College student resume writing tips and examples.

Gather your information.

Before sitting down to write your resume, gather essential information like:

• Your contact information. Include your name, phone number, and school email.

• Education. List your current school name, majors and minors, and expected graduation date. Only list your GPA if it’s 3.0 or higher.

• Coursework. Include any course names you’ve completed that are relevant to the opportunity you’re applying for.

• Awards. List any impressive or relevant awards, like if you made the Dean’s list or received a prestigious scholarship.

• Skills. List your technical skills and soft skills, but try to make them relevant to your application.

Gathering this information first will save time, making the resume writing process as easy as copy-pasting.

Write concisely.

Your resume doesn’t need to go over one page. If you find that yours is longer than that, it’s time to trim the text. For example, remove irrelevant information, like babysitting or summer lifeguard jobs, if they aren’t relevant to your current experience.

When writing about your experiences, use action verbs. Swap words like got with achieved or earned, for example.

Focus on results. Instead of “Served as a lifeguard at the community pool,” write “Successfully protected pool patrons, leading to a record-low accident rate.” This approach helps interviewers understand the value you bring to the table, which could help you edge out other applicants.

AI tools today can help get you started. Just like you’d use an AI-powered exam prep tool for help with your finals or an AI flashcard maker for your studies, you can also use it for crafting parts of your resume.

Include a cover letter.

Most job applications will ask for a cover letter. Think of your cover letter as your chance to make your resume stand out. It’s a separate discipline all its own, but learning how to write a cover letter will tell interviewers exactly why you’re the best fit for the job. For even smarter productivity, try the Acrobat AI resume tools to help generate a cover letter outline or edit your text until it’s submission-ready.

Know what not to include.

As a college student, you’re still learning professional norms. Unfortunately, a lot of bad resume advice can hurt your chances of scoring an internship or job. Although tempting, don’t include these things in your resume:

• Photos. Photographs are standard in some countries, but leave photos off your resume in the US. Photos can unintentionally cause bias, so let your accomplishments speak for themselves.

• Irrelevant experience. You don’t have a lot of experience, but that doesn’t mean you should list absolutely everything. If you’ve had jobs that don’t relate to the opportunity you’re applying for, leave them off your resume. Instead, focus on transferable skills (like teamwork or customer service) that apply across roles or list relevant coursework.

• High school information. Unless you’re a first-year student with limited experience, leave off high school achievements. As a college junior or senior, focus on your current experience with clubs, coursework, and internships.

• Unprofessional email address. Many college students still fall into the trap of using unprofessional email addresses, which isn’t an opportunity to make yourself noticeable — using a clever or funny email address will look like you have poor judgment. Either use your school email address or create a personal email with your first and last name as the username.

Format your resume correctly.

Learning how to format a resume is crucial for ensuring a polished, professional resume — especially as a young professional. Clarity and consistency are key for a good structure. Here’s how to keep your resume clean and professional:

• Use a simple, legible font like Arial or Calibri.

• Keep margins around one inch and font size between 10 to 12 pt.

• Stick to a one-page format.

• Use bullet points to describe responsibilities and achievements.

You can use the Acrobat PDF converter to edit and polish your resume in real time. The free Word to PDF converter is also a lifesaver for creating a shareable, polished resume file that displays consistently across all platforms. You can easily export your resume to PDF, merge it with a cover letter, or compress large files when submitting multiple documents. You can always use a free PDF editor if you need to update your document later or leave comments by sections

How to write a college student resume that stands out.

The above college student resume example is short, sweet, and to the point. But how can you get an edge over other applicants? These best practices will make your resume shine:

• Personalize your resume and cover letter. Personalization takes more effort, but it’s the best way to improve your chances of landing that internship, job, or scholarship. If you aren’t sure where to start, look at the job posting and go line by line, ensuring your resume and cover letter touch on every requirement.

• Focus on results. Interviewers care about impact and value. How are you going to make their team better? Whenever possible, quantify your impact. For example, “Increased event attendance by 30%” or “Tutored 15 students weekly in statistics” are potent additions that will impress interviewers.

• Welcome white space. You might not have a lot of experience to share on your resume, and that’s okay. Don’t cram everything in — make your resume easy to skim. Leave enough space between sections, and keep margins clean and consistent.

• Always proofread. Read your resume aloud to check for typos and identify awkward phrasing or missing words. Ask a friend or college career counselor to proofread your resume before you send it off.

Formatting can also make a big difference. Save and send your resume and cover letter as a PDF to look more professional and ensure your text comes across exactly as intended.

You don’t have to create a resume alone, either. Acrobat makes it a cinch to generate professional-looking resumes. Thanks to the power of generative AI, writing a strong college student resume has never been easier. Whether you’re creating a cover letter, summarizing study materials, using an AI quiz generator, or prepping for exams, Acrobat has your back through every phase of student life.