For about a year after graduation, the degree is the most recent thing with a name, so it goes up top. After that year, the first job pushes it down. The graduate resume is the one page in between: education first, with the one project that matters named under it, then internships and part-time work as roles, then skills. The summary says what you studied, the one thing you made, and what you want to do first. It is a resume about direction, because there is not yet much to be a resume about.
Key points
- Education first for the first year, with one or two projects or courses under it that match the posting.
- Internships are roles. Write them with bullets and numbers.
- The summary says what you want to do first. A graduate with a direction is easier to hire than one with a list.
- The GPA goes on if it is high, and off if it is not. Nobody asks about a grade that is not on the page.
- One page. The white space is normal.
The order
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Name and contact | Name, a title line for the role, email, phone, city, one link |
| Summary | Three sentences: the degree and date, the one thing you made, what you want to do first |
| Education | Degree, school, year, the GPA if it is high, one or two projects or courses that match the posting |
| Experience | Internships, part-time work, research posts, as roles with bullets |
| Projects | Only if a project is not already under education or experience |
| Skills | Grouped, with evidence above |
Education moves below experience the day the first job starts. Until then it leads, because the reader wants to know what you studied before what you did on weekends.
The graduate resume is about direction. Say what you want to do first.
Education, written well
Degree, school, year. Then one line that does the work: the final project, the thesis, the course that matches the posting, with a number.
BA Communication Design, University of Lisbon, June 2026. GPA 3.7. Final project: usability study of a hospital intake form, 24 participants, redesigned form adopted by the clinic.
The final project line is a bullet in disguise. It has a scope and a result. For a posting about research, that line is the reason for the interview.
Leave the module list off. "Modules included typography, interaction design, and design history" tells the reader you went to the classes. The project tells them what you did there.
Internships as roles
An internship is a job with an end date. Title, company, dates, two or three bullets with a verb, a scope and a number. The guide on bullet points has the formula.
Design intern, Bright Anvil Studio, Jun to Aug 2025
- Produced wireframes and prototypes for three client sites, two of which shipped.
- Set up the studio's first shared component library in Figma, used on every project since.
The word "intern" is in the title, and the bullets make it clear it was work. A reader hiring a junior reads two shipped sites and a component library and stops caring about the title.
The summary
Three sentences. The degree and the date. The one thing you made. What you want to do first.
Communication design graduate, June 2026, with a final project in usability research on hospital intake forms. Two summers at a small studio, shipping client sites that are still live. Looking for a junior product design role on a team that tests with users every week.
The third sentence is the one graduates leave out, and it is the one that gets the interview. A manager hiring a junior wants to know what the junior wants to get good at, because that is what they will be asked to teach.
The GPA
On if it is 3.5 or higher on a four-point scale, or the local equivalent of a good degree. Off otherwise. The reader does not ask about a grade that is not there, and the degree is the credential either way.
If the overall GPA is low and the major GPA is high, put the major GPA on and label it as such. That is a true number and a fair one.
What to leave off
High school, once there is a degree. An objective, which the summary replaced. The list of every society joined. A photo. References. Hobbies without a point, where "without a point" means not connected to the role or to a number.
Questions
I graduated two years ago and have not worked in the field. Is this still the layout?
Yes, with the experience section carrying whatever you did instead: the unrelated job with its numbers, the project, the volunteer role. Education stays on top until a role in the field pushes it down.
Do I list a part-time job in retail?
Yes, with a number. "Handled 200 customers a shift" says pace and responsibility. Two bullets, not four, and under the internships.
Does a master's change the order?
No. It goes above the bachelor's under education, with its own project line. The layout stays.
Does the title line say "graduate"?
No. It says the role you want: "Junior product designer". The summary says you graduated.
How long does this resume stay valid?
Until the first job in the field. Then it becomes the standard resume, and the guide on how to write a resume takes over.