Undergraduate College Student Resume Template & Guide

Whether you’re just looking to pay off your college loans or preparing to start a legit professional career, the guide will help you write a job-winning undergrad resume.

Christian Eilers, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated 08/24/2023

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You've got enough to worry about at college. There's the constant pressure to achieve and all the stresses of campus life to contend with. Looking for a job is yet another thing to worry about. But don't let it get you down. Writing an undergraduate resume doesn't have to be hard.

We've got an easy formula that'll help you write an undergraduate college student resume that best shows off your abilities. You'll get examples and a step-by-step guide that'll make writing that undergrad resume a piece of cake.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Use this resume template

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

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 stuff.

Looking for some examples relevant to your field of study? See:

Check out these other undergrad-related resume examples and guides:

Writing an academic application? Have a look at these CV guides:

Undergraduate Resume Template

Joseph Dvořák

joe.dvorak@gmail.com

(718) 333-9999

linkedin.com/in/josephdvorak

Objective Statement

Current university student enrolled in business economics with 2 years of experience handling financial matters part-time for small accounting firm. Maintained accounts for over 50 small and medium-sized businesses while saving them over $55K in 2 years. Seeking to leverage accounting skills and forecasting abilities to become the junior financial analyst for PJ Gorman.

Work Experience

Junior Accounting Specialist
May 2017–July 2019
Frederick Family Finance, Flushing, NY

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

Organized weekly, monthly, and yearly budgets and tax records for individuals, families, and small businesses.
Audited financial records and supporting information for accounting errors and miscalculations.
Provided financial forecasting models for families and small businesses in order to increase savings and maximize revenue.
Analyzed business plans and strategies for effectiveness and viability.

Key Achievements

Handled 50+ SMB accounts and found savings of over $55,000, collectively.

Barista Shift Supervisor
March 2016–May 2017
Brooklyn Beans, Brooklyn, NY

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

Managed all aspects of opening and closing, including cash drawer reconciliation and deposit slips.
Handled supplies ordering and vendor payments in a timely manner.
Oversaw promotional offerings to reflect seasonality and customer sentiment while remaining within budget.

Key Achievements

Found large cash-counting discrepancy which saved the cafe $2,500.

Education

Majoring in Business Economics (Bachelor of Science)

New York University, New York, NY

Expected Graduation: 2021

Relevant Coursework: Business Economics, Public Policy, International Finance, SMB Budgeting Behaviors, Business Ethics, Global Business Management, Sales and Marketing, Business Operations, Management Information and Decisions, Advanced Statistics.

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY

Graduated: 2017

Key Skills

Budgeting & Accounting
Financial Audits & Account Analysis
Organizations Skills
Project Management
Business Finance
Financial Forecasting

Awards

Friendliest Family Accounting Practice (Team Award), Flushing Business Council

Memberships

New York University Student Union of Business Majors

Languages

Czech: Native Proficiency
Slovak: Limited Working Proficiency

Above was our concept of a great undergraduate resume sample.

Time to tweak yours.

Here’s how to write an undergraduate resume that will get you the job:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Undergraduate Resume

An undergraduate is a college or university student who hasn’t yet completed a 2-year (associate degree) or 4-year (bachelor’s degree) study program. An undergraduate resume should show the hiring manager that you have a strong academic background that makes up for your lack of substantial work experience.

Since you’re probably a fresher on the job market, your undergraduate resume has to prove your worth at a glance.

Use a proven resume format.

Here’s how to format an undergraduate resume:

Start with your resume contact information in the professional header.
Use big, bold resume section titles to allow each resume area to speak for itself.
Choose a professional resume format. For most cases, the chronological resume layout is most ideal.
Pick the best resume font, and use white space to keep your resume uncluttered.

There are various types of resumes, like combination or functional, but stick to the gold standard: chronological.

Pro Tip: The right format for your undergraduate resume is the PDF resume format. PDF files appear correctly on any device. Just look at the job description first to be sure they don’t explicitly ask for a Microsoft Word document.

2. Write an Undergraduate Resume Objective or Summary

Start strong—

With a catchy resume profile:

Like an effective elevator pitch, it gives employers, HR department staff, and hiring managers a quick spiel as to how you are the best job candidate.

Worked throughout your college years and have plenty of experience?

Choose the career summary.

The summary statement on an undergraduate resume talks up your past. It gives your background, experience, and skills, plus a numbered achievement to win them over.

Are you new to working outside of school?

Choose the career objective.

Instead of your storied employment history, the objective statement promotes your career goals and aspirations. However, it, too, includes a key, quantifiable win to show you’re top talent.

Pro Tip: Any undergraduate's resume heading statement goes at the top of the page just under your contact deets. However, write it last. With this strategy, you’ll have a better idea of the best content to pitch in this prime location.

3. Don’t Neglect the Work Experience Section on your Undergrad Resume

Whether writing a computer science undergraduate resume or a resume for undergraduate research, nail your resume job descriptions.

How?

Here’s the best strategy for getting a passing grade on it:

Start with your current or most recent job, then the one before that, if applicable.
Below each job title, add the company name and location, dates of employment, and several (4–6) bullet points detailing your experience.
Use powerful resume phrases (e.g., spearheaded research, implemented changes, etc.) to begin each bullet point.
Use quantifiable achievements able to be measured rather than standard job duties and responsibilities.
Target your resume. No employer likes reading generic applications.

Pro Tip: Writing a resume with no experience in the particular job title you’re applying to? If you held any other past work, such as being a bartender or waitstaff, list those job duties which most relate to the job you’re applying to.

4. Make Your Resume Undergraduate Education Section Shine

A college undergrad slacking on their resume education section is unacceptable.

So—

Here’s how to list your education history on an undergrad resume:

Start with your associate degree or bachelor’s degree at the top.
Add the major, school name, school location, and completion date.
If you’ve taken any classes related to the job you’re applying to, add them under a “relevant coursework” subsection.
Mention relevant extracurriculars.
Include any proud university wins such as graduating cum laude, making the dean's list, etc., on your resume.
If you’ve completed an associate degree or bachelor’s degree, don’t list high school on your resume.
It's worth mentioning pending diplomas with a note "currently purusing degree in [field]".

Pro Tip: How to put expected graduation date on a resume? Check your university’s website for school-specific standards for writing education on your undergraduate resume. For example, the University of Pennsylvania gives recommendations on how to list the school name, graduation date format, and coursework.

5. Highlight Your Job Skills on an Undergraduate Resume

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the employment rates of college graduates are lower now than they were in 2000.

To get a job you’ll need an undergrad resume which obtains summa cum laude honors from the employer.

How?

Show them you’re talented with the best undergraduate skills section:

Undergraduate Resume Examples of Skills List

However—

Don’t just throw a generic list of common hard skills and soft skills onto your undergrad resume.

That’ll get you dismissed immediately.

To write a solid skills summary for a resume, do this instead:

Think of all the resume job skills you have related to the job to which you’re applying.
Include both soft skills and hard skills in your list of abilities.
Find the best keywords to put on a resume by paying close attention to the job responsibilities area of the job ad.
If a keyword in the job duties matches something you have, add that to your undergraduate resume.
Some skills are implied, e.g., MS Office suite skills and basic computer skills.

Pro Tip: Most of the skills we listed are soft skills. However, hard skills are often more important, so check the job responsibilities to see what they’re looking for and include them on your resume, too.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, our free resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Undergraduate Resume

Those previous sections above were non-negotiable, like core college classes.

But—

You need to stand out among other students if you really want to land that job. So, add some additional undergrad resume sections—

Here are some great additions for any undergraduate resume:

Undergraduate Resume Examples of Extra Sections to Add

It's no longer customary to list references on a resume, so skip those. If anyone needs those, they will reach out to you.

7. Attach an Undergraduate Cover Letter to Your Resume

Do you need a cover letter for a resume?

Well, 53% of hiring staff say that an undergrad resume without an undergrad cover letter simply won’t get a passing grade.

So—

Here’s how to write a cover letter for an undergraduate resume they’ll love:

Before you begin writing, get the cover letter formatting in order.
Begin with great cover letter openings which are compelling and brief.
Highlight your value to the company and why you want to work specifically for them.
Offer a powerful call to action in your cover letter conclusion.

For more tips on writing a great application letter, check out how long a cover letter must be.

Pro Tip: Follow up on your job application after you send your undergraduate resume, but wait at least a week.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Undergraduates, got any questions? Need assistance with listing your academic history or editing an undergraduate research assistant resume? Write to us down in the comment area, and thanks for reading!

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