College Freshman Resume: Tips & Examples for Beginners

Being a fresher in college, you might feel you are not experienced enough to put forth a mature resume. Calm down! You may not have years of professional career experience, but you can definitely bring out a resume that brings out your skills, academic success, and extracurricular activities. Your resume becomes one of your best tools for securing internship opportunities, part-time jobs, and leadership roles on campus. This blog is going to take you through the process of creating a showstopping College Freshman Resume that may set you up for success.

Check out the free resume templates for college freshman resumes.

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Guide to Creating a College Freshman Resume

Begin with a Strong Resume Header

Your resume should begin with a professional header that includes your full name, contact information, and other links to your social media or any portfolio if applicable. Make sure your email is professional in form; a basic format should be your name rather than some funny or casual username.

Example:

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Emily Johnson

(555) 555-1234

emily.johnson@email.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emilyjohnson

2. Resume Objective

Most likely you'll have very little work experience if you are a freshman, so it's great to include an objective statement in your resume to help get you introduced and what you hope to be getting. The objective should be brief and to the point and indicate what you are looking for, be it a part-time job, internship, or student organization.

Example:

Inspired college student, looking to apply excellent communication skills as a team player in a dynamic internship environment. Hands-on experience working towards contributing to the positive success of an expanding organization.

This objective provides a statement of your intent, conveys transferable skills, and looks forward so very important for early academic and professional career stages.

3. Highlight Your Education

For the undergraduate education segment, if you are a first-year college student, this should be the most significant portion of your resume. Since you are a first-year college student, ensure that you include all your high school achievements, especially in case you received academic honors, and were involved in student organizations, among other accomplishments.

Example:

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

ABC University, Expected Graduation: 2028

Relevant Coursework: Introduction to Business, Microeconomics, Business Communication

GPA: 3.8 (Optional, include if it's strong)

XYZ High School

Graduating Class: June 2024

Honors/Awards:

If you received any scholarships or academic achievements, list them here as well. You should also include any dual-enrollment or college-level courses you took in high school as well.

4. Cite any relevant experience

Even if you don't have professional experience, you can describe volunteer work, an internship, a part-time job, or leadership roles you have held in extracurricular activities. Be sure to mention what you learned and the skills you acquired in that role.

Example:

Sales Associate (Part-time) | XYZ Retail Store | June 2022 – August 2023

• Assisted customers with their needs and thereby contributed to an increased shopping experience with a 15 per cent increase in daily sales.
• Worked with a team of 10 to accomplish daily set targets for the stores and ensured high customer satisfaction.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills through handling complaints from customers with efficient management.

5. Include Extracurricular Activities and Leadership

Employers and internship providers often ask you how you become engaged on campus or in your community. Use this section to highlight your extracurricular activities, whether it's clubs, sports teams, student government, volunteering, or any other activity where you have been active.

Example:

Student Council President | XYZ High School | 2023 – 2024

• Student Council has ensured the organization of events for more than 500 students, including school dances and charity fundraising events, amounting to more than $5,000 in local causes.
• Increased engagement in school activities by initiating new projects based on student feedback.

6. Highlight Key Skills

Although you may be just setting out on your career path, you possess skills that make you a suitable candidate for internships or part-time work. Do not shy away from mentioning soft skills such as communicating and leading while technical skills, like familiarity with specific software or social media, can also be counted here too.

Example:

Communication: Strong verbal and written skills cultivated through customer service and leadership functions.

Teamwork: Proven capacity to work in a team for a collaborative purpose.

Time Management: Juggling school and after-school activities and part-time employment.

Tech Skills: Skilled user of Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and general social media management.

Tailor this section to the job or internship you're applying for by including relevant skills from the job description.

7. Consider Adding a Projects or Accomplishments Section

If you've worked on class projects, worked on personal projects, or won any kind of award, you also have a section to include about achievements. This showcases the ability to brainstorm an idea, problem-solver, and take an interest in learning.

Example:

Marketing Class Project

• The team worked together to create a comprehensive marketing plan for a small business; their social media increased their status by 25% within the engagement.
• Dean's List
• Awards that will recognize academic excellence and put on two consecutive semesters of the Dean's List.

Conclusion

In college as a freshman, building up a resume might appear to be quite a difficult activity; however, you're not as blank as you think. With all the acumen regarding extracurricular activities and relevant experiences, you will create a resume that best displays your strengths as well as a good future. It's quite likely with a well-drafted resume that you will be going to apply for internships, part-time jobs, as well as other leadership opportunities to develop your skills and make your way up in your career.

Focus on clear organization, concise descriptions, and tailoring your resume to specific opportunities, and you'll find yourself sifting through the pages in a resume that helps you stand out as a college freshman.