Skills to Put on a Resume for Students

A resume is a concise and informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, differentiating you from other candidates seeking similar positions. Although it alone won’t get you a job or internship, a good resume is an important factor in obtaining an interview.

Tailoring Your Resume

Tailor your resume to the type of position you’re seeking. Your resume and cover letter should authentically represent who you are and what you have to offer. Generative AI can be a useful tool in the editing process. For example, it can help you brainstorm revisions to bullet points, incorporate keywords gleaned from a job description, or otherwise improve what you already have.

Education Section

When including your educational background, you may also indicate a joint or double concentration, a secondary, and/or a concurrent master’s degree.

Examples:

A.B. in Biomedical Engineering with a joint concentration in Computer Science
A.B. in History with a double concentration in Statistics
A.B. Harvard University
A.B./S.M. Harvard University
A.B./S.M. Computer Science; Concurrent S.M. Harvard University
Concurrent Degrees: S.M. Computer Science; A.B.

Cover Letter as a Marketing Tool

Your cover letter is a writing sample and a part of the screening process. By articulating why you are a fit for a particular role, you can increase your chances of being interviewed. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes; remember that this is a marketing tool.

Skills: Telling Your Story

A resume presents your story by highlighting your skills (the things you do well). Employers initially scan a resume for 30 to 60 seconds, so it needs to be descriptive and concise at the same time. It also needs to be tailored to the organization to which you are applying.

Resume Sections

To keep your resume easy to read, divide it into common sections. Experience is often broken up into two or three sections based on the themes in your experiences. Most employers take 30-60 seconds per resume during their first glance. Keep your formatting consistent and easy to skim quickly.

Leveraging AI Tools

GenAI Tools (like U-M GPT or ChatGPT) can be incredibly helpful for resumes, but don’t forget to be careful with what you share. You can copy in the job description and your resume and ask “Where does my resume match up with the job description?". Review the bullet points for how effective they will be for a data scientist role, but use this as a starting point and don’t just copy/paste! Recruiters tell us they can tell when something is a straight copy/paste from a GenAI tool.

Example Prompt: “This summer I was a research assistant for Professor Smith. The project was about (add details). My specific role was (add details). The results of the experiment were (add details). I want to highlight these skills: (add details)."

Note: It is recommended using U-M GPT to keep your information secure. If you use other tools, it is recommended removing any personal information.

Read also: A Guide to Leadership for Students

The Importance of Soft Skills

Employers consider more than just academic qualifications in the current competitive job market. Soft skills, also known as “people skills” or “interpersonal skills,” are the intangible qualities that make job candidates stand out to potential employers. They are the nontechnical abilities and personal attributes that demonstrate a candidate’s capacity to work effectively with others in various aspects of the workplace. Often, these skills are not taught; they are learned organically and develop over time.

Acquiring and refining soft skills is critical to achieving success in your professional life. Research has long proven this point, dating back to 1918. A study by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center found that 85 percent of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills and people skills.

Recent studies show that soft skills are essential now more than ever. Possessing soft skills makes you stand out from candidates with similar academic qualifications, allowing employers to learn more about your potential contributions to their company.

The Global Talent Trends report reveals that 89 percent of recruiters attribute hiring failures to a lack of soft skills. Navigating professional work becomes difficult without essential soft skills, especially in a team-oriented environment.

Soft skills are as critical as technical skills when advancing your career. These skills enable you to form strong relationships, communicate effectively, think creatively, solve problems, and adapt to change. You can unlock your full potential and achieve remarkable career growth by investing in developing your soft skills.

Read also: Mastering Computers

Soft skills have become increasingly essential in the fast-paced modern workplace, allowing you to maneuver through changes and excel in dynamic environments. By cultivating solid soft skills, you can adapt to the present and anticipate and embrace the future of work.

Best Soft Skills for a Resume

Communication: Effective communication includes verbal and written skills that allow you to express your ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Strong communication skills can make a significant difference in your résumé, demonstrating your ability to connect with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
Teamwork: The workplace is a collaborative tapestry, and teamwork is the thread that binds individuals together. It’s about leveraging individual strengths and working toward shared goals. Highlighting your teamwork skills on your résumé demonstrates your ability to collaborate effectively, share ideas, and contribute to a cohesive work environment.
Problem-Solving: When faced with challenges, your most significant strength is your problem-solving ability. This involves first identifying the root cause of the issue, then analyzing it, and finally developing effective solutions. Demonstrating strong problem-solving skills on your résumé can make you stand out from other candidates, showcasing your analytical abilities, creative thinking, and capacity to overcome obstacles.
Leadership: Leadership is not just about a title but about inspiring and motivating others to achieve common goals. Highlighting your leadership skills on your résumé demonstrates your ability to take initiative, set clear directions, and empower others to reach their full potential. Employers value leaders who foster a positive work environment, delegate tasks effectively, and provide constructive feedback that drives growth.
Adaptability: In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential to have the ability to adapt. When you highlight your adaptability on your résumé, it shows you are resilient, flexible, and willing to step out of your comfort zone.
Time Management: The ability to make the most use of your time is one of the most valuable skills you can possess. Efficient time management includes organizing tasks according to their priority, ensuring prompt completion of projects, and avoiding procrastination. By emphasizing your time management skills on your résumé, you showcase your capacity to manage multiple commitments, organize your workload, and deliver results under pressure.
Creativity: It’s essential to think outside the box, challenge conventional thinking, and develop fresh ideas to solve problems. Demonstrating your creativity on your résumé can showcase your originality and problem-solving skills. Employers value individuals who can bring new perspectives, spark innovative ideas, and contribute to the organization’s growth.
Personal Branding: Personal branding has become essential to your job search in today's highly competitive job market. It involves identifying and communicating your unique value proposition effectively to potential employers. By showcasing your brand on your résumé, you demonstrate your self-awareness, career goals, and ability to market yourself effectively.

Skills for Students with Limited Experience

Crafting a strong resume is one of the most important steps in landing your first job, internship, or leadership role. For students, the challenge often lies in deciding what to include, especially if your work experience is limited. Highlighting your skills can bridge this gap and demonstrate your potential to employers. Skills are more than just a list of abilities they’re proof of your qualifications and a way to stand out in a competitive job market. For students, showcasing skills can compensate for a lack of professional experience. Including relevant skills tailored to the job description helps convey that you’re capable of learning, adapting, and contributing to the organization.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

Before listing skills on your resume, it’s essential to understand the difference between hard and soft skills. Both types of skills are crucial to demonstrating your qualifications as a student and showing employers you’re ready to excel in the workplace.

Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that are measurable and directly tied to a particular role or industry. These skills are often acquired through formal education, certifications, training programs, or hands-on experience. Soft skills, on the other hand, are personal attributes and interpersonal abilities that shape how you interact with others and adapt to different situations. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are harder to quantify but are just as critical in the workplace. They demonstrate your emotional intelligence, teamwork abilities, and problem-solving mindset.

Employers increasingly seek candidates who possess a blend of hard and soft skills as they make well-rounded employees who are an asset to any organization. When crafting your resume, think about how your hard and soft skills complement each other.

Universally Valued Skills

As a student, focusing on universally valued skills can enhance your resume and appeal to a broad range of employers. Employers value candidates who can analyze situations, identify issues, and develop effective solutions. Demonstrating leadership and teamwork shows that you can both guide and collaborate effectively. Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential in every field. Proficiency in technology is vital, especially for roles that require the use of specific tools or platforms. Balancing coursework, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs requires strong time management and organization.

Strategically Integrating Skills

It’s not enough to simply list your skillsyou need to strategically integrate them into your resume in a way that demonstrates their relevance to the position you’re applying for.

Resume Formats

Different resume formats can help you highlight your skills effectively, depending on your experience level and career goals.

The chronological format is one of the most commonly used resume structures. It focuses on work experience, listing jobs or internships in reverse chronological order (most recent first). This format is ideal if you have a solid work history or relevant internship experience to back up your skills.
The functional format focuses primarily on skills rather than work experience, making it a great option for students or recent graduates with limited job histories.
The combination format blends elements of both chronological and functional formats. It emphasizes both your skills and your relevant work or academic experience, providing a well-rounded view of your qualifications.

Number of Skills to Include

There’s no magic number but aim to include 5-8 relevant skills. Focus on quality over quantity, selecting skills that align with the job description.

Honesty and Proficiency

Yes, but be honest about your proficiency. For example, if you’re learning Python, list it as “Basic proficiency in Python” rather than overstating your expertise.

Customization

Absolutely. Customize your skills section to match the requirements in the job posting. Highlight skills that directly align with the position, using keywords from the description.

Skills as a Key Element

Your skills are one of the most important elements of your resume, especially as a student with limited work experience. Whether it’s critical thinking, teamwork, communication, or technological proficiency, focus on the skills that align with your career goals and the job requirements. Remember to format your resume in a way that emphasizes your strengths, tailoring it for each position.

Addressing the "No Experience" Dilemma

For those with limited or no formal work experience, like college freshmen, it's essential to highlight other relevant experiences, skills, and qualities. Here’s how to approach it:

College Freshman Focus

As a college freshman with no work experience, it’s essential to highlight your soft skills on your resume. Soft skills are personal attributes that enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.

Specific Skills to Highlight

Communication: Clearly expressing ideas and information through written and verbal communication is vital in any job. Highlight any experience you have in public speaking, writing, or interpersonal communication.
Teamwork: Emphasize any group projects or activities where you collaborated with others to achieve a common goal. This skill is essential in most entry-level jobs.
Problem-solving: Highlight any instances where you demonstrated the ability to analyze a problem and come up with a solution. This skill is crucial in many industries, including technology, engineering, and business.
Adaptability: Showcasing your ability to adapt to new situations is vital in today’s fast-paced work environment. Highlight any experiences where you had to adjust to new environments or challenges quickly.

Education and Extracurricular Activities

As a college freshman, your education is one of your most significant assets. Highlight your academic achievements, such as your GPA, relevant coursework, and academic honors. You can also include any extracurricular activities that demonstrate your leadership, teamwork, or problem-solving skills.

These activities can include:

Clubs and organizations: Involvement in clubs or organizations related to your major or career interests can demonstrate your passion and dedication. Highlight any leadership roles you held or accomplishments achieved while participating in these groups.
Internships: Even if they are unpaid or for academic credit, internships can provide valuable work experience that can set you apart from other candidates. Highlight any skills you gained or projects you completed during your internships.
Volunteer work: Volunteer work can demonstrate your commitment to giving back to your community while showcasing your skills and abilities. Highlight any volunteer experiences that align with the values or mission of the company you are applying to.

Technical Skills

Depending on the industry or job you are applying for, having specific technical skills can be a significant advantage.

Here are some technical skills to consider:

Computer literacy: Basic computer skills such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are essential in most entry-level jobs. Highlight your proficiency in these programs and any other relevant software applications.
Language skills: If you are fluent in multiple languages, this skill can be a valuable asset for many companies operating internationally. Highlight your language proficiency level and any relevant experience using these languages in professional settings.
Coding/Programming: If you have experience coding or programming, this skill can be particularly valuable in the tech industry. Highlight any relevant programming languages or projects you have completed using these skills.

High School Activities

It's worth noting that your high school experiences carry significant weight, especially during your first year.

If you don't have any professional experience, it's good to list your high school activities (clubs, sports, academic honors, volunteering) and extrapolate skills you have developed as a result. If you have experience with programming, programming languages are often relevant skills to add. Including any volunteer work, team projects, or extracurricular activities from high school can also enhance your resume, as they demonstrate skills such as teamwork and communication.

Highlighting Qualities and Characteristics

Highlight your qualities and characteristics to gain attention and interest in you for an entry level role. Some examples would be: proactive, curious, analytical, results oriented, great communication skills, etc. Highlighting your stand out qualities in your resume will help in opening up conversation around those topics when you are in an interview.

Specific Examples

Time Management: Did you balance extracurricular activities with your classes? If so, how were you able to find time to do both?
Project Management: Were you a team leader of a group project? Did you come up with a schedule, and ended up making adjustments? Were you able to deliver results? Focus on the impact of your leadership.
Computer Applications: Did you learn how to use Microsoft Excel or learn how to code using a programming language in high school?

College Involvement

Participate actively in numerous clubs during your freshman year and strive for leadership roles within these organizations.

Resume Sections for the Inexperienced

Even without work experience, you can still create a compelling resume by emphasizing relevant skills, achievements, and activities that showcase your potential and readiness for entry-level jobs.

Here are some skills and sections you can include on your resume:

Academic Skills:
- Highlight any specific coursework or projects relevant to the job you're applying for. For example, if you're applying for a data entry position, mention any courses in data analysis, statistics, or computer science.
Technical Skills:
- Include any technical skills you have, such as proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Suite, programming languages (e.g., Python, R), or familiarity with specific software relevant to the job.
Communication Skills:
- Even without work experience, you can demonstrate communication skills through activities such as public speaking, debate club, writing for the school newspaper, or participating in group projects.
Organizational Skills:
- Mention your ability to manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines. This could include balancing coursework, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments.
Problem-Solving Skills:
- Highlight instances where you identified a problem and implemented a solution, either in academic projects, group assignments, or personal initiatives.
Adaptability/Flexibility:
- Showcase your ability to adapt to new environments, learn quickly, and work effectively in diverse teams or settings.
Leadership Skills:
- Mention any leadership roles you've held in clubs, organizations, or volunteer activities. This could include being a team captain, club officer, or organizing events.
Research Skills:
- If applicable, mention any research projects you've been involved in, including methodology, data collection, analysis, and presentation of findings.
Language Skills:
- Fluency in multiple languages can be a valuable asset. Include any proficiency certifications if you have them.

Sections to Include

Education:
- List your college or university, expected graduation date, GPA (if it's strong), and any relevant coursework related to the job.
Projects:
- Create a section for academic projects where you can detail specific assignments or research projects that demonstrate relevant skills (e.g., data analysis, programming, problem-solving).
Extracurricular Activities:

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