How to Write Your First Post-College Resume

It's the classic post-college resume dilemma: you can’t get the job without showing your experience, but you can’t get the experience without first getting a job! Your resume could start you on the path to the career you really want, so crafting a persuasive document has never been more important. 

But how do you write a post-college resume?! 

In this article, we’re looking at how to write a resume post-college. 

Unearthing experience for a post-college graduation resume

The key is to broaden your scope when it comes to the term “experience.” You went to college, you got your degree, and you did things that have helped you grow – it's not like you've been hiding under a rock. You are a graduate who is full of potential. As you think about your resume, focus on that word – potential. It's key to building a great graduate resume.

Here's how you put that to work for you on your post-college resume.

Professional summary

Your resume summary should be short and sweet, telling the hiring manager what kind of employee you will be by highlighting your best qualities. That's the hard part. You need to be able to brag a little here. 

• Are you a good leader? 

• Do you have exceptional computer skills? 

• Maybe you are a creative problem solver. 

Think about the things you do best and how those skills will make you good at your job. Keep your professional summary to two or three lines.

Expert tip: Avoid using words like “punctual” and “hardworking” on your resume. Punctuality and hard work are not skills, they are an expected behavior.

Example: 

An ambitious Business Management graduate with sound commercial acumen and the drive to succeed. Recognized as a creative problem solver with a focus on exceeding goals. Able to communicate well, contribute to team efforts, and motivate others.

Education

For your first post-college resume, your education section is very relevant. List out your school, degree, and GPA. You can also write about coursework and projects, as they’re likely to apply to your next steps, especially related to getting the right keywords into your resume so it gets past the applicant tracking system. 

Example: 

Bachelor of Science: Computer Science and Data Management (GPA: 3.5/4), Acme University, 2024

• Final project: Building a data analysis tool to evaluate customer feedback.

• Relevant coursework: Class 1, Class2, Class 3, and Class 4

Relevant experience

You may think you need to have a portion of your post-college resume dedicated to work experience. In most cases, that's true. However, if you have no work experience in your chosen field, you can shift the focus elsewhere.

Here's where you really need to think about the last few years and what you've done to prepare yourself for a career:

• Did you work part-time while you were in college? Even if it was cashiering at a department store or serving at a café, you gained experience. Think about the things you learned and how they’re relevant to the job you want.

• Did you have an internship? If so, that's great! List it and describe what you learned and accomplished while you were there.

• Were you a part of any clubs or organizations? What kind of work did you do? Did you hold a leadership position?

• Did you do any volunteering? Volunteering is a great way to use your skills and build experience, and it displays character.

While you may not have an extensive work history, that doesn't mean you don't have any relevant experience. Think carefully about what you can include in this section to make it shine.

Expert tip: The key word here is relevant. If you’re looking for a job in sales and your baking club taught you how to make a mean cupcake, that's not relevant. Did you sell more cupcakes than anyone else? Now you're talking.

Example:

Food Assistant, Acme Restaurant

October 2023 - February 2025

Delivered friendly customer service in a fast-food restaurant, ensuring customers were served quickly. Contributed as a key member of the team to maintain high standards of safety and hygiene. Resolved customer complaints. 

• Received consistently excellent reviews on TripAdvisor

• Achieved all targets for speed of service and customer satisfaction

Skills

Here's the section of a post-college resume that can really do some heavy lifting for you. What were you doing in all of those classes and clubs? You were learning skills. Fill this section with 9 to 12 skills and show prospective employers what kind of potential you have. Consider these ideas – there will be plenty more!

• Computer skills: applications, languages, tools – list them out.

• Foreign languages: having a second (or even third!) language under your belt is a huge plus in today's job market. Don’t forget to give your level of fluency, too.

• Communication: if you’ve delivered presentations, compiled reports, or written professional emails, make sure you're including that ability.

• Sector-specific skills: hopefully your education helped you learn some skills that are specific to the career field you want to enter.

• Time management: have you ever met a deadline or balanced competing priorities? Let prospective employers know you can stay on top of everything. 

• Leadership: whether from a group project or a sports team, leadership is a great skill to showcase at this level. 

Expert tip: While hard skills like being fluent in Spanish or being an expert HTML coder are fantastic, don't overlook soft skills. The ability to communicate, manage your time, and lead others are harder for employers to teach, so they want to see that you’re already proficient in these areas.

Example: 

Coding in C#   |   Problem Solving   |   Data Analysis   |   Teamwork   |   Attention to Detail

What do employers look for in a post-college resume?

Remember, employers aren't looking to help you build a career, they're trying to fill a vacancy and hire an employee that will make their company better. If you can match your skills and experience to their requirements, you’ve already got a head start. 

Top tips for a post-college resume

When you’ve written your post-college resume, make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance of success with these tips: 

1. Add a header giving your name and contact details

2. Don’t use a graphic layout 

3. Choose an appropriate post-college resume format

4. Proofread the final document 

5. Support it with a complete LinkedIn profile

Expert tip: Check out one of our post-college resume examples!

Write with confidence

You do have skills. You do have experiences. If you want to get a foot in the door at your first entry-level job, you need to convince employers that the skills and experiences you acquired during your time in school will help you become a star employee. 

If you don't have the experience they want, focus on the potential and show them that you can do this job and grow beyond. A well-written post-college resume is the first step to launching your new career and building exciting new experiences.

Enter the workforce with a splash with a post-college resume that impresses employers. Send yours for a free resume review from the experts at TopResume, to iron out the last creases. 

This article was originally written by Tyler Omoth and has been updated by Jen David.

Recommended reading: 

• 6 Ways to Rock Your First Entry-Level Job After Graduation

• Top Entry-Level Jobs for Recent College Grads

• 14 Reasons This is the Perfect College Grad Resume