Stunning Undergraduate CV Examples for You

An undergraduate degree is a great first step to getting a job, but it’s not always easy to present your skills and qualifications in your CV that gets a hiring manager’s attention. Here’s how you can make sure your undergraduate work really shines in your student CV.

What you highlight in your CV will depend on the field that you’re entering and your particular education and experiences. Someone with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration will highlight different areas compared to someone with a bachelor’s in computer science, for example. This is a big reason CV examples for specific jobs can be helpful—they can show you what to talk about and show to a recruiter for the best results. Generally, you should focus on any related extracurricular activities and work experience, as well as specific skills and knowledge you’ve gained through your undergrad years.

Header

The CV header includes your full name, phone number, email address, and any professional profile links you have such as your LinkedIn. Most CV templates will include some graphic flourishes or design elements in the header for extra visual impact.

CV summary or objective

The next section is your CV summary or CV objective. The summary is a two to three-sentence section that goes over your most prominent technical skills, work experience, and key achievements. The objective contains the same information but also states your career goal. Think of it this way: If you only had a few sentences to describe your background and strengths to a hiring manager, what would you write? That should be what you put in your objective or summary.

Skills

Look at CV samples for your field to help you determine what technical skills and other relevant skills you should include from the job listing. Remember that most fields need both hard skills and soft skills, but which skills should take precedence in your CV will depend on the job you’re applying to.

Work history

Most of the time, a college graduate who’s just starting a job search will get stuck on the work experience section, worrying that they don’t have any work experience they can include here. In fact, graduates often have internships, extracurricular activities, academic projects and relevant coursework that can be applied to the job title they’re trying to get. Just review your experiences during your school years to determine what experience you have, and add any relevant activities here.

Education

List your highest academic credential here (such as your undergraduate diploma); if you haven’t graduated yet, list your expected date of completion. If you’ve picked up any certifications, list them here.

Do:

• Quantify your achievements. “Top 5% of the class” looks much better on a CV than “Excelled in college.”
• Use bullet points and concise phrases instead of lengthy paragraphs. Bullet points make it easier for a hiring manager to scan through your CV.
• Turn adjectives into action verbs. Instead of just saying that you’re a “Was a team player,” say, “Collaborated with a team of six to create initiatives.”

Don’t:

• Include your high school experience. It’s understood that you went through high school or a GED equivalent because this is required to apply to college.
• Include your GPA. If you graduated with honors, however, like cum laude or Dean’s List, you can include them next to your education, but otherwise, it’s not necessary to list your GPA, unless requested.
• Focus on skills you really excel in. It’s better to have five or six skills you’re really happy with and proud of than a dozen you’re uncertain about.