A college resume builder for internships

A college resume uses one page to show an employer what you can already do: classes, projects, campus roles, part-time work and internships. Recruiters hiring students expect a short work history and want to see how you used your time. With so many applicants for each opening, every line should name something you did and the difference it made.

What goes on a college resume?

Open with your name, city and state, phone number and a professional email address. If you graduate soon, use a personal email instead of your school address, which may stop working after you leave. Then add these sections, roughly in this order while you're in school:

• Summary: two lines naming your major, graduation year and the kind of role you want
• Education: school, degree and major, graduation year (or the year you expect to finish), and honors such as Dean's List
• Experience: internships, part-time and campus jobs, and research assistant roles, newest first
• Projects: class, club or personal work that shows a skill the job asks for
• Activities: clubs, student government, athletics and volunteering, with any leadership role named
• Skills: software, languages and lab or technical skills you could talk about in an interview

In Rocket Resume's builder, Experience goes under Work History, and your GPA, honors, coursework and class projects go in the details box under your school. Clubs, teams and volunteering fit the optional Affiliations section, and bigger projects fit Additional Information. On the last screen, you can rename either one to Activities or Projects and switch to any design in the template gallery without retyping.

Should education come first on a college resume?

Yes, while you're a student and for about a year after you graduate. Your degree is your strongest credential, and employers hiring interns and new grads want your major and graduation date up front. Move Experience above Education once an internship or job in your field says more about you than your classes do. Rocket Resume's builder puts Education below your jobs at first. On the final screen, drag your degree up to the top, compare the two versions and keep the stronger one.

When should I put my GPA on my resume?

As a college student, list it if it's 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, a higher bar than the 3.0 often used on a high school resume. Always include it when a posting asks, even if it's lower: some employers screen out applications below a set minimum. If your major GPA beats your overall one, list that instead and label it, as in "Major GPA: 3.7". Put it right after your degree, and take it off after a year or two of full-time work. Our article on GPA on a resume covers the in-between cases, and the FAQ says when high school comes off.

How do I list internships and part-time jobs?

List them under Experience in one format: job title, employer, city and state, and start and end dates (month and year). Under each, write two to four lines that start with an action verb and finish on what came of the work. A part-time job counts even when it's unrelated to your major. "Trained four new baristas, all ready to work alone by the fall rush" shows an employer you can train others, and "Worked 20 hours a week while making the Dean's List twice" shows you can manage your time.

What if I don't have much work experience yet?

Give your projects, coursework and activities the space a job would take. Describe a capstone, a lab study or a class app with the same verb-and-result lines, such as "Built a budgeting app in Python with two classmates; 40 students tested it." List three to five upper-level classes that match the posting as Relevant Coursework, and for each club role, say what you did as well as your title. For more ideas, read our guide to writing a college resume with no experience, or open the examples for your future industry to see how people in that field describe similar work.

Turn your classes and campus jobs into a resume with Rocket Resume

When one or two campus jobs have to carry the page, Rocket Resume's builder helps you get the most from each. Enter a job title to bring up expert suggestions, keep those that match your work and tune the wording to your voice. Each entry is set in the ATS-friendly design you chose, and you can keep a separate copy for each internship. With your dates in front of you, most people have a draft in under 10 minutes.

1. Say how much work experience you have so far, answer the school question if the builder asks it, then choose a design.
2. Add each job or internship, newest first, and pick the expert suggestions that fit its title. Then add your school.
3. Make each suggested line true to what you did, then add your skills, a summary and any clubs under Affiliations.
4. On the last screen, drag Education above your work history, then proofread each line and date before you download.

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