Resume Format for Freshers: Best Examples for Jobs

You’re stepping out into the world—going for a fresher job. A whole new future is about to open up in front of you—the security and independence, the new colleagues, the money. Only one problem: what’s a good resume format for freshers? Is there a recommended fresher resume format for job applications? It’s normal that you don’t know—no one’s born knowing these things. But fear not—I'll teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume for freshers.

This guide will show you: 

• A resume template for freshers that ticks all the right boxes.
• How to choose a resume format for fresher jobs that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to use skills and achievements in a simple fresher resume format.
• How to describe your education on a resume for freshers to get any job you want.

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Sample Resume Format for Freshers

This resume template for freshers is pretty impressive, isn’t it?

But—it’s not just a resume format for data science freshers—it’ll work just as well for any other job.

I'll show you how to follow the right resume format for freshers, no matter the industry:

What’s the Best Resume Format for Freshers?

Studies show a recruiter takes only 7.4 seconds to skim a resume initially. You have to make the most out of this moment and effectively grab their attention with a fresher resume that’s formatted to perfection. How to create a professional resume format for freshers?

The best resume format for freshers does two things well: it includes all the right sections and has a clear and elegant overall layout. Your fresher resume template should include these resume sections):

• A resume header that includes your personal and contact details
• A career objective that summarises what you have to offer
• A work experience section, if you have some relevant experience already
• An education section that zooms right in on your academic performance
• A short list of proven professional skills that match the job requirements
• One or two additional sections that fill in any strengths not mentioned elsewhere

Now that you know what sections should be in a resume template for freshers, let’s get your document ready. Let me show you the key steps towards making an effective yet simple resume format for freshers: 

1. Make Your Resume for Freshers Easy to Scan

The overall layout of a good fresher resume format for job applications is clear and easy to navigate. Use large, well-separated subheadings and plenty of white space to divide your resume into sections clearly. 

Speaking of white space, it’s best to use 1.15 line spacing and symmetrical resume margins (one inch on every side) to help make it easier to read. The goal is navigation at a glance.

2. Ensure Your Resume Is Easy to Read

An understated, professional-looking font will go a long way to making your resume format for freshers hold up just as well under a closer reading. Use a resume font that won’t draw attention to itself. My favourite choice is Noto in 11–12 pt. Or just leave it at the default Arial or Calibri.

3. Stick to the Right Length for a Fresher Resume

Everything you need for your resume format for freshers will fit on a single page. If it doesn’t, double-check that everything you want to include is directly relevant to the job ad and eliminate unnecessary details.

Avoid using small fonts, tighter line spacing, or narrower margins if your fresher resume goes over a page. Trust me: it’s much better to rewrite longer sentences and remove unneeded information than to make your fresher resume format difficult to read. 

4. Submit Your Fresher Resume as a PDF

While you can make your resume format for freshers in Word, make sure to go for a PDF resume template. PDF will preserve your layout and formatting better than something like a *.docx file. Always go with whatever the employer prefers, though—they might be using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that can’t handle PDF files.

Now, I'll tell you more about each part of the resume format for freshers.

How to Make a Resume for Freshers?

1. Start With a Proper Header—It’s Part of Any Good Resume Format for Freshers

The first part of a resume format for freshers that a recruiter or hiring manager sees? The resume header. My experience shows that there’s no secret recipe here. Your header must be clear, easy to find, and complete. So, set it apart from the rest of your resume. Make your name especially stand out. Make it large and bold.

Other than your full name, include at least your occupation or student status and your contact details (phone, email, maybe an online profile or portfolio, but no mailing address). You might also be expected to list your nationality, date of birth, and marital status. Always check the job advert.

Simple Resume Format for Freshers: Header

Pro Tip: Indian resumes typically feature a photo. Use a business-style headshot: that means a solid background, no sunglasses, and professional attire and hairstyle. It doesn’t matter if you’re applying for your first internship—in your headshot, go for a CEO look that shows confidence and professionalism.

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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2. Highlight Experience on Your Resume for Freshers

Statistics show that about 9 million students finished their undergraduate degree and 1.8 million their postgraduate degree in 2022. It seems like you have a lot of competition... But hey, that’s why you’re here! To find a way to beat all the fresher competitors and get The Job!

Here’s the thing: if you have previous relevant experience, such as an internship, adding it to your work history will make a big difference and put you ahead of other applicants.

Better still, there are a few tricks to listing your experience in a way that impresses recruiters even more. 

Put your work experience in reverse chronological order, listing jobs from most to least recent. Make a simple subheading for each position by using the job title, company name, and start and end dates. Under each of these subheadings, list three to six achievements in the form of brief bullet points.

Make sure each bullet point is relevant to the job advert. I can't stress enough how crucial it is. Use something like the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula to structure each point. Put numbers to everything you can. By quantifying these points, you move away from listing duties and towards showcasing achievements.

These fresher resume samples show exactly what we mean: 

Fresher Resume Template: Work Experience

Imagine an assignment without your name on it. See the problem? The second internship experience is just not ready to hand in. Detailed responsibilities and a numbered achievement make the difference.

What if you’re a fresher without any relevant experience? No worries. Talk up your most significant duties and achievements in any other job to show them your work ethic matches their company values:

Fresher Resume Sample—No Related Experience

Experience as a bank teller seems to have nothing to do with our other example of becoming a data analyst. However, pick the responsibilities and achievements that are most relevant and help you to show the recruiter you’re a match for their culture.

If you’ve done some freelance work or online gigs, add only the most impressive ones. If you are writing a resume for your first job, just skip the work history section. In this case, be sure to double down in the other areas if you want to stay in the running!

Read more: What‘s a Resume in India? Guide & Examples

3. Make Your Education Count—It’s at the Centre of a Freshers Resume Format

You’re either still studying, or you just graduated. It’s no wonder, then, that the heart of an effective resume format for freshers is the education section.

Let me show you how to list education on fresher resumes: 

• List your qualifications in reverse chronological order. Include the degree, institution, and expected or actual graduation years for each one.
• Include your Class XII and Class X only if you don’t have any relevant work experience or your first university diploma. 
• Add your CBSE or equivalent results. For your university studies, give your CGPA. 

One thing you should remember is to mention your CGPA only if it’s higher than 90% (or 9 in MA). Otherwise, it just won’t work to your advantage.

Since you’re a recent grad with little experience, go detailed in your education section. Add any honours and awards, achievements, publications, and especially any coursework relevant to your job field. Anything that shows relevant skills in action. These skills can be either hard skills or soft skills. Both are important, even in technical fields like IT.

Finally, you don’t need to add your high school diploma since you’ve completed university. You would, however, have to mention your high school if your degree was still in progress. 

Professional Resume Format For Freshers: Education Example

Pro Tip: If you took part in an externship during your studies, add their details here in your education section. But if it’s an internship, place that in your work experience section.

4. Add Skills to Your Fresher Resume Format

The most important thing: you can’t just add a list of random skills and call it a day! So, how do you add skills to a resume for freshers?

Start by making a master list of all of your skills. Even with no work experience, you’ve probably gained plenty of them during your education, internships, extracurriculars, or hobbies. Include soft and hard skills, as well as computer skills and software proficiencies. 

Then, take another look at the job ad, focusing on the skills required by the employer. Highlight your keywords or turn them into a list. 

For example, imagine this is our data analyst job description:

• You will build and maintain reporting dashboards and management tools to help stakeholders make decisions [1]
• You will develop and manage systems and data models for new and rapidly evolving business processes - including our sales funnel, global expansion, member value programming and more
• You will systematically improve our operations by identifying opportunities, deriving business hypotheses on how we might leverage those opportunities, and validating those hypotheses through experimentation [2]
• Institute data capture systems and processes to help us understand what’s going on in our business and in our spaces around the world
• Capture holistic data and use that insight to identify creative ways to improve financial and operational performance [3] 

Compare the two lists and highlight the skills that appear on both. And that’s it: you’ve identified the skills that you have and that the employer wants. Yes, reading the job ad truly makes it easier to pick the proper skills:

Fresher Resume Samples—Skills Section

The skills list in the second example looks general and will not help you impress the hiring manager! In contrast, the first example gives the exact material they seek. Impressive!

Aim for a list of 5–10 relevant skills in your resume for freshers. List them in a separate section, but follow my advice and also show them in your education section (and work experience if you have it).

I've prepared some skills examples to get you started: 

Top 14 Skills in Resumes for Freshers

• Technical Skills
• Effective Communication Skills
• Management Skills
• Decision-Making Skills
• Marketing Skills
• Creative Thinking
• Computer Skills
• Writing Skills
• Project Management Skills
• Active Listening Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills

Pro Tip: Remember that you’re not just looking to please hiring professionals: you’re also appealing to the ATS software the company uses to filter job applications. That’s why tailoring your fresher resume and using the right keywords in every section, including your skills list, are so important to make an ATS-friendly resume.

5. Add Extra Sections to Your Resume Format for Freshers

I know that your education won’t paint a full portrait of you as a potential employee. Even what little work experience a resume for freshers can be expected to have won’t cut it. Add extra sections to your resume format for fresher jobs to fill in the picture. Anything directly relevant to the job requirements is fair game.

Here are some extra section ideas for a fresher resume:

• Certifications: Many employers weigh official certificates heavier than even your degree (don’t tell your parents). Add relevant ones, such as CompTIA A+ for IT, or software certifications, such as CATIA for mechanical engineers.
• Volunteer Experience: Volunteer experiences on fresher resumes are an excellent way to add work experience when you don’t have any paid job history. If you have had multiple volunteer positions in your past, choose the most job-related ones.
• Language Skills: In this globalized world, proficiency in a second (or third!) language is more important than ever. Add the language and your skill level on a standardized proficiency scale.
• Hobbies and Interests: Adding your interests and hobbies to a resume is a great way to highlight skill sets indirectly.
• Professional Portfolio: Not a resume section, per se, but an impressive addition for certain industries, nonetheless! For example, if you’ve been writing a personal blog, a portfolio of your successful articles would look great for marketing positions. Add the portfolio URL to your resume contact information section.

Resume For Freshers Format: Extra Sections Examples

Pro Tip: If you’re applying for a fresher job in India, make sure to include a declaration at the end of your resume. A simple statement like “Declaration: The information stated above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.” will suffice.

6. Cap Off Your Resume Format for Freshers With a Career Objective

Your resume formatting made a great first impression. Well done! But now that you have the recruiter’s attention, how do you keep it? Write a resume profile that shows your value and makes them want to read on! You’ve got two options: the resume summary or the resume objective.

Use the resume summary if you have experience in your prospective industry from part-time work or an internship. The summary statement is a short paragraph summing up your experience and skills. It’s brilliant to use an accomplishment with numbers to prove your value.

Here’s an example resume summary for a fresher:

Resume Summary for Freshers: Examples

Both look kind of impressive, don’t you think? However, looking closer, you’ll see that in the right example, the candidate gives a key accomplishment with numbers to back it up. It proves their experience rather than just giving a list of duties.

But what if you have no relevant work experience? Use a resume objective. The objective tells your potential employer how your career goals align with their plans. You’ll still use relevant skills, experience, and quantifiable achievements.

Here are two example resume objectives for freshers:

Objective for Resume for Freshers: Examples

Do you see it? In the right example, a brief introduction about your background, a key achievement, and mentioning the company’s name all let them know you know how to tailor your resume to the job.

Pro Tip: Both resume objectives or summaries appear first on your fresher resume. However, it’s better to save writing it for the end, so you have the rest of your resume to help you out. 

7. Write a Cover Letter to Go With Your Fresher Resume

Although not part of a resume, you should write a fresher cover letter to accompany your job application. Why? It comprises two parts, and a resume is only one of them. The only time you can safely submit a resume without a cover letter is if the employer clearly instructs you to do so.

Here’s how to write a cover letter to match your now-perfect fresher resume: 

• Use the right format for your cover letter—that of a standard business letter addressed directly to the recruiter. 
• Start by mentioning the position you’re applying for and highlight one of your achievements immediately to grab the recruiter’s attention. 
• Prove you’re the right candidate by outlining your transferable skills and experience. 
• Show how your values and goals align with those of the company. 
• End on a call to action, offering to achieve a specific goal for the company if given the opportunity.

After you’re done writing your cover letter, don’t forget to proofread it—the same thing goes for your fresher resume!

Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter for an Internship

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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Key Takeaways

Let's sum up how to prepare a resume for freshers in the best fresher resume format:

• Include a clear and prominent header.
• Add a work experience section.
• Craft an education section.
• Highlight your relevant skills.
• Add some additional sections.
• Write a fresher resume profile.
• Attach a fresher cover letter.

That’s all there’s to it! Now, I’d love to hear from you! What do you think are the biggest challenges regarding writing a resume for freshers? Do you have any unanswered questions about the Indian resume format for freshers? Let me know. Let’s get the discussion started!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

Our editorial team has reviewed this article in depth to make sure it follows Zety’s editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and providing actionable career advice that brings real value. Each year, the high quality of our content draws 40 million readers to our site. But that’s not all—we conduct original research to obtain an exhaustive understanding of the labour market and pride ourselves in being cited by top universities and leading media outlets worldwide.

Sources

• Santa Clara University, "Writing High Impact Statements"
• Statista, "Undergraduate degree awardees in India 2022, by gender"
• Statista, "Postgraduate degree awardees in India 2022, by gender"
• TheLadders, "Eye-Tracking Study"
• BambooHR, "Your Comprehensive [ATS Worthy] Cover Letter and Resume Guide"