Whether you’re creating your first college resume, revising your resume to apply for a LifeWorks position or internship, or putting the finishing touches on your resume for post-graduation career opportunities, you’re in the right place!
Learn resume fundamentals and best practices by watching our Resume 101 series and reviewing the Resume 101 guide. When you’re ready to create your own resume, check out our collection of industry-specific sample resumes for inspiration. If you need help formatting your resume so that it’s ATS-friendly (and looks great!), download one of our pre-formatted resume starters.
For additional assistance, log onto Handshake to schedule a resume review appointment with one of our Career Peer Advisors.
RESUME 101
There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for writing an effective resume. The best way to craft an effective resume is to learn how to tell your story and adapt to your audience (a.k.a. your prospective employer). That's what this Resume 101 short video series is all about: empowering you to tell your story so you can accomplish your professional goals.
What a Resume Is and Why You Need One
What to Include on Your Resume
How to Describe Your Experience Using the WHO Method
How to Format Your Resume
RESUME SAMPLES
Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of building a resume, explore the resume samples below for inspiration on how to craft your resume to meet your professional goals.
Remember, you should tailor your resume for every position you apply to so that the content and formatting are relevant; an acting resume may help you land the leading role, but it won’t help you secure an accounting job. For more information on how to effectively write and format your resume, view our Resume 101 short video series or download the Resume 101 guide.
If you’re just beginning your college journey, this resume sample demonstrates how you can frame your accomplishments while building applied experience and exploring career options.
Students pursuing careers in this industry typically have applied research experience and should highlight that experience on their resume. Please note that this resume sample is designed for a job or internship application; students interested in applying to graduate school or veterinary school should speak with their faculty advisor and/or career consultant for more information on how to prepare a CV for their graduate applications.
Students pursuing positions in dance, film, music, or theatre performance should create a performance resume to submit for auditions, graduate programs, and job opportunities. A performance resume should emphasize your training, relevant skills, and previous roles. Performance resumes use different section headings than standard resumes, often including headings like “Performance Experience,” “Dance Training” or “Competitions and Awards.”
If you’re seeking a non-performance position at a company or nonprofit in the arts, media, or entertainment industries, you should follow a standard resume format that highlights your applied experience and uses standard section headings.
When applying to positions in this industry, it’s best to keep your resume simple and traditional. Most hiring managers in this industry recommend that you avoid using color (text should be all black) and that you use conventional fonts. If the position you’re applying for requires that you know certain software or have particular certifications, make sure that you list those on your resume.
Soft skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork are in high-demand in the education and human services industry, so remember to highlight these soft skills in your bullet points. Your skills section should focus on hard skills, including relevant licenses and certifications. Because careers in this field focus on helping people, including your nonprofit or community engagement experience will help you demonstrate your fit for the role. If you’re applying to be a P-12 teacher, make sure you include your student teaching experience.
A simple resume with standard section headings is best practice in this industry. If you’re applying for a job or internship with the federal government, check our USA Job’s resume guidelines to make sure you’re including all the information required for the position. For law school applications, you’ll want to revise your resume to emphasize academic accomplishments like awards or research as well as leadership and service experience. It’s a good idea to research resume requirements for the law schools you’re applying to and follow their guidelines. Students interested in applying to graduate school in this field should speak with their faculty advisor and/or career consultant for more information on how to prepare a CV for their graduate applications.
When applying for a position as a healthcare practitioner or technician (ex. nurse, nutritionist, athletic trainer), it’s essential that you emphasize relevant licenses and certifications as well as clinical experience on your resume. If you’re planning on applying to graduate or professional school in the healthcare industry, you may want include research experience, job shadowing, or medical volunteer experience on your resume. Students interested in applying to graduate or professional school in this field should speak with their faculty advisor and/or career consultant for more information on how to prepare a resume or CV for their graduate applications.
While standard resume section headings may be appropriate for some positions in this industry, others will require that you include research experience, lab skills, or specific technological proficiencies. If you don’t have much-applied experience in these areas, you may want to include a section titled “Relevant Coursework” or “Relevant Projects” where you list the titles of some classes you’ve taken in this subject area or class projects that you’ve completed.
