Help Students Translate Their Summer Jobs Into Resume Gold

When students return to campus each fall, many are transitioning from their summer job experiences, such as waiting tables, working in retail, landscaping, babysitting, or interning in an office.

While some may dismiss these roles as “just a summer job,” career coaches know that these experiences are rich with transferable skills that employers value.

Your role in the career center is to help students connect the dots between their experiences and the competencies they have developed. With thoughtful guidance, summer jobs can become resume gold.

Here are six steps to help guide this process:

Step 1: Reframe How Students View Their Experience

Many students assume that only internships or major-related jobs belong on a resume. Start by reframing their perspective. Ask:

• What did you learn from this role?

• What challenges did you overcome?

• How might these skills apply in another setting?

For example, a student who worked as a camp counselor may have developed leadership, conflict resolution, and communication skills. A cashier may have gained experience in teamwork, problem-solving, and handling conflict.

The key is helping students recognize the professional value embedded in everyday work.

Step 2: Teach Them to Use Strong Action Verbs

Once students identify their transferable skills, show them how to express those skills on a resume. Encourage action verbs that emphasize outcomes, such as:

• Managed cash drawer and balanced daily transactions.

• Trained three new employees on company procedures.

• Coordinated daily activities for 20+ children at summer camp.

• Resolved customer complaints with patience and professionalism.

By shifting from “worked at a restaurant” to “delivered high-quality customer service in a fast-paced environment,” students present themselves as professionals with demonstrated abilities.

Step 3: Quantify Achievements Whenever Possible

Numbers add credibility. Help students brainstorm ways to quantify their summer work:

• Sales volume (“Processed 50+ transactions daily”)

• Size of groups managed (“Supervised a cabin of 12 campers”)

• Efficiency improvements (“Reduced restocking time by 10% by reorganizing supply shelves”)

Even if a student didn’t hold a leadership role, numbers provide scope and impact that make their experience stand out.

Step 4: Connect Experiences to Career Competencies

Employers consistently emphasize career readiness competencies such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and professionalism. Use the NACE Competencies framework as a guide to translate summer experiences into these categories.

For example:

• Problem Solving: A lifeguard making quick decisions in emergencies.

• Leadership: A camp counselor mentoring younger staff.

• Technology: A student using point-of-sale systems or scheduling apps.

• Teamwork: A retail worker collaborating with peers to meet sales goals.

This alignment helps students see the broader professional value of their summer work and makes their resumes resonate with employers. (Related Reading: Helping College Students Stack Short-Term Certificates)

Step 5: Encourage Reflection and Storytelling

Beyond the resume, students need to articulate their summer experiences in interviews. Practice turning bullet points into short STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories.

Example:

• Situation: “At my retail job this summer, customers often became frustrated with long lines.”

• Task: “I was responsible for keeping customers satisfied while managing checkout.”

• Action: “I stayed calm, worked quickly, and engaged customers in friendly conversation.”

• Result: “Several customers shared positive feedback with my manager, and I was recognized for professionalism.”

These stories build confidence and prepare students to highlight transferable skills when interviewing for internships or post-graduation jobs.

Step 6: Celebrate the Work Itself

Many students juggle summer jobs to help pay for school, which can be stressful. Acknowledge and celebrate the responsibility, perseverance, and time management that balancing work demonstrates. Remind them that employers respect hustle and grit. Framing these roles with pride rather than apology shifts the student’s narrative from “I just worked at a grocery store” to “I built critical skills that will serve me in any career.” (Related Reading: The Silent Dropout Risk That's Hard to Spot)

Conclusion

Summer jobs are not side notes. They’re formative experiences that shape professional identity and readiness. With coaching, students can translate those roles into polished resume entries, compelling interview stories, and LinkedIn highlights.

The goal isn’t to make a summer job something it isn’t, but to draw out the real skills students developed and show them how those skills apply to future opportunities. When students learn to see their summer work as resume gold, they enter the career search with confidence and momentum. Are you a certified college career coach yet? Get one today.