9 Resume Tips for University Students

Unfortunately, just graduating university is not enough to gain interviews: you also need a strong resume. Most people struggle crafting resumes, but it’s even more of a challenge when you’re a student with little (or perhaps no) work experience. However, there’s no reason to feel intimidated about creating a resume — you just need to know what to include and how to include it.

1. Add the Right Sections

The standard format to use for a resume is your name and contact details followed by your education, work experience, and skills. Work experience can include voluntary positions as well as paid. However, if you still don’t have enough information to fill the page, you can also add sections for extracurriculars, certificates, foreign languages, awards, and interests.

2. Create a New Email Address

Depending on your age when you created your email, you may have chosen something unprofessional. Sign up for a new account with one of the popular domains using a version of your name.

3. Link to a Portfolio

You may have completed relevant work at university that could be ideal for showing an employer your potential. Set up an online portfolio and add a link to your resume.
Similarly, it’s useful to provide a link to your LinkedIn profile. The social media platform serves as an online resume and gives you the chance to supply employers with more information about yourself, such as in your summary and through endorsements.

4. List in Reverse Chronological Order

Resumes always have education and work experience in reverse chronological order. This means that the most relevant information is at the top and an employer immediately sees what you’ve achieved most recently.

5. Make the Education Section Long

When you have more relevant work experience, you’ll be able to shrink down the education section of your resume to just the core details. For now, though, this part likely has the most useful information about you. As well as your major, any minors, the name of your school, and your expected graduation date, use the section to mention the title of your dissertation, other key coursework, and any significant academic achievements.

6. Write Concisely

When describing what your work and voluntary positions involved, cut straight to the point by starting every sentence with a verb. This will make your resume snappier. There’s no need to use “I” in front of verbs, since it’s obvious who you’re talking about.

7. Exemplify Your Skills and Achievements

Whenever possible, go beyond simply naming skills and provide proof. For instance, you could talk about collaborations on college assignments or improvements the company saw due to your contributions at an internship. Be as specific as possible, such as by using hard numbers to back up your point.

8. Tweak Your Resume for Each Position

Create a resume to use as a template and then adapt it in small ways for every job you apply to. Focus on the areas of your experience that are most relevant to the position, decide which specific skills to highlight, and find keywords from the job description to include naturally within your resume content.

9. Mention Experience with Specific Software and Tools

Most jobs today require some knowledge of digital tools. Omit mentioning those it should be a given you know how to use, but include any that mean you’re better qualified for the position, such as industry-specific tools and any listed in the requirements for the job description.

Another way to find a great job is to network. You’ll expand your circle when you live in student rentals. Waterloo has two great student communities: Preston House and Bridgeport House, where you’ll meet students attending both Wilfrid Laurier University and UWaterloo. Book a tour to visit the building of your choice.