Top 5 Resume Tips for College Students

By Chase Pattison on August 10, 2011

As graduation looms or you are preparing for summer internships, many college students are writing their first resumes or updating them to reflect another year of college life. Human resources professionals usually spend a minute or less with a resume when they are trying to fill a position. To help you make the most of that short time, we’ve put together 5 resume writing tips for college students.

by Evan Mayo
Vanderbilt University

1. Ditch the objective section. We all know that you want to acquire a lucrative, rewarding job in your chosen field with opportunities for advancement. The recruiter or HR person knows that, too. Retool your objective section and turn it into an Summary section. This allows the person scanning your resume to gain a snapshot of who you are and what you can offer their organization. It also makes you stand out from a host of other candidates whose resumes make the recruiter do more work to figure out what the applicant can offer.

2. Pick the right length. The hard-and-fast rule of a 1 page resume leads many college students to leave off qualifications. Your resume should give the employer an idea of who you are and what you have accomplished. For some students, this may extend to two pages. Definitely don’t try to add ‘fluff’ to your resume to add to its length. Consider devoting the second page to a particular project and your role in it to give the interviewer a more in-depth view of your skills.

3. Leave your high school accomplishments out. Unless you received a truly distinguishing award in high school, it’s probably better to focus on your college accomplishments.  One exception to this would be work experience you gained in high school that is relevant to the position you’re applying for.

4. Craft a new resume for each position. Although many students spend hours working on their resume, fewer are willing to revisit that resume and tailor it to the specific position to which they are applying. This is a time-consuming step but it will pay dividends for the conscientious candidate. HR personnel see so many resumes that it is obvious to them when they are receiving a generalized template that the candidate has mailed to dozens of jobs. Take the time to highlight your skills that are relevant for the position and make sure your summary and cover letter (if you have one) are personal and relevant.

5. Use your available resources. It’s great to get feedback on your resume from another student or a teacher, but a business professional or hiring specialist will be more useful. These people have seen thousands of resumes throughout their career, so each is likely to have a few tips for you. Talking to five or ten of your parents or family friends can really make a difference in the final quality of the resume you submit.

Take the opportunity to sell yourself with your resume, rather than reciting a list of your achievements and organizations. We at Uloop wish you all the best in your applications for fall 2011 internships and full-time positions!


Evan Mayo is a student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.


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