Work Study Resume Example

A work-study resume is read by a librarian, lab manager or office coordinator with an award to spend and a dozen eligible students to choose from. The first line should confirm you are eligible and for how many hours, because the supervisor cannot hire you otherwise, and the rest should show you will be useful during quiet shifts without being told what to do.

The Sample resume below is for a second-year chemistry major in Madison, Wisconsin, who holds a Federal Work-Study award and is applying for a chemistry stockroom position after a year at the library circulation desk and a community service placement at a senior center. The page lists her award in the headline, writes campus jobs with the same numbers a corporate resume would carry, and uses the education entry to show the lab courses that make her a safe choice for a stockroom.

If your position is not tied to financial aid, the part-time job example covers general student work. The resident assistant example shows another campus role with a stipend instead of hourly pay, and the college student example covers the full-time search later. The Campus template handles an education-first page like this one, and the other pages in the students and first jobs hub cover specific majors.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Work Study sample resume

Priya Sundaresan

Chemistry Major | Federal Work-Study Eligible, 2026-27 Award $3,400 (up to 12 hrs/week) | Library and Office Experience

Madison, WIpriya.sundaresan@example.com(608) 555-0133

Summary

Second-year chemistry major at Four Lakes State University (BS expected May 2028) with a Federal Work-Study award of $3,400 for the 2026-27 year. One year at the main library circulation desk and a summer community service placement at a senior center, both with supervisor evaluations of exceeds expectations. Seeking the chemistry stockroom assistant position, with completed General Chemistry I and II labs and current laboratory safety training. Available 10 to 12 hours a week, Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Friday afternoons.

Experience

Circulation Desk Assistant (Federal Work-Study), Four Lakes State University Libraries

– Present

Madison, WI

  • Check out, renew and discharge about 300 items per shift for students and faculty using the library's integrated system, and resolve hold and fine questions at the desk.
  • Shelve and shelf-read two call number ranges each week, and found and corrected an average of 25 misfiled books a week in the first semester.
  • Cover the 7 a.m. opening shift twice a week, unlocking study rooms, starting the public computers and logging building issues for facilities.
  • Wrote a one-page guide to the interlibrary loan pickup process that the desk now hands to every new student worker.
Community Service Work-Study Aide, Mendota Ridge Senior Center

–

Madison, WI

  • Staffed the front desk for a center serving 90 to 120 visitors a day, answering phones, signing members in and scheduling rides for the transportation program.
  • Entered a summer's worth of attendance and meal counts into the center's spreadsheet reports for its county grant, with no corrections requested by the director.
  • Set up and ran the twice-weekly tablet help hour, teaching 30 members to video call family and use the pharmacy app.
Teaching Assistant, General Chemistry Prep Session, Four Lakes State University, Department of Chemistry

–

Madison, WI

  • Led a weekly one-hour problem session for 15 first-year students as a volunteer peer tutor, covering stoichiometry, gas laws and equilibrium.
  • Kept the department's tutoring sign-in sheet and reported attendance to the course coordinator each Friday.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (expected May 2028)

Four Lakes State University, Madison, WI

GPA 3.8, dean's list three semesters. Completed: General Chemistry I and II with lab, Organic Chemistry I, Calculus II, Introductory Physics. Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene training, 2026. Member, Chemistry Club.

Skills

  • Library circulation systems
  • Front desk and multi-line phones
  • Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets
  • Data entry with verification
  • Laboratory safety and chemical hygiene
  • Glassware handling and basic lab prep
  • Safety data sheets (SDS)
  • Opening and closing a building
  • Peer tutoring
  • Hindi and Tamil (conversational)

Certifications

  • Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene Training, Four Lakes State University Environmental Health and Safety,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

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Templates for the work study resume

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How the resume changes with experience

The same work study resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

First-year student with a Federal Work-Study award and no prior job, applying for a library or office position. A high school record of a weekly volunteer shift and office help for a school counselor shows reliability and comfort with routine tasks.

  • Filed and scanned student records for a high school counseling office two afternoons a week for a full year.
  • Volunteered 120 hours at a public library summer reading program, checking in reading logs for 200 children.
  • Eligible for up to 10 hours a week and able to start the first week of classes.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Second-year chemistry student with one year of work-study at the library circulation desk and a summer community service placement, applying for a department stockroom position.

  • Handled about 300 circulation transactions a shift and opened the library two mornings a week.
  • Corrected 25 misfiled books a week during shelf-reading and wrote the desk's interlibrary loan guide.
  • Chose the summer community service placement over a higher-paying retail job because it kept the work-study award active.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Fourth-year chemistry student and three-year work-study veteran, now the senior stockroom assistant, seeking a laboratory technician role after graduation.

  • Prepare reagents and solutions for twelve weekly General Chemistry lab sections, about 280 students, and maintain the chemical inventory database.
  • Reduced expired reagent disposal by half over a year by introducing a first-in, first-out shelving rule and a monthly expiration check.
  • Trained four new work-study assistants and recommended one be moved to the organic stockroom based on her care with glassware.

Skills to put on the work study resume

Hard skills

Work-study eligibility and hours
The supervisor must spend a specific award, so stating the amount and the hours you can give removes the first question they would otherwise have to ask.
Front desk and phones
Most work-study jobs are at a desk somewhere, and a bullet with visitors per day proves you can handle an interruption-driven shift.
Spreadsheets and data entry
Offices hand students the records nobody else has time for, and accuracy with no corrections requested is the result they are hoping for.
Course and lab background for the department
A lab or departmental job goes to the student whose completed courses show they already know the material and the safety rules.
Library or records systems
Naming the system you used lets a supervisor skip training and lets a different office see you can learn one.
Opening and closing responsibility
Early and late shifts are the ones supervisors struggle to fill, and a history of covering them is a direct advantage.

Soft skills

Working unsupervised
Work-study supervisors have their own job to do, and a student who finds the next task during a quiet hour is the one they renew next year.
Discretion
Campus offices handle student records, grades and financial information, and a line on confidentiality tells the supervisor you understand that.
Fitting work around classes
The supervisor needs the hours to stay stable all semester, and a resume that states them shows you have already planned for it.
Patience with the public
Students at a desk meet confused first-years, frustrated faculty and visitors, and a calm answer is most of the job.

Mistakes that cost work study interviews

  1. Not saying you are eligible

    A work-study position can only be filled by a student with an award. If the supervisor cannot tell from your resume, you may be set aside for someone whose eligibility is obvious. Put the award year and amount in the headline or first line.

  2. Treating a campus job as a lesser job

    Shelving books or answering a departmental phone involves systems, counts, confidentiality and schedules. Write it with the same numbers and results you would use for an off-campus employer, because the next employer will read it that way.

  3. Applying only to one office

    Work-study awards go unused every year because students wait for one posting. Apply to three or four positions at once with the same resume and a changed first sentence, and take the first good offer before the award is reallocated.

  4. Skipping the schedule

    Supervisors build shift calendars in the first week of classes. A resume that gives your available blocks, as the Sample does, can be slotted in immediately; one that does not will wait for an email exchange.

  5. Omitting courses that qualify you for a department job

    For a lab, tutoring center or departmental office, the relevant completed courses are the qualification. List them in the education entry with grades or honors if they help.

Questions about the work study resume

How do I show Federal Work-Study eligibility on a resume?

In the headline or the first line of the summary: Federal Work-Study eligible, with the academic year and the award amount if you know it. Some campuses also want the maximum hours per week your award allows, so include that too.

Can I use a work-study job on a resume for a real job later?

Yes, and you should. List it by its title and department with dates and bullets, exactly like any employer. Future employers see a campus job as paid work; the funding source does not matter to them, so you can leave the words work-study off that later version.

What work-study jobs are easiest to get with no experience?

Library circulation, dining services, recreation center front desks and general office assistant roles hire first-year students every fall. Lab, tutoring and research positions usually want a completed course or two, so apply for those in your second year.

Should I include my high school on a work-study resume?

In your first year, yes, with a line on honors and activities, because it is most of what you have. From the second year on, replace it with your college courses and campus roles.

How long should a work-study resume be?

One page. Supervisors skim it in a minute between other duties, and a student who has edited a page down to one is already showing judgment.

Do work-study jobs require a cover letter?

Usually not. Some departmental and research positions ask for a short statement of interest. If so, three sentences on why that office, what you can do, and your hours are enough.

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