Everyone starts somewhere, and recruiters hiring students and graduates know that. A strong student resume swaps job history for what you have done: projects, coursework, volunteering, part-time jobs, clubs and competitions, each with a concrete result.
The example below is for a final-year business student applying for internships and graduate programs. Education comes first, followed by projects and activities written just like work experience, with action verbs and numbers.
Below you'll find summary examples for different levels, the skills to include, bullet points you can adapt and tips from the way recruiters read student resumes.
Two or three sentences at the top of your resume: who you are, your strongest result and what you're looking for. Pick the one closest to your level and make it yours.
High school studentHard-working high school senior with volunteer experience at a food bank and a part-time job at a grocery store. Reliable, friendly and available on weekends.
University studentThird-year computer science student with 2 hackathon wins and a web app used by 500 classmates. Looking for a summer software internship.
Recent graduatePsychology graduate with research assistant experience and strong data skills in SPSS and Excel. Looking for an entry-level role in HR or user research.
Screening software compares your resume with the job ad, so use the same words the employer uses, but only for skills you really have. Put the most relevant ones first.
Show soft skills in your bullet points rather than listing them alone: "trained 6 new hires" proves leadership better than the word itself.
Start with a strong verb, say what you did and end with the result, ideally a number. Adapt these to your own work and never claim results you can't back up.
When you have little work experience, your degree, GPA (if 3.5 or higher), honors and relevant courses are your strongest section.
Give class projects, clubs and volunteering a title, a place, dates and bullet points with results.
Retail, restaurant and campus jobs show reliability and people skills. Keep them, with one or two strong bullets each.
A focused single page reads better than a stretched one. Tailor it to each internship.
Still unsure? Our team answers every message, usually within one business day.
Contact SupportEducation, projects, volunteering, clubs, part-time jobs, awards and skills. Write each like work experience, with what you did and what came of it.
Include it if it's 3.5 or higher, or if the employer asks for it. Otherwise leave it out and let your projects speak.
A short one helps: say what you study, what you're looking for and one or two highlights. Keep it to two or three sentences.
See all resume examples, check yours with the free ATS resume checker, browse resume templates or read how resumes differ by country.
Start from this example or a blank page. Edit it on the page, run the ATS checks as you go and download a clean PDF.
