A resume is an efficient way to demonstrate your educational, professional, and relevant life experiences when applying for jobs, internships, schools, and other opportunities. Creating a resume as a student will help you begin to develop skills that you’ll need throughout your academic and professional career.
As a high school or college student, you likely won’t have the extensive work history that makes up most of the content on professional resumes. However, there are many other areas of your life you can draw from, including school, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities, to create a robust resume that shows off your best qualities.
This article includes examples of resumes for high school students, college students, and recent college graduates to help guide you in creating your resume. It also features general tips that can apply to writing a resume at any career stage.
Student Resume Examples
What to Include in a Student Resume
Resumes generally consist of eight sections, listed below, although it’s okay to eliminate any sections for which you don’t have relevant experience or information.
Start your resume with the header (your name) and contact information, followed by your summary or objective. After that, section order can vary based on relevancy. As a student, you’ll want to place your education section prominently, as this is the information potential employers or schools want most to see.
| Header and contact information | Include your full name at the top of your resume, followed by your contact information. At a minimum, your contact information should include your email address and phone number. You can also include your full residential address or city and state where you live. If you haven’t created a professional email address with your name or initials, now is a good time to do so. If you don’t have a personal cell phone, include the phone number where you can most easily be reached. |
| Summary and objective | This section is a short paragraph (usually 2-3 sentences) where you introduce yourself to the reader and summarize your goal with your application. While brief, your summary and objective should be as specific as possible. You want a potential employer or school to know why you’re interested in them and why they should be interested in you. |
| Education | As a current or recent student, your academic performance is one of the primary factors employers will consider when determining your eligibility for a job or internship. In this section, list your high school name and location, expected graduation date, current GPA, standardized test scores, and any notable classes relevant to your intended program, such as AP courses or dual-credit college courses. If you attended multiple high schools, list them in reverse chronological order, with the most recent school first. |
| Work experience | Work experience for students can include after-school or summer jobs, internships, or job-shadowing experiences. For each job or internship you’ve held, list the employer’s name, job title, location, and dates of employment. Describe your responsibilities using action verbs and list any accolades or notable achievements. If you’ve had multiple jobs, list them in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. |
| Volunteer experience | Including volunteer work on your resume shows that you’re a responsible, engaged citizen. The experience and skills you gained through volunteer work may also be relevant to the opportunity you seek. When listing volunteer experience on your resume, include the organization’s name, location, dates of service, and description of your responsibilities. |
| Extracurricular activities | If you’ve participated in any school or non-school-related extracurricular activities, such as athletics, the arts, special interest clubs, or academic organizations, include them on your resume. It is another way to show prospective employers and schools what your interests are and what kind of skills you possess. |
| Awards and special achievements | Consider this your opportunity to brag about yourself (but don’t overdo it). If you’ve received any awards or honors related to academic, athletic, artistic, work, or volunteer performance, include it here. You can also include notable accomplishments that may make you stand out from other applicants. |
| Skills | Including a skills section in your student resume can help you further demonstrate your preparedness for jobs, internships, and other opportunities. You can list hard and soft skills, but the most important thing is to provide some context for how you acquired or used these skills rather than simply listing attributes. |
General Resume Writing Tips
These guidelines can help you prepare a professional resume that presents you as a mature, responsible individual ready for the workforce.
- Length: A student resume should be one page, maximum. It might seem like a good idea to include many details to show how well-rounded or accomplished you are, but employers must review dozens of resumes when considering applicants. They want something that’s to the point and provides all the necessary information in an easy-to-read package. You’ll likely also be submitting a cover letter with your resume, which you can use to give more information about yourself.
- Format: Use 1-inch margins all around and a simple font such as Times New Roman or Calibri in 10- or 12-point size. Space lines and sections so they’re not cluttered. For easy scanning, identify sections with bold or underlined headers. PDF is the most common file format for submitting resumes, but double-check the instructions in the job description to confirm which file format the employer wants.
- Language: Use direct, concise language. Potential employers want a document they can read and digest quickly. Also, leave out casual communication elements like abbreviations and emojis. Always remember that you want to present yourself as professionally as possible.
- Proofread: Before submitting your resume, have a parent, guardian, teacher, or career advisor read it to check for spelling and grammar errors. You can also use a proofreading program like Grammarly to ensure that your resume is mistake-free. Ensure all information in your resume is accurate, including the name of the employer and position for which you’re applying.
Other important resume tips
While you don’t have to completely rewrite your resume for every job you’re applying to, ensuring it’s as specific as possible and you’re addressing, the correct employer is important as it shows your attention to detail and helps you stand out. Always read job descriptions carefully, as they sometimes contain specific instructions for what employers want to see in your application.
- Social media: Unless expressly advised to do so, don’t include social media links or handles on your resume. You can include a link to a LinkedIn profile or a professional website if you have one. However, even if you don’t provide social media information to potential schools or employers, it’s safe to assume they are researching you online. Set your accounts to private, or be sure you’re only posting content that appropriately reflects you as a student and young professional.
- Be honest: Don’t embellish or lie about accomplishments or experiences. Employers can verify most of the information you provide on your resume, including education and professional background. Providing inaccurate information can result in consideration disqualification or a job offer rescinded.
- Keyword optimization: Most employers will tell you exactly what they’re looking for in a candidate in the job description, including specific skills, education credentials, and work experience. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) software to do an initial scan of resumes to confirm only qualified candidates are passed through to human resources. Including relevant keywords from the job description in your resume can help ensure you receive full consideration as a job candidate.
Student Resume Examples
High school student job/internship resume
Kyle Martin
Tampa, FL
(555) 555-5555
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/exampleSummary
Motivated and reliable high school junior with sales experience at a major clothing retailer seeks summer internship with XYZ Marketing. Proven record of success as secretary and social media coordinator for the high school chapter of Future Business Leaders of America. Thrives in fast-paced, collaborative environments.
Education
Tampa High School
Tampa, FL
Expected graduation: June 2025
GPA: 3.6Work Experience
Sales Associate, XYZ Clothing, Tampa, FL
July 2023-Present
- Provide high-quality customer service
- Greet and direct store visitors to their desired apparel section
- Assist customers with sizing and product choices
- Efficiently and accurately operate cash register to process sales and returns
- Tag and display merchandise according to store guidelines
Volunteer Experience
Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Tampa, FL
October 2022-Present
- Serve as a volunteer for a state-wide environmental campaign for a conservation non-profit, which includes supporting initiatives to expand education and grow awareness of ecological issues across communities, schools, and local governments
- Provide support to the communications coordinator through copywriting and proofreading newsletters, emails, and social media posts
- Assist in the coordination and hosting of local awareness events
Extracurricular Activities
Future Business Leaders of America
September 2021-Present
- Chapter secretary and social media coordinator, September, 2023-present
- Team member: Social Innovation Challenge, Spring 2024
Awards and Special Achievements
- National Honor Society Member, May 2023-present
- Honor roll student, six semesters
Skills
- Creative problem-solving
- Digital marketing and social media strategy
- Customer service and relations
- Inventory monitoring and control
- POS systems
- Product sales and merchandising
College internship resume
Rosa Rivera
San Diego, CA
(555) 555-5555
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/exampleSummary
Creative problem-solver currently completing a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management seeks internship with 5-Star Resort Group. Provides exemplary customer service as a front desk clerk at a four-star boutique hotel. Adapts readily to new work challenges and industry conditions. Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish
Education
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Candidate: Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Management
Expected graduation: December 2024
GPA: 3.8
Consistent Dean’s List student
Participant, Tourism Summer School in Samedan, Switzerland, Summer 2023Work Experience
Front Desk Clerk
Worldwide Hotels, San Diego, CA
November 2022-Present
- Provide prompt, courteous service while helping guests check in and out of the hotel
- Answer calls and provide information on hotel pricing, services, amenities, and room availability
- Enter guest bookings into the tracking system based on email and phone registrations
- Make guests’ reservations at local tours, restaurants, museums, and movie theaters
- Ranked No. 1 on a 10-person team for efficient, error-free guest reservations
- Employee of the Month in May 2023, November 2023
Server
Famous Sports Bar, San Diego, CA
August 2021-October 2022
- Served food and beverages in fast-paced, high-energy sports bar and restaurant
- Processed orders using the POS system
- Provided friendly customer service to restaurant patrons
Extracurricular Activities
- Member, Lodging Management Student Association, September 2022-Present
- Member, Recreation and Tourism Student Association, September 2022-Present
Skills
- Fluent in Spanish
- Customer service and relations
- Hospitality operations
- Leadership
- Team collaboration
Recent college graduate resume
Angela Cho
Philadelphia, PA
(555) 555-5555
[email protected]Summary
Passionate UX designer and recent honors graduate seeks Junior UX/UI Designer position with A+ Design Team. Adept at collaborating with diverse teams to incorporate different viewpoints and ensure technological solutions meet the needs of all users. Designed large-scale B2B products as a senior capstone project.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Web Design
Wilmington University, Wilmington, DE
2019-2023
GPA: 3.5
Graduated cum laude
Certificate, Web Applications DevelopmentWork Experience
UX Intern
Excelsior Design Solutions Inc., Philadelphia, PA
January 2023-May 2023
- Performed user research to identify opportunities for improving client’s web presence, which included intuitive site navigation to decrease bounce rates by 27%
- Supported with usability testing for landing pages in preparation for website redesign
- Produced wireframes that contributed to user-centered design efforts for the development of four new mobile applications
Skills
- User-Centered Design Principles
- Wireframing
- Agile Development
- User Interface (UI) Design
- UX Writing