The Ohio State University ASC Career Success

Specialized Resume Guidance by Population and Industry

Specialized Resume Guidance by Population and Industry

While our general Resume Writing Principles apply to the majority of Arts and Sciences students, certain industry sectors and student populations benefit from highly tailored strategies.

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Select your population or industry of interest to jump directly to its specialized guidance and sample resume:

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We continue to expand this library to include guidance for specialized fields common for our ASC students. 

First-Year Undergraduates

Sample First-Year Resume

  • The High School Transition: It is standard to list your high school diploma and activities right now. Plan to phase these high school entries out entirely as you build new college-level experiences and skills.
  • Embrace an Early-Career History: If you are early in your journey, it is okay if your experience section is short. Focus on highlighting paid work—like retail, food service, or babysitting—and augment those roles with volunteer work, campus clubs, or leadership positions where you developed transferable skills like communication and teamwork.
  • Elevate High-Responsibility Roles: If you participated in an activity, sport, or volunteer role that required a significant time commitment or carried job-like responsibilities, don't just list it briefly at the bottom. Give it its own separate section so you have the space to clearly describe your achievements. 

    • Example Resume Bullet (Athletic Experience)

      Varsity Soccer | Team Captain | August 2024 – May 2026

      Led daily warm-ups and mentored 22 teammates on performance and sportsmanship, while balancing a rigorous 12-hour weekly practice schedule alongside academic coursework.  

 

International Students

Sample International Student Resume

  • Preferred Name Formatting: List your name exactly as it appears on legal documents. If you use an English or preferred first name, place it in parentheses: Firstname (Preferred) Lastname. 
  • Name Pronunciation Helper: If your name is frequently mispronounced, include a phonetic spelling immediately after your name (e.g., Alicia Brown [uh-LEE-shuh]). You can ask an OSU-approved generative AI tool like Microsoft Copilot or Gemini for help by prompting: "Provide a phonetic respelling for [Name] using simple syllables with the stressed part in CAPS." Always verify the result for accuracy before adding it to your document.
  • Establish Foreign Degree Context: When listing degrees from international institutions, provide a brief frame of reference (e.g., "equivalent to a 2-year college") so recruiters understand the institution's scope. List your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with degree(s) in progress, followed by those you have completed.
  • Convert Foreign GPAs: If you choose to include a GPA from an international institution, convert the grading metric to ensure it is consistent with the standard U.S. 4.0 scale. Scholaro GPA Calculator or WES iGPA Calculator are free tools used by university admissions counselors.
  • Value Your Global and Domestic Experience: Do not count out international roles; your global background demonstrates valuable adaptability and perspective. Showcase your global experiences alongside local involvement—like campus leadership, volunteering, or employment—using strong action verbs that highlight your professional communication skills.
  • Handle Work Authorization on the Application: In most cases, it is not necessary to mention your work authorization status on your resume. Employers are primarily focused on your skills, experiences, and qualifications. You have the opportunity to disclose your eligibility status through the employer's standard online application form and later during the interview stage. 

Link to resources for International Students?

Actuarial Science

Sample Actuarial Science Resume

  • Lead with Professional Exams : Aside from your GPA, passing or sitting for the SOA/CAS exams is your most critical qualification. Place a dedicated "Professional Exams" section at the very top of your resume. List the exams you have passed, those with results pending, and explicitly state if you have an exam scheduled for a future date. 
  • The 3.5 GPA Rule: Actuarial recruiters heavily weigh academic metrics. Always include your cumulative GPA if it is above a 3.5. If your cumulative GPA falls below 3.5 but your major GPA is higher, find your major GPA on your degree audit and list that instead. 
  • Targeted Coursework and Skills: Actuaries combine mathematical theory with business strategy. Include a "Relevant Coursework" section but customize it for every application to match the exact mathematical, statistical, or business skills requested in the job description. 
  • Highlight Language Skills. Language skills – both programming and foreign - are marketable to employers in the actuarial field. Showcase them in a skills section. 
  • Keep Well-Known Activities to One Line: While recruiters value leadership and club involvement (like the Actuarial Science Club), you do not need bullet points for everything. If a volunteer role or membership involves commonly understood duties (e.g., Habitat for Humanity Volunteer, Columbus OH, March – August 2018), save valuable resume space by keeping it to a single line.

Data Analytics

Sample Data Analytics Resume

  • Consolidate Basic Software to Save Space: Data recruiters assume you know the basics. Maximize your limited space by using "Microsoft Office Suite” to convey your proficiency with Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Use the reclaimed space to highlight advanced analytical, database, and statistical tools (e.g., R, SQL, Python).
  • Weave in Business and Client Keywords: Data managers scan resumes for business context. Intentionally weave industry-specific keywords throughout your bullet points—such as Analysis, Database, Clients, Business, Finance, and Research—to show you understand how data connects to corporate strategy.
  • Link to a Professional Portfolio: A strong portfolio sets you apart by proving you can clean, model, and interpret data. Include a hyperlink to an online portfolio (like Tableau Public, a personal website, or GitHub) right next to your contact information at the top of your page.
  • Emphasize Real-World Implications: Rather than listing data-cleaning duties, focus on the business value and outcomes of your work. Detail projects where you performed risk assessments, built databases, or used analytics to advance a project, using numbers to prove the real-world impact (e.g., “logged incoming requests for 200+ clients; assisted with the creation of a new customer database”).

Information Technology

Sample Information Technology Resume

  • Categorize Technical Skills by Proficiency: Do not just list your technical skills in a single block. Categorize your software, tools, and computer languages by your comfort level using terms like Proficient, Intermediate, or Basic so recruiters know exactly what you can handle on day one.
  • Showcase Technical Projects: Include a dedicated “Technical Projects” section to highlight work you have done in the classroom or on your own time. For each project, list the title, dates, what you built, and the specific computer skills you used. If you have built apps, scripts, or programs, include a GitHub link in your contact info to show off your clean code.
  • Quantify Your Technical Impact: When writing bullet points for your experiences, go beyond listing your daily troubleshooting or coding duties. Use numbers and data to demonstrate the direct impact of your technical contributions, such as system uptime, project completion speeds, or performance improvements (e.g., “…and decreased average IT resolution time by 25%”).
  • Balance with Core Competencies: Use an "Additional Experience" section for non-IT roles (like retail or customer service). Do not list every task; instead, selectively focus on bullets that prove you possess core professional competencies like teamwork, leadership, and crisis communication.

 

 

Scientific Competencies

Sample Scientific Competencies Resume

  • Prioritize Lab and Technical Skills: Place your technical abilities in a prominent “Skills” section. Group your specific protocols, methodologies, and bench skills (such as aseptic technique, gel electrophoresis, or microscopy) using precise keywords that match the job posting. Other possible headers for this section: “Relevant Skills and Techniques”, “Technical and Lab Skills”.
  • Feature Your Research Experience: If you have completed significant research projects through a job, a lab, or coursework, dedicate a section to it. List the project name, the course title (if applicable), and the month and year of completion. To demonstrate your understanding of the science underpinning the research, provide bullet point descriptions about the hypothesis or thesis, the process, and the results, if possible. If your research work generated a published paper or presentation, include a citation in this section.
  • Highlight Lab Experience: If you do not have formal industry or research lab employment, include significant classroom-based lab projects under your research section. Use keywords that match the job description, explicitly showing employers that you can plan, conduct, and analyze experiments.
  • Feature Relevant Coursework: Include courses that are the most relevant to the position for which you are applying. List as Course Name/Topic (e.g., Organic Chemistry Series with Labs, General Genetics).