Writing a professional resume is a challenging task for most of us. This task of resume writing becomes more difficult if you are a student. As a student or a recent graduate you have no work experience or limited work experience which makes all this process of resume writing more hectic.
If you are a student who is struggling to write a resume, then no need to worry. In this article, we have mentioned important tips which will definitely help you in your resume writing process. So, read this article till the end.
Before talking about resume writing tips, let’s discuss about what sections to include in a resume.
Sections to include in a Student Resume
You should include the following sections in your resume:
- Personal Information (Name/Contact Information)
- Education
- Work Experience
- Skills
The sections mentioned above should compulsorily added in a resume. Apart from these sections, you have the option to add the following sections:
- Extracurricular Activities
- Awards and achievements
- Certifications/Projects/Trainings
- Hobbies
Resume Writing Tips for Students
Plan and make an outline of content for resume
Before you start working on a resume, you need to plan the content of your resume. Directly writing a resume without any pre-plan will result in a resume that is unorganized and unstructured. You can make an outline of what content you will include in a resume. As a student, you will not have any work experience to highlight. So, your main focus should be on education and skills.
Choose the right format
Choose the format based on the information you are going to include in a resume. You can go through resume maker for students to look at the different types of resume formats available. The choice of your resume format will depend upon your field of study, professional skills, and career plan. Your resume format will decide the layout of your resume. The functional resume format is the most commonly used resume format for students.
Necessarily include these sections
Your resume should compulsorily include information like contact information, academic qualification, skills, and achievements. Mention your educational qualification in reverse chronological order meaning the latest educational qualification is listed first. Also, mention the name of the institutes from where you have undertaken your education.
Structure your resume properly
Structuring your resume properly makes it easy to read and will create a good impression before the hiring managers. Use headings to highlight different sections. Keep font and font size consistent throughout the resume other than the heading. Use professional font like Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial. Keep size 14 for heading and 12 for other content.
Avoid unnecessary designing
Don’t waste your time in unnecessary designing of your resume with colors and stylish fonts. Keep it simple and professional. Keep margins equal on all four sides of the resume. Don’t use picture in your resume unless required. An image is generally required for jobs related to modeling and acting. For other jobs, no image is required.
Showcase your projects and trainings
As a student, you will not have much work experience to showcase. However, you can mention your projects and trainings. Describe your projects, your role in the projects and all that in your resume. Any training done is also worth mentioning in a resume. If you have done any training related to the job you are applying for then it is a plus point for you. You can also highlight your key achievements in your career.
Add keywords
Optimize your resume with job-related keywords. Read the job description carefully to find the relevant job-specific keywords. While scanning a resume, application tracking system or ATS shortlist candidates based on the use of these job-specific keywords. Not just ATS, even recruiters look for these keywords while going through a resume.
So, read the job description thoroughly to pick the right keywords to be used in the resume. Use of keywords will make your resume effective as well as impressive.
Avoid grammatical mistakes
Any type of grammar errors or spelling mistakes create a negative impression. Proofread your resume thoroughly to look for any grammar errors and spelling mistakes. Ask someone to read your resume carefully. The mistakes skipped by us may be caught by someone who is proofreading our resume.
Use Action Verbs
If you want to make your resume really effective, then make use of power words also known as action verbs. When describing your achievements, then make use of action verbs like analyzed, converted, composed, etc. These words will immediately catch the attention of the hiring managers. So, always use action verbs in your resume.
Reverse Chronological Order
Always use reverse chronological order meaning that the most recent education and work experience is listed first. Hiring managers always recommend using the reverse chronological order in a resume as it gives them the chance to know what the candidate has been doing recently. The chronological resume format is one of the most popular types of resume formats.
Use Bullet Points
Use of bullet points improves the readability of your resume. Recruiters definitely prefer reading bullet points than long boring paragraphs. Whether you are listing your work history, education or other essential information, always use bullet points. Use of bullet points also make you resume look well-organized and well-formatted.
Take care of Design and Layout
The design here means the use of fonts, font size, spacing, and colors. Use professional fonts like Times New Roman. Font size should be consistent throughout the resume with the exception of section headings. The line spacing should also be uniform throughout the resume. There should be equal margins on all four sides of the resume. The length of the resume should be one page with a maximum of two pages.
Avoid using colored background and fancy fonts on your resume.
Quantify your Achievements
Speak about your achievements in quantity i.e. numbers. Numbers are sure to catch the attention of the employer. If you have achieved something great in your academics, try to express that in numbers and percentage.
These were some of the effective resume writing tips for students. I hope that these resume writing tips will definitely help you write a resume professionally as a student.
