RESUME EXAMPLE · EDUCATION AND FIRST JOBS
Student resume example for internships, scholarships and first jobs
With a student resume, you aren’t competing on years of experience but on signs of potential: what you’re studying and how far along you are, what you’ve done with what you’ve learned and how you respond when people count on you. Recruiters who hire interns and entry-level candidates know you’re just starting out; what they need to see is that you learn fast and follow through.
That’s why education goes at the top, with detail: your major, expected graduation date, GPA if it helps and relevant coursework or projects. Then come class projects, part-time and campus jobs and volunteering, each described with results. If you’re not sure how to fill the page, our guide to a resume with no experience walks you through each section.
Internships come in many forms: paid or unpaid, for academic credit or not, in the summer or during the semester, plus co-ops that alternate terms of work and school. State the term you’re targeting (for example, Summer 2027), the hours you can work and whether you need the internship for credit. International students should confirm work authorization, such as CPT or OPT, with their school’s international student office before applying.
Student resume example
Daniela Garza
International Business Student · Seeking an import/export or logistics internship
San Antonio, TX · daniela@example.com
Professional summary
International business senior (GPA 3.7) available part-time from January 2027 for an internship in import/export or logistics. Coursework in international trade, supply chain management and business analytics. In a class consulting project, analyzed what it would take for a local salsa maker to export to Mexico and presented the plan to the owner. Works weekends in retail and has coordinated food pantry volunteers. Advanced Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), working knowledge of Incoterms 2020, fluent in English and Spanish.
Experience
Casa Ortega Salsas (International Trade Practicum client) · San Antonio, TX
- Worked with a team of four students to research tariff classification, USMCA rules of origin, Spanish-language labeling requirements and freight costs for exporting three products to Monterrey.
- Compared quotes from two customs brokers and three freight carriers and built an Excel cost model with EXW and DAP scenarios.
- Presented the plan to the owner, who used it to request formal quotes from a distributor in Monterrey.
- Earned the top grade in the class (98/100) on the final project.
Lone Star Books & Supply · San Antonio, TX
- Help about 60 customers per shift during back-to-school season and handle special orders for local schools.
- Balance the register at close with zero discrepancies over the past 12 months.
- Suggested organizing the seasonal display by grade level, which cut repeat questions at the counter.
Northside Community Food Pantry · San Antonio, TX
- Scheduled 15 volunteers for two annual food drives using a shared spreadsheet.
- Logged more than 4,000 pounds of incoming and outgoing food, tracking expiration dates.
- Trained new volunteers on the sorting procedure and the inventory sheet.
Education
Riverbend State University
Skills
Languages
English · Native Spanish · Fluent French · Basic
Certifications
- Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (2025)
- Incoterms 2020 workshop (8 hours)
Student resume summary: 3 examples
Your summary is the first thing a recruiter reads. Pick the one closest to your situation and rework it until it sounds like you. You will find more formulas in our resume summary guide.
Sophomore biology major interested in lab work and food quality. Lab coursework in microbiology and biochemistry, basic data analysis in Excel and R, and volunteer experience with a citizen science bird survey. Seeking a summer internship or research assistant position in a lab to learn quality control protocols.
Computer science senior who works 20 hours a week at the university IT help desk, resolving user tickets and documenting fixes in the knowledge base. Senior capstone project: a Python API for booking campus study rooms. Seeking a backend software engineering internship with the possibility of a full-time offer after graduation.
Economics junior with a 3.8 GPA, an A in Econometrics and experience as a peer mentor for first-year students. Presented a paper on housing and commuting at the university’s undergraduate research symposium and works as a research assistant cleaning datasets in Stata. Applying for this fellowship to gain hands-on experience in applied urban economics research.
How to describe your experience as a student
Start each bullet with an action verb and, whenever you can, add the result. Use these lines as a starting point: swap in your own details and delete anything you have not done.
- Led a team of [number] students on a final project that earned the top grade in the class.
- Organized a career panel with [number] speakers and about [number] attendees for my department.
- Coordinated [number] volunteers across [number] food drives.
- Worked [number] hours a week while keeping a [number] GPA.
- Built a reservation web app for a campus club that its [number] members now use.
- Represented my class in student government for [number] years.
- Took [place] in a university business plan competition with a sustainable delivery concept.
- Tutored [number] high school students in math; all of them passed the course.
- Translated the welcome guide for international students into [language].
- Ran social media for a student organization and grew its followers by [number]% in one school year.
Skills for a student resume
Hard skills
- Microsoft Office: Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Google Workspace
- Basic data analysis
- Research and report writing
- Citing sources (APA, MLA or Chicago)
- Public speaking and presentations
- Tools from your major (AutoCAD, R, SPSS, Canva…)
- Languages, with your proficiency level
Soft skills
- Eagerness to learn
- Reliability
- Organization and time management
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Initiative
- Adaptability
Only list skills you can back up with an example from your experience. More ideas in our guide to resume skills.
Common keywords in student job postings
These terms show up often in job postings for this role. If they truly describe you, use them with the same wording as the posting so both the recruiter and the applicant tracking system (ATS) can find them.
Tips for your student resume
Show your expected graduation date and availability
Employers plan internships by term. Next to your degree, add your expected graduation date (“Expected May 2027”) and, in your summary, which term you’re targeting, how many hours you can work and from when. If the internship has to count for academic credit, say so and mention that your school can sign the paperwork: it saves the recruiter a question.
Turn class projects into experience
A capstone, a case competition, a hackathon or a class project with a real client counts as experience if you describe it the same way: what the problem was, what you did, which tools you used and what the team achieved. Name the project, the course and the client if there was one. A link to your GitHub, portfolio or LinkedIn profile adds more credibility than a list of classes.
Campus jobs, summer jobs and volunteering count
Server, camp counselor, lifeguard, resident assistant, delivery driver or volunteer: all of them prove reliability, people skills and responsibility. Describe each one in one or two specific lines and connect what you learned to the job you want. Our guide to resume skills shows how to prove skills like teamwork instead of just listing them.
For scholarships and research programs, lead with academics
Committees for scholarships, fellowships and research programs look closely at your GPA, honors, research experience and fit with the program. List your GPA on a 4.0 scale, Dean’s List or other honors, posters or presentations and any research assistant work. Always read the application instructions: many ask for specific documents, and some want an academic CV instead of a resume, as our CV vs. resume guide explains.
Tailor every application and add a cover letter
With little experience, motivation carries more weight. Adjust your summary and the order of your projects for each posting, and add a short cover letter that explains why that company. If you paste the posting into Mi Resumen, the job match check separates the requirements your resume already shows from the ones it doesn’t, and the AI assistant can suggest changes; you choose which ones to apply.
Frequently asked questions
What do I put on a student resume if I’ve never had a job?
Detailed education, class projects, volunteering, languages, the tools you know and activities with real responsibility: student government, event planning, sports teams, tutoring. A three- or four-line summary that says what you’re looking for and what you offer completes the page. You’ll find examples in our resume summary guide.
Should I put my GPA on my resume?
Include it if it’s 3.0 or higher or if the employer asks for it, on a 4.0 scale (for example, 3.6/4.0). If your GPA in your major is higher than your overall GPA, you can list it as “Major GPA.” For scholarships and many graduate programs, it’s a key criterion. If it’s lower, leave it off and highlight coursework, projects or honors instead.
How long should a resume for an internship be?
One page. With little experience, a second page usually fills up with padding. Prioritize what connects to the role, and leave out a photo, your date of birth, marital status and short courses unrelated to the job.
Should I include high school on my resume?
In your first year or two of college, you can keep it to one line, especially if it’s relevant (an IB diploma, a magnet or career and technical program, notable honors). By junior year, or once you have work experience, remove it. If you’re still in high school or not going to college, your high school diploma or GED is your main education entry.
Should I list relevant coursework?
Yes, when you have little experience or the classes match the job. Add one line under your degree with three to six course names in plain terms (“Supply Chain Management,” not “BUS 3343”), plus any class project with a real client. Remove the line once your work experience speaks for itself.