Crafting a captivating CV can prove particularly challenging for college students due to limited work experience. Our guide offers pragmatic strategies to highlight your academic achievements and extracurricular activities effectively, ensuring your CV stands out to prospective employers.
- Answer job requirements with your college CV and experience;
- Curate your academic background and certificates, following industry-leading CV examples;
- Select from +10 niche skills to match the ideal candidate profile
- Write a more succinct experience section that consists of all the right details.
Do you need more specific insights into writing your college CV? Our guides focus on unique insights for each individual role:
Structuring your college CV layout: four factors to keep in mind
There are plenty of best practices out there for your CV layout and design. At the end of the day, a clear format and concise CV message should be your top priority. Use your CV design to enhance separate sections, bringing them to the forefront of recruiters' attention. At the same time, you can write content that:- Follows the reverse chronological order in the experience section by first listing your most recent jobs;
- Incorporates your contact information in the header, but do skip out on the CV photo for roles in the UK;
- Is spotlighted in the most important sections of your CV, e.g. the summary or objective, experience, education, etc. to show just how you meet the job requirements;
- Is no longer than two-pages. Often, the one-page format can be optimal for your college CV.
Before submitting your CV, you may wonder whether to export it in Doc or PDF. With the PDF format, your information and layout stay intact. This is quite useful when your CV is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS) . The ATS is a software that scans your profile for all relevant information and can easily understand latest study on the ATS , which looks at your CV columns, design, and so much more.
PRO TIP
Use font size and style strategically to create a visual hierarchy, drawing the reader's eye to the most important information first (like your name and most recent job title).
The top sections on a college CV
- Education history shows academic achievements.
- Relevant coursework indicates specialised knowledge.
- Internship experience demonstrates practical skills.
- Extracurricular activities reflect soft skills.
- Skills section highlights applicable abilities.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight leadership experiences within student organisations or community service projects, demonstrating an ability to take initiative and contribute to college life.
- Emphasise academic achievements, such as high grades, scholarships, or involvement in research projects that are relevant to the college's curriculum and ethos.
- Include personal projects or interests that align with the college's values or mission statement, showing a natural fit with the institution's culture.
- Detail any relevant work experience, internships, or volunteering that shows a commitment to your chosen field of study and a proactive approach to gaining practical knowledge.
- Showcase soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and time management by providing examples from extracurricular activities, as colleges value well-rounded students.
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Tips and tricks on writing a job-winning college CV header
The CV header is the space which most recruiters would be referring most often to, in the beginning and end of your application. That is as the CV header includes your contact details, but also a headline and a professional photo. When writing your CV header:
- Double-check your contact details for spelling errors or if you've missed any digits. Also, ensure you've provided your personal details, and not your current work email or telephone number;
- Include your location in the form of the city and country you live in. If you want to be more detailed, you can list your full address to show proximity to your potential work place;
- Don't include your CV photo, if you're applying for roles in the UK or US, as this may bias initial recruiters' assessments;
- Write a professional headline that either integrates the job title, some relevant industry keywords, or your most noteworthy achievement.
In the next part of our guide, we'll provide you with professional CVs that showcase some of the best practices when it comes to writing your headline.
Examples of good CV headlines for college:
Marketing Specialist | Consumer Engagement | SEO & Analytics | CIM Certified | 3+ Years
Software Engineer | Full Stack Development | Agile Methodologies | BSc Computer Science | 5 Years Experience
Financial Analyst | Risk Management | Data Interpretation | CFA Level 1 | 2 Years in Finance
Biomedical Research Assistant | Cell Biology | Laboratory Techniques | MRes Biomedical Science | 4 Years' Lab Experience
Project Manager | Infrastructure Projects | Prince2 Practitioner | 6 Years Leading Teams
HR Coordinator | Talent Acquisition | Employee Relations | CIPD Qualified | 1 Year in Human Resources
Choosing your opening statement: a college CV summary or objective
At the top one third of your CV, you have the chance to make a more personable impression on recruiters by selecting between:
- Summary - or those three to five sentences that you use to show your greatest achievements. Use the CV summary if you happen to have plenty of relevant experience and wish to highlight your greatest successes;
- Objective - provides you with up to five sentences to state your career goals and aspirations
CV summaries for a college job:
``` CV objectives for a college job:
- Seeking to utilize comprehensive understanding of data analysis and machine learning, honed from rigorous academic coursework and personal projects, to contribute to the cutting-edge research team at Silicon Insights Corp.
- Eager to apply in-depth knowledge of marketing strategies, social media management, and brand development acquired from a dedicated university program to elevate brand engagement for Mediterranean Fashions.
- Aiming to leverage strong foundation in environmental science and passion for sustainability to assist the Green Earth Initiatives in combating climate change through impactful conservation projects.
- Aspiring to deploy adept skills in graphic design and creative software proficiency towards the artistic endeavors of Pixel Perfect Media, enriching visual communication and audience experience.
- Intent on bringing robust coding skills, expertise in cybersecurity, and a keen interest in software development to the innovative tech team at CyberSolutions Inc.
- Dedicated to merging a solid foundation in financial analysis with a keen eye for detail to support the fiscal integrity and growth of Metro Bank's investment division.
How to ensure your college CV stands out when you have no experience
This part of our step-by-step guide will help you substitute your experience section by helping you spotlight your skill set. First off, your ability to land your first job will depend on the time you take to assess precisely how you match the job requirements. Whether that's via your relevant education and courses, skill set, or any potential extracurricular activities. Next:
- Systematise your CV so that it spotlights your most relevant experience (whether that's your education or volunteer work) towards the top;
- Focus recruiters' attention to your transferrable skill set and in particular how your personality would be the perfect fit for the role;
- Consider how your current background has helped you build your technological understanding - whether you've created projects in your free time or as part of your uni degree;
- Ensure you've expanded on your teamwork capabilities with any relevant internships, part-time roles, or projects you've participated in the past.
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PRO TIP
If you have received professional endorsements or recommendations for certain skills, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, mention these to add credibility.
Key college CV skills: what are hard skills and soft skills
Let's kick off with the basics. You know that you have to include key job requirements or skills across your CV. For starters, take individual skills from the job description and copy-paste them into your CV, when relevant. Doing so, you'll ensure you have the correct skill spelling and also pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. There are two types of skills you'll need to include on your CV:
- Hard skills - technical abilities that are best defined by your certificates, education, and experience. You could also use the dedicated skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies you're apt at using that match the job requirements.
- Soft skills - your personal traits and interpersonal communication skills that are a bit harder to quantify. Use various CV sections, e.g. summary, strengths, experience, to shine a spotlight on your workspace achievements, thanks to using particular soft skills.
Remember that your job-winning CV should balance both your hard and soft skills to prove your technical background, while spotlighting your personality.
Top skills for your college CV:
Research
Academic Writing
Time Management
Critical Thinking
Data Analysis
Technical Proficiency
Project Management
Subject Matter Expertise
Presentation Skills
Statistical Analysis
Adaptability
Teamwork
Communication
Problem-Solving
Leadership
Work Ethic
Interpersonal Skills
Organisational Skills
Creativity
Attention to Detail
PRO TIP
Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
Further professional qualifications for your college CV: education and certificates
As you're nearing the end of your college CV, you may wonder what else will be relevant to the role. Recruiters are keen on understanding your academic background, as it teaches you an array of hard and soft skills. Create a dedicated education section that lists your:
- applicable higher education diplomas or ones that are at a postgraduate level;
- diploma, followed up with your higher education institution and start-graduation dates;
- extracurricular activities and honours, only if you deem that recruiters will find them impressive.
Follow a similar logic when presenting your certificates. Always select ones that will support your niche expertise and hint at what it's like to work with you. Balance both technical certification with soft skills courses to answer job requirements and company values. Wondering what the most sought out certificates are for the industry? Look no further:
PRO TIP
If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
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Key takeaways
Here are five things you need to remember about writing your college CV for success:
- Sort your experience based on the reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent career items, to showcase how you've grown your career;
- Include within your CV header your relevant contact details, a headline that could spotlight your unique value, and a photo - if you're applying for roles outside the UK or US;
- Decide to use the CV summary, if you happen to have more professional experience, and an objective, if you want to showcase your career goals;
- Within the experience section, write your bullets using action verbs, skills, and success, instead of just merely listing your on-the-job responsibilities;
- Prove your technical skills, using your education and certificates, and your soft skills, with your achievements and strengths sections.
