A Guide To Student Resume Templates With Examples & Tips

Even if you have a great degree, experience, skillset, and certifications, the process of applying for several jobs and not being shortlisted by the recruiter can be a dreadful experience. Ladders Inc. highlighted in its 2018 Eye-Tracking Study that recruiters today spend an average of 7.4 seconds skimming resumes.

A good resume sums up your education and experience in a way that is relevant to the job you are applying for. The information on the resume should be presented in the order that it is most relevant to the job and the skills, knowledge, and abilities that are required. Essentially, having a good resume can increase your chances of getting hired significantly. The art of resume making can be easily mastered. In this article, we will explain every aspect of a good resume including some examples and tips.

Elements to be included in a resume

We here at Dare2compete have launched a comprehensive course on resume building. The course is instructed by top recruiters and industry experts and is free of cost. The course has 8 detailed modules with 18 lectures addressing all the important aspects of a resume. The course also awards you a certificate post the completion of the course.

Demystifying elements of a resume 

1. Personal Information 

This section includes your details like name, contact details, address, email address, LinkedIn profile links etc. It is advisable to put this section on the top of your resume. It should be crisp and cover very less space on your resume. It is advisable to skip family details like father and mother names.

Tip – Include a clickable link to your LinkedIn profile in this section.

2.Objective/Summary

This section is not mandatory for freshers. If you are planning to write an objective/summary, it should be very specific to your profile. It should not include generic statements.

Example –

Tip – Try to summarise this section by using a strip on the top of your resume.

3. Academic Qualification

This section requires you to mention your educational journey. It is advisable to include your grades and present them in a tabular form.

Example –

Tip – Present this on the top of your resume

4.  Projects (Work exp, Internships, Academics, Extra-curricular, Co-curricular)

This is an integral part of your resume. This section gives a detailed insight into the work that you have performed over time. While writing this section, you have to address the following points:-

1. i) What was the end goal of the project?
2. ii) What were your intermediate KPIs vs translation to overall KPIs?

iii) How many people were you working with?

1. iv) Number of articles, papers, players, techniques analyzed

While addressing this section, you have to make sure that you do not throw designation at the recruiter instead try to explain the work that you did and the impact it created. Explain this section in the language so hiring managers and recruiters could understand.

Tip-  Make sure you mention the results and impacts that you created while working on a specific project.

5.  Position of leadership/responsibilities

In this section, a candidate should mention all the positions he or she has held across clubs and other student communities. This section can be addressed using the LII (Leadership, Initiative and Impact ) approach.

Example –

Tip – Make sure you address this section using bullet points

6. Skills/Certifications

The number of candidates who have professional certificates related to a job has increased significantly due to the recent boom in the Edtech industry. In order to stand out make sure to mention your certifications in the following manner:-

1. i) Name of the certification & certifying agency or the instructor
2. ii) Duration

iii) Learnings from that course

1. iv) Selection ratio for that course
2. v) Duration and expiration date

Tip – Mention the top 2 or 3 certifications related to the job profile

Formatting a Resume

The above 6 sections are the most important sections of a resume but there is more to a perfect resume. It becomes imperative to emphasize the formatting of a resume as a hiring manager or a recruiter spends around 10 seconds scanning a resume. A solid format emphasises crucial aspects of your history and entices the hiring manager to continue reading. A hiring manager is unlikely to be interested in a CV that does not attempt to sell itself right away. A solid structure puts all of the key material at the top and persuades the hiring manager that your content is worth reading. There are two very important aspects of a resume apart from its content.

i) Use of Powerful Action words

Power words are those sets of words on your resume which represent action and overall create positive vibes with a recruiter. It creates impacts and showcases your overall profile in a better way.

Tip – Use slightly different words like Interacted, Evaluated, Quantified, Appraised etc.

ii) Formatting and basic hygiene 

While making a resume, formatting is as important as the content of the resume. The following points should be considered:

Summing up…

Finally, it is highly advisable to get your resume reviewed and customized according to the job role. Whether you are an entry-level employee or a seasoned professional, your resume needs to stand out in order to get a shortlist from the company. Make sure you make your resume in just 1 A4 size sheet. Always proofread and spell check the document before sending it off to the employer.