By Patrick Fitz

In order to differentiate among applicants, college and university admissions departments are increasingly looking at the extracurricular activities, organizational memberships, professional experiences, and KSA (knowledge, skill, attitude) profiles of their applicants. When everyone has good grades and great SAT or ACT scores (earned through test prep and SAT classes), how else can students distinguish themselves from everyone else? The best way is through involvement outside the classroom.

Yet, how is this involvement reported? The most widespread application platforms—Common App, Coalition App, and the University of California portal—each, in their own way, ask students to report on their extracurricular endeavors and achievements outside the classroom. Additionally, students can submit completed resumes that better structure, contextualize, and synthesize these endeavors and achievements. They can later use the resume to apply for scholarships or other opportunities on campus.

Many students will not have had a need for a resume before the college admissions process, and education consultants suggest that even those who have created something that may or may not approach actual professional standards would benefit from additional information regarding what a resume is and how it is used.

What is a Resume?

A resume is a form that showcases a student’s achievement in academic, professional, and experiental fields. Specifically, it is a highly-formatted 1-2 page document that follows certain conventions and is designed to be very readable, intuitive, and structured.

For admissions purposes, the resume is a succinct document that summarizes and highlights an applicant’s accomplishments both in and outside the classroom. This would include the high school name and curriculum (American/AP, British, French, IB), professional experiences such as internships and shadowing, extracurricular activities both on campus and outside of school, and any sort of skills or certifications earned beyond secondary school coursework—especially studied for and acquired independently.

Admissions counselors at elite colleges and universities may spend only a few seconds reviewing the content of an applicant’s resume, but an effective and convincing resume—especially one crafted by a current secondary school student—demonstrates seriousness and professionalism that, while evidenced in such a short time frame, may in fact prove important in the admission counselor’s ultimate evaluation of the student’s candidacy.

After graduation, the purpose of the resume shifts somewhat: it becomes, in most cases, the first thing a prospective employer observes about a candidate. In fact, professional hiring managers, HR specialists, and anyone with deep experience can evaluate both the content of a resume and the effectiveness of the formatting in seconds. In the most extreme cases, a resume may be given only that much time in initial consideration and the application discarded if the experience or the presentation is lacking.

These days, it is becoming increasingly common for resumes to be screened by computer programs (and sometimes even artificial intelligence) for certain keywords. This is done by large, multinational corporations that have the resources and incentive to invest in such technology, reviewing thousands of applications at a time. Students should be prepared for this eventuality in their post-undergraduate, professional careers—especially if they choose to enter certain fields.

What should be included in a resume?

As a high school student, there are a few essentials. These include the high school record, professional development, and outside coursework and skills-building.

For the high school record, the name and location of the school is a must. Additionally, students should identify the curriculum at the school and relevant coursework. For example, an IB Diploma student should list the three HL and three SL courses. Furthermore, students should include leadership positions and extracurricular involvement, including in the arts, athletics, academics, and cultural or affinity groups.

Professional development includes all relevant experience in the professional world. This includes, but is not limited to, internships, work experience, shadowing experience, entrepreneurial ventures, and related academic coursework outside of school. A few points about responsibilities held and targets achieved provides useful context. Any experience adjacent to the proposed major of the applicant should, of course, be highlighted.

External coursework and skills-building should be provided to further contextualize the academic profile of the applicant. These include summer coursework or activities, independently-completed coursework either online or in-person at an institution of higher learning, and workshops or clinics. Brief summaries of topics covered, certificates earned, and skills acquired should also be noted.

What’s the difference between a resume and a CV?

Later in life, students will find that their experiences and accomplishments cannot fit on a single page in twelve-point font. More space is needed. The document that includes everything one has ever done is known as a CV, which is short for the Latin phrase “Curriculum Vitae” and refers to the racetrack around which Roman chariots and runners ran. In a sense, the CV is the entire race that a person has run—that is, every single experience and accomplishment in the course of a lifetime.

CVs vary depending on the profession. For example, academics and researchers will include educational attainment but also courses taught, awards earned, papers published and cited, and appointments. Business professionals will include all of their education and supplemental trainings, as well as more detailed descriptions of responsibilities held, achievements earned, and compensation awarded at each professional position than would be included in a standard resume.

Many jobs will review either a resume or a CV, though entry-level and early-career positions are more likely to ask for a resume, while later-career employment or significant appointments (given the higher stakes involved for the position) will require a CV for consideration.

Beyond these differences, students should understand that, in the future, resumes are adapted to particular circumstances. Eventually experience gained and achievements earned will exceed the capacity of a one or two-page resume; students will have to choose what to include, based on what the position or opportunity requires of applicants. Only relevant experience is necessary; unnecessary experiences should not be included and will only detract from a student’s candidacy.

Conclusion

No student will be rejected because the resume is not formatted exactly correctly or does not perfectly align with the activities and awards listed elsewhere in the application. Still, according to leading education consultants, a professional-looking resume is a must not just for serious applicants to elite American colleges and universities but also for career-oriented young professionals eager to gain experience in the workforce.

Professional skills like resume-building are essential for success in the modern job market, and perfecting the resume for college applications is a great place to start. There exist plenty of free resources online (even on YouTube) that walk through the entire process. After spending years crafting impressive extracurricular profiles and curating extensive professional experiences, students in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as from around the world, should dedicate the time to completing their resumes and putting their best feet forward in the college admissions process.

- Hale Education Group