New Grad resume: templates, keywords, and bullet examples
A strong new grad resume leads with Education (school, degree, GPA if 3.5+, relevant coursework) and a Projects section that reads like real engineering work, because those are where a new grad's strongest signals live. Keep it to one page, single column, and give every project bullet a stack and a number: what you built, with what, and what it did.
New grad resumes lead with Education and Projects because those are where the strongest signals live. Job experience hasn't accumulated yet.
How to angle a new grad resume
The single biggest mistake on new-grad resumes is leading with a thin Experience block. Lead with Education (school, degree, GPA if 3.5+, relevant coursework) and a strong Projects block. Internships go third.
A project bullet should look like a real engineering bullet: "Built a Flask + Postgres event-tracking service for a 12-person student club; logged 90k events in the first semester". Avoid coursework projects unless they actually shipped to someone.
Section order: Education → Projects → Experience → Skills → (optional) Activities.
What recruiters and ATS screen for in a new grad resume
Campus recruiters screen thousands of near-identical resumes, so differentiation comes from specifics: a GPA above 3.5, projects that shipped to real users, internship bullets with outcomes, and exact keyword matches on languages and tools (ATS filters treat "Python" and "Java" as literal terms). What gets filtered out fast: objective statements, high-school content, and project descriptions that read as course requirements rather than things you chose to build.
Recommended templates for new grads
ATS keywords recruiters filter on
These are the keywords most new grad JDs use as their ATS-filter inputs. Make sure the ones you genuinely have evidence for are in your Skills section.
Starter Skills section
Paste this into the Skills section of the editor as a starting point, then prune to what you genuinely have evidence for.
Bullet examples you can adapt
Three starter bullets following the action-verb / quantified-outcome pattern. Replace bracketed placeholders with your actual specifics. Never invent.
Common new grad resume mistakes
The patterns that get new grad resumes filtered out, and what to do instead.
New Grad resume FAQ
Education first, then Projects treated like jobs: 2-3 builds with a stack, a purpose, and a number each. Add internships or part-time work third, then Skills. A project that shipped to real users outweighs unrelated work experience.
Include it if it is 3.5 or higher, or if the employer asks for it. Below that, leave it off and let projects and internships carry the resume. Never round up; some employers verify transcripts.
One page. Recruiters screening campus pipelines spend seconds per resume, and a second page signals inability to prioritize. If space is tight, cut coursework lists before project bullets.