Today, resumes aren’t just for job-hunting. As a supporting document in your study abroad application, a strong resume can help you stand out to colleges or universities. It may also be part of your international student visa application, or accompany a broader portfolio of work. The following resume tips for international students can help you make a great first impression—read on!
Once you’re done with your resume, write a top-notch statement of purpose with these country-specific guides for students applying to colleges or universities in Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
Keep It Simple
Before you start drafting or updating your resume, check your target colleges and universities’ application pages, as they may ask for specific types of information. That said, the following information should be in almost all resumes.
A resume may include your:
- Education details (the school’s name and qualification you earned)
- Personal contact information (phone, email, LinkedIn profile)
- Related awards and certifications
- Related skills
- Work and volunteer experience
On the other hand, avoid sharing:
- Interests or hobbies unrelated to your desired field of study
- Personally identifying information (like your age, religion, or political affiliation)
- Too much information—your resume should be one to two pages long
Remember: You have only a few seconds to catch the reviewer’s attention, so make sure they can find key information quickly. Here are some ways to do that:
- Keep your sentences short
- Use a 10-to-12-point font size (sans serif fonts like Arial are easier to read at a smaller size than serif fonts like Times New Roman)
- Use bullet points to make your resume easy to scan
While you might want to let ChatGPT write your resume, it could put your whole study abroad application at risk. Instead, check out these apps to support your writing process.
Focus on Impact
When talking about your past work or volunteer experience, focus on the difference you made instead of listing day-to-day tasks. Try to share your accomplishments both as an individual and as a team member.
Whether your science fair project won silver, or you helped build an app that boosted the company’s sales in the last quarter, use your resume to highlight what you achieved with your work. It can be hard to narrow these moments down, but talking with instructors, past supervisors, and friends or family can help remind you of what you’ve accomplished.
If you took some time between your studies to work, travel, or care for family, you’ll also need to write a study gap statement. Put your best foot forward with these study gap statement writing tips.
Be Honest
When pursuing your dreams of studying abroad, it might feel tempting to make your work or education sound more impressive than it is… but don’t do it.
Colleges and universities want to teach students who are willing to learn. So, positioning yourself as an expert in your field, especially if you’ve just finished secondary or undergraduate studies, can make admissions teams less likely to want to give you a seat. Embrace a growth mindset in your application: show you care about learning, and how the course you’re interested in will build on your existing knowledge.
Lastly, if you’re thinking of stretching the truth, remember that both academic institutions and visa officers may ask for supporting documents that verify the claims you make on your resume. If you’re caught in a lie, it can put your entire application at risk. Don’t take that chance!
Curious about the student visa interview process? Check out our tips for interviewing in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Be Humble
Strong study abroad applications effectively share how other people see you. As such, external opinion is more valuable than personal acclaim. Calling yourself a top professional, thought leader, or similar title on your resume won’t help your case, but if you won a related award, add it to your resume’s Awards section. Or, if you’re in an article where you were praised for a reason related to the course you’re applying to, attach it as a supporting document.
Wording-wise, avoid once-popular descriptors like “coding wizard” or “rockstar entrepreneur.” Terms like these won’t impress the reviewers. Worse, other nicknames like “ninja” and “guru” steal from other cultures, and could make your application sound insensitive.
Update the Format
With access to free design tools like Canva, you can easily update your resume style. Application review teams at colleges and universities look at a lot of resumes every day, which can look the same over time. A well-designed resume may inspire them to look closer.
However, while good formatting and use of a contrast colour can modernize your resume, don’t add more than two or three graphic elements or use unusual fonts. Career blog The Balance recommends most resumes use classic bookprint fonts, like Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Calibri.
Also, research has found adding a photo to your resume can bias your reviewers, so save that valuable space for text, instead. (A good compromise? If you have a LinkedIn profile, include a link to it in the info section. If recruiters are considering you and look up your profile, they’ll see your picture there.)
Get Other Opinions
If possible, let a friend, family member, or advisor read your resume. They’ll let you know if the font is too small to read easily, and which parts are strongest. They can also catch stray commas or if you used the wrong word. If they know you well, they might even remind you of an accomplishment you’ve forgotten that could help you stand out! So, make sure to save enough time during the application process for this step.
Ready to get started? Check out our top four writing tips for international students.
We hope that these resume tips for international students will help your resume rise to the top of the pile. Best of luck!
Want to become an international student? Register for free with ApplyBoard. From application to arrival, our team is here to help.
