5 first-year experiences to boost your co-op resume 

You may not have much professional experience yet, but chances are, you’ve done some part-time work, peer tutoring, or extra-curriculars where you’ve learned skills. Even if you don’t feel like you have a lot of experience on paper, you will quickly build up a body of work during your time at Northeastern.  

Here are five ways to highlight your capabilities and potential.  

1. Put your education first. Show potential employers that you’re learning skills that you can apply on co-op. List your GPA, scholarships, honors and awards, and other achievements from high school. If you’ve taken or are currently taking classes in your career interest (even in your first college semester), list those under a subheading like “Relevant Coursework.” A Related Projects or Research section is a great place to note a capstone project, student research, and key topics you’ve mastered.  

2. Show off your experience. The Experience section of your resume shouldn’t read like a job description; use it to highlight your accomplishments and results. If you’ve already completed a co-op, this is where to include those achievements. List any paid positions you have held (including summer or part-time jobs like retail, tutoring, waiting tables, babysitting – it all counts!) and use bullet points to emphasize each job’s most relevant tasks. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing co-op, list each job’s marketing-related activities first, even if they weren’t primary responsibilities. 

3. Include volunteer positions, internships, and extracurriculars. These experiences can demonstrate valuable skills—for example, your role as captain of a varsity team shows your leadership abilities, or your experience as the club co-chair conveys your organizational skills. Make sure you note any memberships in student clubs relevant to your area of interest. Also, if you participated in volunteer work or student leadership activities, describe those accomplishments in more detail.  

4. List ALL your skills. The skills section can include several categories—such as software, instrumentation, language, social media platforms, laboratory or computer skills. Remember that employers are searching for a combination of soft skills and hard skills. For positions that require technical knowledge, place a Technical Skills section after the Education section. 

5. Share your interests. This section can help you demonstrate your personality. Showcase some hobbies and pastimes, especially in relevant areas like entrepreneurship, innovation or technology. But don’t be shy! Most hobbies require dedication and commitment, too, which employers like to see. 

Follow these tips to refine your resumé, then upload it to Big Interview Resume AI, our new resumé-building tool. You can also meet with the Employer Engagement and Career Design team to have your resumé critiqued during virtual or in-person drop-ins, or make an appointment with a career counselor.