The college application process can be time consuming and downright confusing at times, but creating your resume doesn’t have to be. Colleges aren’t going to expect you to have a lot of professional experience, let alone in the field you hope to pursue, so don’t stress if your “Work Experience” section is one of the smallest. Instead of focusing on your lack of professional experience, showcase your great grades, community service accomplishments and any honors or awards you received in high school. Colleges are looking for the best candidates and that doesn’t necessarily mean the ones with the highest grades. So remember that showcasing your involvement in the community and your high school shows the admissions office that you will more likely be involved on your college campus as well.

Key Points to Remember:

• It’s all in the details: Colleges don’t expect you to have a lot of work experience, but they do expect you to be organized, show initiative and needless to say, be able to spell. So impress the admissions office with your well laid out resume free of any errors and irregular formatting.
• Upsell your accomplishments: Instead of filling your “Work Experience” section with a bunch of fluff, utilize the other sections of your resume to showcase your accomplishments elsewhere. Community service, leadership positions and sports teams are all ways to make your resume memorable.