resume template for university application

College Application Resume for 2024 [With Examples, Tips & Template]

They say college is the most exciting time in a student’s life and we couldn’t agree more! 

The only thing standing between you and your dream university, though, is a college application resume.

You open the resume document, get ready to start writing…

And nothing comes out! After all, how can you even make a resume when you haven’t worked a day in your life?

Worry not - you don’t need any work experience to write a compelling college application resume. In this article, we’re going to teach you just how you can do that!

What Should a Resume for College Application Contain?

• 5+ College Application Resume Formatting Tips
• How to Write a Resume for College Applications?
• 3+ College Application Resume Tips

College Application Resume Template

So let’s dive in! 

Before we get into the knits and grits of writing a resume for college application, let’s first do a quick review of what your resume should contain: 

• Contact information , including your full name, address, phone number, and professional email.
• A resume objective , where you state the goal of your college application resume.
• Education section , where you list the history of your grades and exam scores.
• Relevant activities , including any work experience you might have.
• Skills relevant to a resume for a college application, e.g. soft skills such as active listening, interpersonal skills, communication skills, or hard skills such as public speaking, MS Office, or computer skills.
• Additional sections , such as awards and honors.

6 College Application Resume Formatting Tips 

Before we dive into the nits and grits of CV making, let’s talk about formatting. Here are our top tips on how to format your college application resume: 

• Choose the functional/skills-based resume format. This format is perfect for those who lack work experience , as it focuses more on your skill-set. If you DO have some work experience, though, then you can opt for the chronological format.
• Keep your college application resume one page long . As a rule of thumb, this is the optimal length for a resume—professionals with 10 years worth of work experience stick to the 1-page limit, so there’s no excuse for someone with little to no work experience to go overboard.
• Add plenty of white space , especially around your resume’s margins. It will make your resume look less cluttered and more reader-friendly.
• Include clear section headings and use the same heading for each section.
• Use an easy-to-read font. Some resume fonts (such as Ubuntu or Overpass) are resume friendly—professional-looking, easy-to-read, and yet modern. Others, like Comic Sans, are just one big NO.
• Save your college resume as a PDF. You might be used to Microsoft Word, or even think it’s the safest alternative, but MS Word has a good choice of messing up your resume format if opened in different computers or operating systems. PDF files, on the other hand, remain the same no matter what computer opens them.

How to Write a Resume for College Applications? (With Examples)

Once you’ve got the formatting done right, it’s time to get to writing your college application resume.

In this section, we’ll walk you through that process, starting with:  

#1. Order Your Contact Information the Right Way 

As we already mentioned, your college application resume should start with your contact information. 

These are your contact information section must-haves :

• Full name and address
• Functional phone number where you can be reached.
• Professional email address, preferably consisting of your first and last name.

And here’s what this looks like in practice: 

Sharon White

123 Main Street

New York, NY

Phone Number: 553-123-1234

Email: [email protected]

#2. Write an Attention-Grabbing College Resume Objective

A resume objective is a 2-3 sentence long paragraph that should communicate your motivation for getting into college or for studying a specific major.

As such, a well-crafted resume objective can instantly attract admission officers to read the rest of your college application resume. 

There is, however, a right and wrong way to write a resume objective.

A convincing resume objective is:

• Tailored to the university/major you’re applying to, instead of looking like a one-fits-all kind of statement that you can use to apply to several colleges.
• Highlights the achievements that give you an edge over the competition.  

The following example does that right: 

Aspiring journalist with a knack for creative writing looking to deepen their knowledge through NYU’s renowned Journalism track. Founder of my high school’s first online newspaper, the ‘Daily Prophet,’ which now has over 2,000 subscribers. Hardworking, with a grade A average in social sciences and commitment to improving. 

Now compare it to the following resume objective, which although articulated looks like a one-fits-all kind of statement that you can just insert into several college applications. 

Very committed high-schooler with a calling for social sciences. With an SAT score of 1400, a passion for psychology, and experience as a peer counselor, I am confident that my hard work and motivation will shine through as a college student. 

See, the resume objective is your chance to show exactly why you want to attend that college, right from the start. 

So, even if you don’t have many achievements to highlight, make sure to personalize your statement by expressing a genuine interest in your application.  

#3. Put Weight on Your Education

Taking into consideration that, as a student, you most likely lack significant work experience, your education is the first thing admission officers will look at. 

As such, you should give your education its due importance in your college application resume. 

For starters, make sure to include this must-have information:

• Your high school’s name and location
• The date of your graduation

In addition, though, combine that with some relevant achievements that can make your education pop out. 

Let’s take a look at two examples. The second student has simply listed out the essential education information, whereas the first has taken their education section to the next level. 

Dunnellon High School FL

2017 - 2021

• 3rd place at the International Mathematical Olympiad 
• Vice-President of the Science Club
• SAT Scores: 1350 (650 Verbal, 700 Math)
• SAT Scores: 1400

#4. Showcase Relevant Activities

Extracurricular activities have a great number of benefits when it comes to your college application resume. Most importantly, they:

• Demonstrate you who are outside of the classroom
• Provide an opportunity to showcase your skills

Any activity and/or interest related to the college you’re applying to has a place on your college application resume,  but you don’t have to necessarily stop there. 

Any kind of interest, field, or activity where you’re good at can be of benefit to your application. 

That’s because it can prove that your interests are not focused solely on your favorite subject or desired career path and that you are engaged and well-rounded . 

So, don’t just list your college resume activities dryly (e.g. “reading” or “swimming”). Instead, be specific and creative about your interests, and rest assured that you will get extra points for diversity and commitment. 

Don’t believe us? Compare for yourself how the activities sections of two different students look like: the first has put minimal effort into it, whereas the second has put his A-game into writing it.

• Passionate about science
• Co-founder of the Astrophysics Club

Activities 

• Two-times winner of my high school’s Science Fair
• Co-founder of the Astrophysics Club, finalists of the MIT-founded THINK challenge
• Swimmer from an early age and member of my high school’s swim team during junior and senior year 
• Traveling; I have so far visited 10 countries and 15 states in the USA. 
• Photography, with a focus on architectural photography. 

#5. Highlight Your Work Experience

Now, if you’ve spent your summer holidays working any type of job for teens , that means that you also have some work experience under your belt. 

Although work experience is not necessary when you’re applying for college (meaning that you won’t get left out of college if you don’t have any), it does help to include it if you have it. 

Here’s how to list work experience in your college application resume:

• Start with the company name (e.g. if you worked at Starbucks), your job title, and the period you worked there. 
• Put your job title first if you worked, say, as a high-school tutor or camp counselor. 
• Include 1-2 of your main responsibilities in bullets. If you have achievements to show for, however, make sure to put them first.  

Let’s see how that works in a practical example.

Starbucks Coffee 

• Awarded employee of the month for 3 months straight
• Fielding customer complaints and questions
• Maintaining good customer service and speedy delivery

Even if the above position isn’t related to the student’s desired field of study, the work experience still highlights some of their skills such as commitment, time management, effective communication, and motivation.  

#6. Include Your Skills 

Skills—we all got them, but not everyone knows how to demonstrate them effectively in a college application resume. 

There are two things to consider when you include skills in your college resume:

• Know the kind of skills that are relevant to your major/field.
• Prove your skills, instead of just listing them 

Let’s show you how that works through practical examples:

• Time management
• Critical thinking

Are these great skills for a college applicant? Sure! 

But anyone can claim to have those skills (and frankly, most people do).

Rather than just listing these skills, you want to also back them up with achievements and experiences like so: 

• Attention to deadline: managed to update the high school’s online newspaper daily
• Leadership: successfully led a team of 6 reporters.
• Creativity: won the 2021 Young Writers competition 
• Self-motivation: founded the high school’s first online newspaper

Now, this is a skills section on a college application resume that proves you deserve a spot in your favorite university.

College application resume skills 

Wondering which skills to include in your college application resume? Here’s a list to draw some inspiration: 

Soft Skills

• Good judgment 
• Open-mindedness
• Communication  
• Self-motivation
• Interpersonal skills
• Active listening
• Problem-solving

Hard Skills

• Computer Skills
• Programming
• Public Speaking

#7. Use These Additional Sections

If you’ve followed all our tips till now, congrats - you’re around 90% into creating a top-notch college application resume.

Now, let’s talk about how you can take that to 100%!

In addition to the conventional resume sections we’ve covered till now, you can include the following to help you stand out in a sea of other applicants:

• Awards. Here, you can list any awards won in competitions (spelling, art, storytelling, math, etc). 
• Volunteer experience . Did you clean up your town, or maybe you volunteered at an animal rescue center as a high school student? Any kind of volunteering can help your college application resume because it shows you’re a responsible community member. If it’s somehow related to your field or future major, that’s a big plus. 
• Projects. Be them individual (e.g. you built a website from scratch, or started an informational podcast), or school-related (e.g. an art portfolio for a class, or a history documentary), projects can show that you’re passionate and creative. 
• Sports. Poet Juvenal said “ a healthy mind in a healthy body. ” This means that physical exercise is an important part of mental and psychological well-being (which is why sports in a college application resume make all applicants look good). Do you excel at specific sports? Include them in your resume!. 
• Languages. Being fluent (or even just a beginner) in a foreign language is another plus for a prospective college student. Make sure to show it in your college application resume. 

5 College Application Resume Tips

Finally, here are some of our college application tips that didn’t fit anywhere else in the article:

• Be direct and to the point. Your college application resume is not the right place to show how many SAT-level words you know. Keep your language simple, direct, and to the point. Let your achievements and results speak for themselves. 
• Don't lie about your academic background or accomplishments. Lying about the awards you’ve won or your achievements won’t get you into college. More often than not, admission officers will see through your lies by asking behavioral interview questions . 
• Proofread your college application resume.   Spelling and grammar mistakes can make you appear like a less serious applicant. Imagine telling recruiters that you have great SAT scores and GPA but having spelling mistakes in your resume. Kind of contradictory, isn’t it? To avoid these kinds of mistakes, use spelling and grammar apps such as Grammarly and Heminway . 
• Have one or more people look at your resume before you send it out. There are kinds of mistakes that Grammarly or Hemingway cannot catch. To avoid such mistakes, have one or more people that know you give your college application resume a look. 
• Emphasize specific achievements over general responsibilities. As mentioned before, emphasizing your achievements over your responsibilities is the best way to set yourself apart from other candidates. The reason is that your achievements effectively show how well you handle responsibilities and they are uniquely yours.

Making a resume from scratch can take what feels like ages—especially if it’s your first time doing it.

You’ve got to tweak the formatting. 

You make a change at MS Word and the layout falls apart in front of your eyes. Or you end up using a bland and outdated template. 

Well, you don’t have to worry about any of these things with Nóvóresume’s free resume templates . 

With 8 free templates to choose from - college application resume included - you don’t have to worry about anything other than inputting your information.

Let our resume builder do the rest! 

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on college application resumes. We hope to have made the process of writing yours easier and even more enjoyable. 

For good measure, let’s go over the main points we covered: 

• Your college application resume should contain the following sections: contact information , personal profile , education section , relevant activities , your skills , and additional sections , such as awards and honors. 
• In terms of formatting, the functional resume template fits your college application best. Additionally, make sure to keep your resume one page long and save it as a PDF. 
• Write a resume objective that doesn’t surpass 3 sentences and that clearly communicates your motivation for getting into college and your most relevant skills. 
• Make sure to give your education section its due importance by being thorough about your grades, SAT scores, and achievements. 
• Don’t forget to list all your relevant activities and passions, as well as soft and hard skills.
• Instead of writing your college application resume from scratch, use one of Nóvóresume’s ready-made templates to save yourself time and effort!  

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CV for University Application example

Getting into university and getting a degree will give you a huge head-start in your career, but getting into university isn’t easy

This guide contains an example University Applicant CV and plenty of tips on how to create your own winning CV, so you can stand out amongst the other candidates and get into the university of your dreams.

Guide contents

CV for University Application example 1

Cv for university application example 2.

• Structuring and formatting your CV
• Writing your CV profile
• Detailing work experience
• Your education

CV templates 

Unsure of what your University Applicant CV should look like?

Have a look at the CV example above to get familiar with the structure, layout and format of a professional CV.

As you can see, it provides plenty of relevant information about the applicant but is still very easy to read, and brief – which will please busy university recruiters.

University Applicant CV structure and format

The format and structure of your CV is important because it will determine how easy it is for recruiters and employers to read your CV.

If they can find the information they need quickly, they’ll be happy; but if they struggle, your application could be overlooked.

A simple and logical structure will always create a better reading experience than a complex structure, and with a few simple formatting tricks, you’ll be good to go.

Formatting Tips

• Length: Recruiters will be immediately put off by lengthy CVs – with hundreds of applications to read through, they simply don’t have the time! Grabbing their attention with a short, snappy and highly relevant CV is far more likely to lead to success. Aim for two sides of A4 or less.
• Readability : Make sure your CV is easy to read and looks professional by applying some simple formatting tricks. Bullet points are great for making large paragraphs more digestible, while formatting your headings with bold or coloured text will help the reader to find the information they need, with speed.
• Design: It’s generally best to stick to a simple CV design, as funky or elaborate designs rarely add any value to your application. A clear, modern font and a subtle colour scheme work perfectly and allow your skills, experience and achievements to speak for themselves.
• Avoid photos: Logos, profile photos or other images aren’t necessary and rarely add any value – save the space for written content, instead!

Structuring your CV

As you write your CV , work to the simple but effective structure below:

• Name and contact details – Pop them at the top of your CV, so it’s easy for recruiters to contact you.
• CV profile – Write a snappy overview of what makes you a good fit for the role; discussing your key experience, skills and accomplishments.
• Core skills section – Add a short but snappy list of your relevant skills and knowledge.
• Work experience – A list of your relevant work experience, starting with your current role.
• Education – A summary of your relevant qualifications and professional/vocational training.
• Hobbies and interests – An optional sections, which you could use to write a short description of any relevant hobbies or interests.

Now I’ll guide you through exactly what you should include in each CV section.

CV Contact Details

Tuck your contact details into the corner of your CV, so that they don’t take up too much space. Stick to the basic details, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, such as your full name.
• Location -Just write your rough location, rather than your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – If you include these, ensure they’re sleek, professional and up-to-date.

University Applicant CV Profile

Recruiters read through countless applications every day.

If they don’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’ll simply move onto the next one.

That’s what makes your CV profile (or personal statement , if you’re an entry-level/graduate candidate) so important.

This short and snappy summary sits at the top of your CV, and should give a high-level overview of why you’re a good match for the university.

This way, you can ensure that busy recruiters see your suitability from the outset, and so, feel your CV is worth their time.

Tips for creating an impactful CV profile:

• Keep it brief: It might be tempting to submit a page-long CV profile, but recruiters won’t have the time to read it. To ensure every word gets read, it’s best to include high-level information only; sticking to a length of 3-5 lines.
• Tailor it: Before writing your CV, make sure to do some research. Figure out exactly what your desired employers are looking for and make sure that you are making those requirements prominent in your CV profile, and throughout.
• Don’t add an objective: Leave your career objectives or goals out of your profile. You only have limited space to work with, so they’re best suited to your cover letter .
• Avoid cliches: “Determined team player who always gives 110%” might seem like a good way to fill up your CV profile, but generic phrases like this won’t land you an interview. Recruiters hear them time and time again and have no real reason to believe them. Instead, pack your profile with your hard skills and tangible achievements.

What to include in your University Applicant CV profile?

• Summary of experience: Recruiters will want to know what type of companies you’ve worked for, industries you have knowledge of, and the type of work you’ve carried out in the past, so give them a summary of this in your profile.
• Relevant skills: Highlight your skills which are most relevant, to ensure that recruiters see your most in-demand skills as soon as they open your CV.
• Essential qualifications: Be sure to outline your relevant qualifications, so that anyone reading the CV can instantly see you are qualified for the universities you are applying to.

Quick tip: Your CV is your first impression on recruiters, so it’s vital to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes if you want to appear professional. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to add pre-written content that has been crafted by recruitment experts.

Core skills section

In addition to your CV profile, your core skills section provides an easily digestible snapshot of your skills – perfect for grabbing the attention of busy hiring managers.

As University places might receive a huge pile of applications, this is a great way to stand out and show off your suitability for the role.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points and be made up of skills that are highly relevant to the universities you are targeting.

Work experience/Career history

Next up is your work experience section, which is normally the longest part of your CV.

Start with your current (or most recent) job and work your way backwards through your experience.

Can’t fit all your roles? Allow more space for your recent career history and shorten down descriptions for your older roles.

Structuring your roles

If you don’t pay attention to the structure of your career history section, it could quickly become bulky and overwhelming.

Get in recruiters’ good books by creating a pleasant reading experience, using the 3-step structure below:

Begin with a summary of your role, detailing what the purpose of your job was, who you reported to and what size of team you were part of (or led).

Key responsibilities

Next, write up a punchy list of your daily duties and responsibilities, using bullet points.

Wherever you can, point out how you put your hard skills and knowledge to use – especially skills which are applicable to your target role.

Key achievements

Finish off by showcasing 1-3 key achievements made within the role.

This could be anything that had a positive effect on your company, clients or customers, such as saving time or money, receiving exemplary feedback or receiving an award.

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• GCSE’s

As well as any specific qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for. Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

Interests and hobbies

This section is entirely optional, so you’ll have to use your own judgement to figure out if it’s worth including.

If your hobbies and interests could make you appear more suitable for your dream job, then they are definitely worth adding.

Interests which are related to the industry, or hobbies like sports teams or volunteering, which display valuable transferable skills might be worth including.

Writing your University Applicant CV

An interview-winning CV for a University Application needs to be both visually pleasing and packed with targeted content.

Whilst it needs to detail your experience, accomplishments and relevant skills, it also needs to be as clear and easy to read as possible.

Remember to research the role and review the university before applying, so you’re able to match yourself up to the requirements.

If you follow these guidelines and keep motivated in your university search, you should land an interview in no time.

Best of luck with your next application!

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Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide

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A resume is a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, and differentiate you from other candidates seeking similar positions.

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Resume Resources

Table of contents, resume overview, sections to include + quick formatting tips, write higher quality bullet points, instant resume feedback + other resources, resume templates, resume examples, resume action verbs.

A resume presents your story by highlighting your skills (the things you do well). Employers initially scan a resume for 30 to 60 seconds, so it needs to be descriptive and concise at the same time. It also needs to be tailored to the organization to which you are applying. We asked a few recruiters to tell us what they notice on a resume in 30 seconds. Check out what they look for in the video below.

Return to the top

To keep your resume easy to read, divide it into these common sections. Check out the samples in the resources section for examples of what to include.

• Name and Contact Information
• Summary (Optional- more common with experienced professionals, but an option for any student)
• Experience- This is often broken up into two or three sections based on the themes in your experiences. Common headings include: Work/Professional Experience, Clubs/Student Organizations, Leadership Experience, and Service/Community Involvement.
• Skills (Optional)

Most employers take 30-60 seconds per resume during their first glance. Don’t get stuck in the “no” pile because of formatting issues.

• Keep your document to one page (for most undergraduates)
• Put your experiences in reverse chronological order in each section
• Keep your formatting consistent and easy to skim quickly (i.e. put job titles, organization names, dates, and locations in the same location each time)
• Use bullets, not paragraphs
• Quantify when possible and use the Bullet Plus Formula to show skills, not just tasks (keep scrolling for more on the Bullet Plus formula!)
• Tailor your resume to the experience for which you are applying

Show the reader your skills (instead of just listing the tasks you did) by using the bullet plus model:

Action Verb + What + How/Why/Impact 

For example:

• Basic bullet: Developed interpersonal skills 
• Bullet plus: Developed interpersonal skills by facilitating cross-cultural conversations with Malawian teens and community members   (how)                  
• Basic bullet: Created real interest monitoring tool
• Bullet plus: Created real interest monitoring tool to study the effect of rate changes on foreign exchange levels  (why)                   
• Basic bullet: Directed actors in productions
• Bullet plus: Directed 5-10 student actors and managed technical team in both short and full-length productions attracting audiences of 100+ (impact)

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Utilize these OCS Resume Templates to create your draft resume. To help you fill in your template, utilize OCS’s resume formatting and common errors resource .

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Resume template

Resume formats and content may vary from industry to industry, so do your research to understand the expectations of employers in your field. 

The information below is an overview of the most common elements of an Australian resume. It is not intended as a one-size-fits-all template. The resume can also be structured in the way that best presents your skills and experience. For example, if you have extensive, relevant industry experience, you might find it preferable to place ‘Employment History’ before ‘Education’.

Resume sections

Personal details.

• Use your name as the heading in large, bold lettering. There is no need to include the words ‘resume’ or ‘curriculum vitae’ anywhere in the heading.
• Include contact phone number/s and your preferred email address. You can also add a residential address, however, this is optional. Employers will be using these details to contact you, so ensure your email address and voicemail greeting reflect your professionalism. 
• International students or permanent residents may benefit from indicating their visa status and work rights.
• There is no need to add extra information such as a date of birth, photo or nationality.

Career objective/Profile/Summary [Optional]

• This section describes the type and level of position you are seeking and the industry or area in which you would like to be employed. A well-targeted career objective makes you look focused and enthusiastic and helps the reader interpret the information that follows in the resume.
• The objective should be brief and realistic with a focus on what you are able to offer, eg, ‘Seeking a research position within Environmental Sciences where my university studies in water management and my work experience in local government environmental management can be utilised.’

Skills summary [Optional]

• This section can be useful for drawing the recruiter’s attention to your key competencies.
• Focus on skills that are relevant to the job by checking the selection criteria or keywords in the job advertisement.
• Skills can be technical (eg, experience with a particular type of software or lab procedure), industry-specific (eg, classroom management for primary school teaching) or transferable (eg, team work, leadership, time management).
• Offer evidence when you claim to have a particular transferable skill, eg, ‘Excellent written communication skills developed through activities ranging from writing complex technical reports during my science degree to press releases in my role as Publicity Officer for the Student Biological Society’.
• Include your tertiary qualifications, and if recent, also your secondary qualifications. State the full name of the institution and the month and year you completed (or expect to complete) the qualification.
• Start with your most recent qualification/studies and work backwards.
• Other information you could include: your majors, your current grade or WAM, academic awards, merit scholarships, international exchanges, your thesis title and brief description (for research students) and any other relevant achievements.
• Note that this is not the best place to list short courses or trade certificates unless they are relevant to the role.

Experience is a broad term that can refer to a range of practical activities. You may wish to list all of your practical experience under this heading or divide it into different categories. If you have a mix of industry relevant experience and less relevant work, you can divide the section into ‘Relevant Experience’ and ‘Other Experience’. This will ensure that the employer sees the most relevant information first. Some other possible headings are below.

• This is one of the more common headings for listing experience.
• Start with your most recent job and work backwards. Include your position title, the name of the organisation and the month and year you commenced and concluded the employment.
• List your responsibilities and any outcomes or achievements. Quantify where possible, eg, ‘supervised 5 junior staff members’, ‘increased monthly sales by 12%’.
• Be clear about the skills you have used or developed, particularly if you have not included a skills summary on your resume.

Practicums/Placements

You can use this heading for any industry-related experience you have gained as part of your degree, eg, clinical placements for Nursing, teaching practicums for Education, field education placements for Social Work.

• List the name of the organisation, duration of the placement, responsibilities, achievements (if any) and learning outcomes.

Volunteering

This section refers to unpaid work undertaken in the not-for-profit sector, community groups, NGOs or charitable organisations. Most employers will be interested in your voluntary work because it offers evidence of initiative and transferable skills.

• Lay out your experience in a similar way to your employment – title, organisation, dates, duties, achievements/outcomes.

Extracurricular activities

Here you can include student clubs and societies, sporting activities, mentoring, student representative roles and more. As with volunteering, most employers value extracurricular activities.

• Again, lay out in the same way as your employment. Give enough detail for the employer to understand your contribution to the organisation/team/program and the skills you have used.

Memberships

Include membership of any professional associations or industry bodies .

• Use the full and correct name of the organisation, the year of your membership, and your level of membership, eg, student, affiliate, professional, etc.

Conferences/Publications/Articles

• Relevant for applicants with research-based qualifications , or those seeking media/communications/writing roles.
• List your papers and conferences in the formatting used by your industry or discipline area.
• If applying for a non-research role, consider summarising and/or quantifying your publications or conferences, eg, published three research articles on the topic of XYZ in high impact journals, demonstrating excellent written communication skills.

Add your own relevant section/s

You can include other relevant sections in your resume if you have a particular set of experiences that you would like to bring to the employer’s attention. Choose a clear heading that describes your experience and ensure that all points in the section are relevant to the heading. It is important that the section is closely related to the job to which you are applying. Some examples include:

• ‘Leadership’ – for students with experience in student leadership such as mentoring, executive roles in clubs/societies, student politics, or other leadership roles.
• ‘Community Involvement’ – for students who are active in charity or not for profit work, volunteering, advocacy or other community development activities.
• ‘Exhibitions’ – for students seeking work in the visual arts.
• This should always be the last entry on your resume. List 2 or 3 referees who can comment on your work-based skills. If you prefer not to list them on your resume, simply write ‘Available on request’. This will allow you to check in and warn your referees before they are called. Always seek a referee’s permission before you list them in your resume and give them information about the job.
• Choose the person who will give you the best reference, ideally, a previous work/volunteer supervisor, manager or an academic.
• Include their name, job title, current organisation, contact details, and their relationship to you, eg, ‘Thesis supervisor’, ‘Current manager’, if the relationship is not clear from their job title.

Final resume review

Is your resume:

• Targeted and relevant to the role and industry/type of employer?
• Demonstrating the transferability of your experience and skills to the role?
• Presenting your information in an accessible format that best promotes what you have to offer?
• Clear & concise?
• Professionally formatted with good grammar and spelling?
• Making the best first impression possible?

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