A graduate school resume is different from one designed to get you a job interview.

Generally, a graduate school resume accompanies your application to a college/university, providing the admissions committee with additional information than what’s included in the application.

While job search resumes are designed to get you an interview, graduate school resumes are designed to enhance your application to a school and provide yet another opportunity to market yourself.

Similarities of a graduate school resume to a job-seeking resume include:

• power words: using crisp language and action verbs to describe experience
• layout: a concise, easy-to-read resume (with a lot of “white space”)
• grammar: making sure there are no grammar errors or typos

Differences of a graduate school resume to a job-seeking resume include:

• It is not limited to one page— two full pages are acceptable
• Includes all, not just targeted experience.
• Has limited reference to education–- full information is provided on your transcript
• Separates your work and non-work experiences into different sections

The categories specified on a graduate school resume may vary from one person to the next, depending on what information they want to share. Don’t know much about resume writing? Here’s what you should include.

Popular graduate school resume categories:

• Education
• Employment
• Extra-curricular Involvement (college)
• Extra-curricular Involvement (high school)
• Volunteer/Community Involvement
• Certifications
• Memberships
• Leadership Experience
• Research/Presentations
• Foreign Languages (remember to indicate levels of proficiency)
• Foreign Travel

Applying to graduate school is more than just taking the GRE! Don’t just submit a copy of your entry-level resume. Writing a good graduate school resume is an important factor to getting in.

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