College Freshman Resume Guide—Examples & Template

It's time to move out and start living your best, independent life. How? Write a college freshman resume that gets you the job you need.

Whether you’re at college because of a life-long dream, a career aspiration, or because you didn’t know what else to do with your life, one thing is for sure—

You’re gonna need some dollars. Tequila, movie tickets, and books can run quite expensive. Let’s write a college freshman resume that will have you rolling around with trust-fund-level spending money.

In this guide:

• A college freshman resume sample that comes top of the class.
• Guide to properly formatting your freshman resume.
• How to list your unfinished degree.
• Actionable tips and examples to help your college freshman resume shine.

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder for free. Start by choosing a resume template.

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Looking for something slightly different? See our other dedicated resume guides:

• Barista Resume
• Call Center Resume
• Cashier Resume
• Customer Service Resume
• Law Student Resume
• Medical Student Resume
• Sales Associate Resume
• Sorority Resume
• Undergraduate College Resume
• Walmart Resume

College Freshman Resume Template To Write Home About

Jake E. Jackson

Personal Info

2438 Todds Lane

San Antonio, TX 78225

Objective

Personable philosophy student maintaining a 3.9 GPA at University of Texas seeking to apply argumentation skills and eloquence to drive sales with high-value clients at Rolex San Antonio. Debating High School State Champion in 2019, beating 31 other contestants. Proven premium brand sales experience at a major department store, with 2 commendations for highest monthly sales. Implemented upselling strategies at Joe’s Farmer’s Market to generate $1,200 additional monthly revenue.

Education

BS in Philosophy

University of Texas at San Antonio

Expected Graduation: 2023

Extracurricular activities:

• Debating Team Member for State and National competitions.
• Treasurer of Young Enterprise Club.

Experience

Sales Assistant

Macy’s San Antonio

• Selling and advising on luxury menswear from Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss ranges.
• Resolving all customer inquiries and complaints.
• 0 unresolved or escalated issues.
• Exceeding monthly sales targets by 14% on average.
• 2 commendations for highest monthly sales.
• Overall 97% positive rating from post-sales surveys.

Cashier

Joe’s Farmer Market

• Implemented upselling cashier script to generate $1,200 monthly revenue.
• Responsible for $1,500 cash drawer daily.
• Fostered warm relationships with regular customers.

Awards

• 2019 Debating High School Texas State Champion
• 2019 Silverlakes High School Valedictorian

Languages

• Spanish—Conversational
• French—Conversational
• German—Intermediate

Skills

• Luxury Sales
• Conversation
• Relationship Building
• Problem Solving
• Upselling

Enough talk. Wake up samurai. We have a resume to write.

1. Use the Business Resume Format

With all the exams, essays and projects constantly coming your way, you already know how to fill in a sheet of paper. But resumes have their own rules. Before you start writing one, you need to choose a professional resume format.

Without one, you're risking making your application looking like a mess. And your recruiter, just like your professor, won't even bother reading it.

Not because we say so, but because you’ll have some competition—according to a recent National Center for Education Statistics study, 43% of full-time, and 81% of part-time undergraduate students work.

College Freshman Resume Format

• Always use thereverse-chronological resume order.
• Choose legiblefonts for your resume like Arial, Calibri or Tahoma.
• Set 1-inchresume margins, and leave white space between section
• Wondering if you should write a one page or two-page resume? Go for just one page, you probably don't have enough experience for a two page resume.
• Order the resume sections like this:Resume header, Objective, Education, Experience and add a couple of “Additional” ones.
• Save yourresume as a PDF to protect formatting, unless instructed otherwise.

Wondering about a specific resume style? Forget resume templates for Google Docs. They’re hard to format and everyone uses them. Try one of these resume templates instead.

One thing people get confused about is whether or not to include their address on a resume. The answer isn’t strictly black or white. If, for example, you believe the employer would rather hire someone who lives within a certain radius of the office, then the answer of course is yes.

Now get the pen and paper out.

Expert Tip: If you’re thinking of stretching the truth about your achievements or skills, don’t. Check out our study regarding lying on a resume.

2. Ace the College Freshman Resume Objective

If you had to convince someone to hire you in 7 seconds, what would you say? No, seriously. This isn’t a New Age corporate mindfulness technique. The average recruiter spends only 7.4 seconds scanning your resume. Therefore, having a strong profile on your resume is key.

As you will be writing an entry-level resume with very little experience, or even a resume with no experience whatsoever, it is best to pick the resume objective, and combine describing your study and achievements with setting out your ambitions.

Answer the following questions with one sentence each to compose it:

• Who are you? (One power adjective, what you study, years of experience/GPA, previous employer, if any)
• Can you do the job we are asking you to do? (Describe using numbers and professional achievements that prove how well you can perform the functions of the job we described in the ad)
• What makes you special? (One super-achievement)
• What can you do for us? (1-2 sentences)

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

5. Pass Your Education Section With Flying Colors

Education’s the whole reason you’re here, not the dorm parties. As such, this section holds much more weight to your college freshman resume than it would other resumes.

When listing a degree in progress:

• Start with your major.
• Add the school name and location, as well as the expected graduation date.
• If applicable, beef up your education section with relevant courses or achievements sections.

College Freshman Resume Sample—Education

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

When composing your first college freshman resume:

• Apply the resume format guidelines—margins, fonts, 1 page, reverse chronological.
• Use our cheatsheet college freshman resume sample and add your own information.
• Ace your college freshman job description with achievements and numbers.
• Split up certifications, skills and other bonus sections properly.
• Write a college freshman cover letter.

Got more questions on how to write a great freshman college resume with no experience? Did we help you get your college freshman resume right? Leave a comment. We’ll gladly reply.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Dave is a career expert delivering a wide range of well-researched advice regarding the job hunting and application process. At ResumeLab, his data-driven resume and cover letter guides help readers capitalize on their potential.

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