College students are often unaware of the benefits of a well-written resume. Whether you are applying for an internship or looking for part-time employment after college hours, you must have a resume. But, you are still a college student with hardly any practical experience. How do you highlight your skills? Let the resume do the talking for you. 

A student’s resume must focus on academic performance, co-curricular activities, awards and other achievements in school or college. To make the task easier, a lot of online resources are now available to create fantastic resumes. These templates help to build an exceptional resume that is designed to showcase the skills and capabilities of a candidate. In most cases, resumes for college students must revolve around their educational qualifications, accomplishments and references. 

Choose a Simple Layout

The key to making your resume easily visible to potential recruiters lies in a simple layout. To acquire the attention of the hiring manager, you need to focus on the following sections.

• Mention your name and contact information including your phone number and address.
• Provide a detailed overview of your educational qualification.
• Mention any relevant skills, experiences or volunteering opportunities that you had undertaken.
• Offer details of any employment experience, even it was part-time or a summer internship. 

You should always concentrate on decluttering the resume. Never write unnecessary details that will lead your recruiter away from your profile. Organize details in such a manner that it immediately catches attention. You can even make use of online templates to create an exceptional resume. 

Mention Career Objective

A brief career objective must be included in student resumes. It allows recruiters to gauge the potential of a candidate. For this section, you can write one or two sentences detailing your professional goals. It must clearly indicate why you are applying for a specific position and how you can utilize your skills to justify the role. 

In short, the career objective can be a short synopsis of a candidate’s relevance and importance for the company. Make sure to keep this section short and crisp, preferably within 50 words.

Highlight Achievements in School and College

For an entry-level resume, this is the most important section. So, even if your current qualification is not commensurate to a job role, it allows employers to understand your potential. If you have always scored good marks and have maintained a consistent GPA, do not forget to highlight it. You must also mention the name and location of your school along with the programs you are studying. Any relevant achievement or honors should not be missed. 

Focus on Co-Curricular Achievements

Although you are new to the professional world and may not have any paid-job experience, co-curricular achievements can say a lot. If you participated in sports, represented your college in debates or volunteered for community service, write it down. You can also enrich your resume with references from college professors or other notable personalities. 

Most importantly, tailor your resume to meet the requirements of the position you’ve applied for. By highlighting your accomplishments you can easily create a lasting impression.