How to Build a Good Resume for Graduate School

A well-crafted resume is an integral part of a graduate school application. It helps the admissions committee assess if you are a good fit for the program and learn about your interests, skills, experience, and education. A strong resume can enhance your application, even if your undergraduate education is in another subject.

Like a job resume, a graduate school resume must be free of typos and grammatical errors, easy to read, and appear well-organized. The emphasis should be on your education and specific skills that align with the program. Include work or volunteer experience, especially when there is a connection to the academic goal you wish to pursue. The resume is typically a required part of the application to assist in viewing you as holistically as possible.

What to include in your graduate school resume

Contact information

All resumes should include your name, phone number, and email address. If you have a LinkedIn, share your profile link. You can include a link to your portfolio for programs centered around art or writing.

Objectives are outdated. Instead, include a summary. Answer the questions: why do you want this degree, and what do you intend to do with it?

Education

For the education section, list your institution name, location, degree and major, concentration and minor, if applicable, and the date the degree was awarded. You can also list your GPA if it’s over 3.0. Recent undergraduates who lack relevant work experience should lean into coursework, projects, and academic achievements as much as possible.

Some aspects of education are challenging to describe, but that is where a Projects section can be helpful. Projects can be assignments from a class that demonstrate learning and application. Still, they can also be an additional task you took on at your job or an endeavor you embarked on to learn, practice a skill, or explore curiosity about a topic.

An example of how to present this information:

Research experience

Showcasing research is essential, especially if you are applying to a program in the humanities, social sciences, or physical sciences. When you identify programs of interest, look at the nature of the program. Some are practical and applied. Others are theoretical and research-focused, and they are likely seeking applicants with this background.

Here is an example of how to include research on your resume:

Work experience

Work is presented in reverse chronological order, including employer name, city, state, dates of employment, and job title. Each role should also have bullet points highlighting your skills and achievements. There are a few other considerations for a graduate school resume. If you have some experiences more relevant than others, consider grouping them, such as ”Internship Experience,” or “Writing and Editing Experience.” Leadership experience is always a plus.

Skills

Depending on the program and your background, include a SKILLS section where you list the most relevant ones. For technology or business, include programming languages, databases, and software programs. Social science candidates may want to have this section and include SPSS, qualitative research methodologies, and others. Physical science applicants should list lab skills. In addition to a category devoted to skills, embed them into your resume bullet points.

Awards and honors

A separate category for Awards and Honors where you list accomplishments, such as dean’s list, 2022-2024, is acceptable. Another option is to attach it to a related category like Education. If you received a scholarship (based on merit, not financial need) or participated in a competitive program, list that information and provide context.

Publications and presentations

Publications are limited to scholarly articles or papers submitted to journals or collaborations with faculty on book chapters. Similarly, presentations refer to academic work that was shared at a conference. List titles of professional presentations, name of the conference or event, dates and location, and, if appropriate in your discipline, include a brief description. Use the format appropriate for your discipline.

Tips for Crafting an Effective Graduate School Resume

Tailor your resume

You can adjust your resume for each program you apply to by highlighting coursework and reordering information such as skills, research, or experience. If one program is research-focused and another is applied, you can list research as a category before expertise or the other way around. Additional information about community service, leadership, or associations may also be relevant.

Highlight relevant experience

It may be tempting to list everything you have ever done if you held multiple jobs before you applied to graduate school. That is not necessary and may not be appropriate either. Should your experience be related to your field of study, list that first. Group them in reverse chronological order if you have more than one related experience.

If you have additional employment and space, list them separately as “Additional Experience” or “Retail and Hospitality Experience,” and then list the employer’s name, location, dates of employment, and job title. You do not have to provide bullet points if you demonstrated the skills used in those roles elsewhere in the resume.

Use action verbs

Begin each sentence with a verb to describe how you performed a task. Consider your field also, as sometimes certain words are more relevant than others or better explain the work. Additionally, if you think of a broad skill, such as communication, drill down further to think about what communication looked like in that context, how you communicate, and to whom, why, or how often.

Transform a generic bullet point from “Communicated with stakeholders weekly” to “Advised internal stakeholders of policy updates weekly, and summarized data by creating visualizations and brief descriptions uploaded to department webpage monthly.” That describes the communication skills more effectively and allows you to showcase additional skills and achievements.

Keep it concise

With resumes of any kind, being concise is imperative. Be straightforward enough that your bullet points aren’t generic, and find a balance between some context without providing every detail. Remember, this resume aims to showcase the totality of your experience and the evolution of your career and education. Be mindful of the type of degree you are pursuing as a model for length. Business, engineering, or data science should be one page, whereas humanities and social sciences are more open to reviewing two.

Common mistakes to avoid

• The most frequent errors are grammar and typographical errors, listing everything you have ever done, using the pronoun “I,” and describing work experience by stating “responsibilities/duties included:”
• Another common mistake is not reviewing the academic department webpage for the program you are interested in.

Use these tips to fix mistakes

• Be sure to proofread and have someone else check your work.
• Do not rely on spellcheck. Remove any extra words or pronouns (if you used them).
• Review the academic program information, learn about what courses they offer, and if they require an internship or a thesis. Look for a student profile to assess what they seek from applicants. Be mindful of this information as you prepare your application materials.
• The goal of the resume is to tell your story. Ask someone to read it for you and tell you your story as a way to check if you accomplished this.

Sample Graduate School Resumes

Tools and Resources for Building Your Resume

Online Resume Tools and Templates

Writing a resume can feel daunting, but with the right tools, it does not have to be.

It is important to choose a format and style that fits your experience and aligns with your goal. For example, business schools tend to prefer clean looks, a single column, and a font size of 10 to 12 in a classic style such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. An MFA program will look for graphic design elements, color usage, and creativity.

If you need help getting started on building a resume, try our Resume Builder tools and templates.

A good graduate school resume fits the program you are applying to in terms of format and style and showcases your academic achievements, skills, and work experience. It is important to include relevant information, regardless of where or how you achieved it. Leadership, community involvement, and teamwork are always welcome.

Frequently Asked Questions About Graduate School Resumes

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

Carolyn Kleiman

Professional Resume Writer

For the last 20 years, Carolyn Kleiman has helped individuals identify and achieve their career goals. Carolyn has held positions in recruiting and training and has helped countless numbers of job seekers craft high-quality resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and eventually land their dream jobs! Carolyn is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Certified Professional Resume Writer and is a member of the National Career Development Association and Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.