There are many different facets of writing a college application, and some colleges may want you to write a college resume. The college resume serves many purposes, most importantly allowing a college board to understand your experience and knowledge at a glance. It also gives you a chance to tell the college what kind of benefits you might be able to bring them. If you’re planning to apply to a college that requires a resume as part of the application process, here’s the five-step process to write your college resume.

• Look at Other College Resumes First

One great way to learn more about college resumes is to look at other people’s resumes. You can find college resume examples in various places online. Additionally, while looking at college resumes is a great place to start, you may also be able to find some extra information through general job resumes. These resumes can help you understand how to structure your resume, which will usually be the same regardless of your intended goal for the resume.

• See Whether Your College Has a Specific Format or Template

Next, you might want to check whether there’s a specific format or resume template that the college wants you to use. The college may have a resume template that they want you to fill out, as this can make it easier for a person to scan through many resumes or easier for a program to look through resumes automatically. If the college requests you to use a specific template, use that template. If not, you can find modern resume templates elsewhere that you can use instead.

• Write Down All Your Experience and Other Information

The next step is simply to write down all your past work experience, including volunteer experiences, skills, education, awards, achievements, and more. If you’re not sure what you would even put on a resume, it can be helpful to put this all into a single unlabeled list first, then separate it into the sections listed on your resume format. You want to include all the information that proves why you’re the best person for this college.

• Put All Your Information Into a Single-page Resume

Next, you need to organize your information into a resume that’s only one page long. There are some legitimate reasons for resumes that are longer than one page, but these resumes will almost exclusively belong to people with 10-20 years of experience, which you won’t have when you’re applying to college. Keep your resume to a single page for best results, as anything longer might make a college board member less likely to actually read it.

• Proofread Your Resume Before You Submit It

Finally, you want to proofread your resume before you submit it. Even if a typo or other error you made was a genuine mistake, it can reflect poorly on your entire application if the college board notices it. Instead of potentially tripping up your entire college application, you should proofread the resume yourself and maybe even get a friend to proofread it as well for a fresh set of eyes.

Conclusion

College resumes can be an important part of a college application, and it’s important that you have a great college resume. Whether you’ve written a college resume before or not, there are many points to keep in mind. These five steps will help you write a more effective college resume so that you can submit something you’re proud of.