Whether you are just starting a resume or looking to enhance your current draft, the following sample resumes can help. Keep in mind your resume should reflect your unique experiences and be tailored to each position you apply for!
Resume Samples
If you are still using a high school resume, you will likely need to make some significant edits. We suggest removing high school experience by your second year in college.
Early Undergraduate Students Just Getting Started
Haven’t yet participated in an internship or other experience related to your career field of interest? Consider going into greater detail about related courses, academic and volunteer experiences, and/or leadership opportunities. The following example showcases the student’s project experience from a campus program and on-campus leadership experience.
Later Stage Undergraduate or Master’s Students
Once you have accrued internship or other related experience, you will want to be thoughtful about how you best fill the limited space on your resume. This example effectively highlights three internships and leadership experiences.
Graduate Student Resume
If you are in a graduate program, you likely have more experience to share on your resume. You may have either a curriculum vitae (CV) or a shorter resume, depending on your career goals. CVs are used when applying for research related and faculty positions in academia while resumes are typically used when applying for jobs in private industry and nonprofit organizations. If you plan to construct a CV, you will want to tailor the document to the position(s) you are applying for.
Graduate Sample CV
The resume and CV samples included are for the same master's student, demonstrating the differences in what information you would include for either.
Veteran or Career Changer Resume
If you are a career changer and/or have served in the military, you will need to think about how to market transferable skills from your previous career along with the new skills you are picking up through your studies at the university level. For veterans, it's important to avoid military acronyms and jargon as much as possible and pull out examples of transferable skills applicable to your new career field of interest. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible and consider listing some related coursework from your current degree program, if applicable.
Sample Industry-Specific Resumes
It is important to research the field you hope to enter as some industries may have differences in terms of what is common on resumes and other application documents. A few examples are included below:
Arts, Communication & Design
Many larger employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which may not always be as welcoming to a resume with design elements. You may want to create an ATS-friendly resume for online portal applications with large companies and use a designed resume for career events, networking, job interviews, and applications to smaller organizations.
If you are submitting a more basic ATS-friendly resume, remember you can still show your creativity by linking to your design portfolio. When designing your resume, be wary of adding your photo or an illustrated/animated version of yourself, as some companies cannot accept resumes that include your image
Performing Arts
Theatre, dance and music students interested in applying for performance-based roles may want to use a performance resume, which showcases previous acting, dance or music performance experience. For dance positions, height/weight are not necessary unless a specific height range is sought, in which case a dancer could just list their height. If you are majoring in the performing arts but interested in other industries (including arts management roles), you may want to check out the Beginning/Early College or Advanced/Later College resume samples instead.
Federal Government
When applying for a job with the federal government, you must create an account in USAJobs.gov. Here, you have the option to create a resume using their resume builder or upload your own. Different agencies may accept either or both versions. It is best to have multiple options available in your USAJobs account. For more information on constructing an effective federal resume, check out this Partnership for Public Service article.
One major difference between a standard resume for industry and a federal resume is the length. A federal resume is expected to be longer than one page, so do not worry about trying to cut down on important information. However, you should still only include relevant information that demonstrates your qualifications.
Sciences
When applying for science-related positions, it can be important to clearly demonstrate specific technical skills in a section closer to the top of your resume. Depending on your background, you may want to highlight specific lab skills, computer programming languages, or software skills you possess.
Health
For health students, you will want to highlight your related experience, which may include clinical experience and/or volunteer experience in the local community. You should also connect with the Reed-Yorke Health Professions Advising Office on campus to better understand the application process to pre-med and allied health graduate programs. The following example may give you some ideas for how to share this experience on your resume.
Technology & Data
Highlighting technical/programming/computer skills will be important for some fields. If you haven't had an internship yet, you want to ensure you still show your technical skills through relevant projects, whether independent or class projects.
Looking for information on other industries? Check out the Career Resources by College page with links to career resources by academic colleges.