Resume Building Tips for University Students: How to Create an ATS-Friendly, Professional Resume

Landing a good job opportunity as a student depends on multiple factors, including your skills, interview performance, communication ability, and experience. However, your resume is often the first impression recruiters have of your profile. A well-structured resume can help you showcase your strengths, highlight your achievements, and improve your chances of getting shortlisted.

A well-written resume can significantly improve your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and receiving interview opportunities. This is why students with similar qualifications, skills, and experiences can often receive different career opportunities.

So, what are the golden resume writing practices that make a recruiter stop and read? Be crisp, choose the right vocab, present yourself in a better way, keep the content easy to read, and many more. If you are applying to internships or campus placements, you must read this blog till the end, as we will be sharing everything about a good resume and how you can write it all by yourself.

Why Does Your Resume Matter Before You Graduate?

This is where most students go wrong. They don't realise that the career they are aiming for doesn't come after they graduate, but actually before. If your college provides placements, you would know.

Writing an average resume, getting an average job and then making progress is never better than securing a high-package job with a strong resume. Now, most of you would think that a fresher's resume can be strong with no experience?

It is possible to create a strong fresher resume even without professional experience. The key is to present your skills, academic projects, certifications, and achievements effectively.

What is an ATS-friendly resume?

While you are researching how to make a resume, you must have come across the term "ATS-friendly." ATS stands for applicant tracking system. It's a software that companies use to scan thousands of resumes before the recruiter checks the filtered ones.

Yes, your resume doesn't reach a human first, but a software and to secure an interview, your resume must pass this ATS scan. So, what are the ATS-friendly resume tips? All you need to do is keep it simple, to the point, and short.

ATS-friendly resumes prioritise simplicity, clear formatting, relevant keywords, and easy readability. Avoiding excessive graphics, complicated layouts, and unnecessary design elements helps ensure that both ATS software and recruiters can easily understand your profile.

As you can see in the above image, there's no profile picture, no fancy and lengthy paragraphs, no weird headlines or sections; instead, it follows a very simple and structured flow. The resume holds just the information that the recruiter wants to see. Moreover, the simple and clean sections make it easy to read quickly and clearly.

Tips for Writing the Perfect Resume

ATS-friendly resume, job-winning resume, good resume, all can be written by following these simple resume-building tips. If you manage to follow them all, you will definitely see a rise in the quality and quantity of the recruiter calls.

1. Understand the Role Before You Start Writing

   The first of the resume-building tips you need to follow is not to start writing immediately. Begin by researching the role, industry, responsibilities and required skills. This helps you identify the right keywords to include in your resume.

   Recruiters and ATS tools often scan for role-specific terms rather than reading every line in detail. For example, an AI Engineer resume may need keywords such as machine learning, Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, NLP, computer vision and generative AI.

2. Choose a Clean and Professional Resume Format

   A resume is just like any other formal document, not an art exhibition. So, whenever you are writing a resume, choose a basic, simple and structured design. This will help you put all the information in an easy-to-read manner.
   
   Avoid using pictures, logos, icons or unnecessary texts. Instead, use clear headlines named educational background or work experience, etc. and use bullet points.

3. Write a Strong Resume Summary or Career Objective

   The very first section of an ATS-friendly resume is the professional summary section. Make sure that your professional summary consists of all the crucial information about your skills and experience. Here's a demo:

   Aspiring AI Engineer with a strong foundation in machine learning, deep learning, Python and data analysis. Experienced in developing academic projects using TensorFlow, PyTorch and scikit-learn, with knowledge of natural language processing, computer vision and generative AI. Skilled in data preprocessing, model training and performance evaluation, and seeking an entry-level opportunity to build practical AI solutions and contribute to real-world projects.

4. Present Your Education Clearly

   This is one of the most important resume building tips. While describing your educational qualification, ensure that all the information is clearly presented. Just mentioning your course and specialisation is not enough. Rather, it should have all the details starting from the year of graduation, specialisation, CGPA, university, etc.

5. Highlight Relevant Skills, Projects and Internships

   It is very important to highlight the most relevant skills and experience for the job in your resume. You don't have to make everything bold. What you can do is place the most relevant ones first in the section and make the keywords bold, use bullet points, choose better vocabulary, etc.

6. Turn Responsibilities into Achievement-Focused Statements

   As mentioned earlier, resume writing is not about what to write but how to write. When it comes to describing your roles and responsibilities in your previous job or any project you have handled, it becomes a bit boring.

   To catch the recruiter's attention, you can turn those responsibilities into achievement-focused points. Here's an example:

   Responsibility-focused:
   Worked on a machine learning project.

   Achievement-focused:
   Developed a machine learning model using Python and scikit-learn that achieved 89% accuracy on the test dataset.

7. Use Numbers to Show Your Impact

   No need to overuse bullet points, as it can sometimes create reading blindness. While writing down your achievements, skills, or awards, use a numbered list. It helps create a more impactful appearance for your resume. However, please ensure that you don't overdo it as well. Use the number list only for the specific section where you want to draw attention to.

8. Keep the Content Clear, Concise and Easy to Scan

   Yes, showcasing your skills and achievements in the best way possible is very important, but that also doesn't mean that you will write a 500+ word resume. A job-winning resume must have minimal text, which means enough white space, clear sections, proper flow and highlights. The best practice is to use bullet points, shorter lines and maintain clear heading names.

9. Customise Your Resume for Every Application

   It may sound funny, but one of the best resume building tips is to never stop building your resume. The jobs that you will apply for will not always be a perfect match to your degree, and using the old resume there might make your profile appear irrelevant. Let's understand this with an example:

   Suppose you are a computer science and engineering student, and you applied for a software engineer position at XYZ company and for a data analyst position in some other company because you got the exposure and training in that subject as well.
   
   Now, do you think the resume you will be using for the software engineer role is relevant for the data analyst position? No, right? That is why you can smartly edit your old resume as per the position by adding keywords, changing phrases, highlighting a different set of skills, etc. This can ease out your job hunting and significantly improve your visibility in this highly competitive job market.

10. Check the Resume for ATS Compatibility

    Once you complete writing your resume, get it checked for ATS compatibility on the internet to get a clear picture of what improvements you can make.

11. Proofread and Review Before Submitting

    The last of our resume building tips is to proofread everything before you submit your resume to a job portal. Not every flawless-looking resume is flawless; minor mistakes like extra spacing, grammatical errors, etc., can be there, which can affect the preference.

Resume Dos and Don'ts

Even if you thoroughly read the above 11 points, things can overlap in your brain. That is why, to keep things clearer and organised for you, follow these dos and don'ts.

Dos

• Customise your resume for each job.
• Use a clean and professional format.
• Include relevant keywords from the job description.
• Use action verbs and measurable achievements.
• Keep the content concise and easy to scan.
• Proofread carefully before submitting.

Don'ts

• Do not use the same resume for every role.
• Do not add false skills or exaggerated achievements.
• Do not use long paragraphs or cluttered designs.
• Do not include unnecessary personal information.
• Do not use an unprofessional email address.
• Do not submit the resume without checking for errors.

Professional Resume Vocabulary and Action Verbs

Previously, while explaining the best resume building tips, we mentioned that vocabulary plays a crucial role in deciding the quality of your resume. Here's a list of words you can use:

Tools That Can Help You Create and Improve Your Resume

You don't have to start with a blank page anymore. There are plenty of resume builder software that can help you create the perfect resume without spending hours. But you must put the right information in the right manner; there's no escape from that.

1. Teal — Free + Paid: Helps you build, organise and tailor multiple resume versions according to different job descriptions.
2. Kickresume — Free + Paid: Offers professional templates, writing suggestions and tools for improving resume sections.
3. Rezi — Free + Paid: Focuses on ATS-friendly formatting, keyword matching and job-specific resume optimisation.
4. Resume.io — Free + Paid: Provides guided resume creation, editable templates and writing support for different experience levels.
5. Novorésumé — Free + Paid: Offers structured templates and suggestions for students, freshers and experienced professionals.
6. Zety — Free to Build, Paid to Download: Provides step-by-step guidance, content suggestions and professional resume templates.
7. Canva — Free + Paid: Useful for creating visually appealing resumes, though simple layouts are better for ATS compatibility.
8. Microsoft Word — Free Templates; Software May Be Paid: Offers editable resume templates that can be customised and saved in Word or PDF format.
9. Google Docs — Free: A simple option for creating, editing, sharing and downloading clean resume templates.
10. Resume.com — Free: Provides basic templates, resume examples and guided tools for creating a professional resume.

Essential Resume Building Tips for Freshers

Just because you are a fresher or you don't have prior work experience doesn't mean that you will not be able to secure a high package. Just follow these resume building tips:

• Highlight academic projects that show practical skills and problem-solving ability.
• Add internships, volunteering work and part-time experience, even if they were short-term.
• Include relevant certifications, workshops and industry training programmes.
• Mention technical and soft skills that match the job description.
• Use measurable achievements wherever possible, such as scores, percentages or project outcomes.
• Customise your resume for every role instead of sending the same version everywhere.
• Keep the layout simple, professional and ATS-friendly.
• Use a strong career objective or professional summary tailored to the role.
• Add extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership, teamwork or communication.
• Proofread carefully and remove unnecessary or repetitive information.

What is a Cover Letter? How to write it?

As is very evident from the name, a cover letter is a letter that you write to the director or the manager of the company you are applying to. In this cover letter, you will describe why you are fit for the profile. Avoid using AI and try to write it in your own words.

Here's what it looks like:

Frequently asked questions

What is the best resume format for university students?

A university student's resume should include a professional summary, educational background, professional experience, skill set, internships and achievements. Students with limited experience can also add academic projects, certifications, volunteering and extracurricular activities.

How long should a fresher's resume be?

1 page is the ideal length. However, if you have an extensive list of internships, achievements or certifications, you can stretch it to 2 pages.

What should students include in a resume with no work experience?

Students with no prior work experience should include internships, certifications, event participation, etc., in their resumes.

Should a resume include a photograph?

ATS-friendly resumes don't include a photograph. Therefore, avoiding it is a better choice.

What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

Both terms are commonly used for the same document. "CV" was used more traditionally and is still common in British English, while "resume" is the American term and is now widely used for job applications.

Can students create an ATS-friendly resume without experience?

Yes. Students can highlight academic projects, internships, certifications, volunteer work, competitions, and technical skills to create a strong ATS-friendly resume.

What keywords should students add to their resume?

Students should include role-specific keywords related to their field, such as programming languages, software tools, certifications, technical skills, and project experience mentioned in the job description.