What STEM Resumes Should Include

STEM resumes

There is no one way to write a good college resume. Visit any college career center and you can typically find hundreds of sample college resumes that any student can use. Although there are differences in layout and style, all good college resumes include certain basic items like contact information, education and professional experience. Depending on your college major though, there might be some specific sections of a college resume of greater interest for some hiring managers.

One group of college students that is very attractive to hiring managers are students who are in STEM majors. STEM is an acronym meaning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. If you are a college student in a STEM major here are a few specific tips on what STEM resumes should include.

PROJECTS

The projects included in STEM resumes should be non-trivial and beyond the textbook. When writing about projects, include any specific lab equipment, processes or outcomes from STEM projects. In addition to the lab skills, mention any project work in teams with other college students or professors.

RESEARCH

STEM resumes must include information on any research partnerships with faculty on significant research. This research involvement is great content for college resumes from STEM students. Include research experiences, on or off campus, poster presentations, grant writing support or research methodologies.

INTERNSHIPS AND CO-OPS

STEM resumes must include internships and co-ops experiences regardless of major. For STEM majors, this experiential involvement could be the competitive advantage that one college student has over another. Employers want to see that STEM majors are not just interested in their college coursework, but have also been involved in the practical applications of their studies in real work environments.

SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS

College students with STEM majors considering graduate school, should use summers to participate in academic fellowships at research universities. For example, the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences and Policies (IGSP) is open to college undergraduates, even freshman and sophomores, with an interest in this genome sciences.

College students with majors in STEM disciplines are going to continue to be in demand in the 21st century. To stay competitive, college students need to have strong STEM resumes with evidence of research, projects, internships, co-ops and academic fellowships.