Employers know that a college education teaches a variety of marketable skills and expertise. Your resume is an opportunity to demonstrate those skills, and show employers what you have to offer.
If you’re like most recent grads, you don’t have much work experience to put on your resume.
Learn how to write a resume that emphasizes your value to employers – even if you don’t have work experience – with our writing tips, examples, and sample below.
1. Learn from other recent graduate resume examples
Below are two different recent college graduate resume examples to take inspiration from:
Resume for recent college graduate (without experience)
Here’s an example of a recent graduate’s resume with no work experience:
Sample resume with no experience (text version)
RESUME OBJECTIVE
Recent NYU graduate with a degree in Political Science. Designed and led a state-wide polling project in New York to gauge public opinion on tort reform. Seeking to leverage 3.8 GPA and data analysis expertise to fill the political research assistant position at Win Blue
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science / GPA: 3.8
New York University, New York City, Graduated 2020
Relevant Coursework: International Politics, Economics, Public Polling, Data Analysis, Electoral Process
Honors: magna cum laude
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Senior Seminar, NYU / October 20XX – May 20XX
- Developed a thesis proposal for a statewide public opinion poll on tort reform
- Awarded a $1,000 grant to expand and execute polling research
- Formulated a series of 10 questions designed to reduce bias
- Polled over 1,000 New York residents, reaching the threshold for statistical significance
- Organized the resulting data and presented my findings to the NYU Political Science department earning commendation from faculty and peers as findings integrated into ongoing research on public policy and reform
VOLUNTEER
Tom Suozzi for Congress, New York, NY / May 20XX – November 20XX
- Made and distributed campaign materials to to engage and inform supporters and increase supporter engagement through tailored messaging
- Coordinated and led comprehensive Get Out The Vote efforts in local neighborhoods, personally knocking on over 800 doors
- Crafted detailed persuasive phone scripts for campaign volunteers ensuring clear and consistent messaging across all voter interactions
- Excelled in a fast-paced, high-pressure campaign environment, quickly adapting to shifting priorities and tight deadline
SKILLS
Problem solving, Adaptability, Collaboration, Time management, Critical thinking, Interpersonal skills
LANGUAGES
Native: English
Fluent: Spanish
Proficient: Farsi
AWARDS
Dean’s List
NYU / Last 3 Semesters
Tau Sigma Honors Society
NYU / 20XX
Resume for recent college graduate (with internship)
If written about clearly and effectively, internship experience on a resume can be a huge boost to any recent college graduate’s resume.
To help you write about your internship experience, here’s a recent college graduate resume with an internship section to help you model your own resume:
Sample resume with internship (text version)
RESUME OBJECTIVE
Recent Digital Strategy and Marketing graduate with 7 months of hands-on experience developing and executing ad campaigns while interning at Ogilvy. Seeking to leverage my skills in data analysis, content creation, and campaign optimization to obtain a Digital Marketing Coordinator role at Weber Shandwick.
EDUCATION
B.S. / Digital Strategy and Marketing
NYU, New York, NY, Graduated 20XX
Honors: magna cum laude
Relevant Coursework: Consumer Behavior and Analytics, Marketing Metrics and Performance
SKILLS
Digital marketing strategy, Content creation, Data analysis, Social media management, SEO/SEM, Google Analytics, Campaign optimization
EXPERIENCE
DIGITAL STRATEGY INTERN
Ogilvy, New York, NY / October 20XX – May 20XX
- Assisted in the development and execution of multi-channel digital marketing campaigns, reaching over 1 million impressions across platforms
- Created content calendars and managed social media accounts for 3 major clients, increasing engagement by 15%
- Conducted keyword research and optimized website content, leading to a 10% increase in organic traffic for client websites
- Analyzed campaign performance using Google Analytics and provided actionable insights to improve conversion rates by 7%
- Collaborated with creative and strategy teams to align campaign messages with target audiences and client goals.
VOLUNTEER MARKETING ASSISTANT
New York Cares. New York, NY / September 20XX– December 20XX
- Created social media graphics and posts for fundraising campaigns, resulting in a 12% increase in donor engagement
- Assisted in organizing events by promoting them on social platforms and email newsletters, contributing to a 25% rise in attendance
- Coordinated with the marketing team to implement email campaigns, improving open rates by 8%
AWARDS
Dean’s List – Awarded for achieving a GPA in the top 10% of the class for four consecutive semesters
Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award – Recognized for developing SpeakStop, a top-performing digital marketing campaign protesting Violence against Women
2. Use an eye-catching resume header
Your contact information and name should be the very first thing hiring managers see when they glance at your resume. To help your information stand out, put it in your resume header at the top of the page, and type your first and last name in a large font to make it memorable.
Your header should include your:
- First and last name
- Current job title (if you have one)
- Professional email
- Phone number
- City and state (optional)
Additionally, consider adding your LinkedIn to your resume header if you have a strong profile.
Before sending out your application, double-check that all your contact information is correct.
Here’s an example of a simple header:
YOUR NAME
your.name@email.com | (512) 988-7737 | Linkedin.com/in/your.name
3. Craft a convincing resume objective
Your resume’s introduction is your opportunity to catch the attention of employers and convince them to give you a chance. We recommend recent graduates use a resume objective because it allows you to highlight your career goals as well as your key skills and experience without relying heavily on formal work experience.
If you already have relevant work experience, you can consider another introduction style such as a resume profile or summary of qualifications.
CAREER OBJECTIVE
Recent university graduate with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a specialization in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. Gained 2+ years of experience in local conservation efforts as a volunteer at the Corvallis City Government Sustainability Department. Seeking to use strong research, reporting and presentation skills to join the WWF Wildlife Conservation team as a Program Associate.
Try experimenting with our resume summary generator to get ideas for your resume introduction.
4. Write a detailed educational background
Having a thorough education section is essential for any recent college graduate’s resume.
To make your education stand out, here’s what you should include in your education section:
- The name of your university or community college
- Location of the school (city, state)
- Graduation date (month and year)
- Degree(s) (including any minors)
- GPA (only include your GPA if it’s above 3.5, and use this format: GPA: 3.7/4.0)
- Awards or honors (such as summa cum laude)
- Put the Dean’s list on your resume if you made the cut more than twice
- Include any study abroad programs you completed (as a separate entry in your education section)
If you have little or no professional experience (like many recent graduates), include as much detail about your education as possible. Choose a format like the Harvard resume template that allows you to showcase your educational achievements.
In particular, you should list relevant coursework on your resume to show employers that you have an interest in and experience with the industry you’re interested in working in.
However, if you already have a lot of professional experience, it’s best to keep your education section short and omit any academic awards, as well as your GPA.
EDUCATION
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY, Corvallis, OR
Graduated May 20XX Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science
Specialization: Fisheries & Wildlife Management Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.7/4.0)
Relevant Coursework:
- Environmental Analysis
- Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Field Sampling of Fish and Wildlife
- Field Techniques for Marine Mammal Conservation
- Biology and Conservation of Marine Mammals
- Population Dynamics
If you’re lacking relevant work experience, listing your academic projects on your resume can be a great way to display the experience and skills necessary for a position.
5. Write an experience section that highlights your relevant skills
The experience section is the core of every resume. As a college graduate, this is where you elaborate on any experience that’s prepared you for the position you want to fill. Since you are new to the workplace use this section to highlight important accomplishments.
If you plan to include anything other than work experience in this section, you can make the section header “Relevant Experience” to make it more general.
Then, include any of the following experiences you might have (but make sure they’re connected to the role you want in some way):
- Projects
- Full time or part-time jobs
- Internships
- Volunteer work
- Coursework (should be highly relevant)
- Extracurriculars
Ultimately, even if you’re writing a general resume, your experience section should show employers that you have specific valuable skills relevant to the position.
If you’re pursuing a career in sustainability here’s how you might list relevant experience:
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Volunteer Volunteer
CORVALLIS CITY SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT, Corvallis, OR
January 20XX-May 20XX
OREGON ANIMAL CENTER, Corvallis, OR
July 20XX-August 20XX
If you don’t have relevant experience like in this example, you can use the same format with relevant coursework.
For instance, you could list an honors thesis you wrote, and use 2-4 bullet points to describe the challenges you overcame, your research and writing process, and any awards or positive feedback you received for the thesis.
To highlight the proactive role you had in your accomplishments, choose strong action verbs to begin your relevant experience bullet points.
6. Demonstrate a diverse mix of technical and soft skills
As a recent graduate, you don’t need formal work experience to have a strong resume skills section.
Just through your coursework and extracurricular activities, you’ve likely accumulated an array of marketable skills to put on your resume like:
- Microsoft Office
- Google Workspace
- Photoshop
- Writing
- Editing
- Time management
- Collaboration
- Research
- Team leadership
Start by listing any technical skills and any hard or soft skills you possess that are relevant to the position. Soft skills, such as communication, team management, analytical skills, and interpersonal skills, are always in high demand from employers because soft skills are notoriously difficult to teach.
Showcase soft skills in your experience section by describing instances of how they helped you achieve success as a student. For example, if you have outstanding leadership skills, include an example of how you took the lead on an important class project.
VOLUNTEER RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY
Jan. 20XX–June 20XX
- Conducted desktop research on local wildlife populations and environmental factors affecting their habitats, contributing analysis to conservation strategy reports used by project teams
- Compiled data and drafted reports for internal teams and public outreach, ensuring clear communication of findings to stakeholders
- Assisted in developing presentation materials for conservation awareness events, collaborating with team members to ensure scientific accuracy and audience engagement
- Coordinated meetings with field researchers and external partners, scheduling and preparing agendas for efficient communication and project alignment
- Supported event logistics for conservation workshops, managing event registrations and assisting with on-site event coordination
Meanwhile, use your skills section to include your other relevant skills that don’t naturally fit into your relevant experience section:
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
- Proficient in MS Office
- Fluent in English and Spanish
- Excellent interpersonal skills, strong sense of responsibility and integrity
- Exceptional organizational and administrative skills
Our free-to-use resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.
7. Use a template made for a recent college graduate resume
Here’s a recent college graduate resume template that you can paste into Microsoft Word or Google Docs and fill out. For each resume section you’ll see what information you should include to best emphasize your strengths.
[Your Address]
[Your Email Address] | [Your Phone Number]
[LinkedIn Profile] (optional)
Recent college graduate with a degree in [degree name]. Seeking to leverage my competence in [job-specific hard skills] to fill the [position name] position at [company name]. A [positive personality trait] worker aiming to contribute to [company name]’s goals and take on more responsibility as quickly as possible as the newest member of your team.
Degree or Diploma / Major
Institution Name, City, Province
Honors: If you graduated with honors (i.e. summa cum laude), list it here
- [Describe a key responsibility or achievement]
- [This can include coursework]
- [Mention any quantifiable results or impacts, such as grades, position in class, leadership roles]
- [List key accomplishments from an earlier position, internship, or project]
- [Assuming you no longer actively perform this job or project, make sure you use past tense verbs to describe your experience]
- List your relevant professional skills
- If you don’t know what the hiring manager is looking for, try reading through the job requirements
- Then pair your own abilities with the ones in the description
- Here’s where you can add any other information relevant to your background
- This section could highlight publications, languages, volunteer experience, community service, professional associations you belong to, or any training or certifications
If you want to finish writing your resume faster, use one of these templates made for entry-level candidates:
Timeless
Supreme
Classic
Additional resources for college graduates
To help you build a competitive application, we provide a variety of writing guides, simple fresher resume samples, and general templates for new college graduates.
No matter your work experience, use our resume examples, templates, and other resources to help you improve your chances of landing work in 2025.
- Internship resume sample
- College student resume sample
- How to write a grad school resume
- How to list an internship on a resume
- How to put a double major on a resume
- How to list a degree on a resume
- Entry level cover letter
- Cover letter for an internship
- Recent graduate cover letter
- How to list a fraternity or sorority on your resume
- How to write a resume
- How to list education on a resume
- How to list an unfinished degree on a resume
- What to include on your resume
- How to write a strong cover letter
- Recent graduate cover letter
Frequently asked questions about writing a resume as a recent grad
We’ve answered some common questions about how to best write a recent graduate resume:
What type of resume should a recent graduate have?
If you’re a recent graduate and you’re wondering how to best format your resume, we recommend using a format like the Harvard resume template because it highlights your education section and makes your qualifications stand out.
What should a college graduate put on a resume?
A recent college graduate should focus on presenting relevant academic achievements, internships, volunteer experiences, skills, and other extracurricular activities that demonstrate employability.
Here’s what to include:
- Contact information
- Resume objective
- Education
- Experience (include internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work, or campus leadership roles)
- Skills
- Certifications/professional development
- Projects (optional)
- Extracurricular activities (when applicable)
How long should a recent college graduate resume be?
A recent college graduate’s resume should generally be one page long. Keep it concise, and tailor each resume to the specific job you’re applying for.

The Resume Genius Team
The Resume Genius Team is a tight-knit crew of career coaches, hiring managers, and staff writers who are passionate about providing the best, most up-to-date career advice possible and helping job seekers land their dream jobs. Every article is reviewed by either Geoff Scott, Samuel Johns, Eva Chan, Corissa Peterson, or Dominique Vatin, our team of in-house Certified Professional Resume Writers. Resume Genius and its authors' career and resume advice have been featured in major publications such as CNBC, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.
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