Employers will notice a well-written and memorable college student resume, which might lead to a job offer. You most certainly acquired skills and information throughout your college years that will help you when you enter the workforce.
An outline of these experiences and an explanation of how they will help you in your future employment should be included in a student’s resume.
Do I really need a resume, you ask…
Well, as a freshman, you will probably be asked for your resume by a lot of people, both on and off campus. If you want to participate in undergraduate research, you can anticipate that your future faculty supervisor will ask for it.
If you are applying for a fellowship, grant, or scholarship, you will probably need to include your resume with your application. If you are considering applying for jobs or summer jobs, you will also need a resume!
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build a strong, impactful resume from scratch, even if you’re just starting.
Understand the Purpose of a Resume
For a first-year college student, a resume is a document that highlights your training, abilities, and work experience to help you get hired.
Many people view college as a time to hone their talents and prepare for their chosen professional path. As a first-year college student, you may just be starting to acquire the knowledge and expertise required for a career in your field of choice.
A strong CV may enable you to look for several opportunities that may help you advance your career, including:
- Internships
- Jobs on campus
- Part-time jobs
- Industrial training
- Work-study opportunities
- Student organizations
- Scholarships, etc.
Please note that your resume should match the opportunity you’re applying for—an internship, campus job, scholarship, etc.
Start with What You Have
You don’t have to go overboard or lie on your resume. You can start with the following and add to it according to your experiences.
- Education: Start with your college name, major (even if undecided), expected graduation date, and GPA (if solid).
- Relevant Coursework: The next step is to list any introductory courses you took part in, if they align with your goals.
- High School Experience: Proceed to include any clubs, awards, recognition, AP classes, and leadership roles, especially early in college, that you may have.
- Volunteer Work: Include any volunteer service or group you are a part of, even informal help (for example, church, community events).
- Hobbies and Interests: Mention your interests and hobbies, and it doesn’t matter how stupid they sound as long as they relate to the job description (e.g., coding for CS majors, writing blogs for English majors). They count.
Get Involved on Campus
Immediately after arriving at college, the first thing to do when you settle into your dormitory is to start joining clubs and organizations; you need to join student groups that relate to the career you are trying to get into. On-campus jobs and research are other experiences that help college students get into their chosen careers.
You should consider working in the library or assisting professors to build skills. You must also attend resume-building, public speaking, or online certificate programs to gain more knowledge and certification.
Even more, you need to start projects relating to your career choice. Build a blog, YouTube channel, or group study session, as these show initiative.
Structure and Format Your Resume Professionally
Since you are just starting out, it is not ideal to make your resume longer than a page. Keep it to one page and focus on quality, not length.
Sections to Include:
- Your contact Information
- Your education
- Your experience (jobs, volunteering, leadership)
- Your skills (technical, language, soft skills)
- Activities and Honors
Important things to note;
- Ensure to use action verbs by starting bullet points with words like “Led,” “Created,” “Organized,” “Contributed.”
- Try to focus mainly on transferable skills like time management, teamwork, and communication.
- You need to be consistent throughout. If you are using the Arial font, use it all through; if it’s a bullet style, make sure every section has a bullet point at least, and spacing, make sure it is consistent.
Use Tools and Resources for Support
Your school career center is there to help you, so you need to make the most of it. Try to visit the center for your resume reviews; they are available to help you craft a great resume. More so, if you don’t know where to start, you should consider using a resume template. A professional resume template on Canva, Google Docs, or Word will help you seamlessly craft the best resume.
You can also use resume builders like Zety, Novoresume, as well as LinkedIn to build a great resume. And if you’re still confused about what to do or how to go about it, you can always ask for help by sharing your draft with a mentor, professor, or upperclassman.
Keep Updating It as You Grow
Treat your resume as a living document, updating it after each semester. Get as much experience and skill as you can, and make sure to include that in your resume. In addition, ensure that you remove any high school information once your college involvement builds up.
On a final note, you do not need a packed resume to get started and apply for that dream college job you’ve been looking at. All you need is the willingness to try. So, join a community, learn something new, and start something. Please note that the earlier you start building, the more confident you’ll feel when opportunities arise.