Want to get a jump start on your resume before winter internships? Check out these tips on creating your college-ready resume!

Writing a Resume

A resume that clearly explains your experience is key to getting a job. Your resume is a live document that will change frequently as you gain new experience, and you never know when someone will ask for your resume, so it’s important to keep it up-to-date. This document outlines the sections that you might include in your resume with some tips, but keep in mind that not all of the sections may apply to you.

Formatting

Before you start writing your resume, look at the Bottom Line Sample Resumes and Resume Tips documents. They will give you an idea of how your resume should be formatted. Some additional formatting tips are:

Don’t use a Microsoft Word template for your resume. It will make it difficult to edit, and often does not copy correctly if you upload it to an online job portal.
Keep your layout simple. Elements like graphics or colors might not show up well on an employer’s computer or Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
Use simple fonts in easy to read sizes. Some sample fonts include: Calibri, Cambria, Georgia, Trebuchet, and Verdana.
If your margins are too narrow, your resume might not print correctly. Use the standard margin sizes in Microsoft Word.
As a college student, it is advisable to keep your resume to one full page.
Make sure that your formatting is consistent, including fonts, spacing, margins, dates, names, and locations.
Avoid “widow lines,” where the last word of a sentence is on a line by itself.

Contact Information

Your name should be prominent at the top of the page on a line by itself.
Make sure that your up to date contact information (address and phone number) is clearly displayed at the top of the page.
Make sure that your email address is professional, and one you check frequently.

Education

As a student, you can list your education section at the top of your resume, after your contact information. Your education section should include what college you attend, its location, and your expected graduation date. You should list your major if you have declared, and your GPA if it is above 3.0. High School should not be included on the resume past your sophomore year in college.

Relevant Courses

If you have taken upper level courses in your major, you can add a “Relevant Courses” section to your resume that lists 3-4 classes you have done well in. This can help an employer to see you have knowledge in your field, even if you haven’t worked in that field yet.

Academic Projects

If you have completed any significant projects in your school courses, be sure to add those. You may have demonstrated skills that would be valuable in the workplace as well. You’ll want to list a title of the project, and 3-4 bullet points that outline what you accomplished (or contributed if it was a group project).

Experience

You should list your significant work experiences in reverse chronological order (most recent first), with the name of the business, its location, your title, and the month and year range of when you worked there. Your bullet points should be in present tense for positions that you currently hold, and past tense for past experiences.

Writing Strong Bullet Points

Bullet points should be succinct and to the point, and convey the value that you would bring to a new company. You want your resume to answer the question “So what?” by telling an employer about the result of your hard work. Some tips for writing strong bullet points:

Begin with a strong verb to explain what you did, such as “managed,” “executed,” or “coached.”
Provide 2-3 bullet points for each job description.
Give specifics about what you did. Instead of just saying “helped customers,” you can say “provided quality customer service at fast paced restaurant, managing up to 10 tables and $400 in sales per shift.” This tells an employer about the context you worked in, and the impact that you had.
Whenever possible, your bullet points should give quantifiable results such as “processed payments up to $500,” “assisted an average of 40 customers per shift,” “increased attendance by 4%.”
Providing details about the skills or tools you used can help an employer see your qualifications. For example, instead of saying “entered data into database,” you could say “efficiently entered 200 contacts and other confidential data into Salesforce.”

You can use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) as you write strong bullet points, to make sure that those 4 areas are clear to the employer.

Situation: Describe the work environment in the first bullet point

Task: What tasks were you responsible for?

Action: What actions or skills did you take to accomplish the tasks?

Result: What was the impact of your work? (with quantifiable results when possible)

Skills

The skills section is a brief outline or list of your technical skills. This can include languages, certifications, technology, or medical skills. It is important to only list skills that you feel proficient in, because an employer may ask you about it in an interview and will expect that you feel comfortable with it.

Volunteer, Extracurricular Activities, and Leadership Experience

This section may have different titles, and you can use it to highlight your experience outside of work and school. This could include clubs on campus, volunteer experience, sports, or internships.

Honors and Awards

You may receive honors and awards during your time in college, and you should highlight them on your resume. These can include Dean’s List, scholarships, or club awards.

Always feel free to send your resume to your HPAC College Success Manager after you edit it, and they will give you feedback! Or, stop by your Career Center on your college campus.

Tailoring Your Resume

As you gain more experience that is relevant to your major, and you start to apply to jobs in your field, it is important to tailor your resume. By tailoring your resume you make sure that the employer sees your most relevant skills and experiences. Tailoring your resume to the job that you want will help an employer see that you are the best fit for the position.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you tailor your resume:

Hiring managers usually only have time to glance over each resume. It’s important to make sure your resume is clear and easy to read.
Use a website like https://www.resumebot.io/ to see how your resume looks when it is uploaded to an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or online job portal.
The top third of your resume is the “Hot Zone” that hiring managers are most likely to see. Therefore, it’s important to put the most relevant information in that area.
You should highlight the most relevant experience for the job you are applying to. You can do this by creating “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience” sections, especially if your most relevant experience isn’t the most recent in chronological order.
Academic Projects sections can help strengthen your resume and show more of your relevant academic experience.
Even if your experience is volunteer or unpaid, if it is relevant to the job you are applying to it may be important to include it.
Feel free to omit experiences that don’t relate to the job you are applying to – you will have many different copies of your resume!
Use key words from the job description if they are relevant to your experience. This is especially important if your field is one that uses an (ATS) to screen out resumes. Research key industry words to see what employers may be looking for, and find ways to naturally incorporate them into your resume.
Use industry buzzwords where applicable: https://www.labor.ny.gov/agencyinfo/industrykeywords.shtm
Make sure your bullet points are strong and convey your impact. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) when creating your bullet points to make sure you provide the most relevant information.
Have your resume proof-read by your

Always feel free to send your resume to your HPAC College Success Manager, and speak to someone in your field to find out about any industry-specific trends. Always make sure that your resume is error free!

Resume Checklist

Use this checklist to make sure that your resume is updated correctly and demonstrates that you are the best person for the job:

Who are you?

Is your name prominent and centered at the top of the page?

Is it easy to get in touch with you?

Make sure that your up to date contact information is clearly displayed at the top of the page, and that the email you are listing is professional. You can also provide links to portfolios or up to date, professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

Is your resume formatted correctly?

Ensure that your font is consistent and easy to read, you are consistent when formatting dates, names or locations, and that your margins and spacing are consistent. As college student, it is advisable to keep your resume to one page.

Is your resume up to date?

Always make sure that your resume is up to date with your most recent experience, you never know when you will need to send it to a potential employer!

What education do you have?

Make sure to provide information on your school, major and expected graduation date. You can include your GPA if it is 3.0 or above. If you have taken advanced upper level courses in your major, you can list them here as well.

What experience have you had?

Is it clear to an employer what experiences you have had and what your responsibilities were? List your experience in reverse chronological order.

What skills do you offer?

It is important to communicate to an employer that you have the skills they are looking for, by incorporating relevant key words from the job description into your resume. If you have technical skills (languages, computer skills etc.) you should list them in a skills section.

What impact did you have?

Your resume should communicate to an employer not only your previous responsibilities but also the impact that you had at your job, so that they are aware of the value you would bring to their company. You want your resume to answer the question: “So what?”

Is your resume relevant to the position you are applying for?

Your resume should be tailored for the industry/position that you are applying to, so that it is clear to the employer that you have the necessary skills and experience.

(Advanced resumes only) Does your resume meet any industry-specific standards?

If there are specific resume trends in your industry, it is important to follow them. A hiring manager or professor in your field may be able to give you additional feedback on your resume to make sure you meet these standards.