You just finished school, you’re proud of your degree, and you’re sending out application after application with nothing coming back. Not even a rejection, just silence.
That is exhausting, and it doesn’t mean you’re not good enough.
Learning how to write an entry level resume as a recent graduate can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
The real problem isn't the ATS.
When a person does read your resume, they spend about 6 to 7 seconds on the first pass.
It has to be clean and easy to scan.
How to Structure Your Entry Level Resume
The 6 step playbook
1
Fix the format first
Single column layout
Arial / Calibri / Georgia
10–11pt font
Standard headers: Experience, Education, Skills
Titles: Experience, Skills, etc.
One page
Save as PDF
2
You have more experience than you think
What counts as experience
Internships and part-time jobs (retail, food service, on campus)
Class projects and your capstone
Volunteering and club roles
Freelance or side projects
2
You have more experience than you think
What count as experience
Internships and part-time jobs (retail, food service, on campus)
Class projects and your capstone
Volunteering and club roles
Freelance or side projects
3
Write results, not duties
Weak (duty)
Strong (result)
Helped run the marketing club’s Instagram.
Grew the marketing club’s Instagram from 400 to 1,200 followers in one semester by posting three times a week.
Worked as a barista.
Trained 4 new hires and kept a 5 star rating across 200+ shifts.
Did a final project on customer data.
Analyzed 150 survey responses for a capstone and presented findings to two local business owners.
3
Write results, not duties
Weak (duty)
Vs. Strong (result)
Helped run the marketing club’s Instagram.
Grew the marketing club’s Instagram from 400 to 1,200 followers in one semester by posting three times a week.
Worked as a barista.
Trained 4 new hires and kept a 5 star rating across 200+ shifts.
Did a final project on customer data.
Analyzed 150 survey responses for a capstone and presented findings to two local business owners.
4
Use strong verbs
helped ➔ led, ran, drove
assisted with ➔ managed, coordinated
4
Use strong verbs
helped ➔ led, ran, drove
assisted with ➔ managed, coordinated
5
Get the order right
What counts as experience
1
Name and contact - professional email, phone, city, LinkedIn. No street address.
2
One-line summary - aimed at the job. Not "hardworking team player."
3
Education - degree, school, graduation date. GPA if 3.5+, relevant courses and honors.
4
Experience - internships, jobs, projects, volunteering. Most recent first. 3 - 5 result based lines each.
5
Skills - tools only (Excel, SQL, Figma, Python). No "Communication" or "Teamwork."
6
Extras - languages, certifications, portfolio link.
5
Get the order right
What counts as experience
1
Name and contact - professional email, phone, city, LinkedIn. No street address.
2
One-line summary - aimed at the job. Not "hardworking team player."
3
Education - degree, school, graduation date. GPA if 3.5+, relevant courses and honors.
4
Experience - internships, jobs, projects, volunteering. Most recent first. 3 - 5 result based lines each.
5
Skills - tools only (Excel, SQL, Figma, Python). No "Communication" or "Teamwork."
6
Extras - languages, certifications, portfolio link.
6
Tailor every application
Mirror exact words from the posting
Match your headline to the job title
List any tool the job mentions, if you’ve used it
List tool job mentions, if you’ve used it
LEAVE THESE OFF
Stripping out these visual distractions guarantees your entry level resume stays safe for applicant tracking systems.
Volunteering and club roles
References available upon request
Full home address
A photo (US, UK, Canada, Australia)
Skill bars and graphics
Two column layouts
Volunteering and club roles
References on request
Full home address
A photo (US, UK, etc.)
Skill bars and graphics
Two column layouts
No experience isn't the problem. How you write it is.
Check our Pricing to see our future plans, and join the private whitelist below to get 100% free access in exchange for your feedback.
SKIP THE GUESSWORK
Stop sending resumes into the void get your CV reader compliant in under 2 minutes
ApplyAssists rewrites your bullet points into results, formats your entry level resume so it imports cleanly, and matches it to each job using only what you actually did.
No design fluff
No keyword stuffing
No invented skills
7× more interviews
Free to try · No credit card required
SKIP THE GUESSWORK
Stop sending resumes into the void get your CV reader compliant in under 2 minutes
ApplyAssists rewrites your bullet points into results, formats your entry level resume so it imports cleanly, and matches it to each job using only what you actually did.
No design fluff
No keyword stuffing
No invented skills
7× more interviews
Free to try · No credit card required