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The Student Resume

Create an A+ resume to help you land your first role or acceptance into the college of your dreams.

When you are a Student or just finishing up college, it’s normal to have eyes fully on the job market. 

But since you probably haven’t worked a full-time job in your field yet, you might be wondering what do you put on a resume with no experience ? 

If that’s the case, you’ll need to tailor your qualifications with the correct Student resume format, sections, and more. 

In this article, you’ll get tips on:

• How to write a Student resume
• Choosing the best resume format for Students
• Skills and keywords to create your resume
• How to use AI to draft your resume

We’ll also show different student resume examples to give you a better idea of what should be included .

You may be a college or high school Student, but that doesn’t mean you should be rejected for your lack of experience, find out how to make your strengths stand out with our AI resume builder and tips.

Tips for Writing a Student Resume

In a survey done by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, over 80% of employers stated that they believe higher education prepares college graduates for success in the workforce. 

However, they also mention that Students lack skills. 

For that reason, you’ll want to not only focus on your education, but demonstrate that you have some relevant experience and skills . 

Student resumes should be optimized by adding the focus to the following elements if they are relevant to the role you want to apply to and if you lack work experience :

• Awards, honors or sponsorships earned
• Projects developed
• Leadership experience
• Research or internships carried out
• Extra IT or language skills
• Relevant coursework or volunteer experience

For example, here is how you can write a resume summary and mention relevant coursework and experience in a Student resume for a creative director :

Driven College Student with a strong foundation in Graphic Design, Marketing, and Media Studies, enhanced by a hands-on internship at a premier advertising agency where I contributed to a 20% increase in campaign engagement. Proficient in concept development, branding, and digital media, I excel at marrying creative vision with strategic insights. Eager to bring innovative ideas and lead projects to success as a creative director.

What Is the Best Student Resume Format

Depending on if you’re still a high school or College Student, you may want to structure your resume one way or another. 

However, you will want to go with a reverse-chronological order , listing your most recent experience first . 

However, a Student resume layout is somewhat different from the structure of a professional resume , as Students often have little to no work experience.

As a Student, if you don’t have relevant experience, you should put more focus on the following :

• Internships
• Certifications
• Education and GPA (if over 3.5)

With a unique Student resume format , you’re much more likely to attract attention and catch the hiring manager’s eye with your experience and relevant qualities.

Tips for Writing High School Student Resumes

It’s never too early to create a high school Student resume . 

Whether it’s for a summer job or to prepare to start working full-time, there are some basic things to keep in mind. 

• Begin by listing your various achievements, either academic or otherwise and organize them chronologically.
• Add to this list any memberships you’ve had or associations you’ve been a part of, whether social, academic, or athletic.
• Make a note of all your paid and unpaid or voluntary positions, including other less formal work such as babysitting or menial work around your neighborhood.
• Add descriptions to each aspect of your Student resume that explain your responsibilities and highlight any contributions or leadership roles taken.

Here’s how an extracurricular section can look if you apply these tips:

Extracurricular Activities

Student Government Association, Vice President September 2023–June 2023

• Collaborated with school administrators to address concerns of over 80 Students and improve school policies.
• Led organization of school events, including fundraisers, dances, and community service projects.

Tips for Formatting a College Student Resume

If you’re in college, you’ll need a resume ASAP to prepare for your quickly approaching professional life. 

You may be limited in the amount of work experience you have, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of aspects to be considered.

Here are some tips to help you out:

• Include all relevant work experience, whether paid.
•  Put more emphasis on areas of leadership, dedication and participation in projects, clubs or community services.
• Use quantifiable examples in their resume descriptions as a way of demonstrating your worth as an employee for a business.
• Adapt college resumes to the sector or business that you have chosen, by including only relevant experience and skills.

Based on these tips, here’s how you can write your education section :

Bachelor of Science in Marketing University of Arizona, Expected Graduation: May 2025

• GPA: 3.8/4.0
• Relevant Coursework: Consumer Behavior, Digital Marketing Analytics, Brand Management

Resume for College Applications

Some colleges may ask applicants to provide a resume during the admissions process . It is therefore essential to be able to distinguish between a resume to apply for a job and one for entering college.

In both a Student resume for a college application, it is vital to include your work experience , whether through paid work or voluntary positions. 

Some jobs, school role, or volunteer positions colleges love to see on these types of resumes are:

• Community service
• Camp counselor
• Team captain 
• Club member

College application resumes also often include a cover letter or letter of recommendation , scholarship applications or portfolios to give evidence of a Student’s accomplishments.

Using AI to Improve Your Student Resume

It will be obvious to employers that you’re lacking experience since you’re a Student. It can be a bit difficult to know exactly what you can add to your resume sections that will impress recruiters when you don’t have much of a work history. 

With our resume builder that offers AI-created suggestions, you can come up with clever ideas in seconds for how to list your:

• Skills relevant to the position
• Internship and volunteer experience
• Accomplishments

With our editor’s AI-generated suggestions, you’ll be able to make sure that the most important sections in your resume will be clear and highlight ATS keywords .

You can then use our Student resume template to ensure that your resume flows nicely and highlights the skills you need to cover for your lack of experience .

By combining the template with these suggestions, you’ll make the process even simpler .

To win over any hiring manager, you need to play to your strengths. If you keep the tips we’ve mentioned in mind, you’ll give yourself a great chance!

Simply remember to:

• Highlight any relevant internship or research experience
• Focus on your skills and achievements if you have no experience
• Mention volunteer and community work, especially when applying to college
• Use AI to complete your resume

Take advantage of our customizable templates and editor to make sure that your resume is ready to help you land a spot in college or your first professional role.

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Optional sections

How to write resumes for applicant tracking systems (ats), the word cloud method.

As a high school or college student, you may be a bit more focused on the homework due tomorrow than on paving the way to career success by preparing a student resume. But there’s no time like the present, and the sooner you draw up a resume, the closer you’ll be to the financial independence that employment can bring.

A little bit of freedom, a paycheck, a huge boost in confidence and real-life knowledge — these are just a few examples of what you can get from your first work experiences. Any work experience is a huge asset at this stage of your journey.  This student resume example and guide, along with our convenient resume builder tool , will help you to:

• Learn the basics of preparing a great resume
• Craft your first impressive and creative student resume (even without work experience)
• Find out about modern hiring practices (software-based and human hiring psychology)
• Arm yourself with useful sample sentences, tips and tricks to greatly increase your chances of landing an interview

Let’s dive in.

How to write a student resume: what to include, what to avoid

Here are the basic elements to include (or not) in a student resume:

• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

• Order sections by importance (Summary > Education > Experience > Skills)
• Think about your potential employer and include information/experiences that are the most relevant.
• Expand your resume beyond one page. This will reduce the likelihood that the entire thing will be read.
• Expand low-priority sections to the point where the important sections get reduced.
• Languages . If you know one foreign language (especially at a basic level), this should just go on the skills section of your resume. However, if you know three or more languages, and some of them at a high level, you can move them to a separate resume section. If you have language certifications, be  sure to list them.

Including additional sections in your resume from the ones listed here will depend on how robust your resume is overall. If you feel like there’s enough info already, just include things like languages in the skills section. Include any certifications in the education. But if you’re really struggling to fill out the page, more sections may help you out.

• Extracurricular activities. The reason this one is optional is because most of your relevant activities will go into experience. You only need the extracurricular activities section if your interests and out-of-school life are so robust that they don’t fit into one section.
• Hobbies. This section should usually be avoided. It’s a last-ditch effort to fill out space on your resume. If you are desperate to add something more to your resume, mentioning you are an active jogger and bicycle rider, for example, can at least hint you are energetic and disciplined.

Don’t list hobbies or activities that have no application in work or don’t demonstrate positive qualities. The line can be blurry here but try to think objectively. Playing in a hobbyist theater troupe, for example, demonstrates you are social and open with people.

Need additional inspiration? Please view our other helpful related educative resume examples:

• Early Childhood Educator resume sample
• College Student resume sample
• High School Student resume sample
• Academic Librarian resume sample
• Health Educator resume sample
• ESL Teacher resume sample
• Tutor resume sample
• Teacher Assistant resume sample
• Substitute Teacher resume sample
• Middle School Teacher resume sample
• Elementary School Teacher resume sample
• College Professor resume sample
• Internship resume sample
• High School Teacher resume sample
• Academic Tutor resume sample
• College Admissions resume sample
• Teacher resume sample

Summary resume example: a positive portrait

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, that’s not a deal-breaker. The summary, sometimes known as a personal statement, provides a positive image, describes your qualifications and gives the reader a sense of your determination and drive. This is why it’s doubly important to craft your summary with care in a student resume. Avoid clichés and vague statements. When you’ve written out your profile section, ask yourself: If I read this resume, would I hire the person described here?

In a more practical sense, here are some examples and tips to follow when creating a resume for a student:

• The summary shouldn’t be shorter than two or longer than four mid-sized sentences.
• Use action verbs , concrete and energetic language on your resume. Instead of “High school student looking for a job” write “Self-disciplined and hard-working student looking for a workplace to contribute to a team, to learn and to grow as a professional.”
• Provide context and specific facts where possible. Instead of “Finished high school. Have a variety of hobbies.” write “Excelled in algebra and Spanish in high school. Developed social skills and openness in improv theater.”
• Insert a couple of skills and qualities that might be interesting to an employer. Knowing languages, how to use computer spreadsheets or how to organize your schedule, or always being punctual, for example, are relevant skills and qualities.

Tailor your description based on what type of job you’re applying for. If you’re looking for work in service jobs (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.) use your resume to emphasize the social part of your character. If you’re applying for a job in an office, mention how your school / project experienced helped you gain skills applicable in an office setting.

More and more employers (especially medium and large companies) are using this software to manage the hundreds of resumes they receive. So, what is an ATS system and why is it relevant for your student resume? Applicant Tracking Systems are software programs/environments that process and analyze resumes before any human manager even gets a chance to see them. 

How do Applicant Tracking Systems work and how do you adapt your resume to them? ATS operate based on keywords or phrases that hiring specialists or managers determine beforehand. These can be as simple as “high school diploma” and “time management” or as complex as terms for coding languages or medical certifications. These keywords are used to rate your resume against other applicants and to either filter them out or pass them on to human recruiters.

Wondering whether the job application you’re looking it as processed by an ATS? Small businesses may not use these programs, but some 95% of large companies and 50% of medium companies use ATS software. Consider the chances and act accordingly.

In most cases, there is no way to know the exact words the ATS will be looking for on your student resume. But there are two simple and powerful methods to get an educated guess:

• Analyzing the job listing/description
• Researching the employer’s website / social media

According to data from Youtern, just 35% of candidates are qualified for the jobs to which they apply. Eye-tracking tests and surveys show that the average time spent by a candidate reading a job description is only 50 seconds. Do NOT just skim over these listings, as this will greatly reduce your chances of creating a winning resume . The better you understand the position, the higher your chances.

If you’re struggling to evaluate what qualities are more important to an employer based on a description, there’s a way to simplify things. In case the listing is too vague or wordy, there are tools to help you visualize the patterns. Use services like worditout.com or wordclouds.com (or similar ones) to turn messy job texts into sample visual representations. Just copy-paste the text you’re having trouble with and you’ll get an image where the more frequently used terms will be larger. Use this to spot patterns and analyze what’s important.

Pay attention to the exact terminology used in the job description. People tend to describe the same skills, jobs, educational degrees and so on with different words depending on where they live, work and so on. Make sure to use the same terminology as your potential employer.

Enthusiastic and motivated university student with a strong interest in pursuing a career in customer service. A quick learner with a commitment to meaningful customer interactions. Eager to apply my commitment to customer satisfaction and effective communication in an academic environment.

Education example: the core of your resume

As a student, education is what you’ve spent the most time on prior to getting a job. Make use of this. Instead of thinking about education as a given, make it shine on your resume page. 

According to research from the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, companies are actively hiring students. This is more common at the college level (81% of part-time undergraduate students were employed in 2018), but high school students can still get hired for simple jobs, especially in the service industry.

So, what should you include in this section? As this is a segment built on a bullet-point list (like every other resume section except the summary), the general method is this: list educational experiences as bullet points. However, there are some exceptions, like these:

• If you’re a college student: List your college and your high school (and any other learning activities) as bullet points. For each one, provide a sub-description with samples of achievements in specific subjects, school projects, scores and evaluations.
• If you’re a high school student with additional educational experience: Same as above, just excluding the college part.
• If your only educational experience is a single school: List your school as a heading and make a bullet point based on your subjects, achievements, school projects, etc.

On average, each entry-level position receives 144 applications. Each professional position gets 89 per a single listing. Some large companies may receive many thousands of resumes per week. The better the job, the higher the competition. Making your resume impress both the ATS and the hiring manager is vital.

The trick to making this section look good on your resume is to view your education as work with its own results. 

Bachelor of Communications, University of Oxford, Oxford  October 2021 - Present 

• Working towards a Communications degree.

3 A level qualifications, Winchester College, Winchester  September 2013 - July 2021  

• A grades in French, Business Studies and English Literature.

Employment history or experience section: an overlooked gem 

Many students writing their first resume don’t bother with anything except the education section. With no job experience, it seems pointless. But even if you’re young, you have lots to offer. If you do have job experience, however, you can call this the “employment history” section, otherwise, you may choose to name it the “experience” section. But if done right, this section can make you look more vibrant, active and creative.

What can you write in the experience section of a student resume? Here are some ideas:

• Summer or temp jobs. You mainly want to show the employer you’ve already been part of the workforce. You know what a job is.
• Internships. If you have these on your list, it’s one of the greatest advantages possible. Internships usually take place at more complicated jobs and are related to more advanced professions.
• Social / volunteer work . This demonstrates your ability to cooperate with other people and work towards a goal.
• Other projects (personal passions, community initiatives). Anything that didn’t land in the above categories (or the education section) goes here. Examples: Websites you ran with friends, local community events you helped with.

Make sure to use the same approach as in the education section: provide detailed descriptions of your duties, results, projects, interactions and any pertinent information. Even if it doesn’t seem that impressive to you, on your resume it shows that these were real activities and/or work experiences . 

Sales Associate at Big Apple Bookstore, Oxford  September 2022 - Present 

• Greeted customers and assisted them with finding books.
• Offered literary suggestions based on the needs and desires of the customer.
• Followed directions from my supervisor and managed projects with precision.
• Organised books and adhered to the policies and mission of the bookstore.

Editorial Internship at Sky News, West London  January 2021 - December 2021 

• Assisted Senior Editors with a variety of clerical and administrative tasks.
• Utilised my passion for journalism to pitch interesting story ideas.
• Ran spellchecks and edited stories.

Online English Literature Tutor, London  September 2020 - April 2021 

• Offered online tuition to GCSE students in English Language and English Literature.
• Helped five students to achieve top grades and secure places on AS level course.

If your lack work experience, consider adding your GPA on your resume . An impressive GPA can give hiring manager a good impression of how well you will perform. 

Choosing the correct CV format and resume template

People are visual creatures. We all like beautiful things. Anything messy or cluttered skews our objectivity, even in the professional world. A template can help you create an attractive CV or resume format and make sure the visual part of your resume works for you, not against you.

Solid CV or resume formatting is important both for the ATS and for hiring managers. Here are some golden rules to abide by:

• Use consistent fonts everywhere on your resume.
• Use the “chunking” method of CV formatting. White space between paragraphs and a variety of visual forms can keep a hiring manager reading to the end of the resume. Templates can make appropriate spacing easier.

Don’t get too creative. Strange colors and excessive decoration of your resume will make it look unprofessional. When in doubt, choose a more reserved template, like these simple options from Resume.io. These types of templates work great for a variety of entry-level positions.

Pay attention to visual design. If you’re an enthusiastic designer or are studying to become one, resume formatting might be a task you’d like to attempt yourself. But if not, there’s a huge number of professionally designed, beautiful and research-tested resume templates out there (for example on this very website). All you need is to fill them in with your info. A great template = no hassle.

21% of U.S. resumes don’t pass the ATS filter due to buggy formatting, or get ignored by recruiters due to confusing charts, layouts, or images. To avoid this, use professionally designed templates.

Skills section example: your best tools and qualities

This is the resume section that most depends on the job for which you’re applying. Different companies look for different skills in their employees. You are sure to have some great skills . Just choose them well. There are two main things you need to know for this section of the student resume:

• What is a master list and how to use one
• The difference between hard and soft skills and where each is best

The master list method entails brainstorming every possible skill you think you might have naturally or have picked up in school, projects or temp jobs. Write them all down, even if they seem unlikely or you are unsure that they fit. Keep this list in a separate document. You’ll return to it every time you’re writing a new resume. It’ll get richer and bigger the more experience you get. Once you have a master list, the idea is to cherry-pick the best skills that are appropriate for a specific job and add them to that particular resume. And here’s where we get to the hard/soft skills . 

Hard skills relate to specific tasks, concrete knowledge, physical objects, sciences or tools. Knowing how to use Excel spreadsheets or Microsoft Word are hard skills . Knowing a programming language or a foreign language are hard skills. Soft skills have to do with social interactions, self-organization, intellectual and emotional qualities and so on. Time management and scheduling is a soft skill, as is team collaboration. Most entry-level positions (for example in service jobs) tend to favor soft skills. 

• Customer Satisfaction
• Microsoft Office
• Motivated Attitude
• Social Media Management

Key takeaways

• Getting a good job, even without past experience, is an attainable goal. Just make sure to tailor your student resume to a specific position and employer.
• CV formats and resume layouts are extremely important to pass the ATS and impress the hiring manager. Resume templates can make this step easier.
• Education is the core of a resume for a student. Make it detailed, and list results and numbers if you can.
• The summary is your free-form professional profile on your resume. Be a little creative here, but also describe your best work-related qualities, experience and achievements here.
• Use professional resume-building tools and templates to avoid hidden pitfalls in resume formatting. It makes your life much easier.

And if you want the perfect tool to save time and get a great job, use the resume.io builder tool with professionally made and recruiter-tested templates !

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

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Student Resume: 12 Best Examples & Templates for 2024

As a student, creating a resume may seem like a daunting task. However, a well-crafted resume can be your ticket to success in landing your dream job or internship. In this guide, we’ll explore the top 12 best examples and templates for a student resume.

A student resume typically includes information such as your education, extracurricular activities, work experience, and skills. The purpose of a student resume is to showcase your qualifications and make you stand out to potential employers.

Importance of Student Resume

Having a strong student resume is crucial in today’s competitive job market. It provides employers with a quick snapshot of your skills, experience, and accomplishments. Additionally, a well-crafted student resume can highlight your unique strengths and help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants.

How to Use This Guide

In this guide, we’ll provide you with 12 of the best examples and templates for a student resume. Each example includes a detailed description and explanation of why it works. By following the guidance in this guide, you’ll be able to create a winning student resume that will set you apart from other candidates.

This guide is designed to help you create an effective student resume that showcases your unique qualifications and strengthens your job or internship applications. With the guidance provided in this article, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your career goals.

Top 10 Key Components of a Student Resume

When it comes to crafting a student resume, there are certain crucial components that can make or break your application. Here are the top 10 key components that should be included in your student resume:

A. Contact Information

Your contact information should be at the very top of your resume, and should include your full name, phone number, email address, and mailing address. Make sure that your email address and phone number are professional and active, as these will be the primary ways that employers will contact you.

B. Objective or Summary Statement

The objective or summary statement should be a brief, attention-grabbing statement that provides an overview of your skills, experience, and career goals. This statement should be tailored to the specific job or industry that you are applying for.

C. Education

List your academic achievements in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent degree or diploma. Include the name of the institution, your major, the dates of attendance, and any relevant honors or awards.

D. Relevant Coursework

This section provides an opportunity to highlight any relevant coursework that you’ve completed, particularly if it is relevant to the job or industry you are applying for.

The skills section should include any technical or transferable skills you possess that are relevant to the job you are applying for. This may include computer software, social media management, marketing, or other technical or transferable skills.

F. Work Experience

List your work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. This section should include the company name, your job title, dates of employment, and key responsibilities and achievements.

G. Extracurricular Activities and Achievements

Include any extracurricular activities or achievements that demonstrate your leadership, teamwork, or other soft skills. This may include involvement in clubs or organizations, volunteer work, community service, or awards and honors.

H. Volunteer Experience

Highlight any volunteer experience you’ve had, as this can demonstrate your commitment to community service and leadership skills.

I. Certifications and Awards

If you have earned any certifications or awards related to your industry or field of study, be sure to include them in this section.

J. References

Include references from professional or academic contacts who can speak to your skills and experience. Make sure to obtain permission from your references before including their contact information.

By including these key components in your student resume, you can ensure that your application stands out from the competition and presents you as a strong candidate for the job.

How to Write a Student Resume: Step by Step Guide

When it comes to creating a student resume, it’s important to follow a step-by-step guide to ensure that you cover all the essential elements. Here are the key steps to keep in mind:

A. Analyze Job Requirements

Before you start writing your resume, it’s important to analyze the job requirements for the position you’re applying for. This will help you identify the skills and experience that the employer is looking for, which you can then highlight on your resume.

B. Choose the Right Resume Format

Next, you’ll need to choose the right resume format. Depending on your work experience and the job you’re applying for, you may want to use a chronological, functional, or combination format.

C. Customize Your Resume

To make your resume stand out from the crowd, you’ll want to customize it to the job you’re applying for. This can include tailoring your professional summary, highlighting relevant skills and experience, and including keywords that the employer is likely to be looking for.

D. Highlight Your Key Accomplishments

Make sure to highlight your key accomplishments, such as projects you’ve worked on or awards you’ve received. These can help demonstrate your skills and experience to potential employers.

E. Use Strong Action Verbs

When describing your experience, make sure to use strong action verbs to help convey your skills and accomplishments. Examples include “achieved,” “managed,” and “collaborated.”

F. Keep it Concise, but Complete

Your resume should be concise and easy to read, but also complete enough to give potential employers a good sense of your skills and experience.

G. Tailor Your Resume to the Job You Want

In addition to customizing your resume to the job you’re applying for, it’s also important to tailor it to the specific company or organization you’re interested in. Researching the company and using their language can help your resume stand out.

H. Proofread and Edit

Finally, make sure to proofread and edit your resume carefully. Typos and errors can be a major turn-off for potential employers, so it’s important to make sure your resume is error-free and polished.

By following these steps, you can create a strong student resume that highlights your skills and experience and helps you stand out in a competitive job market.

12 Best Student Resume Examples and Templates

Are you a student looking for a job or internship? Crafting an impressive resume is essential to stand out from the competition.

Sample Resume 1: Education-focused

This resume template is perfect for students who want to highlight their academic achievements and coursework. It includes sections for education, relevant coursework, and academic honors.

Objective: Detail-oriented and motivated student with a passion for education seeking opportunities to apply knowledge and skills in an educational setting. Committed to creating a positive and engaging learning environment for students.

Education: Bachelor of Education XYZ University, City, State Graduation Year

Relevant Coursework:

• Educational Psychology
• Classroom Management
• Curriculum Development
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Special Education Strategies

Academic Honors:

• Dean’s List, Fall 20XX – Spring 20XX
• XYZ Scholarship, Academic Year 20XX-20XX
• Strong knowledge of educational theories and teaching strategies.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in using technology for instructional purposes.
• Ability to create engaging lesson plans and adapt to diverse learning styles.
• Effective classroom management and organization abilities.

Sample Resume 2: Experience-focused

If you have work experience, this resume template is ideal for showcasing your skills and accomplishments. It includes sections for work experience, skills, and accomplishments.

Objective: Results-driven and experienced professional with a proven track record of success in [relevant field]. Seeking a challenging role where I can leverage my skills and experience to drive organizational growth and achieve strategic objectives.

Work Experience: Job Title Company Name, City, State Dates

• Led and managed [specific responsibilities and achievements].
• Implemented [specific projects or initiatives] resulting in [quantifiable outcomes].
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to [describe collaborative projects or achievements].
• Developed and maintained [specific skills or achievements relevant to the job].
• [List of relevant skills, such as leadership, project management, problem-solving, etc.]
• [Include any specific software or technical skills related to the job]

Accomplishments:

• [Highlight notable achievements or contributions in previous roles]
• [Quantify achievements where possible]

Sample Resume 3: Combination style

This template combines elements of both education and experience-focused resumes. It includes sections for education, work experience, and skills.

Objective: Motivated and versatile professional seeking a challenging role that allows for the application of strong educational background and relevant work experience. Committed to delivering high-quality results and driving organizational success.

Education: Bachelor of [Field of Study] XYZ University, City, State Graduation Year

• [List of relevant coursework]
• [Include any additional certifications or training]
• [Highlight specific responsibilities and achievements]
• [Focus on transferable skills and accomplishments related to the job]
• [List of relevant skills, including technical skills and soft skills]
• [Include any specific software or tools relevant to the job]

Sample Resume 4: Undergraduate Student

This resume template is tailored specifically for undergraduate students who may not have extensive work experience yet. It includes sections for education, relevant coursework, and extracurricular activities.

Objective: Highly motivated and dedicated undergraduate student seeking an opportunity to gain practical experience in [relevant field]. Eager to apply academic knowledge and develop skills in a professional setting to contribute to organizational success.

Education: Bachelor of [Field of Study] XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [Include any relevant research projects or academic achievements]

Extracurricular Activities:

• [List of involvement in clubs, organizations, or volunteer work]
• [Highlight leadership roles or significant contributions]
• [Include any certifications or training]

Sample Resume 5: Recent Graduate

If you recently graduated, this resume template is perfect for showcasing your education, skills, and any relevant work experience. It includes sections for education, work experience, and skills.

Objective: Highly motivated and enthusiastic recent graduate seeking a challenging role in [relevant field]. Strong educational background combined with practical experience in [specific area]. Committed to continuous learning and professional development.

Sample Resume 6: High School Student

High school students can use this template to highlight their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and relevant coursework. It includes sections for education, extracurricular activities, and skills.

Objective: Dedicated and motivated high school student seeking opportunities to develop skills and gain experience in [relevant field]. Committed to academic excellence and active involvement in extracurricular activities.

Education: High School Diploma XYZ High School, City, State Graduation Year

• [List of relevant coursework or academic achievements]
• [List of relevant skills, including soft skills and any technical skills]

Sample Resume 7: Business Student

This template is designed for business students who want to show their business knowledge, skills, and work experience. It includes sections for education, work experience, skills, and relevant coursework.

Objective: Highly motivated and detail-oriented business student seeking a challenging role to apply knowledge and skills in [specific area, e.g., marketing, finance, management]. Committed to delivering exceptional results and contributing to organizational success.

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [List of relevant skills, including business skills and soft skills]
• [List of relevant coursework or business-related projects]

Sample Resume 8: Computer Science Student

This resume template is tailored for students in the field of computer science. It includes sections for education, skills, certifications, and relevant coursework.

Objective: Highly motivated and analytical computer science student seeking opportunities to apply technical knowledge and skills in [specific area, e.g., software development, data analysis]. Committed to continuous learning and staying updated with emerging technologies.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [List of relevant programming languages, software, and technical skills]
• [Include any certifications or projects]
• [List of relevant coursework or projects]

Sample Resume 9: Nursing Student

If you’re a nursing student looking for a job or internship, this resume template is perfect for you. It includes sections for education, clinical experience, skills, and certifications.

Objective: Compassionate and dedicated nursing student seeking a hands-on experience to apply theoretical knowledge and develop clinical skills. Committed to providing exceptional patient care and making a positive impact on healthcare outcomes.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

Clinical Experience:

• [List of clinical placements or internships]
• [Highlight key responsibilities and skills gained]
• [List of relevant nursing skills, such as patient assessment, medication administration, and clinical documentation]

Sample Resume 10: Communications Student

This template is designed for students in the field of communications. It includes sections for education, work experience, skills, and relevant coursework.

Objective: Motivated and creative communications student seeking opportunities to apply skills and knowledge in [specific area, e.g., public relations, marketing]. Committed to delivering compelling messages and engaging target audiences.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Communications XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [List of relevant communication skills, such as writing, public speaking, social media management]

Sample Resume 11: Creative Student

If you’re a creative student looking for a job or internship, this resume template is perfect for you. It includes sections for education, skills, relevant coursework, and design portfolio.

Objective: Innovative and passionate creative student seeking opportunities to utilize artistic talents and develop skills in [specific area, e.g., graphic design, photography]. Committed to delivering visually captivating and impactful work.

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [List of relevant artistic skills, such as design software proficiency, photography techniques]
• [Include any certifications or notable projects]
• [Include any awards or exhibitions]

Design Portfolio:

• [Include a link to an online portfolio or samples of work]

Sample Resume 12: STEM Student

This resume template is tailored for students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It includes sections for education, relevant coursework, skills, and projects.

Objective: Highly motivated and detail-oriented STEM student seeking opportunities to apply technical knowledge and problem-solving skills in [specific field, e.g., engineering, science]. Committed to innovation and making a positive impact through research and development.

Education: Bachelor of Science in [Field of Study] XYZ University, City, State Expected Graduation Year

• [List of relevant technical skills and methodologies]
• [Include any certifications or research projects]
• [Include any academic achievements or awards]
• [List and briefly describe significant projects or research work]

Tips and Tricks

Crafting an impressive resume is essential for college students who are about to embark on their career journeys. While the basic structure of your resume may remain the same, there are certain tricks you can use that make your resume stand out. Here are some tips and tricks to help you create a compelling and effective student resume:

Use action verbs

Instead of using passive phrases, make sure to use action verbs that give a clear picture of what you have accomplished. For instance, instead of saying “worked on a project,” use phrases like “initiated a project,” “coordinated a team,” or “improved performance.”

Highlight your accomplishments

Don’t just list your job responsibilities, but make sure to highlight your achievements as well. Use numbers and data to quantify your accomplishments. For instance, if you worked on a project that improved the company’s revenue, mention the percentage of revenue increase.

Customize your resume for the job

It’s essential to customize your resume according to the job you are applying for. Identify the skills and experience required, and highlight them in your resume. This shows the hiring manager that you understand the company’s needs and are a suitable candidate for the job.

Use Keywords

Make sure to use relevant keywords throughout your resume. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter resumes. Using relevant keywords increase the likelihood that your resume will be selected for further evaluation.

Use formatting

Use bullet points, bold, italic, and underline in your resume, but do not overdo it; keep it simple and easy to read. Use white space to make your resume look more appealing and legible. Make sure to use the same font type and size throughout your resume.

Proofread your resume

Make sure there are no errors in your resume. Typos, grammar mistakes, and formatting issues can be a quick turn-off to the hiring manager. Take the time to proofread your resume or have someone else check it for you.

Keep it concise

Limit your resume to one or two pages, and make sure you include only the relevant information. Avoid adding irrelevant details or long paragraphs. Keep your resume concise and to the point.

Include volunteer work and extracurricular activities

Including volunteer work and extracurricular activities in your resume is crucial, especially if you have limited work experience. This shows your work ethic, leadership skills, and your involvement in the community.

Use Social Media

Use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to promote your resume online. Create a professional profile that highlights your skills, experience, and achievements. Connect with potential employers and industry professionals to expand your network.

These tips and tricks can help make your student resume stand out and become more effective. By highlighting your accomplishments, customizing your resume, and using relevant keywords, you can impress hiring managers and increase your chances of landing your dream job.

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Resume Examples & Samples

The ultimate guide to writing a student resume [examples].

Adi Gaskell

Create a Resume in Minutes & Get More Job Interviews

Table of Contents

The resume must-knows.

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary or Objective

Work Experience and Core Sections

• Internships
• Transferable Experience
• Extracurricular Activities
• Projects and Portfolio

Creating a student resume can be a daunting process. Chances are, you’ve never had a professional job before, which leaves you staring at a blank piece of paper hoping that a resume would magically appear.

While having a degree is great, you should know that your entire graduating class has that. As does the previous graduating class, and the graduating class of the university nearby.

At the end of the day, what’s really going to set you apart from everyone else is your resume, which is why you have to make it perfect.

In this guide, you’re going to learn:

• What sections to include
• How to list basic information on your resume (contact, education)
• How to sell yourself without any work experience
• Using internship experience to set yourself apart
• Using somewhat “irrelevant” work experience to your advantage
• How university activities can lead to professional skills

# the-resume-must-knows

Whether you’re a student or a professional with 20 years of experience, you’ll have to start off your resume the same way.

The must-have sections in any resume are:

• Summary or Objective

VelvetJobs Expert Tip

You might want to start working on your student resume right now - it's much easier to apply everything you learn as you read on. Give our resume builder a try.

CONTACT INFORMATION

# contact-information.

While the contact section of your resume might seem simple, it’s very important to get it right. Imagine spending weeks sending out your resume and not getting a response because you've got a type in your e-mail!

Always make sure that your contact section is 100% accurate.

The contact information section consists oF :

First Name / Last Name

Phone Number

Address (City, State, Zip Code)

Most of those entries are pretty self-explanatory . The one thing you should pay extra attention to is the e -mail address.

When it comes to e-mail, make sure to use a professional one. Use [First Name] + [Last Name] @ EmailProvider.com , or any variation of that.

[email protected] may be funny but the recruiter will see it as extremely unprofessional.

Make sure not to use your university email because those accounts tend to expire after graduation.

Depending on your major , there are some additional things you could mention.

• Behance - if you’re a design student, it’s a good way to showcase your portfolio
• GitHub - If you’ve been studying programming, you probably have a lot of projects or games you’ve worked on. That’s something the recruiter would love to take a look at - and GitHub is a good place to store those.
• Blog, Website - For any job that requires a portfolio - be it design, coding or writing, you can always create a personal website from scratch.

Contact information is important - you don't want to lose your dream job because the recruiter couldn't contact you. Learn how to include contact information in your resume with our guide!

RESUME SUMMARY OR OBJECTIVE

A good way to begin your resume is with either a summary or an objective . This will be the first thing a recruiter sees the factor that determines whether they’re going to read the rest of it.

The summary is your professional overview and it goes first, followed by the objective which explains what you’re trying to achieve with the resume and why you're a good fit for the job.

As a student, you probably don’t have much of a professional career, so what you need to go for is an objective.

How to Write a Resume Objective

As we’ve mentioned before, the idea behind a resume objective is to show the recruiter why you’re applying for the job, and how it’s going to beneficial for the company to hire you. Let's look at a bad and good example.

WRONG Example:

I studied accounting because my parents thought it was cool. I want this job because I like cozy offices, nice pay , and being able to repay my $100,000 student loans

This is NOT what the recruiter is looking for. The more specific you are, the more likely the recruiter will take you seriously.

While there are no strict “rules” on how you create a resume objective, you should keep in mind that the general standard is having it written in 3rd person .

To help make it easier to create a resume objective, we came up with a super-simple formula:

Now, let’s look at each of the ingredients one by one, so it’s easier to apply it to your case.

• University Degree - Which school you’re going to, what your major is, and any honors or distinctions.
• Extracurricular Activities - The “work” you did during school. This can entail the clubs you participated in or the competitions you won.
• Application - This portion explains how you've put your degree and activities to use in real life.

To make that more understandable, let’s turn it into something more practical:

RIGHT Example:

Energetic and passionate Business Administration graduate from Boston University [University Degree] . Record of excellence in finance, having won 2nd place on the MadeUpFinanceCompetetion [Extracurricular Activities] . Looking to leverage the knowledge and skills gained from the university in a career in finance [Application] .

A resume objective shows the recruiter that you're passionate about the company. Want to learn more about creating a killer resume objective ? Check out our guide!

# education

This section is where the last 4 years of your life go.

here's how to format the section:

Type of degree + Field of study

University name + Duration

Honors and Distinctions

This section is very straoghtforward. T here’s no “wrong” way to list your education.

The one thing you should consider is the GPA . You want to use it only if it works in your favor. List it only if it's a 3.5+ / 4.0.

check out this examplE :

B.A . Accounting

Cornell University, 2012 - 2016

3.76 / 4.0 .

• Awarded merit-based MadeUp Scholarship
• Graduated with Honors in the field of Accounting

Have more questions about listing your education ? Maybe you dropped out from school, and are unsure about whether to mention it. Or maybe you're wondering how to mention honors and distinctions? Learn all that and more with our guide!

# work-experience-and-core-sections

Once you’ve got all the basics of the resume down, but you still don't know how to go about work experience .

Maybe you've even heard the popular trope...

Requirements:

• 20+ years of experience in marketing
• Experience in managing marketing budget of $20,000+
• Results-driven , able to make us rich

The job is paid in exposure, good vibes & a potential for a normal job (eventually. If we like you. Maybe.)

Well, here’s some good news - that’s not exactly how it works. The “needing work experience to get a job, needing a job to get work experience” trope is actually a myth.

As a student, what sets you apart is not your years of experience. The recruiter knows that you’ve probably never worked before, not a lot of people applying for an entry-level job have.

What HR is looking for is your willingness to learn and there are plenty of ways to show demonstrate that on your resume, including having all the core information put together in one of these successful resume templates .

To be more specific:

• Internship Experience - These days, many universities make it mandatory to complete an internship before graduation. Internships can help prepare you for a career in your field, and get you the skills you need for your first professional job.
• Transfera ble Experiences - Chances are, you’ve worked some sort of part-time blue-collar job. Think a cashier, waiter, or a customer support rep. While those positions might seem a bit irrelevant in comparison to a professional job, they give you transferable skills that help set you apart from the competition.
• Extracurricular Activities - Your college adviser has probably told you that extracurricular activities are good for your student resume. I t’s true - they tend to give you applicable skills (think editing, photography, writing, administration).
• Projects & Portfolio - You’ve probably had some side-projects in school. Maybe it’s a game you’ve developed in your free time or concept-art you’ve been working on. Mentioning them in your resume proves that despite your lack of work experience, you’re completely capable of working in the field.

We’re going to go through them one-by-one , and explain how they can fit into your resume.

If you can make your work experience work for you, you're a shoe-in for the job! Learn everything there is to know about listing your work experience with our complete guide!

# internships

Internships.

If you’ve done an internship in college, it's going to be a lot easier to find a professional job after school. You list internships on your resume exactly the same way as work experience - in a reverse chronological order and with simple formatting.

internship formatting:

Position + Dates

Company Name

Responsibilities & Accomplishments

Check out this example:

• Underwent training in digital marketing, specifically for SEO , PPC & Content Marketing
• Published 3 posts on the company blog, each receiving 100+ shares
• Managed an AdWords account of $2,000 , under the supervision of the PPC manager
• In charge of the execution of blogger outreach, establishing 5+ contacts with influencers

Quantification is king - whenever you have the chance, talk about your experiences in numbers .

To get a better idea, look at the following example ...

Closed monthly deals of $5,000+

Which one sounds more “convincing?”

The first case, the recruiter would see dollar signs - this guy can sell , and he’ll make us some real money. In the second case, there’s really nothing to be impressed by.

# transferable-experience

Transferable experience.

Let's say you've held a summer job between college semesters.

At a glance, a summer job as a server might seem like it can't help you in any way. Why should a recruiter care about the time you spent waiting tables? Is that something you’d even mention on a resume?

Well, it depends - in some cases, mentioning the experience might be what sets you apart.

Which one do you think would win between these two examples?

Worked 60+ hours a week as a server during summer holidays to pay for school

My family paid for my university, and I’ve never worked a day in my life

Itt’s always better to mention some work experience as opposed to none . It shows initiative and willingness to get things done.

If you don’t have enough internships or extracurricular activities to fill up a page, then you might want to add any kind of work experience you have.

Temporary jobs could give you transferable skills which can be directly applicable to the full-time position you're applying for. For example, let’s say the job you’re applying for requires dealing with customers .

If you’ve done anything that put you in charge of ensuring client satisfaction, then that experience might be relevant for the job. Some examples are:

• Waiter / Waitress
• Sales Assistant
• Customer Support

So if you’re applying for a job in sales , you’d want to mention any of these in your work experience section.

• Worked 20 to 30 hours a week as a server to help university bills
• Interacted with 30+ customers on a daily basis
• Ensured 100% customer satisfaction , catering to their every need
• Voted employee of the month during months of Aug, Oct .

This shows that the job-seeker is familiar with hard work and managing to put in long hours while attending school.

Plus, they’ve interacted with customers before which immediately puts them ahead of anyone who hasn’t .

Want to land your internship resume? Learn how to create an internship resume with our complete guide & get ahead your competition!

# extracurricular-activities

Extracurricular activities.

It’s a fact - extracurricular activities are good for your resume. Think of them as a “ simulation ” of real work. You go to meetings, organize events, and interact with “ co-workers. ”

University clubs can teach you hard skills like photography, video editing, public speaking, or soft skills like being organized, interpersonal, negotiation, and thinking on your feet. The section for extracurricular activities works as “work experience” would on a more seasoned resume.

If you’ve worked consistently at a club, then you want to mention the exact things you’ve done.

Extracurricular activities formatting

Organization Name

This is according to the same principles as your typical work experience section. Make sure to quantify your achievements whenever possible.

Check out the example below:

2016 Sep - 2017 Jan

• In charge of managing communications with different influencers & business people
• Oversaw a team of 4 , mentoring new members and ensuring all events went as scheduled
• Organized events for students interested in entrepreneurship, bringing in guest speakers & holding simulations
• Established relations with 5+ local companies , sponsoring food & drinks for club events).

If you haven’t done much at the club, however, or if it’s something you really can’t count as an experience , then you can do a simple line…

Minor entry

Club + Position + Dates

This kind of experience also works . Say, you’ve played soccer for 4 years in school . That means you’re physically fit and have some endurance. Really demanding jobs such as business consulting, for example, need some real serious endurance .

Member of the University Soccer Club, Sep 2015 - Feb 2017.

# projects-and-portfolio

Projects and portfolio.

Depending on what you studied in school, you might have worked on some side-projects . For example, a web developer might have coded a website at a university club.

If you’re a designer , maybe you’ve done fan-art for your favorite TV shows. Or maybe you’re an entrepreneurial business student , starting a mini-business on your college campus.

If you're worked on any digital projects, you can upload them in an online portfolio and include a link to it in your contacts section. If on the other hand, it’s a real-life project , then you might want to create a separate section for it in your resume.

In that case, you’d want to structure it as is “ work experience ,” but with some minor differences.

Project formatting

Project Name

Project Description

Experience, Achievements, etc.

Now, let’s turn that into a practical example:

Independent Projects

CampusFoods

On MadeUpUni campus, there was a lack of a delivery options from local restaurants. I started CampusFoods to solve the problem, employing students to do delivery runs for a % of profits from the restaurant.

• Bootstrapped the entire project, initially handling the deliveries personally.
• Created a delivery schedule, allowing for low-cost food transportation.
• Hired 3 university students part-time , managing and coordinating them on a daily basis.
• During the entire business life-time , earned over $10,000 + in revenue.

Need some inspiration? Check out these resume templates .

Skills can be a very important section in your resume - but it can also be literally nothing .

There are 2 different types of skills you mention on a resume:

• Hard Skills - These are the technical stuff - anything that you can empirically prove. Think Photoshop , web design, C++ , etc.
• Soft Skills - Everything less tangible. Think, people skills, critical-thinking , and leadership.

Hard skills are essential for any good resume. If the employer is looking for someone skilled at Photoshop , it’s a must that you mention that you’re proficient at it. Otherwise, you're just going to get skipped.

Never, ever lie about your skill level. If you start a job as a web developer and realize that you have no idea how to do basic layout, it’s going to be awkward for everyone.

You can divide hard skills into 3 different levels:

• Beginner - Just starting out, <1 year of experience
• Intermediate - 1 - 3 years of experience.
• Expert - 3+ years of experience, less if you have achievements to back up the claim

Listing them on a resume is also extremely simple - simply mention the skill & your level of expertise.

for example:

Photoshop - Intermediate

Illustrator - Intermediate

Excel - Beginner

UX Design - Beginner

Soft skills, however, aren’t nearly as simple . They also happen to be something that most students mess up with.

Since soft skills aren't tangible , anyone can claim that they have them, regardless of whether it's a sophomore in college, or a manager with 10 years of experience.

So when a student needs something to fill up their resume, they just list different soft skills they supposedly possess, thinking that the recruiter will just believe them at a glance.

Imagine seeing this as on a student resume:

Soft skills example

Critical Thinking

This says nothing substantial about you as a candidate. Listing theoretical things such as “critical thinking,” “leadership,” etc., doesn’t work, since everyone else can do the same. You have to back up these claims with evidence of achievements.

Held managerial positions in 3 student clubs during the time in the university, managing teams consisting of up to 10 people .

Here, on the other hand, you have solid proof of your leadership experience - and that’s something the recruiter might ask you as a follow-up in an interview.

Now let's look at a complete example:

Once you have everything down, it’s time to proofread your resume and start your first professional job-search . In terms of proofreading, it’s always good to have a friend take a look at it. There might be some minor mistakes that have slipped by.

If your university has a career center , then you might want to have them take a look at it, too.

It’s important for your resume not to have any spelling or grammatical mistakes . It shows that you’re actually serious about your career. Plus, attention to detail is one of those things any future boss will value. So, you might want to run your resume through Grammarly , or any other spell-checking tool.

If you can't get in touch with your career center for whatever reason, you might want to give our experts a try!

Do remember, though, that your first job-search might seem a bit discouraging at times. There might be times when it seems hopeless, with no one getting back to you after you sent out hundreds of e-mails.

Remember that until you've mnaged to build a solid career, job-search is a numbers game. All you have to do is keep applying.

If you’re applying for jobs at bigger corporations , this might even be tougher, since they (sometimes) don’t send out rejection letters .

If, however, you’re going for small to medium-sized companies, you can use an email tracking tool such as BananaTag , which gives you information on whenever your emails are opened.

To make it even more high-tech , you can use DocSend to store your resume online and send a link. In that case, DocSend will notify you whenever someone takes a look at your resume & how long they’ll be looking at it.

Now that you're a master at creating a student resume, how about putting your knowledge into practice. Head over to our resume builder and get the job-search going!

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18 High School Student Resume Examples Created for 2024

High school student resume.

• High School Student Resumes by Experience
• High School Student Resumes by Role

High school is one of the best times of your life, but it can also be one of the most difficult when looking for your first or second job. You’ve got to fill out applications, prep for interviews, and write your resume.

Using ChatGPT for resumes  is a cool idea, but can still feel daunting and overwhelming. We’ve all been there, and what you really need is a free AI resume builder and solid student cover letters to get you on your way.

We’ve analyzed countless high school resumes to discover  what would get students job interviews in 2024 . While you may want to start with a simple  resume outline , keep reading to find 18 high school resume samples (plus writing tips) that are jam-packed with essential techniques and tricks.

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• If you choose to use a template, make sure you adjust the  resume’s formatting  so that your text is big enough to read with one-inch margins on the side.
• However, you should write your bullet points like you would for a job. Highlight any responsibilities and accomplishments relevant to the job you’re applying for now.
• For example, if you’re looking for a job in sales, emphasize your ability to work in groups and create a good customer experience.

High School Student No Experience Resume

• If you don’t have work history, include projects and volunteer work instead. Treat them like a job and write bullet points according to your responsibilities.
• Make sure you start every bullet point with active verbs, and always double-check for typos. You’ve got this!
• Include your unique skills, your desired position, and the company you hope to work for to make your objective stand out from the rest!

First Job High School Student Resume

• To remedy that problem, add a  skills section on your resume  to give hiring managers an important overview of your strengths.
• To really highlight your abilities, incorporate the same skills in your work experience, too. Demonstrate how you used your skills to better your workplace, and you can’t go wrong!
• Adding stylistic elements like color and different fonts can help you show a bit of your personality (and make your resume more fun to read). 

Experienced High School Student Resume

• Remember, your resume is a highlight reel, so you need to include what’s most important (like your achievements and relevant metrics). 
• You can adjust your layout, font sizes, and margins, but keep it easy to read. 
• Use a bit of color and some fun fonts, provided it still looks professional. You’ve got this!

High School Senior Resume

• This statement must align with the potential employer’s needs, proving you understand the job requirements and have gone the extra mile to address doubts about your capabilities. As for experiences that might have prepared you for the job, workshops and volunteering programs you’ve participated in are prominent candidates.

Out of High School Resume

• Leisure activities range from soccer, hiking, drawing and sketching, robotics, and photography to journalism. But how do they fit in the picture? Well, a penchant for drawing and sketching could reflect creativity and an eye for detail, while journalism stints could hint at strong communication and critical thinking.

High School Graduate Resume

• Right from the first line of the career objective, you can see the candidate’s passion and willingness to work in this field. Notice how Serai’s love for photography is clearly backed by a previous project for a school newspaper.
• These details will be perfect when Serai’s ready for the AI cover letter generator to bring her application to perfection.

High School Diploma Resume

• In the education section of your high school diploma resume, include your diploma, the school’s name, and your start and end date. Add some useful software skills to the mix to secure your seat in any undergraduate program.

Recent High School Graduate Resume

• Begin with clearing which stream and degree you want to pursue. Next, follow suit with your mission and what you hope to gain by completing the program. Try some more personalization by linking your career goal with the college’s agenda.

High School Student Scholarship Resume

• Your high school student scholarship resume should vividly show your positive contributions to noble causes, such as offering ADLs to seniors, and emphasize your impact on society.

High School Student College Application Resume

• Ensure your high school student college application resume shows your practical and classwork achievements that emphasize your grand vision to make a positive contribution to society.

High School Student for College Resume

• Before hitting “submit,” always  check your resume  for typos and other minor errors. It’s amazing what you can miss during your first few reviews.
• A good GPA can demonstrate, at least in part, your willingness to work hard. We’d recommend including your GPA only if it’s above 3.5, but anything above a 3 is a good average.

High School Student for Customer Service Resume

• Including projects, volunteer work, or club memberships is a great way to add value to your resume.
• Your resume should focus on your abilities and other activities you’ve engaged in that will show your value.
• Read the responsibilities and qualifications to look for key skills and tasks. Then, incorporate some of those skills and responsibilities into your high school student customer service resume.

High School Student Internship Resume

• For example, if the job description lists responsibilities like writing and analyzing data, include “written communication” and “data analysis” in your skills section.
• One easy way to customize your resume is by focusing your  resume skills  on things that apply to the internship. 
• Make sure you keep your resume professional and to the point. You don’t want to include anything too personal about your beliefs, religion, politics, or personal information.
• For example, you can list “volunteering at local church,” but avoid saying “fasting every weekend.” It doesn’t show off relevant skills and is a bit too forward for a resume.

High School Student Office Worker Resume

• Good projects include anything that demonstrates your leadership abilities or desire for knowledge. Senior projects, personal blogs, or even being on a sports team are all good examples to include!
• Add work experience directly under your contact information and name, then add any relevant projects if you’re low on space. 
• While there are plenty of  resume writing tips , your resume should be as unique as you. Don’t get so caught up in what you think you “should” do that your resume is bland and cookie-cutter. 

High School Student Sales Resume

• Numbers demonstrate your value, and they’re useful tools for the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) software that hiring managers use to sort through job applicants.
• Trust us, and incorporate metrics into at least 80% of your bullet points!
• For example, you know that different  resume templates  can change your resume’s appearance, but different templates can also stretch or streamline your content. 
• Mess with multiple templates to see what your content will look like—you may find a template that allows for more room, or one that allows you to highlight your skills better.

High School Student Athlete  Resume

• Think of a time you proved you were the MVP on your team—Did you lead your team to a championship? Perhaps you made the game-winning shot in a crucial, nail-biting game?

High School Student Music Resume

• When you include hobbies like songwriting or your interest in classical music in your high school student music resume , it conveys to your recruiter that you’re super dedicated and passionate about your craft.
• You can also include hobbies that are different, too. For example, if you enjoy experimenting with new recipes from around the world, that can show you’re ready to give new genres a whirl or that you understand that music—while art—is still supposed to be fun and adventuresome.

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Developing a strong CV for Your Graduate School Application: How it Differs from a Resume

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Embarking on your journey to graduate school involves creating a Curriculum Vitae (CV) that stands out. While a CV can be quite similar to a resume in some aspects, for graduate school applications, it serves a very different purpose. Unlike a resume, which is typically concise and focused on work experience, a CV for graduate school is more detailed and academically oriented. Developing a strong CV is not a one-size-fits-all process. The advice provided here stems from one of many perspectives, other valid opinions also exist, especially from your advisors and within your field of study or discipline. There is no guaranteed format that will ensure success in securing a place in a program or a job, but suggestions towards what institutions are looking for.

How a CV Differs from a Resume

Length and Detail : A CV is typically longer than a resume because it includes more detailed sections on education, research, publications and other relevant academic data. While resumes are usually one to two pages, a CV can run several pages if the experience warrants it.

Purpose and Focus : The resume is a brief snapshot of your skills and experiences tailored to a specific job, emphasizing brevity and relevance to the job market. Conversely, the CV for graduate school is an exhaustive record of your academic journey, meant to showcase your intellectual background and readiness for rigorous scholarly work.

Content : Resumes often begin with a career objective or summary statement and focus on professional achievements and skills. A CV, instead, begins with your educational history and delves into academic achievements, including any research, publications, and detailed descriptions of academic projects.

Readability: The Crucial Element

With the potential of hundreds of CVs landing on an evaluator’s desk, readability is important. A CV that’s easy to navigate can make all the difference. Here’s how to enhance the readability of your CV:

• Use a clear, legible font of at least 12 points; never go below 10 points to ensure clarity.
• Maintain margins of at least one inch, but not smaller than 0.5 inches, for an organized layout.

Common CV Sections

Your CV should include (but is not limited to) the following sections:

• Publications
• Presentations
• Professional or Work Experience
• Community or Academic Service
• Honors & Awards

This list is not exhaustive, but it illustrates the comprehensive nature of a CV. Its purpose is to give the admissions committee a holistic view of your academic experience and strengths and potential as a researcher or a professor.

Tips for Crafting Your Graduate School CV

• Tailor Your CV : Customize your CV for each graduate program you apply to, emphasizing the experiences and accomplishments that are most relevant to the field of study.
• Highlight Your Academic Achievements : Put your educational background and any research, teaching, or academic work at the forefront.
• Be Specific : Provide details about your research projects, including the objectives, methodologies, and conclusions, as well as any contributions to publications or academic conferences.
• Professional Presentation : Format your CV clearly and professionally, using headers, bullet points, and consistent font and spacing to make it easily readable.
• Proofread : A CV with typos or grammatical errors can detract from its professionalism. Make sure to proofread your CV several times and consider having a mentor or career consultant review it.

In conclusion, while a resume might be your go-to for job applications, developing a CV is a critical step in the journey to graduate school. It’s a chance to comprehensively represent your academic career and to persuade the admissions committee that you are an ideal candidate for further study. Remember, the CV is not just a summary of your past; it is a document that speaks to your future potential in the world of academia.

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10 Best Resume Tips and Tricks : Students and Experienced Professionals

A resume is the mirror that tells about the candidate and breaks them a chance of getting their dream job. But creating an eye-catching resume is not an easy task.

It requires skills that can eventually create a good impression on the recruiter. Because when any company rolls a vacancy for any particular position it certainly wants the best candidate. Whether you are a college student stepping into the workforce or an experienced professional seeking career advancement, your resume plays a vital role. An excellent and professional resume helps you to stand out from the crowd and calls for the attention that you want in order to get that job.

So what do you think a resume requires, to grab the attention of any recruiter?  

Some many styles and techniques can be applied to make an appealing resume , and these few things, such as relevant experience, education, or relevant skill, are in every resume out there. But we have to stand out from others so to become different from everyone and get our dream job, tips for resume formatting such as using simple font, focusing on keywords, writing a short and crisp summary, providing links of your work, etc., can be applied.

10 Tips for Writing a Resume

So, in this article, we will be talking about how you, whether you are a college student or an experienced professional , can work on your resume to make it unique and different from others:

1. Tailor Your Resume to the Job :

According to a CareerBuilder survey, customized resumes are preferred by 61% of recruiters as they directly align a candidate’s experience with the job requirements. Detail specific projects or roles that mirror the responsibilities and skills listed in the job description.

• Identify Key Requirements : Look for skills and experiences that are frequently mentioned in the job ad. For example, if the job requires expertise in “Adobe Creative Suite ,” ensure this is clearly highlighted in your resume if you possess this skill.
• Match Job Title and Keywords : Use the exact job title and industry-specific keywords from the job posting. This helps in aligning your resume with what the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and the recruiter are searching for.
• Customize Professional Experience : Adapt the descriptions of your past roles to emphasize how your contributions directly align with the job requirements. For instance, if the job seeks someone who can “lead a team,” include a specific example from your experience that demonstrates this ability, such as “ Led a team of six in developing a new client acquisition strategy that increased company revenue by 15%. “

2. Use a Professional Format :

When creating your resume, choose a clean and organized format. Use clear headings like “ Work Experience ,” “ Skills ,” and “ Education ” to divide different sections. This makes it easier for employers to find the information they need quickly. Use bullet points to list details neatly and keep the document’s font style and size consistent. This will give your resume a professional look that is easy to read. Research from TheLadders indicates that recruiters initially spend only about 6 seconds on a resume. A clean format with well-organized sections and bullet points helps ensure that key information catches the eye quickly.

3. Start with a Strong Summary :

A LinkedIn study found that profiles with summaries receive more views. A resume summary acts similarly, providing a snapshot of your professional identity and making a memorable introduction. When writing your resume, begin with a compelling summary at the top. This should be a brief paragraph that showcases your key skills, experiences, and career goals. It’s your chance to grab the recruiter’s attention quickly by highlighting why you’re the perfect fit for the job. Make sure this summary is tailored to reflect the specific requirements of the job you’re applying for.

4. Focus on Achievements, Not Just Duties :

Job seekers who demonstrate their value with quantifiable achievements (e.g., “ increased sales by 20% “) significantly increase their chance of being noticed compared to those who list duties alone.

When updating your resume, highlight what you’ve achieved at your jobs, not just your responsibilities. Here’s a simple way to do this:

• Use Numbers : Show how your work made a difference (e.g., “ increased customer satisfaction by 15% “).
• Start with Strong Verbs : Begin descriptions with verbs like “ led ,” “ designed ,” or “ improved .”
• Describe the Results : Mention the outcomes of your efforts (e.g., “ cut down report generation time by 25% “).

5. Highlight Relevant Skills :

According to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, leadership and problem-solving are among the top skills employers seek. Clearly listing relevant soft and hard skills can make your resume more attractive.

Showcase the skills that match the job you’re applying for in your resume. Here’s a quick guide to help you do it right:

• List Key Skills : Include both technical and soft skills that are directly relevant to the job.
• Match the Job Description : Look at the skills listed in the job posting and make sure those are visible on your resume.
• Use Skill-Related Keywords : Incorporate industry-specific keywords that match your skills to help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).

6. Include Keywords from the Job Description :

As per Jobscan, more than 98% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Including keywords from the job description ensures that your resume passes through these systems successfully. To make your resume stand out, include keywords from the job description. This helps your resume get past Applicant Tracking Systems and grabs the attention of recruiters. For example, if the job description mentions “project management” and “agile methodologies,” make sure these terms appear in your resume, particularly in the skills or experiences sections. This approach demonstrates that your qualifications align closely with the job requirements.

7. Showcase Your Education :

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that higher educational attainment correlates with lower unemployment rates, making this section particularly important for recent graduates or those in academia. Highlight your educational background prominently on your resume to catch the attention of recruiters. For instance, list your degrees, relevant courses, and any honors or distinctions you’ve earned. Example: “Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University of XYZ, Summa Cum Laude, Dean’s List for four consecutive years.” Also, include any certifications or ongoing training that are pertinent to the job you are applying for. This demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning and relevance in your field.

Education Master of Business Administration (MBA) University of Cityland, Graduated Summa Cum Laude May 2022 Specialized in Strategic Management President of the Business Strategy Club Bachelor of Arts in Economics State College, Magna Cum Laude May 2018 Minor in Finance Treasurer of the Economics Society Certifications Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) Level II Candidate

8. Proofread for Errors :

A survey by Accountemps found that 76% of resumes are discarded for an unprofessional email address or typos. Thorough proofreading can prevent your resume from being rejected for simple mistakes. Always double-check your resume for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors before sending it to potential employers. For example, ensure that your job titles and company names are spelled correctly and that all dates are accurate and consistently formatted. A simple mistake like “Manger” instead of “Manager” can create a negative impression. Having a friend or a professional review your resume can also help catch errors you might have missed.

Here are some examples of common typos to watch for when proofreading your resume:

• Incorrect company names : Typing “Googel” instead of “Google”.
• Misspelled technical terms : Writing “Javascript” instead of “JavaScript”.
• Common word mix-ups : Confusing “their” with “there” or “they’re”.
• Title typos : Writing “Assitant” instead of “Assistant”.
• Misused terms : Using “effect” when you mean “affect”.

9. Keep It Concise :

A study by ResumeGo found that a concise, one-page resume is more effective for professionals with less than ten years of experience, helping to maintain the recruiter’s attention. Ensure your resume is short and to the point, ideally one page, especially if you have less than 10 years of experience. For example, rather than detailing every task for each job, focus on the most relevant achievements. Use bullet points to summarize roles and highlight key accomplishments like, “Increased sales by 30% within one year through strategic partnerships .” This approach helps recruiters quickly understand your qualifications without sifting through excessive information.

10 Include Contact Information :

Ensure your contact information is professional and up-to-date. LinkedIn reports that profiles with professional photos get 21 times more views and 36 times more messages, suggesting the importance of professional presentation in all elements of your resume.

Make sure your resume includes up-to-date and professional contact information. This should be placed at the top of your resume and include your full name, phone number, professional email address, and optionally, your LinkedIn profile URL. For example:

• Name : Jane Doe
• Phone : (123) 456-7890
• Email : [email protected]
• LinkedIn : linkedin.com/in/janedoe

Hence, these resume tips were the ways in which you, whether a college or experienced professional , can make your resume grab the recruiter’s attention and make it stand out from others.

Resume Tips for Software Engineer

Whether you’re a college student just starting out or a seasoned working professional , crafting an effective resume as a software engineer is key to catching a recruiter’s eye. This section provides straightforward advice on highlighting your technical skills, showcasing relevant projects, and tailoring your resume to specific job listings. We’ll help you present your achievements in a way that stands out, ensuring your resume makes a strong impression in seconds.

1. Highlight Technical Skills :

Clearly list programming languages, software, and tools you’re proficient in. Include frameworks and technologies relevant to the job you’re applying for.

2. Showcase Your Projects :

Include a section or a link to your GitHub repository to display your coding projects. Describe the project, your role, the technologies used, and any quantifiable outcomes.

3. Quantify Achievements :

Use metrics to highlight your contributions (e.g., “ Reduced application load time by 30% by optimizing code “).

4. Tailor Your Resume :

Adjust your resume for each job application to include keywords from the job description, focusing on specific skills and experiences the employer is seeking.

5. Include Soft Skills :

Mention teamwork, problem-solving, and other interpersonal skills that are crucial for working effectively in software development teams.

6. Professional Summary :

Start with a strong summary that emphasizes your years of experience, key skills, and career goals related to software engineering.

Also Read Our Full Guide : How to Make a Resume

Truly, creating an enriching and professional resume along with considering various prominent parameters like ATS-friendly, short & concise, creative, etc. is not an as easy task as it seems, especially for freshers or students. However, GeeksforGeeks can help you with that as it provides you FREE Online Resume Builder that allows you to create a professional and engaging resume within a few minutes.

GeeksforGeeks Resume Builder offers you numerous enriching resume templates that can surely help you to grab the attention of the recruiters and eventually get hired at your dream company. 

It is important that you include all the above-mentioned points in your resume as highlighting vital things without any error will definitely take you a step forward toward your dream job!

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How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide

For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and you’ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, you’ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So you’re probably wondering how you can write a resume that gets you an interview straight up.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this guide, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume, including:

• The 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Resume
• 11+ Exclusive Resume Tips to Up Your Resume Game
• 27+ Real-Life Resume Examples for Different Professions

….and more!

So, let’s dive right in.

How to Make a Resume (The Right Way!)

Before we go into detail about how you should make a resume, here’s a summary of the most important steps and tips to keep in mind:

• Choose a resume format carefully. In 99% of cases, we recommend the reverse-chronological format .
• Add the right contact details. Leave your headshot out and make sure to include your job title , a professional email address, and any relevant links. (E.g.: your LinkedIn profile , online portfolio, personal website, etc.).
• Write an impactful resume summary. Unless you’re an entry-level professional, always go for a resume summary. If you do it right, it’s your chance to get the hiring manager to go through the rest of your resume in detail.
• Pay attention to your work experience section. Take your work experience section from OK-ish to exceptional by tailoring it to the job ad, making your achievements quantifiable, and using action verbs and power words.
• Add the right skills for the job. Keep this section relevant by only including the hard and soft skills that are required for the position.
• Keep your education short and to the point. Your most recent and highest degree is more than enough for a strong education section. You only need to add more details here if you’re a recent graduate with barely any work experience.
• Leverage optional resume sections. Optional sections like languages, hobbies, certifications, independent projects, and others can set you apart from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
• Include a cover letter. That’s right, cover letters matter in 2024, and the best way to supplement your resume is by adding an equally well-crafted cover letter to your job application. To make the most of it, check out our detailed guide on how to write a cover letter .

To get the most out of our tips, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on the go as you read this guide.

New to resume-making? Give our ‘7 Resume Tips’ video a watch before diving into the article!

#1. Pick the Right Resume Format

Before you start filling in the contents of your resume, you have to make sure it’s going to look good. 

After all, the first thing hiring managers notice is what your resume looks like, and then they start reading it. So, this is your best chance to make a great first impression.

Start by choosing the right resume format.

There are three types of resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological. This is by far the most popular resume format worldwide and, as such, it’s the best format for most job-seekers.
• Functional. This resume format focuses more on skills than work experience. It’s a good choice if you’re just getting started with your career and have little to no experience in the field.
• Combination. The combination resume format is a great choice for experienced job-seekers with a very diverse skill set. It’s useful if you’re applying for a role that requires expertise in several different fields and you want to show all that in your resume.

So, which one should you go for?

In 99% of cases, you want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s the most popular format and what hiring managers expect to see. So, in the rest of this guide, we’re going to focus on teaching you how to make a reverse-chronological resume.

Fix Your Resume’s Layout

With formatting out of the way, let’s talk about your resume’s layout , which determines the overall look of your resume. 

Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or is it reader-friendly and attention-grabbing?

Here are some of the best practices you should apply:

• Stick to one page. You should only go for a two-page resume if you have decades of experience and you’re sure the extra space will add significant value. Hiring managers in big companies get hundreds of applications per job opening. They’re not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
• Add clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers so the hiring manager can easily navigate through your resume.
• Adjust the margins. Without the right amount of white space, your resume will end up looking overcrowded with information. Set your margins to one inch on all sides so your text fits just right on the page.
• Choose a professional font. We’d recommend sticking to a font that’s professional but not overused. For example, Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass. Avoid Times New Roman, and never use Comic Sans.
• Set the correct font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11-12 pt for normal text and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Use a PDF file. Always save your resume as a PDF file, unless the employer specifically requests otherwise. Word files are popular, but there’s a good chance they’ll mess up your resume’s formatting.

Another thing you need to consider in terms of your resume’s layout is whether you’re going for a traditional-looking resume template or something a bit more modern :

If you’re pursuing a career in a more traditional industry, like law , banking , or finance , you might want to stick to the first.

But if you’re applying to a tech company where imagination and innovation are valued, you can pick a more creative resume template .

Want to Save Time? Use a (Free) Resume Template

Anyone who’s ever tried creating a resume from scratch knows how boring the formatting can be.

Before you can even start filling in the contents, you need to tweak the margins, adjust font sizes, and make sure everything fits into one page while still looking good.

What if you could skip past all that and still create a compelling resume?

Try one of our free resume templates . They’re pre-formatted, so all you have to do is fill in the contents.

They’re also created in collaboration with recruiters from around the globe, ensuring that the templates are visually appealing and ATS-friendly!

See for yourself how one of our templates compares to a resume created in a standard text editor:

#2. Add Your Contact Information

Now that we’ve got all the formatting out of the way, let’s get into what your resume is all about— the information you put on it .

The first thing you want to do when filling out the contents of your resume is to add your contact information .

This section is pretty straightforward but crucial. Your contact details belong at the top of your resume in a designated resume header , so the hiring manager can easily find them.

Even if everything else about your resume is perfect, that all flops if you misspell your email address or have a typo in your phone number. If the hiring manager can’t contact you, it’s a missed opportunity.

So, double-check, and even triple-check your contact information section and make sure everything is factually correct and up-to-date.

Must-Have Information

• Full name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top of your resume.
• Email address. Stick to an address that’s professional and easy to spell, like a combination of your first and last name. (E.g.: [email protected])
• Phone number. Add a reliable number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country. If you plan to relocate for the job or want a remote position, specify it on your resume.

Optional Information

• Job title. Add your professional title underneath. Write it down word for word, whether it’s “Digital Marketing Specialist” or “Junior Data Scientist.” Just don’t make up job titles like “Marketing Wizzard” or “Data Manipulator.” They’re not quirky; they’re just unprofessional. 
• LinkedIn profile . We recommend that you include a link to your updated LinkedIn profile since over 77% of hiring managers use the platform when evaluating a candidate. 
• Relevant links. Include links to personal websites or any social media profiles that are relevant to your field. For example, a developer could include a Github profile, while a graphic designer could link their Behance or Driblle account, and so on.
• Date of birth. Unless this is specifically required in the job ad, the hiring manager doesn’t need to know how old you are. It’s not important for their decision-making, and at worst, it might lead to age-based discrimination.
• Unprofessional email address. Your quirky, old high school email address doesn’t belong on your resume. Instead of [email protected] , go for a [email protected] type of address.
• Headshot. (USA, UK or Ireland) Depending on the country where you’re applying, it might even be illegal to include a picture of yourself on your resume . While it’s the norm to include a picture in most of Europe and Asia, always check the regulations for each specific country or industry you’re applying to.

All clear? Good! Now, let’s look at what a great example of a resume's contact information section looks like:

#3. Write a Resume Headline (Summary or Objective)

It's no secret that recruiters spend an average of less than seven seconds on a resume .

When you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications daily, it's physically impossible to spend too much time on each.

So, what the hiring managers do to go through resumes more effectively is to skim through each resume and read it in depth only if it piques their interest.

This is where the resume headline comes in.

Placed right next to (or underneath) your contact information, this brief paragraph is the first thing the hiring manager is going to read on your resume.

Now, depending on how far along in your career you are, your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

So, how do you choose between a resume summary and a resume objective? Here’s all you need to know:

Resume Summary

A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a two to three-sentence summary of your career so far. If done right, it shows that you’re a qualified candidate at a glance and gets the hiring manager to give you a chance.

Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Your job title and years of experience.
• A couple of your greatest professional achievements or core responsibilities.
• Your most relevant skills for the job.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume summary: 

Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions.

Unless you’re a recent graduate or amid a career change, we recommend you stick to a resume summary. Otherwise, a resume objective might be a better option for you.

Resume Objective

A resume objective is supposed to express your professional goals and aspirations, academic background, and any relevant skills you may have for the job.

It communicates your motivation for getting into a new field, so it’s the go-to headline for recent graduates and those going through a career change. As with a resume summary, a resume objective should be brief—around two to four sentences long.

So, here’s what it would look like if you’re a student:

Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating illustrations and UX/UI design projects. Looking to grow as a designer and perfect my art at XYZ Design Studio.

Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change, it might look more like this:

IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at Company XYZ.

#4. Prioritize Your Work Experience

The most important part of your resume is your work experience.

This is where you get to sell yourself and show off your previous accomplishments and responsibilities.

If you manage to master this section, you’ll know most of what’s there to know about how to make a resume.

There are plenty of good practices for writing your work experience . But before we dive into all the nits and grits, let's start with the basics.

The standard format for each work experience entry is as follows:

• Job title/position. Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for the job.
• Company name/location/description. Mention the name of the employer and the general location, such as the city and state/country where you worked. In some cases, you may also want to briefly describe the company, like when the organization isn’t particularly well-known.
• Dates employed. Add the approximate timeframe of your employment at each company. You don’t need to give exact dates since the standard format for this is mm/yyyy.
• Achievements and responsibilities. This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities. List them in bullet points instead of paragraphs, so they’ll be easier to read.

Here’s a real-life example:

Your work experience entries should always be listed in reverse chronological order , starting with your most recent job and working your way back into the past.

Now that you know how to list your experience, we’re going to show you how to write about it in a way that makes you stand out from the competition, starting with: 

Are you a student with no work experience? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide to writing a resume with no experience here.

Focus on Achievements Whenever Possible

One of the most common resume mistakes is only listing responsibilities in your work experience section.

Here’s the thing—in most cases, the hiring manager knows exactly what your job responsibilities are.

For example, if you’re a sales manager, your responsibilities would be:

• Reach out to potential clients over the phone or email.
• Maintain relationships with existing company clients and upsell relevant products.
• Tracking and reporting on leads in CRM.

Coincidentally, this is also the same list of responsibilities for every sales manager out there. So, 90% of all other resumes probably mention the same thing.

To stand out from the competition, you want to focus on writing achievements in your resume instead. These can be how you helped your previous company grow, reach quarterly quotas, and so on.

Let’s compare how responsibilities hold up next to achievements for the same job:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 30%+ for 3 months straight.
• Generated over $24,000 in sales in 1 month.
• Generated leads through cold-calling
• Managed existing company clients

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there just aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you’re a warehouse worker .

Your day-to-day responsibilities probably include:

• Loading, unloading, and setting up equipment daily.
• Packaging finished products and getting them ready for shipping.
• Assisting in opening and closing the warehouse.

In fields like this, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself through achievements, so it’s okay to stick to responsibilities instead. You can still make them shine by following the rest of our advice about listing your work experience.

Keep in mind, though, that in some fields, there aren’t that many achievements you can mention. Let’s say you work in a warehouse. Your day-to-day responsibilities probably involve:

• Loading, unloading and setting up equipment on a daily basis.
• Package finished product and get it ready for shipping.
• Assist in opening and closing the warehouse.

In such fields, it’s pretty hard to distinguish yourself, so it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities instead.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

Tailoring is what sets an amazing resume apart from an okay one.

Hiring managers don’t need to know about every single job you’ve ever worked at or every single skill that you have.

They only want to know about your jobs, experiences, or skills that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re applying for a job doing Google Ads, you don’t need to talk about your SEO internship from eight years ago.

By focusing your resume on whatever is important for the specific role, you’re a lot more likely to stand out and catch the hiring manager’s attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of a job ad:

As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important requirements.

To tailor your resume accordingly, you just need to mention how you meet each of these requirements in your resume.

You can highlight your relevant achievements and qualifications in different parts of your resume, such as:

• In your resume summary, where you should recap your years of experience.
• Throughout your work experience section, where you should list achievements and responsibilities that reflect your social media marketing experience.
• In your education section, where you can let the hiring manager know you have the degree that they’re looking for.

Include the Right Amount of Work Experience

If you’ve got over a decade’s worth of work experience, you’re probably wondering whether all of it belongs on your resume. In most cases, you’d end up writing a novel if you listed everything you’ve ever done, and that’s not how long a resume should be .

If you’re new to the job market, on the other hand, you probably don’t have any experience, and you’re wondering what you could even add to this section.

So, here’s how much information your resume should include, depending on your level of experience:

• No experience. If you’re looking for your first job , you won’t have any work experience to fill this section with. So, you can either keep it empty and focus on all the other sections or fill it up with any experience gained in student organizations, extracurricular activities, volunteering, and other projects.
• Entry-level. List all your work experience so far. While some of it won’t be relevant, it can still show the hiring manager that you do have some actual work experience.
• Mid-level. Only mention relevant work experience to the position you’re applying for. There’s no need to waste space on jobs that aren’t related to what you’re after.
• Senior-level. List up to 15 years of relevant work experience, tops. If your most recent experience is as a marketing executive , the hiring manager doesn’t care how you started your career as a junior marketing specialist 23 years ago.

Consider Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software

Did you know that over 70% of resumes don’t even make it to the hiring manager ?

Most companies these days use ATS to evaluate hundreds of resumes instantaneously and automatically filter out the ones that don’t meet their criteria.

For example, if a resume doesn’t mention a specific skill or isn’t formatted correctly, the ATS will automatically reject it.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make an ATS-friendly resume .

Here are a couple of tips to help you get past those pesky robots:

• Stick to one page. Sometimes employers set a limit on how long a resume should be. This means that if your resume is longer than one page, it might get automatically disqualified.
• Incorporate keywords. Tailoring your resume to the job helps a ton with beating the ATS. Just carefully read the job description to find hints for what the ATS will be looking for. Then, whenever you find keywords related to your responsibilities and achievements, make sure to include them in your work experience section.
• Use an active voice. Passive voice is too vague and unclear, so make sure to use active voice as much as possible when describing your previous jobs. (E.g.: “Managed a team of ten people,” instead of “ A team of ten people was managed by me.” )
• Leverage powerful action words. Instead of starting each of your sentences with “was responsible for," make your work experience impactful by using words that can grab attention. Saying that you “spearheaded” or “facilitated” something sounds a lot more impressive than “helped.”

Want to make sure your resume formatting passes the ATS test? Choose one of our tried and tested ATS-friendly resume templates , and you’ll be good to go! 

#5. List Your Education

The next section on your resume is dedicated to your academic qualifications. Let’s start with the basics!

Here’s how you should format the education section on your resume :

• Program Name. Your major and degree type should be listed. (E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration” )
• University Name. Add the name of the institution. (E.g.: “New York State University” )
• Dates Attended. Use a mm/yyyy format for the dates you attended. (E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012” )
• Location. If your university is less well-known, you can also add the location. (E.g.: “Stockholm, Sweden” )
• GPA. Use the appropriate grading system for the country you’re applying to work in. (E.g.: In the USA, it would be “3.9 GPA” )
• Honors. Add any honors and distinctions you’ve been given. (E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude )
• Achievements. You can mention interesting papers you’ve written, projects you’ve done, or relevant coursework you’ve excelled in.
• Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s see what an education section looks like in practice:

This example includes all the necessary information, plus an eye-catching award and relevant classes this candidate has taken.

Resume Education Tips

Now that you know how to list your education on your resume, let’s take this section to the next level.

Just follow these expert tips:

• If you’re making a resume as a student and don’t have any work experience yet, you can list your education section at the beginning of the page instead of work experience.
• You can add your expected graduation date if you’re still pursuing your degree.
• If you already have relevant work experience, just keep this section short and sweet. Recent graduates can expand on their education more and add optional information like projects, classes, academic achievements, etc.
• Always list your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with your highest degree on top. Your highest and most recent degree is usually enough, so if you have a Master’s degree that’s relevant to the job, there’s no need to mention your earlier degrees.
• Don’t add your high school degree to your resume if you already have a university degree. It doesn’t have as much weight, and you can use the space for something else.
• Only mention your GPA if you had an impressive academic career. Anything below a 3.5 GPA doesn’t need to be on your resume.

Are you in the process of applying for college? Check out our guide to writing a college application resume to wow that admissions officer!

#6. Emphasize Your Know-How in the Skills Section

After your work experience, your skills are the first thing the hiring manager is going to look for. In fact, together, work experience and skills make up 90% of the hiring decision .

So, this is the place where you want to mention all the know-how that makes you the perfect candidate for the job.

There are two types of skills you can include when writing your resume:

• Hard Skills. These are measurable abilities. What you can list here can be anything from coding in Python to knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
• Soft Skills. Also known as personal skills, these are a mix of communication skills , personal traits, career attributes, and more. They can include leadership, critical thinking, and time management , just to name a few.

Your resume should always cover both hard skills and soft skills . Here’s an example in action:

Now, let’s discuss how you should list your most important skills on your resume.

There are a few essential steps you need to follow:

Always List Hard and Soft Skills Separately

Your resume should be easy and neat to navigate. The hiring manager shouldn’t have to waste time looking for a specific skill because you didn’t separate it into the appropriate subsection.

So, just create separate categories for your hard and soft skills.

Depending on your field, you could customize the name of your “hard skills” subsection to something like “technical skills," “marketing skills," or something else related to your field.

Let’s look at an example of what skills look like on a project manager’s resume :

Methodologies & Tools

• Agile Methodology
• SCRUM Framework
• Waterfall Project Management
• Microsoft Project
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Risk Management

Soft Skills

• Team Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Negotiation

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

You might have some awesome skills, but the hiring manager only needs to know about the ones that are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, your gourmet chef skills shouldn’t be on your resume.

Look at the job ad and list at least two to three essential skills you have that are required for the role. Remember—there’s no need to list every skill you have here; just keep it relevant.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Tech-savvy, with some background in CMS systems such as WordPress.
• Thrives in a stressful environment and juggles multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-reliant, with the ability to manage their own work.
• A can-do attitude and an outside-the-box thinker.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages.
• Basic understanding of Office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, the must-have hard skills here are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, and Pages. Other good computer skills to have are WordPress or similar CMS systems.

While you can also mention Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, it’s pretty much assumed that you know how to use them since they’re required for most office jobs.

List Hard Skills with Experience Levels

For each hard skill you list on your resume, you should also mention your proficiency level. This tells employers what they can expect from you and how much training you might need.

• Beginner. You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-level practice or classroom education.
• Intermediate. You’ve used the skill in a work environment with good understanding.
• Advanced. You’re the go-to person for this skill in your office. You can coach other employees, and you understand the skill at a high level.
• Expert. You’ve applied this skill to more than a handful of different projects and organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.

Just make sure to never lie about your actual skill level. Even if you get the job, once you need those skills you exaggerated, it will be pretty awkward for both you and your employer.

Include Transferable Skills

These are the types of skills that are useful for almost any job out there.

Transferable skills can be both soft skills (e.g.: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and others) and hard skills (MS Office Suite, HTML, writing, etc.)

Whatever job you’re applying to, chances are you have transferable skills from your experience that can come in handy one way or another. So, feel free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

Not sure which skills to mention on your resume for your specific field? Check out our list of 101+ essential skills for inspiration!

#7. Leverage Optional Resume Sections

The sections we’ve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. They’re the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, you’ll land any job you apply to.

But if you have some leftover space, there are a few optional sections you can choose from to give your resume a boost!

Are you bi-lingual? Or even better  – multi-lingual? You should always mention that on your resume!

Even if the position doesn’t require you to know a specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, it’s always better to know more languages than less.

To list languages in your resume , just write them down and assign them the appropriate level:

• Intermediate

You can also use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scales.

As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know—your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language or even be a native speaker!

Hobbies and Interests

If you want to spice up your resume, hobbies and interests could be just what you need.

While this section isn’t a game-changer, it can help the hiring manager see who you are as an individual.

For example, if you listed “teamwork” as one of your skills, hobbies like team sports can back up your claim.

And who knows? Maybe you and your interviewer have some hobbies or interests in common!

Volunteering Experience

If you’re the type of person who devotes their free time to helping others while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. 

Seeing volunteer experience on your resume tells hiring managers that you’re a loyal employee who’s after something meaningful.

Several studies show that listing your volunteer experience can boost your chances of getting hired, especially if you have little to no work experience.

Certifications

Hiring managers love candidates who invest in themselves, and that’s exactly what they see when you list certifications on your resume .

If you value continuous learning and strive to expand your skill set, that’s always a plus.

Certifications can also show employers how much expertise you have.

For example, if you’re a Microsoft Cloud Engineer and you specialize in Microsoft Technologies, you should definitely include all essential certifications on your resume, such as the Azure Solutions Architect Expert one.

Awards and Recognitions

There’s no harm in showing off a little on your resume. After all, you want to be a candidate that shines above the rest.

So, if you’ve received any awards or recognitions that make you stand out in your field, make sure to add them.

For example, if you’ve been recognized for your contributions to data science or received a hard-to-come-by scholarship , mention it in your resume. Just keep your entries here relevant to the field you’re applying to.

Publications

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a distinguished academic, publications are always impressive.

If you have any published works (online or in an academic journal), you can add them to your resume. Just make sure to include a link so the hiring manager knows where to check your work!

Are you looking for a career in academia? Check out our guide to writing the perfect academic CV to get started!

Working on side projects can show off your passion for your field. Whether they’re university class projects or part-time entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re relevant.

For example, if you worked on a mock software product as part of a university competition, it shows you went through every step of product creation, from ideation to creating a marketing strategy.

This project also shows off your organizational skills , and if you mention it in your resume, you stand a better chance of landing the job you had your sights set on.

But projects can also be personal, not academic. For example, you might manage an Etsy store where you sell hand-made arts and crafts to customers online. This is a great opportunity to highlight your creativity, management, and customer service skills .

Overall, hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time, so projects are always a great section to add to your resume.

Looking to kickstart your career? Check out our guide on how to get an internship for useful tips and real-life examples!

Extracurricular Activities

Every college freshman knows that extracurricular experience can make a difference in their application.

Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience outside of school, extracurricular activities are a great way to show potential employers your skills and give them insight into you as a person. Different clubs and after-school projects can help you gain real-life skills and considerably increase your chances of landing your first job after college.

For example, joining a student government organization can hone your leadership skills and teach you how to work as part of a team.

For example, if you’re part of a student government or public speaking club, these activities can help you hone your leadership and presentation skills.

11+ Expert Resume Tips

You’ve got the gist of how to make a resume. Now, it’s time to make it really stand out from the crowd!

Follow these exclusive resume tips to take your resume game to the next level:

• Match the professional title underneath your name to the job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Mention any promotions from your previous jobs. Use the work experience entries for them to focus on the achievements that helped you earn them.
• Describe your achievements using Laszlo Bock’s formula : accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z . This way, your work experience can go the extra mile and show the hiring manager what you can bring to the table.
• Always list your achievements and responsibilities in concise bullet points. This makes your resume more reader-friendly, and it’s more likely that the hiring manager will see your impressive achievements at a glance.
• Don’t use personal pronouns like “I” or “me,” and don’t refer to yourself by name. Stick to a slightly altered third person, like “managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.” instead of “he managed data integrity at XYZ Inc.”
• Name your resume sections correctly, or it might get rejected by the ATS. Swapping out quirky names like “career history” or “expertise” for “work experience” and "skills" makes it easier for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for, too.
• Prioritize important keywords instead of adding all of them. Make sure the relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences you add all make sense in context, too. Your goal is to get past the ATS and impress the hiring manager.
• Focus on transferable skills if you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience. Any extracurricular activities or personal projects can help you stand out here.
• Add a strategic pop of color to headings, bullet points, or key elements you want to highlight. It can help your resume stand out, but don’t overdo it—you want the information to be more impressive than the color palette.
• Don’t include the line “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know they can request a list of references from you, so there’s no need to waste valuable space on it.
• Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile viewing. Most hiring managers use their mobile phones as often as desktop computers, so save your resume to a PDF file and make sure your formatting stays intact across any device.
• Rename the resume file you plan to send so it includes your name and the name of the position you’re applying for. It’s a small detail that can turn into a crucial mistake if you forget it.
• Read your resume out loud when you’re done. This is a great way to catch awkward phrases or spelling mistakes you might have missed otherwise.
• Use a tool like DocSend to track your resume. You’ll get a notification any time someone opens your resume, and you can see how long they spend reading it.

FREE Resume Checklist

Are you already done with your resume? Let’s see how it holds up!

Go through our checklist for perfecting your resume and see where you stand!

If you missed some points, just go through your resume one more time and perfect it.

And if you ☑’d everything—congrats! You’ve learned all there is to know about writing a resume, and you’re good to go with your job search.

Need to write a CV instead of a resume? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV with dozens of examples!

9 Resume Templates for Different Industries

Looking to create an effective resume without dealing with the formatting hassle? Just choose one of the templates below.

#1. Traditional Resume Template

Good for traditional industries like finance, banking, law, and manufacturing.

#2. Modern Resume Template

Good for both contemporary and forward-looking industries, including entrepreneurship, medical technology, and engineering.

#3. Creative Resume Template

Good for creative industries, including entertainment, design, and architecture. 

#4. Minimalistic Resume Template

Good for experienced professionals in basically any industry who want to let their achievements do the talking. 

#5. IT Resume Template

Good for any IT-related profession like software development, cyber security, and DevOps engineering.

#6. Tech Resume Template

Good for the tech industry and everything it encompasses.

#7. College Resume Template

Good for college students and recent graduates alike.

#8. General Resume Template

Good for multiple industries, including HR, education, and customer service.

#9. Executive Resume Template

Good for senior professionals across different industries, including hospitality, marketing, and logistics.

17+ Resumes for Different Jobs

Knowing how to write a resume is one thing, but making a resume that stands out is something entirely different. Without inspiration, even top career experts might stumble on a roadblock or two.

Check out the following effective resume examples for specific jobs to get a better sense of what a good resume looks like:

#1. Nurse Practitioner Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a nurse resume here.

#2. Data Scientist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a data scientist resume here.

#3. Business Analyst Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business analyst resume here.

#4. Digital Marketing Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a digital marketing resume here.

#5. Software Engineer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a software engineer resume here.

#6. Construction Project Manager Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a construction project manager resume here.

#7. Customer Service Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a customer service resume here.

#8. High School Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a high school resume here.

#9. Student Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a student resume here.

#10. Server Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a server resume here.

#11. Actor Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an actor resume here.

#12. Web Developer Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a web developer resume here.

#13. Engineering Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineering resume here.

#14. Computer Science Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a computer science resume here.

#15. Architect Resume Example 

Check out our full guide to writing a data analyst resume here.

#17. Remote Job Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a remote job resume here.

#18. Sales Associate Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales associate resume here.

#19. Receptionist Resume Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist resume here.

Want to see more examples? Check out our compilation of 80+ resume examples for different fields .

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Bartender Resume
• DevOps Engineer Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Flight Attendant Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Pharmacist Resume
• Recruiter Resume
• Supervisor Resume

Next Steps After Your Resume

Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to make a resume, it’s time to talk about the rest of your job application.

After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To land the job you deserve, you also need to write a captivating cover letter and ace that upcoming interview. Here’s how:

#1. How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter

The companion piece to every resume is the cover letter.

Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, you’d be applying for a job as a writer !

In reality, though, writing a cover letter is very simple once you know its purpose.

Think of your cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. It’s your chance to briefly explain why you’re such an awesome fit for the position. And with a few cover letter tips to point you in the right direction, you’ll write the perfect cover letter for your job application.

Just follow this structure:

• Add the contact details. Include the same contact information as on your resume, plus additional contact details for the hiring manager, including their name, job title, the company’s name, and location.
• Introduce yourself. Start your cover letter by mentioning who you are, what your work experience is, and why you’re interested in the position. Mention a standout achievement or two, relevant skills, and what you’d like to do for the company you’re applying for.
• Explain why you’d excel at the job. Find the requirements in the job ad that you meet, and elaborate on how you fulfill the most important ones. Research the company so you know what you like about it, and mention it in your cover letter. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for the job and confidence that you’ll be a great fit for their team.
• Wrap it up politely. Conclude your cover letter by recapping your key selling points and thanking the hiring manager for their time. Then add a call to action, such as “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided phone number so that we can discuss my application in greater detail.” Then, add a closing line and follow it with your full name.

Sounds easy, right? Here’s a real-life example to drive the point home:

Do you need more help perfecting your cover letter? Learn what the most common cover letter mistakes are and check out cover letter examples for all professions here.

#2. How to Ace Your Next Interview

Once you’ve perfected both your resume and cover letter, there’s only one thing left.

It’s time for the final step—the dreaded job interview.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. No matter how experienced you are, it can be nerve-wracking. Sitting there while someone’s prodding into your past experiences and judging you isn’t fun.

But did you know that most interviewers ask the same questions?

That’s right—all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and you’ll be an interview away from landing your dream job!

Just check out our complete guide to the 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers and learn how to ace your next interview.

FAQs on How to Make a Resume

Do you still have some questions about making a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions below!

#1. What does a good resume look like in 2024?

For your resume to look good in 2024, make sure it’s organized and clean and isn’t longer than one page.

Be sure to include information that adds value to your application—leave out the focus on your relevant work experience and skills that you can back up, and list as many achievements as possible. 

If you’re using a resume template, choose one based on your industry. Conservative industries like law, banking, and business require more traditional resume templates. But if you’re going for an industry like design, architecture, or marketing, you can go for a creative resume template . 

Remote work is also big in 2024, so if that’s what you’re after, tailor your resume to match the job you want.

#2. How do you make a resume in Word?

The best way to create a resume in Word is to use a pre-designed Microsoft Word template. To access them, you should: 

• Open MS Word
• Click “file” from the menu bar 
• Select “new”
• Type “resume templates” in the search bar 

That said, Word resume templates are generic, hard to personalize, and overall not very stylish.

Want a resume that looks good and is extremely easy to make? Check out resume templates to get started!

#3. How do I write a resume for my first job?

If you’re writing your first-ever resume for an entry-level position, the hiring manager won’t expect you to have any work experience.

However, you can make up for your lack of experience with your skills and academic achievements.

For example, you can take advantage of extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering experiences, and other non-professional experiences. You can use them to highlight the skills you’ve gained and what you’ve achieved so far.

So, your first job resume should have a resume objective, emphasize your education, and replace your work experience with any internships, volunteering, independent projects, or other experiences.

#4. How to make a resume on Google Docs?

You can make a resume on Google Docs by choosing one of their templates and filling it in on the go.

All you have to do is go to your Google Drive’s template gallery, choose your preferred template, fill in your information, and your Google Docs resume is ready to go! 

That said, Google Docs templates aren’t the most user-friendly choice. You don’t have much flexibility with the layout and formatting isn’t that easy. For example, you tweak a section to the slightest, and the whole resume becomes a mess.

If you want an easier option, check out our resume builder !

#5. What kind of resume do employers prefer?

Typically, employers prefer one-page-long resumes that follow the reverse chronological format. 

Hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they don't have the time to read three-page resumes. Try one of our one-page resume templates so you don’t go over the recommended resume length.

Meanwhile, the reverse-chronological format is the most popular because it draws attention to your most recent jobs and professional achievements, which is the #1 most important thing hiring managers look at when evaluating a resume.

#6. How many jobs should you put on your resume? 

You should only include relevant job positions on your resume.

This means that your work experience section should be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you’ve worked five different jobs and they can all add value to your current application, then you should include all five. 

If, on the other hand, you’re applying for, say, a customer service position and some of your past jobs don’t have anything to do with customer service, you should skip them.

#7. Should I put my address on my resume? 

You can put your location (city, state, or country) on your resume, but you don’t need to put your entire physical address.

Putting a physical address on a resume was the norm back when companies would contact you via mail. In today’s world, everyone communicates via email, which is why adding a correct and professional email address to your contact information section is far more important than putting your physical address. 

So, just include your location or-–if you’re a remote worker—specify you prefer to work remotely by writing “working remotely from [location].”

#8. What information should I leave out of my resume?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t include your birthday or your headshot on your resume. This norm varies from country to country but it applies to the USA, Canada, and UK.

If you have plenty of achievements to list under your work experience, then you can leave your basic work responsibilities out of your resume. 

In your education section, you should only include your highest and most recent degree. So, if you hold a Ph.D., you can list that and your Master’s degree and leave your Bachelor’s degree and high school diploma out.

Finally, leave out any skills that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.

#9. Is a resume a CV?

Depending on where you are, a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a resume might be completely different things.

In most of the world, though, including Europe and Asia, they are used interchangeably for the same document. Both CVs and resumes are one to two pages long, and list skills and experiences relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Sometimes more detailed resumes that go over one page are referred to as CVs. These are typically only used by senior professionals, executives, CEOs, etc.

In the USA, however, a CV is a completely different document. Typically, CVs are detailed and comprehensive documents that highlight your entire academic and professional history. They’re often used for academic, scientific, or research positions, which is why this type of CV can also be referred to as an academic CV.

You can create your CV using one of our CV templates !

#10. Should I write my own resume?

Yes, you should always write your own resume.

Your resume is your opportunity to show the hiring manager your communication, writing, and presentation skills . Employers also evaluate you based on how effectively you can convey information about yourself, and there’s no one that can represent you better than yourself.

Writing your own resume lets you introduce yourself authentically. You have the best understanding of your skills and experiences, and you can personalize them to make your resume stand out.

And, as a bonus, the experience of writing your resume yourself can be reflective and insightful, so it might help you understand your professional journey and career goals better.

#11. Can a resume be two pages?

Generally, we strongly recommend that your resume stick to one page.

Hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes every day, and keeping your resume to one page increases the odds that they’ll see your qualifications faster.

In some cases, like when you have a lot of relevant experience, your resume can go over two pages. But this exception is reserved for senior professionals with over a decade of relevant experience and tons of skills and achievements that simply can’t fit on one page.

#12. Is a simple resume okay?

Absolutely, a simple resume is often more than okay—it's preferable.

Before your resume even gets to the hiring manager, a complicated layout could get it rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS). A simple resume template can help get your application straight to the hiring manager.

A clean layout can also make sure that your resume is easily readable and looks professional. This can focus the hiring manager's attention on your work experience and skills without excessive clutter or flashy colors to distract them.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

If you’ve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! You’re probably an expert on how to make a resume.

To recap, let’s go through some of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far...

• Use the right resume builder to make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
• Focus on your achievements over responsibilities. This can help you stand out from all the other applicants, especially if you back your claims up with data.
• Include all the must-have sections, like the resume summary, work experience, education, and skills. Then leverage optional sections if you have leftover space.
• Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant to the specific job you’re applying for, and you should write a new resume for every new job application.
• Take the time to perfect your cover letter. It’s just as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!

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Student Guide to Resumes for Nonprofit Jobs and Careers

How to Create a Nonprofit Resume

What can you do common jobs at nonprofits, where can you work the largest nonprofit employers, where should you look for work nonprofit job boards, working for nonprofits faq.

Volunteer service is one of the ways people interact with nonprofit organizations (NPOs), with almost 65 million adult Americans donating their time in 2017, according to the Statista Research Department . It’s easy to see how volunteers play a large and important role in the way nonprofits run, but these organizations also hire paid employees.

The word “nonprofit” describes how an organization functions. An NPO is a tax-exempt organization with a mission to provide benefits and services to the public at low to no cost. Nonprofits raise and earn money like a for-profit business, but instead of those earnings going to shareholders, they’re put back into the organization. For-profits, on the other hand, are owned and operated with the mission of making money through the sale of a product or service, and profits are kept by the owner or paid out to investors.

Anyone looking for a paid position within the nonprofit sector can begin their search just like they would for any other job, but with a few exceptions in mind. In this guide, we’ll go over nonprofit resume specifics, the most popular NPOs and common positions as well as where to look for jobs in the industry.

Building a resume for a nonprofit position is going to be the same as any other job, but with a few adjustments. The job description given by the hiring organization should guide you on what information to include on your resume and how you present it. NPOs have different goals and work atmospheres than for-profit companies, and these differences should be considered when creating your resume. If you don’t have much professional experience, that’s okay. You’ll want to speak more to your skills, education, and volunteer work. Indeed, relatively inexperienced workers should consider using a hybrid style for their resume — this format allows job seekers to list skills at the top of the page and use a highlights section to showcase key achievements that may be relevant to the job. We’ll review how to strategically set up your resume for a nonprofit job below, but first let’s go over the basic format and content of a resume:

• Contact information. The header of a resume should contain your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address — the hiring manager needs to know how to contact you for interviews and follow-ups. Use a professional-looking template that will highlight your name and provide enough space to add all of your contact info. If you’re concerned about privacy, you can just list your city, state, and zip code rather than your full mailing address. You should also add “open to relocating” if the position is based outside your area. If your LinkedIn profile is complete, include a link to it with your contact information as well. Although we call this contact information section a header, you shouldn’t actually use the header feature in your word processor, as this may make the data unreadable for applicant tracking system (ATS) software.
• Objective. The old days of having a section called “Objective” with a brief statement such as “To obtain an entry-level position as a program coordinator” are behind us. Under your contact information, you can simply put the job title you are aiming for in large, bold font (for example, “PROGRAM COORDINATOR”) to catch the reader’s attention and improve your ATS ranking. Under that, you can write a short summary of two to five sentences that describes how you are qualified for the role. Using the job description as a guide for your language is quite helpful for this section. Recent college graduates and other entry-level workers can skip this part altogether and lead with their Education section.
• Professional experience. Study the job description and requirements to make sure that you provide examples of similar work that you’ve done before. If you have worked both inside and outside of the NPO industry, you can highlight your most relevant experience by breaking this section down into two categories. Start with a “Related Experience” or “Nonprofit Experience” section that lists all of your NPO jobs or internships. Then, you can add a separate category called “Additional Experience” for your other jobs.
• Education and relevant coursework. Education is valuable to nonprofit employers. Provide your educational history, including any degrees, certifications, or classes suited to the position you’re applying for. List your educational accomplishments from the highest level to the lowest instead of chronological order. Be sure to mention any special achievements or honors and include high GPAs if you can. If you are light on experience, you may want to dig into your coursework further. Consider expanding the category or creating others such as “Research” or “Projects”. This is an opportunity to describe what you learned in a particular course and how you applied the knowledge, and it can help you add keywords from the job description for your ATS ranking. Also, a great way for college students or recent graduates to add experience is to have a section for campus/community activities. For example, you may have been active in a fraternity or sorority that took part in fundraising for a particular charity — if so, this information is certainly worth including in your resume.
• Volunteer experience. Highlighting your volunteer work is a way for you to showcase your interest in service. Volunteers are an integral part of NPOs, and any work you’ve done with an NPO will act as experience in the nonprofit sector. Expand on what kind of work you accomplished in a way that relates to the job you want. List what you were responsible for and how you executed your responsibilities. You should list the name of the organization, a sentence describing their mission, and your dates of service as well. Try to focus not only on what you did but also on the outcomes. For example, you could write “Prepared, packaged, and delivered meals to 50 homebound elderly individuals weekly”. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, check out local hospitals, nursing care facilities, and schools. Your university may also have a program for providing students with volunteer work, and you can use resources such as Idealist and VolunteerMatch .
• Skills. List the skills you’ve acquired through your professional, educational, and volunteer experience. Use the job description to make sure you’re speaking to what the organization is looking for in a candidate. In this section, focus on hard skills such astechnical expertise or foreign language proficiency.Soft skills such as communication, problem solving, and time management should instead be woven into your descriptions throughout the resume.

Nonprofit resume templates

In addition to all the usual information covered above, you can further optimize your resume to stand out among other candidates using a few methods. Most NPOs use ATS software to handle the large volume of applications they receive. There are ways to work with these systems to ensure your resume doesn’t get lost in the sea of applicants. We’ll go over things like how to pull keywords from the position’s job description, requirements, and responsibilities to create a relevant resume. Learn how to perfect your nonprofit resume by looking at some examples and incorporating the tips we’ve put together specifically for nonprofit applicants.

Hailey Hernandez (123) 456-7891 [email protected] 3616 Canary Road, Anchorage, AK 99501

Committed nonprofit development professional with 2+ years in the industry who has exceeded fundraising goals year over year. A strong grant writer who has already served as lead on a grant awarded for half a million dollars. Excellent skills in event planning and execution, web-based donor relationships, and advertising design.

Professional Experience

Development Coordinator, Abused Women Aid in Crisis (AWAIC), Anchorage, AK September 2018 – Present

• Identify new donors and negotiate funding
• Assist with grant writing; served as lead writer on a grant AWAIC won for $500,000
• Plan a realistic budget for events and account for anticipated fundraising outcomes
• Design flyers, posters, ads, and social media posts to promote fundraising events
• Raised $2.5 million through individual and corporate donations

Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing University Of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, August 2013 – May 2017

• Grant Writing
• Donor Relations
• Company Partnerships
• Event Planning
• Data Analysis
• Raiser’s Edge

Adam Trenton (123) 456-7891 [email protected] 5901 Thrasher Road, Atlanta, GA 71913

Passionate community engagement professional with 5+ years nonprofit experience and a natural gift for making order out of chaos. Additionally, I have a history of coveted recruitment results and garnering commitments from various groups ranging from large corporations to volunteers and individual donors.

Community Engagement Manager, Atlanta Humane Society, Atlanta, GA October 2019 – Present

• Foster positive community relationships through participation in local events, youth programs, social media threads, surveys, monthly community luncheon forums, and more
• Monitor success of engagement strategies using data
• Saw a 25% increase in community engagement through local college partnerships
• Established staff volunteer day agreements with 32 large corporations in the Atlanta area

Digital Marketing Specialist, Amherst Realtors, Amherst, MA May 2016 – May 2018

• Recruited, trained, and placed approximately 600 volunteers
• Maintained working relationships with over 85 partner agencies
• Provided supervision for and kept up-to-date files on all volunteers
• Perform outreach, networking, and other marketing as needed to recruit and educate potential donors, volunteers, and partners

Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration Auburn University Auburn, AL, August 2013 – May 2017

• Community Outreach
• Database Management
• Social Media

Hannah Watson (123) 456-7891 [email protected] 352 Aesop Street, Indianapolis, IN 46113

Gifted leader and nonprofit expert with 10+ years of experience growing programs, motivating volunteers and staff, and providing administrative excellence. Earned a master’s in public administration and several awards for strategic planning.

Youth Development Program Director, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN November 2020 – Present

• Oversee and evaluate five program managers and 15 program coordinators
• Prepare program budgets, administer approved sums, and ensure that agreed-upon allocations are followed
• Ensure program compliance with state and local regulations
• Analyze data to anticipate and forecast future program needs
• Spearhead efforts to bring in new participants and saw a 40% increase in youth signups over one year

Program Manager, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN May 2014 – October 2020

• Recruited, trained, and supervised program coordinators, support staff, and volunteers
• Commended for lowest percentage of volunteer turnover statewide for three years in a row
• Ensured program coordinators’ produced high-quality comprehensive reports and recommendations regarding volunteer participation
• Oversaw and occasionally facilitated volunteer-participant matches

Youth Program Coordinator, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN August 2010 – April 2014

• Managed and coordinated youth enrichment activities for the largest YMCA in Indiana
• Assisted in the development of annual curriculum and training calendars
• Developed creative motivational strategies to improve staff morale and productivity which the program director chose to implement
• Reviewed and edited over 600 pages of budget, curricula, and grant proposals

Master of Public Administration University Of Indiana, Bloomington, August 2012 – May 2017

Bachelor of Science in Sociology Southern New Hampshire University – Online Program, August 2007 – May 2010

• Active Listening
• Storytelling
• Recruitment
• Program Models and Evaluation
• Strategic Planning

Nonprofits hire people for all kinds of positions within their organizations. NPOs handle large amounts of money through donations and need financial experts in positions like accounting, money management, and budgeting. Managers are needed to keep interns, employees, and volunteers organized and doing what they need to do. Top leadership positions keep the large teams of people on target and act as the face of an organization. There is an abundance of opportunity in the nonprofit sector for those interested in the industry. Let’s go over some common jobs you can hold with an NPO:

Fundraiser -

A fundraiser works with charities to collect money from donors. They interact with the public face-to-face as the nonprofit’s storyteller, informing them of how their funding will impact people in need. This is a great position for outgoing people who are passionate about sharing information with the public on how they can make a difference with their dollars. Individuals in this position may even get to go door-to-door to raise funds provided by the public. This job is sometimes referred to as “Philanthropy Chair” or “Fundraising Coordinator”. Whichever name an organization uses for this role, the bottom line is that you will be supporting the efforts to bring in donations. There are usually administrative support roles who work under this position.

Office Coordinator -

The role of an office coordinator is to assist in daily operations and fundraising for an NPO office. They develop budgets and keep accurate records that are subject to audits. In smaller organizations, the office coordinator is often also responsible for volunteer supervision, which involves organizing orientations and training for newcomers and then determining the best placement for each volunteer.

Volunteer Coordinator -

Managing volunteers tends to be a full-time job in larger NPOs, which is why such organizations usually have a separate Volunteer Coordinator position in addition to their Office Coordinator. They are responsible for recruiting, training, and organizing volunteers. Some organizations have an ongoing need for volunteers, while others recruit volunteers as needed for large-scale events (these short-term recruitment efforts are known as “drives”).

Communications Coordinator -

This role involves implementing the organization's communications strategy. A communication coordinator’s responsibilities can include writing press releases, creating web content, managing social media channels, and designing marketing materials for events. Creativity is key for this role, and familiarity with tech solutions such as social media management platforms and content management systems may also be required.

Grant Writer -

Using their literary skills, a grant writer works to raise support from corporations and government entities through letters of intent, grant proposals, and applications. Their job is to persuade grant-making foundations to fund their organization’s projects and services. The writer must research and develop a deep understanding of the NPO, their programs, and their mission.

Data Scientist -

Many NPOs design studies, conduct surveys, and take on other projects that involve collecting and analyzing data. To be considered for this role, you will likely need at least a bachelor’s degree in data science. Many organizations require more advanced degrees and extensive experience as well.

Senior Accountant -

The senior accountant is responsible for tasks like creating annual budget goals, monitoring cash flow, and handling all things finance for an NPO. They advise financial leaders and monitor loans, statements, and reports. This position requires a degree and accounting experience. View examples of senior accountant resumes .

Executive Director -

An executive director acts as an organization’s leader and spokesperson. They are the ones who lead staff members, strategically plan the annual budget, and oversee all programs. The executive director makes sure all operations are running smoothly and works to inspire their team to stay focused on annual goals. A significant amount of experience is required for this role.

Top NPOs in the U.S. are doing serious business. According to The NonProfit Times , almost $80 billion of revenue was brought in by the top 100 nonprofits in 2021. Whether you want to work for a small local chapter or an NPO giant, the nonprofit sector has a diverse collection of organizations to choose from. If you know what kind of social change or community service you would like to get involved in, you’ll be able to narrow down what kind of organization to pursue a career with. Here’s a short list of some of the nation’s largest nonprofit employers:

Direct Relief. Direct Relief is focused on improving the health and lives of people affected by humanitarian and disaster emergencies. It is one of the nation’s largest medical charity programs, equipping health care professionals in communities with poor resources and meeting the medical needs of impoverished people. Visit the Direct Relief website to view current job openings .

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude’s has a mission to “treat and defeat” life-threatening childhood diseases, including cancer. It is working to advance the search for cures and how to prevent these illnesses in the first place. Patients at St. Jude’s never have to worry about paying for treatment and life necessities for the duration of their care. Be part of the change this nonprofit is making in the world by visiting its website to view current job openings .

Feeding America. The vision of Feeding America is to have a nation in which no one goes hungry. It is an organization focused on ensuring all have equal access to nutritious foods. Every county in the nation has a Feed America chapter, providing meals to their low-income and vulnerable populations through food banks, food pantries, and meal programs. Beyond providing food, the nonprofit partners with other organizations to connect the people they serve to housing, health care, and job resources. Learn more on the Feeding America website and view current job openings .

Habitat for Humanity International. The Habitat for Humanity organization creates opportunities for families to afford homeownership, focusing on instilling confidence and self-reliance. Its vision is to have “A world where everyone has a decent place to live,” which sums up the organization’s goal. Although the nonprofit is religiously affiliated, it enforces a non-proselytizing policy that ensures individuals who receive assistance won’t feel obligated to convert to any faith system. View current job openings on the Habitat for Humanity website.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Established over 100 years ago, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America is an organization working to enable young people across the nation to lead responsible and productive lives. It approaches this work by providing a safe space for youth and access to life-enhancing programs run by trained mentors who care. You can learn more about joining forces with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and view current job openings on the organization’s website.

United Way. With over 2 million volunteers and 9 million donors, United Way’s network of nearly 1,800 affiliate organizations are collectively one of the largest NPOs in the world. Their programs are focused on improving education, health, and financial stability. If you’re interested in joining a United Way affiliate, you can visit their website to view current job openings .

YMCA. Founded back in 1844, the YMCA is based in Geneva and has a presence in 120 different countries. They’re active in over 10,000 communities across the United States, and their programs include youth sports, child care, summer camps, group exercise classes, and volunteer community service. Hundreds of career opportunities are available with this NPO — you can view current job openings on the YMCA website.

Catholic Charities USA. This NPO was founded over a hundred years ago at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. They support a number of different social welfare initiatives, including affordable housing, immigration advocacy, nutrition programs, and disaster relief. Those who are interested in joining this organization can view current job openings by visiting their website.

The Salvation Army. This organization, which is famous for their red kettle collection pots and active presence during the Christmas season, provides homeless shelters, food pantries, job training programs, and veteran services. Overall, they assist approximately 30 million Americans annually. If you’d like to work for The Salvation Army, visit their website to view current job openings .

NPOs use standard online job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed to post open positions, but there are also websites dedicated solely to nonprofit work. These websites are often also NPOs, providing a large collection of job listings and resources to people looking for a position in the industry. We’ve provided a list below, detailing some nonprofit-specific job board websites.

Idealist is an NPO itself with a mission to connect job seekers to social-impact careers, internships, and volunteer work. Not only does the website function as an online job board, Idealist is publishing free content to help professionals optimize their approach through career advice articles. Job hunters can create an account, upload their resume, and sift through thousands of opportunities. Visit the Idealist website to learn more and start your nonprofit job search.

The Encore organization is creating a multigenerational workforce by bringing young and experienced minds together to generate change and solve problems. It encourages individuals in their “encore” stage of life (50 and older) to reinvent their vision in retirement by joining Encore to “make a living and a difference.” Encore runs eight programs, which include services like partnering mentors with young adults in the community, and even within the medical field by providing new clinicians with retired physician mentors. Adults over 50 years can visit the Encore website to look for available jobs in the nonprofit sector.

Work for Good

Founded in 1999, Work for Good was one of the first mission-driven online job boards. This is another nonprofit that works to help others find work in the nonprofit sector. Jobseekers can create an account to save information, get a free resume review, and apply directly on the website. Account holders are also able to opt in for job alerts that are related to your interest, allowing Work for Good to send email notifications for relevant new job listings. The career insight page on the organization’s website has over 100 articles offering guidance and advice on a variety of career-related topics. Visit the website to learn more.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a physical and digital newspaper focused on providing news to influential people in the nonprofit sector and other interested individuals. Aside from the latest announcements and stories, there is a job board available for people looking to land a nonprofit job. Anyone can search the job postings, but you will need to create an account if you want to apply directly through the website. The Chronicle also offers monthly subscriptions, allowing members to receive 18 annual print copies and gain unlimited access to online articles, statistics, and resources. Learn more by visiting The Chronicle of Philanthropy website .

NonProfitJobs.org

This NPO job board is updated with new opportunities frequently. Some of the most prominent organizations in the country, such as the World Wildlife Fund and the ACLU, often use this service. Another benefit for job seekers is that their search tool is highly customizable — you can filter your results by location, job type, primary skill, and several other factors. Visit their website if you’d like to learn more.

Do employees at nonprofits get paid? -

NPOs pay their employees if they were hired on as a paid employee, whereas volunteers do not get paid. Nonprofits hire people for jobs in a variety of categories like finance, fundraising, administration, and customer service. They often include benefits packages and can be hourly or salaried positions.

What are the benefits of working for a nonprofit? -

Aside from the actual health benefits that organizations may offer, there are real advantages to working for a nonprofit. The missions and goals of a nonprofit are usually centered around helping others, which can be a very fulfilling environment for people. Even if you don’t have direct contact with the people affected by the organization’s cause (for example, you may find work as a web designer for the American Cancer Society), you’ll still know that you are contributing to a greater good. Also, employees are often cross-trained in other areas and can gain experience outside of their own role.

What are the disadvantages of working for a nonprofit? -

Working in a field dedicated to helping others can cause mental or physical exhaustion. Some people depend on nonprofits for their survival, and that pressure can affect employees. The need to “wear many hats” at an organization can lead to feelings of burn-out as well. The focus on fundraising can also be stressful, as NPOs rely on the generosity and donations from corporations and the public to accomplish their work. Finally, the pay at NPOs is generally lower than what you would make in similar roles at for-profit organizations.

What degrees are best for nonprofit work? -

Overall, just about every type of degree can be useful in the NPO industry. Some degrees are more marketable than others, though — selecting a major such as nonprofit management or social work is the most typical first step in this career path. However, you can also find a place for yourself in this field by obtaining a degree in business, education, computer science, and many other areas of expertise.

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For the last 20 years, Carolyn Kleiman has helped individuals identify and achieve their career goals. Carolyn has held positions in recruiting and training and has helped countless numbers of job seekers craft high-quality resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and eventually land their dream jobs! Carolyn is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Certified Professional Resume Writer and is a member of the National Career Development Association and Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

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