How to Write a Resume for a Fresh College Graduate?

Passing out of college successfully is a great milestone in everybody’s life. It signifies that you are ready to begin your professional life. It signifies that you can finally put your skills and knowledge to use and show what you have got. However, to show your skills at the workplace, you need to impress the recruiters first and get hired. And how do you do that? That first step is to send across an impressive resume to them. Writing an impressive college graduate resume or a resume for fresher is a little tricky because of the lack of previous work experience but it is not impossible.

College Graduate Resume Writing Tips

    1. Add a Professional Summary
    2. Keep the Resume Length, appropriate
    3. Use Active Verbs and Keywords
    4. Emphasize on Your Education
    5. Highlight any Related Experience, Skills, and Relevant Certifications
    6. Add a Link to Your Professional Profile
    7. Refer to Resume Samples Online
    8. Proofread Thoroughly & Format Properly

Before you start writing here are a few things you should keep in mind regarding an ideal resume format for freshers:
1. Add a Professional Summary

Most freshers add an objective at the very top of their college graduate resumes. The problem with adding an objective is that rather than talking about what you can offer to the recruiters, it talks about what you are looking for in your career which they may or may not be clear about themselves so early in their professional life. It is better to add a professional summary highlighting your best qualities/skills in a short and crisp manner.
2. Keep the Resume Length, appropriate

A recruiter expects a maximum resume length of two pages whether you are applying for the position of an executive or a CEO. Since you are at the starting line of your career, you should be able to put all your important things within one page and avoid adding another page.
3. Use Active Verbs and Keywords

Using words like managed, increased, advised, approved, moderated, streamlined, etc. have a positive effect on the recruiter. These give the impression that you are detailed, action-oriented, and meticulous in everything you do. Additionally, you must also add certain keywords to be able to pass the application tracking systems and reach the recruiters without any hindrance. It is easy to find which keywords to add in your fresher resume. You just have to look at the job description closely and understand what exactly the recruiter is looking for in a candidate and add the relevant skills to your resume.
4. Emphasize on Your Education

You will want to list your educational information near the top of your resume. As you move up in your career path, you will be able to add more relevant information related to your work experience at the top shifting the education section down or to the second page. The education section should include Degrees and Certifications, Thesis or Dissertation Titles, GPAs, Special honors or recognition.
5. Highlight any Related Experience, Skills, and Relevant Certifications

If you have any previous work experience even if it was unpaid, include it in the resume. This includes volunteer experience, internships, or even positions you might have held in school/college organizations such as exchange program organizing committee head, etc. These experiences can help you display the qualities that make you a worthy candidate for the job. You must also highlight any additional relevant courses or certifications you have taken to strengthen your case further.
6. Add a Link to Your Professional Profile

In today’s digital world, you must at least have one social media profile set up for your professional brand. Moreover, you must also add the link to your professional social profile in your resume so that the recruiters can take a better look into your personality. If you wish to keep your personal accounts safe, try putting some security settings.
7. Refer to Resume Samples Online

Since it is your first time writing a resume, you may find yourself at loss and not know where to start. It is better to take some inspiration before diving straight into writing your college graduate resume. You do not have to look far for some inspiration; just Google some resume samples to get ideas on how to structure your resume and what all you can include.
8. Proofread Thoroughly & Format Properly

While you are focusing on structuring your resume perfectly, do not forget to proofread the content thoroughly for possible spelling and grammatical errors. Have a friend read and proofread your resume too it is difficult sometime to catch your own mistakes. Also, ensure the format of your resume is consistent (in terms of font styles and sizes used in each section) and makes it easy on the reader’s eyes.

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