Your resume is often the first impression you make on your future employers - and you only have a few seconds to make it count. With the rise of digital hiring platforms such as Indeed and Handshake, companies have begun to integrate an Applicant Tracking System and other AI-assisted recruitment processes to weed out their applicant pool. In today's competitive job market having an outdated or generic resume will leave you overlooked. As the market continues to evolve, it is crucial that you stay ahead of the curve by updating your resume to reflect the latest trends and best practices. Whether you're preparing for an internship, on-campus job, or graduate school applications, a polished resume will have you stand out amongst the stack to unlock your career potential. Ready to get started?
Bots Are the New Bosses
Have you applied to a job lately, only to hear nothing back? Your resume is strong, but the interviews just aren't coming in? You can blame it on the ATS. Whether you have heard it being called an Applicant Tracking System 'ATS' or not, I am sure you have heard about the practice before. Employers are beginning to use an ATS to streamline the hiring process as single job postings that can get well over a hundred unique applicants. In fact over 98.4% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS. The tracking system quickly scans your resume to review key words, skills, or experiences that align with the job posting. They then store this information in a spreadsheet like database that employers then use to rank or filter candidates based on your qualifications for the job, leaving only the top matches to pass through to an actual recruiter or hiring manager. Filters can include your skills, education, job titles, certifications, and years of experience. Jobscan estimates that nearly 75% of all resumes are never seen by a human eye if they don't pass the ATS! More AI-Assisted Recruitment tools are being created that don't only scan what you say, but how you say it! AI tools such as HireVue and Harver are just a few that can review your video interviews to assess your tone, word choice, body language, and even predict job performance based on your responses.
The TLDR: it is important more than ever that you are creating a uniquely structured resume for each job you apply to!
Keep This, Skip That - What Belongs in 2025 (and What Doesn’t)
Let me be clear when I say this - each job you apply for should have it's own resume! In 2025, resumes are still your best marketing tools. We can keep crafting a standout resume simple by balancing the timeless structure with a few modern expectations. Today’s standout resumes are clear, concise, and designed to be both human- and bot-friendly. Here's your guide to what to keep, what to skip, and how to make your resume easy to read at a glance. Note that these are tips for more general resumes and creative resumes have vastly different requirements.
Clean, Clear and Career-Ready
You might have amazing experiences—but if your resume looks cluttered or hard to read, a recruiter may never even get to them. Here’s how to make your resume easy on the eyes and powerful at a glance:
White Space: The empty space isn't wasted space - it gives the reader room to breath and guides their eyes to the important stuff. You do not want someone to feel overwhelmed when reading your resume! Consider using 0.5-1 inch margins, leave space between the sections and entries, and avoid squishing everything into one page - if it feels jammed then something has to go.
Font Facts: Your font shouldn't be doing too much, keep it classy and clean. I choose one of the classics like Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Garamond, Helvetica, or Georgia and stick to it. You will want your name to stand out at the top so put it in bold and all caps in 14-16 pt. Section headers should feel special, consider bolding or underlining, make them in all caps, and be around 11-12 pt font. Lastly, your body should be 10-11 points. Remember to use bold sparingly - it should be one or two word, not whole sentences.
One v Two Pages: A good rule of thumb is to stick to one page if you have less than 5 years of relevant experiences. Two pages should only be considered if you had multiple jobs, internships, or leadership roles that are all relevant and you are applying to roles that require more depth such as research, policy, or project management. Don't add a second page to just add fluff - remember that each line should be meaningful and have purpose.
Alignment: Make sure you are consistent in your alignment. If you section headers are all algined left then keep the info under them aligned left too. If you are using bullet points, be sure that the bullet points are all aligned the same and the indention levels match the same level of importance. I recommend aligning your dates to the right so they stand out and enhance the readability.
Bullet Points over Paragraphs: Paragraphs can hurt the eyes while bullet points can give your resume a cleaner look and feel. Plus they make searching for the keywords and skills much more easier for AI tools and human readers alike.
Keep It
Name and Contact Info: Include your full name, phone, a professional email (not the one you created in middle school), your city, and your state.
Pro-Tip! Keep it clean and precise but don't be afraid to add a little pizazz to it by incorporating your LinkedIn account or other relevant social media.
Professional Summary: This is a quick 2-3 sentence snapshot of who you are, what you've done, and where you want to go. Think "here is who I am, what I bring to the table, and where I am headed." You can craft a Professional Summary by starting with your identity as a student, be sure to mention your major and year you are in college. Then highlight some relevant experiences such as internships, leadership roles, research or other Experiential Learning opportunities. Next, showcase your strengths and skills by mentioning a few keywords directly from the job posting. Lastly, include your career interest or goals so you can show you've thought about where you are headed. This should be in third person.
Ex: Business Administration student with leadership experience through campus organizations and a customer service internship. Adept at public speaking, time management, and team collaboration. Interested in marketing and community engagement roles.
Experience: Your experience should include anything that you have done. This should include your jobs, internships, student leadership roles, class projects, and relevant volunteer experiences. Each of your roles should have your job title, organization name, date of employment (organized as Month Year - Month Year), and location (just the City and State). Do not feel the need to include every single experience on your resume; ask yourself if the experience is relevant to the role you're applying for, if it shows transferable skills, or if you grew, learned, or contributed to something meaningful in the role. Once you've picked your experiences it's time to write 2-3 effective bullet points. Every bullet point should answer what you did, how you did it, and what the result was. Think of this formula to craft the perfect descriptions of your experience: action verb + what you did + how/why you did it + results or outcomes (these should be quantitative numbers). That helps you get your points like "Tutored peers in math." to "Tutored 10+ students weekly in algebra and calculus, contributing to improved test scores and confidence amongst students." Remember to use the keywords from the posting! Lastly, a general rule of thumb is to organize these section in reverse-chronological order so new things to the top and older jobs at the bottom.
Pro-Tip! If you feel like you have enough information to differentiate between your Working, Professional Involvement, and Volunteer experience then separate them out into their own sections.
Pro-Tip! When writing your bullet points, use the past tense suffix -ed for your action verbs on role that you have already completed and remove it from roles you are currently in.
Skills: For this section, think quality over quantity. Focus on a mix of technical skills, or the specific industry abilities such as Excel, Python, Canva, etc., and transferable skills, the skills that can be applied across various roles such as the NACE Career Ready Competencies. Remember to tailor your list to match the job or internship you are applying for by incorporate specific keywords from the job descriptions.
Pro-Tip! If you don't feel confident about speaking to your skills in an interview, leave it off the resume.
Education: Include your degree, major, expected graduation, and any honors. Again, a general rule of thumb is to have your most recent degree first.
Relevant Certifications: This is a perfectly place to highlight your Digital Badges! Be sure to include the name of the certificate followed by the organization who provided it to you and when you earned it.
Ex: Communication for Career Readiness, University of Texas at Austin - Completed December 2024
Honors: Consider adding any awards, scholarships, academic achievements, and other honors that help you stand out.
Membership: If you are a member of professional or student organization, list them here! Keep it simple and down to one line.
Ex: University Leadership Network, Scholar, August 2023-Present
Skip It
Objective Statements: This might be a controversial take but an objective statement can be outdated and often too vague. They don't tell the employer anything meaningful that has not already been said in your Professional Summary and other sections.
Full Mailing Address: In today's digital world, employers won't be mailing you anything they'll just email or call you. Feel free to keep it simple with your City and State.
References: You don't have to add the "References available upon request." line or section. If the employer wants your references, they'll simply ask for them. Don't waste valuable space with this part!
Headshot: I am sure you look great in your headshot but it is best to leave it out. Not only does it take up a decent amount of space, but there are still plenty of biases from AI and other hiring tools that might impact the hiring process. If you are applying internationally, check your country's norms, but for the US roles: skip it.
High School Experiences: If you are a third year college student, then it's time to let go of your high school clubs, honors, and jobs - unless it s directly connected to the role you are applying for. Focus on your college journey, internships, leadership opportunities, and service.
Let the Swiping Begin
Think of your resume as a living document - as you grow, gain more experiences, and become career ready it should be evolving right along side you. Whether it's adding a new project, refining a bullet point, or customizing it for a specific role, regular updates will keep your resume ready for any opportunity that comes your way! Don't be afraid to ask mentors, peers, or professionals to give it a glance over and provide feedback. Remember, your resume is your story and if your story speaks to a specific job then it will stand out more than a generic one!
If I taught you nothing else, let it be that you customize it to the job, internship, or scholarship description and to proofread it like a pro before submitting your resume. Want a fresh pair of eyes? Ask your Cohort Coordinator or our EL Team to review your resume and provide ways to elevate it even further. Now's the time - go open that doc and give it the glow up it needs for hiring managers to swipe right on it!