WRONG – general work experience descriptions

Marketing Science Associates April 2020 – Current, New York NY Digital Marketing Intern

• Created testing plan for Facebook ad copy
• Built key reports for the executive team around KPIs
• Oversaw the creation of the blog for SEO purposes
• Worked closely with clients to understand their product positioning to incorporate into ad copy

RIGHT – specific, quantified descriptions

• Created A/B testing plan for Facebook ad copy, improving ROI by 15%
• Built key reports for the executive team around KPIs such as marketing spend, new leads, revenue generated, and ROI
• Oversaw the creation of the blog for SEO purposes which grew from 1,000 to 5,000 monthly organic visitors
• Worked closely with clients to understand their product positioning to incorporate into ad copy, leading to client satisfaction of 99%

Projects can be anything

If you don’t have much (or any) relevant work experience for your resume, don’t fret. You can still  create a highly effective resume  by showcasing your projects.

As a college student, you’ve likely done a lot of class projects that are relevant to the job or internship you’re looking to get. This is the perfect place to talk about those projects. You can even mention projects you completed outside of class. Talk about your goals, the methods/skills you used, and the project’s outcome.

The key is to include anything that will convince the hiring manager you have the drive, skills, and ability to translate your academic knowledge to the real world and contribute to the roles for which you’re applying.

Here are some potential projects you can work on for different majors:

Project ideas for college students

• Are you a business student? Detail a case study that you analyzed and presented in a class.
• If you’re a marketing student, you can write a short blog post about how you’d improve the paid marketing strategy for a company you admire.
• As a graphic designer, this is a great opportunity to talk about some of the projects in your portfolio.
• If you’re looking for a data analyst role, talk about how you analyzed stock data to determine areas of opportunity.
• As a human resources major, you’ve likely created processes for companies as part of a class, so talk about that.
• Software engineering students complete meaningful coding assignments all the time. Discuss one of those or talk about your side project.
• If you’re looking to break into product management, discuss a hackathon you were part of or create a case study for a feature your favorite product is missing.

Basically, the projects you include on your resume can be just about anything. They simply have to demonstrate you know what is required of the kind of role you’re applying to, and that you can meet those requirements.

Your Education Section

As a college student, it should go without saying that you need to include an education section on your resume.

Here’s what you need to include in your education section no matter what:

• The school you’re currently attending (or recently graduated from). You do not need to include your high school.
• Your graduation date (or expected graduation date). You can give just the month and year.
• The kind of degree you’re working toward (bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, master’s, etc.).
• Your field of study.

Once you include all that, there’s more flexibility. If you have a strong GPA (greater than 3.5), you should include it, too.

If you don’t have much experience yet, then you can add relevant courses or awards to your education section, provided they’re relevant to the job for which you’re applying.

For example, if you’re applying for a role as a data scientist, then it makes sense to include any math, economics, or programming classes you completed.

Here’s an example of an effective education section for a college student looking for a marketing role:

If you received any awards or honors during your time in college, list them here. These can include getting on the Dean’s List, any department-specific awards relevant to your major, or formal recognition for your work or volunteer efforts.

Resume Builder for College Students

There you have it—we’ve discussed the building blocks to help you land a job or internship as a college student!

In summary, here are the keys to making an effective resume as a college student:

• Inject your personality into your resume objective and customize it for each company to which you apply.
• Your resume format should include a header, resume objective, skills section, education, and work/ project experience.
• Include any relevant internships or part-time jobs you’ve had during college and quantify the impact of your work.
• If you don’t have much working experience, include relevant projects you’ve completed either in the classroom or on your own time.
• Your education section is your chance to highlight classes you’ve completed that will convince the hiring manager you have the right tools for the job.

Finding a job or internship as a college student can be incredibly stressful. Building an AI resume  is a huge first step, so pat yourself on the back. After you’re done with the writing, you can  check your resume  against our AI-powered tips to see how your resume matches up.

Just remember, it does get easier after you get some experience first. We can’t wait to see where you’ll go!