Basic Resume Templates and Examples
When choosing a resume template, the priority should be a clean, professional look that can focus on your career accomplishments. Especially for entry-level positions, it’s best to stand out from your peers but not be too flashy or choose a template that’s loud or hard to read. Your industry of choice should also inform how creative your template is. For instance, if you’re aiming for a graphic design role at a startup, you might lean toward a more fun and creative vibe versus someone applying for a more traditional corporate accounting job.
An entry-level resume should follow a traditional format that brings together your educational background, skills, and work experience. Because your expertise might be limited, it’s acceptable to include any relevant academic projects, internships, or volunteer work you’ve done as well. These are the basic sections your resume should include:
The recruiter needs to know how to get in touch with you and where to go for more information. Start with your name, email, and telephone number. Make sure your email is professional sounding. You can then include your LinkedIn profile and/or a link to your website (if applicable). Finish off with your city, state, and zip code – your full home address isn’t necessary.
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
The resume profile is a summary of who you are as a job candidate, featuring your top three or four qualifications or key skills. As an entry-level job seeker, you can also state any recent degree program you completed and your goal of launching your career in a particular role.
A list of skills makes it easy for a hiring manager to scan to see if you’re a good match for their role. It’s also helpful if the resume is going through an applicant tracking system, which screens for keywords.
| Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
|---|---|
| Data analytics | Adaptability/willingness to train |
| Industry-specific skills (i.e., cybersecurity, OSHA regulations, and first aid) | Collaboration |
| Managerial skills | Communications |
| Project management | Emotional intelligence |
| Software/platform expertise (i.e., Hootsuite, Salesforce, and Excel) | Organization |
When working on the bullet points in your work experience section, including strong action verbs can make your resume pop. The right verbs can paint a clear picture of what you’ve delivered to past employers. Some strong ones to consider using include:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Analyzed | Applied |
| Brainstormed | Collaborated |
| Cultivated | Developed |
| Generated | Spearheaded |
The bulk of your resume will be your job history. Entry-level resumes might have a combination of summer jobs, campus jobs, and internships. Include the title, timeframe, and employer/location for each entry. For the bullets under each job, focus on things you accomplished rather than the job responsibilities you had.
Intern, JD Cosmetics, Oswego, NY
September 2022 – March 2023
Volunteer Social Media Manager, Women’s Soccer Team, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
January 2021 – March 2022
It’s important for you as a job seeker to quantify your work experience. Recruiters and hiring managers want to understand the value you can bring to their organization. Illustrating what you’ve done in past positions can help make your case. Say you’re seeking an entry-level social media management job. Instead of simply stating that you wrote Facebook and Instagram posts during an internship, share how that work helped increase followers or generated leads for a campaign.
Check out our example for a better idea of how to do this:
As an entry level job seeker, you don’t have tons of traditional work experience. Employers will still want to see how you’ve contributed in past part-time jobs or internships. You can also include relevant school activities, such as if you were on the leadership team of an organization or club.
Remember, those soft skills count, too, so even if you worked a retail job and don’t think it’s relevant to the industry you’re seeking, include it. Customer service skills, working within a team, and maintaining inventory are skills that can be applied in many types of jobs.
Your degrees and certifications let employers know you have foundational knowledge. Even if your course of study is not directly related to the job you’re seeking, still include it. If you have a remarkable academic accomplishment, you can include it as well.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Marketing, August 2019 – May 2023
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Philip Moore
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation zip code
A 2023 marketing degree graduate specializing in social media strategy with internship and volunteer experience in multiple verticals. A proven track record of working with cross-functional teams to create multimedia content, manage social media calendars, and host live events across various social platforms to increase user engagement and support campaigns.
Intern, JD Cosmetics, Oswego, NY
September 2022 – March 2023
Volunteer Social Media Manager, Women’s Soccer Team, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
January 2021 – March 2022
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Marketing, August 2019 – May 2023
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
A resume should be a forward-looking value proposition that showcases your most relevant accomplishments for a target role — not a rear view summary of your previous roles and responsibilities.
ResumeTemplates offers free, HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.
