Resume format for freshers in India (2026): layout, sections and a free PDF
If you are a fresher in India, your resume has to do the work of experience you do not have yet. Recruiters at campus drives and on job portals spend a few seconds on each resume, so a clean one-page layout with the right sections matters more than design.
The fresher resume format, section by section
Keep it to one page and put the strongest section first.
- Header: full name, mobile number, professional email, city and LinkedIn or GitHub link.
- Career objective or summary: two lines naming the role you want and your best skill.
- Education: degree, college, university, year of passing and CGPA or percentage. Put it first if you have no internship.
- Projects: two or three, each with the tools used and a result you can state.
- Internships and training: company, duration and what you delivered.
- Skills: tools and languages that appear in the job post.
- Certifications, achievements and positions of responsibility.
What to write when you have no work experience
Use projects, internships, college events, club roles and certifications as your experience. Describe each with an action verb and a number: how many users, how much time saved, how many people in the team.
Only write what you actually did. Recruiters ask about every line in the interview, so an honest smaller claim is safer than a bigger one you cannot explain.
Photo, date of birth and declaration
Private companies in India rarely need a photo, date of birth, father's name or marital status. Leave them out unless the form asks. A declaration line at the end is optional and takes space better used for a project.
Save and send it the right way
Save the resume as a PDF named with your name and role, for example Riya-Sharma-Software-Engineer.pdf. Use one column and standard headings so ATS software on job portals can read it. Avoid tables, text boxes and images for important details.
- Use a plain font such as Arial or Calibri at 10 to 12 points.
- Keep margins around 1.5 cm so nothing is cut off when printed.
- Check the PDF on your phone: many recruiters open it there.
Check your resume against a job
Free ATS check: no sign-up, nothing saved.
Keep reading
- Resume for freshers: how to write one with no experienceHow to build a strong first resume from projects, internships, college work and skills.
- How to make your resume ATS-friendlyWhat applicant tracking systems do, how they read your resume and how to avoid common formatting mistakes.
- How to write a resume that gets shortlistedA step-by-step guide for job seekers: what to include, what to leave out and how to order it.