How to Write a Resume as a Recent Graduate

As a recent graduate, write a one-page resume that leads with a short summary aimed at your target entry-level role, then either education or experience, whichever is stronger evidence for that job. Present internships, capstone and research projects, part-time work and leadership roles with result-focused bullets, and tailor the top third of the page to each posting.

Education first or experience first?

• Education first if your degree is your main qualification for the role, or your internships are short or unrelated.
• Experience first if you have one or more internships or jobs directly related to the target role.

Either way, education stays near the top for the first year or two after graduating.

Write a summary, not an objective

Formula: degree + target role + two relevant skills + one piece of proof. Example: "Marketing graduate targeting a content marketing role. Ran the student magazine's Instagram and newsletter for two years and completed a summer internship writing product emails for an e-commerce brand." See summary vs objective.

How to present your education

• Degree, major, school and graduation month and year.
• GPA if roughly 3.5 or higher, or if the employer asks.
• Honors, scholarships, thesis or capstone title.
• Three to five relevant courses only if they match the posting.

Turn internships and projects into evidence

Treat each internship and major project like a job: title, organization, dates and two to four bullets with results.

• "Marketing intern, regional credit union (summer 2025): wrote 8 email campaigns and set up A/B tests on subject lines."
• "Capstone: built a churn model in Python on a public telecom dataset and presented recommendations to faculty and an industry panel."

These are illustrations; use your own. Part-time jobs from college still belong on the resume, condensed to one or two bullets. If you have little to list, how to write a resume with no experience shows what else counts.

Tailor every application

Entry-level postings for the same title can stress different skills. Match your summary, the order of your bullets and your skills section to each one. The job link optimizer compares your resume with a posting, and a short cover letter written for each company helps when your experience is light: see cover letter with no experience.

Templates such as Campus (education and projects up front) and Beacon (classic modern layout) suit graduate resumes, and our resume examples include entry-level summaries for each role.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a recent graduate resume be?

One page, almost always. Graduates with long research or professional careers before their degree may need two.

When should I remove my GPA?

Once you have a year or two of full-time experience, or immediately if it is not strong. Employers who require it will ask on the application.

Should I include unrelated part-time jobs?

Yes, briefly. They show reliability and transferable skills such as customer service or working under pressure.