Whether you’re applying for summer internships, a part-time gig you can fit around your studies or a professional role for after you graduate, a well-written resume is the first step to getting a job offer.
You may feel unsure about where to begin, especially if it’s the first time you’ve written a resume or you haven’t written one since starting college. Don’t worry, though. We’ve got seven resume tips for college students that will help you create a polished and professional resume in no time. Let’s get started.
1. Create a Master Resume Document
Recruiters spend an average of just 7.4 seconds looking at a resume, which means you need to capture their attention straight away with information that’s relevant to the job listing.
The problem is, as a student, your work experience is likely to be a melting-pot of workplaces and job titles. You’re also probably applying for a mixture of jobs. That means you need to create a different resume for every role you apply for, and you’ll want to carefully curate your career history too.
The waitressing job you had in high school won’t be relevant for the accounting internship you’re hoping to do this summer, but it could look good when you’re applying for weekend customer service roles. You should cut it from some job applications and make it a focal part of others.
To help you stay organized, create one long master resume with every job and responsibility you’ve ever had. The more detail, the better. That way, when it’s time to create a targeted resume for a specific role, you can just copy and paste the relevant information and gently tweak it.
One more thing: When creating the more targeted resumes, double-check you’re editing a copy of the master resume and not the original. If you’re worried you might slip up here, consider creating a PDF version of the master document or having a backup.
2. Name Your Resume File Carefully
Recruiters receive hundreds of resumes, which means if you name your file “Resume,” it’s going to be very hard to find in their downloads folder. Instead, name your resume file “First Name Surname Resume.” For example, “Emma Martínez Resume” or “James Anderson Resume.”
If you’re applying for multiple jobs, edit the resume file after sending and add the company name and date. That way, you can refer back to it before your interview.
You may end up with multiple resume templates for different types of jobs. This can save you a lot of time, but don’t make the mistake of naming them “marketing resume” or, even worse, “resume for unimportant jobs.” The risk of accidentally sending out a resume with this name is too high. Instead, save the resume files as “First Name Surname Resume” in folders with easily identifiable names. Alternatively, link out to them from a spreadsheet.
3. Include Keywords — But Don’t Overdo It
Remember when we said that recruiters spend just 7.4 seconds looking at a resume? We’ve got some more bad news for you: 75% of resumes are never even looked at by a human being. They’re filtered out by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
ATS is software that automatically discards resumes that don’t contain the correct keywords. Fortunately, you won’t have to guess what these keywords are: they’ll be right there in the job listing.
If a listing asks for specific skills or experience, explicitly mention it in your resume. Try to use the exact phrasing. If the listing states “attention to detail,” don’t write “meticulous” instead.
On the other end of the scale, don’t stuff your resume with every keyword imaginable just in case the ATS is looking for it. You might beat the ATS, but your resume will still look inauthentic when the recruiter views it. Stay genuine and honest at the same time as optimizing your resume.
4. Send Your Resume as a DOCX File
Careers advisors used to recommend sending resumes as PDFs so that the formatting wouldn’t change and spell checkers wouldn’t highlight that typo you made with a glaring red underline.
Unfortunately, not all ATS can read PDFs. Although they are getting better at it, the safest option is to send a DOCX file, which is the same thing as a Microsoft Word file. And definitely don’t send an INDD file or any other unusual format.
5. Cut as Much as Possible
We’ve already mentioned the importance of how to make a resume for college students and not include every job you’ve ever had on your resume. Even though it might be tempting to make your career history look as extensive as possible, you should only include experiences that are relevant to the role. Otherwise, you risk the recruiter losing interest in your resume before they’ve spotted the most important details.
Once you’ve copied and pasted relevant experiences from your master resume, cut ruthlessly. Keep your writing concise, and make use of bullet points for added readability. Remember that when using lists, there’s no need for full sentences. Try to front the bullet points with action verbs and cut out glue words, too.
Aim to fit your resume on one page with plenty of white space. And don’t try to include more by reducing the font size, either — it’ll just give the recruiter a headache.
6. Switch Up the Structure to Suit the Role
At the top of your resume, you should always have your contact information. If you include a professional summary (which can be a useful place to add keywords), that needs to be the second thing on your resume. What comes next, however, should depend on the role you’re applying for and how much relevant experience you have.
If the role is more closely aligned with your studies, lead with your education. Alternatively, if it’s not a graduate job and you have relevant experience, put your employment history first.
You could also put the skills section here. This is a particularly good idea if you don’t have a lot of professional experience but believe your hobbies and interests support your application. For example, you could mention that you’re a competent photographer or that your good organizational skills are evidenced by your experience as an amateur theater director.
7. Use a Template
There’s a lot to consider when it comes to how to write a resume for a college student, and it’s easy to overlook something. However, an ATS-friendly resume template will help you include all the important information. It will also look professional and be reader-friendly.
Here at Rocket Resume, we have millions of resume templates for you to choose from, whether you’re applying for graduate roles, internships or part-time work as a cashier or waitress. All our templates are ATS-optimized and come with recruiter-approving phrasing to help you impress potential employers. Plus, they take just a few minutes to build.
Create your resume today so you can start applying for jobs.