You just started college and here you are: entering the job market. It’s no longer just about doing class and keeping up with that annoyingly smart 14-year-old classmate. It’s also about making money. Maybe to reduce his student debt, or just to be able to socialize outside of the lunchroom. From the frying pan and into the fire.
But don’t worry, a great college freshman resume will do the trick. With our advice, you won’t end up underpaid and working for Michael Scott.
This guide will show you:
- A sample college freshman resume beats 9 out of 10 other resumes.
- How to write a college freshman resume that will get you more interviews .
- Tips and examples on putting skills and accomplishments on a college freshman’s resume.
- How to describe your experience on a resume for a freshman year of college get the job you want.
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One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:
[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same things.Here are other resume guides tailored to the college student:
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What is the best resume format for a college freshman?
Remember the lesson on formatting documents?
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This is where you take what you learned in English in high school and put it into practice.
A neat and well-formatted design of your resume will help convince a recruiter to start reading your content.
So—
Use 1.15 line spacing on your college freshman resume and use a fresh, modern 12 point font. Also use headers to help you navigate the different sections of content.
After all, you have less than seven seconds to impress the recruiter.
Opt for the reverse chronological resume format.
Why?
That’s good enough versatile enough to work for you even if you have little to no work experience and will bring your skills to the forefront. It gets its funky name by placing your last position on top and previous ones following.
Here are the sections to include on a college freshman resume, from top to bottom:
College Freshman Resume Template
- Contact Information
- Resume Purpose
- Education
- Work experience (if you have any)
- Skills
- “Extra” sections: awards, certifications, volunteer experience or hobbies
Here’s a great example of contact information on a college freshman resume:
College Freshman Resume: Heading
Need more information on how to write a great resume header for students? freshman college? Go here: Professional Resume Heading Examples
But wait, what if I don’t have any professional work experience and apply for an internship?
Don’t worry, you’re a student first-year, so recruiters understand that you won’t have a lot of experience. But that doesn’t mean you can skip your work experience and leave recruiters in the dark.
Here’s a sample college freshman resume for an internship :
Sample Freshman College Resume: Experience
Although food service experience may not be directly related to the internship you’re applying for, identifiable accomplishments still shine through.
But what if I’ve only worked as a volunteer?
That’s great because it counts as work experience!
Resume Template for College Student Freshman Year of College: Volunteering
This example shows that you are responsible and take your job seriously and that is what recruiters want to see.
Pro Tip: When you’re just starting out in your career, be sure to Feel free to add experience that is not related to your field. Show that you are responsible and know how to hold down a job.
Want more information on adding volunteer or freelance work to your freshman college resume? These guides will help you: How to Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume and How to Put Freelance Work on a Resume
Yes, you have game and you have skill. But so do many first-year college students. The question is: whose skills are the craziest?
To know that, you need to know which skills are the best to include on your resume.
Start with a basic list that includes both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are things you have learned to do (Microsoft Excel, C .) Soft skills are part of your personality (communication skills, leadership).
Here is a list of the most popular skills on college resumes:
Most common skills on college resumes Freshman Year
Hard Skills
- Writing Skills
- Computer Science /IT Skills
- Analytical Skills
- Project Management
- Event Planning
- Microsoft Office
- Foreign Languages
- Fundraising
- Presentation Skills
Skills Soft
- Creative Thinking Skills
- Critical Thinking Skills
- Teamwork / Collaboration
- Puzzle solving skills Problems
- Time Management Skills
- Organizational Skills
- Stress Management
- Verbal
In an era where around 80% of millennials believe they don’t have all the skills and knowledge for today’s job market, you can step up and show them to the recruiter you are you are a valuable hire.
Here are some great options for additional sections of your freshman resume:
Awards and Honors
This is where you can mention any honors or awards you’ve been awarded, such as scholarships or being on the Dean’s List.
Have you participated in academic fairs, contests, or other contests? Be sure to write down any awards you’ve received.
Since you’re still a freshman in college, feel free to include high school honors or awards, such as Placement Advanced Placement (AP), Honor Roll or High Honor Roll, or NHS.
Language Skills
Proficiency in any foreign language, especially as a college freshman, really stands out as the price of a college textbook. Be sure to use a standardized scale to rate your knowledge of the language.
Hobbies and Interests
This is a section that often gets overlooked because who cares about your hobbies, TRUE?
This is actually the section where you can show your physical and social skills in action instead of just listing them.
Also, this should be an easy section to write given all the interests and extracurricular activities you have outside of class (just remember to relate them to the work culture of your future company).
Here is a good example of an additional interests section on a freshman college resume:
College Freshman Resume Examples: Additional Sections
Remember to include all necessary sections on your freshman resume. What are they? Here’s a guide to help you out: What categories to put on a resume: examples and guidance
Submit via email college freshman resume without a college freshman cover letter is like submitting your term paper without a title page.
Failed.
In your first year of college, you probably don’t have a lot of experience to fill out your resume. But you have a lot of story to put in your cover letter.
Where resumes are more like lists, cover letters tell a story and there’s nothing to like more to people than a good story.
Here are some tips to make your freshman cover letter really hit it out of the park:
- Begin your cover letter with a compelling introduction, just like you did in the header of your resume.
- Explain why you are the best candidate they could hire.
- Explain your passion for the industry and your enthusiasm to learn and grow.
- Show them that you want to be a part of their team and what you could add by becoming a part of it.
- Close your cover letter with a powerful closing statement.
See theory in practice in our dedicated guide: Entry Level Cover Letter (Sample & Guide)
Tip p roprofessional: Before you submit your college freshman resume and cover letter on your application, be sure to double check for errors using Grammarly. Also read it out loud to see if it flows well.
Want more freshman cover letter tricks that always work? Check out these articles: Top 35 Cover Letter Tips, Tips
- Use an attractive student resume template.
Now you have the summa cum laude of all freshman college resumes!
Have questions about writing a freshman resume? Need more career resume tips for college students? Get in touch with us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!
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