Student Resume Examples (And How To Create One)

Updated July 7, 2023

A woman sits cross-legged on the grass with a backpack next to her. She types on a laptop, with an illustration of a cover letter floating next to her.

Students with less professional experience than others may question the best way to format their resumes. No matter what level of experience you have, there are many ways to make your resume appeal to employers.

In this article, we will discuss why student resume examples are important and provide examples of resumes for high school, college and graduate students.

Why are student resume examples important?

Referring to student resume examples while creating your own resume is important because it provides a helpful, detailed format to follow. By looking at examples, you'll be able to see the most important parts of a resume and understand what is most relevant to include.

Create a Resume

What to include in a student resume

When creating a student resume, it is important to personalize your information so it appeals to a specific job listing. This doesn't mean that every job you apply to requires a complete rewrite. It just means that you will need to reorganize information in a way that appeals to the hiring manager of a specific position. Here are some of the most common elements of a student resume:

Related: The New Graduate's Guide To Job Search

Contact information

Always begin a student resume with your name, address, phone and email address so that employers can easily contact you. If you don't wish to include your entire physical address, you may list the city and state. Consider creating a new email address that sounds professional if you don't already have one.

Example: Mary Gonzalez | 123 Berry Lane Chicago, IL 12345 | (555) 555-5555 | mgonzalez@domain.com

Qualifications summary

Another important component of a resume is the qualifications summary, also known as the career objective, which is a one or two-sentence statement that describes your career goals. It also summarizes how your talents and skills relate to the desired job position.

Example: "I am a driven individual looking for leadership opportunities that allow me to teach and inspire the community. I'm excited to share the skills I learned through a recent developmental workshop experience with others."

Key skills

The skills you include in your resume should be a combination of hard (technical) and soft (interpersonal) skills learned throughout your life. Examples of hard skills you may include in a high school or college resume are as follows:

  • Microsoft suite

  • Data analysis

  • Research

  • Public speaking

  • Graphic design

  • Bookkeeping

  • Writing/Editing

  • Sales

  • Management experience

  • Fundraising

  • Coding

Soft skills are just as valuable as technical skills, as they help students work better independently and in a collaborative work environment. Here are some examples:

  • Communication skills (oral and written)

  • Detail-oriented

  • Problem-solving

  • Organizational

  • Customer service

  • Diplomacy

  • Flexibility

  • Responsibility

  • Leadership

  • Persistent

When listing skills, include a balance of hard and soft skills, listed under a "Skills" section.

Experiences

Most students have some form of work or volunteer experience that is worth mentioning on a resume. Think about experiences during the summer mowing lawns, pet sitting, tending children or volunteering at a shelter. Consider adding extracurricular activities like involvement in sports and school clubs that highlight any leadership roles or other areas of strength.

Example:

Autism Speaks Walk
Student Volunteer, 2018-Present

  • Assist with participants' needs, including packet delivery and registration

  • Take photos and video for local Autism Speaks social media channels

  • Hand out awareness flyers door-to-door

Education

When creating a student resume, it's important to list any education in detail. Include information about your high school and if applicable, college experience. List the name of the institution, academic achievements and other types of participation that demonstrate your skill set. If you've recently completed challenging coursework or earned a grade point average above a 3.5, include this in your description.

Example:

Pacifica High School
Graduation Date: May 2018
GPA: 3.9

Relevant coursework: Debate, Yearbook, Creative Writing, Advanced Photography

Clubs: Key Club, Flying Falcons newspaper, Foreign Cuisine Club

Awards and achievements

Consider the times when you've accomplished something at school that made you feel successful. You may include some of these achievements on your resume to show employers your level of commitment and dedication. Here are some possible examples:

  • Helped fundraise $500 for the local animal shelter as part of a class project

  • Received the $300 "Distinguished Student" award in 2017 for greatness in academics

  • Elected vice president of Future Health Professionals of America in 2018

Activities or hobbies

In addition to the education section, you may also include an activities or hobbies section that describes your involvement in clubs, athletics and other interests. You may include the following:

  • Swim team, three years

  • Volunteer at local retirement homes

  • Writing lab assistant

Related: High School Resume Tips and Example

Example student resumes

Knowing how best to organize and write your resume depends on your student status, level of experience and career goals. While high school students may have less experience than college students, it is important for students to include their most impressive accomplishments.

Below is an example of a high school resume:

Terry Rowe
Philadelphia, PA | (555) 555-5555 | terrance.r@domain.com
Summary
Experienced and highly driven high school student ready for leadership opportunities. Eager to learn more about customer service and sales through a supervisory position.
Education
Pointe West High School
May 2020
4.9 GPA; Relevant coursework: Debate, Intro to Sociology, Advanced Composition, Business Studies
Experience
Baker Family, Nanny
June-September 2019
  • Cared for three children during the summer break, preparing activities and meals daily
  • Drove children to extracurricular activities and doctor's appointments
  • Assisted parents with creating a structured family plan
Center City Aquatic Center, Head lifeguard
May 2018-June 2019
  • Taught junior lifeguards proper swim safety and rescue techniques
  • Monitored pool swimmers to ensure adherence to facility policies
  • Assisted pool director with swim class assignments
Skills
  • Public speaking
  • Problem-solving
  • Typing (75 wpm)
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Customer service
Awards
  • Key Club President
  • Member of Scarlet Debate Team
  • Academic Honor Roll, 2017-present

Below is an example of a college student resume:

Beatrice Cali
Pocatello, Idaho | (555) 555-5555 | beatricecali33@domain.com
Summary
Highly motivated English major looking for career opportunities to expand my writing and editing skills. Responsible and driven team player with an eye for detail.
Education
Idaho State University
2020
Bachelor of Arts in English, 3.8 GPA
Experience
Family Fun Magazine, Assistant editor internship
August–December 2019
  • Wrote 14 family-centric articles about crafts, cooking and health
  • Proofread and edited freelancers' work, with guidance from the editor
  • Interviewed dozens of sources to create original content
Center City Aquatic Center, Head lifeguard
May 2018-June 2019
  • Taught junior lifeguards proper swim safety and rescue techniques
  • Monitored pool swimmers to ensure adherence to facility policies
  • Assisted pool director with swim class assignments
Skills
  • Writing and editing
  • Communication
  • Public speaking
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Microsfot Office Suite
  • Interviewing
  • Active member, Kappa Beta sorority
  • Passionate runner and yogi
Awards
  • Women's Club Scholarship, 2017
  • Dean's List 2016–2019
  • Outstanding English Major award
  • Third Runner-up, Glenwood Hills Marathon

Related: How To Write a College Student Resume

Below is an example of a graduate student resume:

Blake Ponce
Springville, Illinois | (555) 555-5555 | blakep@email.com
Summary
Motivated individual with an undergraduate degree in mass communication, seeking further education in USC's Journalism graduate program.
Education
University of Southern California
September 2015-May 2019
Bachelor of Mass Communication, GPA 3.95
Experience
Kerryback Press, News reporter
June 2018-May 2019
  • Collaborate with other writers to create original, newsworthy articles
  • Research interesting topics related to local news
  • Interview city and government officials to get information on breaking news
  • Update website with photo and video assets
News Media One, Media Assistant Intern
September 2017-May 2018
  • Generated content for online community calendar
  • Called local businesses to verify seasonal information
  • Met with editorial team to learn about time-sensitive issues
Skills
  • Oral and written communication
  • Public speaking
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Interviewing
  • Collaborative
  • Organized
  • Detail-oriented
Awards
  • Dean's List, September 2016-May 2018. Received special communication regarding my placement on the Dean's List due to a high GPA
  • Published writer in the Pasadena Star-News, April 2018. Submitted opinion piece titled 'Hazy Outlook' regarding L.A.'s smog level and what students can do to resude their carbon footprint.

Frequently asked questions

Do classes count as experience?

Yes, they do. Everything you've done in your life, personally or professionally, can count as experience as long as you frame it appropriately. You may not be able to include your high school or college classes under the Work Experience section, but you can certainly expand the Education section to include bullet points about your coursework and academic achievements that are relevant to the job you want.

Can I submit the same resume to every employer?

As a student, you're likely to have less relevant professional experience than older, more seasoned candidates, so the idea of submitting the same resume to every employer may seem like the only choice. However, doing so may reduce your chances of landing the job you want. 

That doesn't mean it's necessary to overhaul your resume every time you apply for a job. Ideally, you'd just make minor changes by incorporating keywords from the job listing so that you can beat the applicant-tracking system, a type of software that many employers use to automatically screen the application documents they receive. If you submit identical resumes for every job, you aren't optimizing your application for getting past the screening stage.

What can I do to get my student resume noticed among the more experienced candidates?

Aside from keyword optimization, here are a couple of measures you can take to improve your chances of getting your student resume noticed. First, choose the right format. Broadly speaking, there are three resume formats to choose from. The chronological resume emphasizes work experience, the functional format emphasizes skills and the combination format combines the two. If you have sufficient relevant experience, go with the chronological format or combination format. Otherwise, consider writing a functional resume to highlight the value you could potentially provide to the employer.

Second, follow up on your application. Employers might receive hundreds to thousands of applications for a single job, so yours might get lost in the mix or the employer is taking their time sorting through everything. Perhaps a week or so after you submit your documents, send a follow-up email to gently remind them that you're in the running for the job. In your email, you could even include a brief self-description that highlights your suitability for the job.



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