Structure the page so education, projects and work can carry it
For most US entry-level applications, use a simple order: contact details, a short summary or objective only if it adds a target role, education, then experience, projects and skills. Put education high when it is still your main qualification, including degree, school, expected or actual graduation date and a short list of relevant coursework, honors or a thesis if they match the posting. Move a substantial internship or job above education only when it is clearly closer to the role than your degree.
Keep headings familiar—Education, Experience, Projects, Skills—so both recruiters and applicant-tracking systems can parse the file. You do not need a professional summary that restates your major in slogan form. A two- or three-line statement that names the kind of role you want and the strongest evidence you already have is enough. Leave career-change framing and long employment histories to the career-change guide.
What to include when you have little formal experience
Treat internships, co-ops, campus jobs, research assistantships, substantial class projects, volunteering and relevant freelance work as real evidence when you describe responsibility, tools and outcome. A campus retail shift can show reliability, cash handling or customer problem-solving; a group project can show analysis, a deliverable and a deadline. Label unpaid work accurately and never invent a job title you did not hold.
Numbers help when they are honest: hours, customers helped, tickets or orders handled, event attendance, funds raised, pages written, tests run or a project used by a named audience. If you cannot share a metric, describe the deliverable and who used it. The fictional examples later on this page illustrate wording only; replace every figure with results you can support. Coursework belongs as a short, targeted list—not a transcript dump.
Follow US one-page resume norms without padding
In the United States, hiring teams usually expect a one-page resume for internships and early-career roles outside academia, research CVs or federal applications that specify another format. Use the space for evidence, not decorative icons, photos or skill bars. Keep margins readable, dates consistent (month and year is fine) and bullet length tight. A second page is rarely an advantage at this stage and often signals padding.
This US-resume focus is the main difference from the first-job CV guide, which covers the same early-career move with more global CV wording and graduate-scheme context. If a posting asks for a CV, a résumé, or a curriculum vitae, match the requested name and any length instructions. Do not stretch thin experience with generic soft-skill claims or repeat the same achievement in the summary, bullets and skills list.
Keep the file ATS-readable and export a clean PDF
Mirror must-have skills from the posting only when you can discuss them in an interview. Group skills into short categories, drop tools you used once in a lab and avoid tables, text boxes or graphics that can break parsing. Use standard section titles and a single-column layout. If you are tailoring the same draft to several postings, adjust the summary, skills and a few bullets rather than rewriting the whole page.
Build the resume in the free Make.CV maker with live preview, then download a PDF with no watermark. Check that school names, dates and bullet text wrap cleanly and that the exported text remains selectable—habits that support both human readers and common applicant-tracking systems. Browse Make.CV templates if you want to compare simple layouts before you write.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the student, first-job or career-change guides?
This page is a US-style, usually one-page resume how-to for people with limited work history. Use /cv/student if you are still studying and applying for placements. Use /cv/first-job if you want a first full-time role with more general CV wording. Use /cv-for-career-change if you already have a prior career and need to translate it.
Should an entry-level resume always be one page?
For most US internships and junior roles outside academia, yes. Prefer clear evidence over a second page. Follow a longer format only when the employer—such as some research, academic or federal postings—asks for it.
What if I have no internship?
Lead with education, then add class projects, campus jobs, volunteering or research that shows related skills. Depth on a few relevant activities is stronger than a thin list of clubs with no outcomes.
Do I need an objective statement?
Only if it names a target role and your strongest proof in two or three lines. A vague objective about being a hard-working team player wastes space; skip it if education and bullets already make the fit obvious.