How to write a co-op resume (with examples by program)

1How to make a co-op resume

To make a co-op resume, put your education first, turn your projects, labs and part-time jobs into bullets that show results, list the skills the posting asks for, and keep it to one page. Five steps:

1. Start from your school's formatMany co-op offices have their own resume guide or template. Check yours first. If there isn't one, use a plain one-page layout like the free Canadian resume template.
2. Put education at the topYour degree or diploma, the words co-op program, your school, its city and province, and the month and year you expect to graduate. Add three to five courses that match the job.
3. Turn what you've done into experienceCourse projects, labs, part-time jobs, clubs and volunteer work. Give each two or three bullets that start with an action word and end with a result. Job Bank says to use firm numbers an employer will understand (How to write a good resume, checked 13 October 2026).
4. Match your skills to the postingList the software, tools, programming languages and spoken languages the posting names, as long as you can show them.
5. Name your term, then tailor itSay which work term you're looking for, such as May to August 2027. Change your summary, skills and top bullets for each posting, and save it as a PDF with your name in the file name.

The rest follows any Canadian resume: dates as month and year, Canadian spelling, and no photo or birth date. The Canadian resume format guide has each rule with its source.

2Do you need a resume for co-op?

Yes. Co-op employers choose who to interview from your resume, and you usually send it through your school's co-op job portal or with each application. Many co-op offices set their own resume format, and some review your resume before you can apply. Check your school's co-op guide first, then use this page for what goes in it.

What co-op advisers and employers look for

• Your program and your term, near the top, so they know when you can start.
• One page that's quick to skim, with your strongest lines first.
• Bullets with results, from projects and clubs as much as from jobs.
• Skills that match the posting, named the way the posting names them.
• No spelling mistakes, with Canadian spelling all the way through.

3What to put on a co-op resume with little work experience

Most students applying for a first co-op term have no full-time job yet, and employers know it. They read for what you've built, tested, run and fixed. Each of these counts, written like a job. A made-up bullet for each:

• Course projectsGroup and design projects. Name the course, the team and what you made.

  Designed a 9-table PostgreSQL database for a library system and wrote the queries behind its search page

• LabsLab work shows you can use real equipment and explain what you found.

  Ran tensile tests on 12 steel and aluminum samples and found why two of them broke early

• Part-time jobsAny job counts. Show what carries over: customers, money, safety, training others.

  Lead a team of 5 cashiers on weekend shifts and balance the cash at close

• Clubs and student teamsDesign teams, clubs and student government. Give your role a title, like a job.

  Redesigned the battery box mount in SolidWorks, cutting 1.2 kg from the team's car

• Volunteer workJob Bank says to include unpaid work that shows off your skills (Job Bank, checked 13 October 2026). The volunteer work guide shows how to write it up.

  Greeted and booked about 120 clients at a community tax clinic and checked their documents

• Hackathons and competitionsA weekend build or a case competition is a project with a deadline and a result.

  Built a study room finder with 2 teammates in 24 hours, placing second of 30 teams

4Co-op resume examples by program

Three made-up students, one page each. Each example shows the resume as a picture, the same resume as text, and three of its lines before and after.

Engineering co-op resume example

Avery Okafor is a made-up person, a second-year mechanical engineering student looking for a first co-op term. Every detail and number below is invented to show the format.

What makes it work

• Education comes first, with the expected graduation date and the courses an engineering employer looks for.
• A course project and a student team fill the space a first co-op resume would otherwise leave empty.
• Numbers from the wind tunnel and the machine shop: 18% more power, 1.2 kg lighter, within 0.1 mm.
• The summary names the term Avery can work: January to April 2027.

Read Avery Okafor's resume as text

Avery Okafor

Halifax, Nova Scotia | 902-555-0118 | avery.okafor@example.com | linkedin.com/in/avery-okafor-example

Summary

Second-year mechanical engineering student in a co-op program. Designs parts in SolidWorks, machines and tests prototypes, and writes clear lab reports. Looking for a four-month co-op term from January to April 2027.

Education

Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical, co-op program, Maplecrest University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Expected April 2030

Relevant courses: Engineering Design, Statics, Materials Science, Thermodynamics, Programming for Engineers

Projects

Wind turbine blade design, Engineering Design course

September 2025 to December 2025

• Designed a three-blade rotor in SolidWorks with a team of four and 3D printed two versions to test
• Tested three blade angles in the wind tunnel and raised power output 18% over the class baseline
• Wrote the team's 20-page design report, which earned 92%

Drivetrain Member, student electric car team, Maplecrest University

January 2026 to present

• Redesigned the battery box mount in SolidWorks, cutting 1.2 kg from the car
• Machined 14 aluminum brackets on a manual mill and lathe, each within 0.1 mm of the drawing

Experience

Customer Service Associate, home improvement store, Halifax, Nova Scotia

May 2024 to present (part time)

• Help about 60 customers a shift find the right parts and tools for their projects
• Trained 4 new associates on the paint-mixing machine and its safety checks
• Count stock in the plumbing aisle each week and reorder before items run out

Skills

SolidWorks · AutoCAD · MATLAB · Python (basic) · 3D printing · Manual mill and lathe · Microsoft Excel · English and French

Volunteer experience

Math Tutor, community homework club, Halifax, Nova Scotia

September 2024 to present

• Tutor 5 high school students in math every week, using practice problems built for each one

Certifications

WHMIS training, January 2026

Three lines from Avery Okafor's resume, before and after:

BeforeWorked on a wind turbine project with a group.

AfterTested three blade angles in the wind tunnel and raised power output 18% over the class baseline

Says what Avery tested and how much better it got.

BeforeMember of the electric car team.

AfterRedesigned the battery box mount in SolidWorks, cutting 1.2 kg from the car

A club membership becomes engineering work with a result.

BeforeShowed new staff how things work.

AfterTrained 4 new associates on the paint-mixing machine and its safety checks

Training and safety count on any shop floor.

Computer science co-op resume example

Jun Park is a made-up person, a third-year computer science student with one co-op term done. Every detail and number below is invented to show the format.

What makes it work

• The finished co-op term leads Experience, with the title the employer used and the months it ran.
• A hackathon and a course project show skills the part-time job can't.
• Skills name languages and tools the way postings write them, so they're easy to match.
• A GitHub link gives an employer code to look at.

Read Jun Park's resume as text

Jun Park

Victoria, British Columbia | 250-555-0164 | jun.park@example.com | github.com/jun-park-example

Summary

Third-year computer science student in a co-op program, with one co-op term as a software developer. Builds web apps in TypeScript and Python and writes the tests that keep them working. Looking for a four-month co-op term from May to August 2027.

Education

Bachelor of Computer Science, co-op program, Harbourview University, Victoria, British Columbia

Expected April 2029

Relevant courses: Data Structures, Algorithms, Databases, Software Engineering, Operating Systems

Experience

Software Developer Co-op, Larkspur Freight Software, Victoria, British Columbia

May 2026 to August 2026 (co-op term)

• Built a delivery tracking page in React and TypeScript that dispatchers now use for about 300 orders a day
• Wrote 85 automated tests for the order service, raising test coverage from 41% to 73%
• Sped up the daily orders report from 12 seconds to 2 by adding a database index

Sales Associate, outdoor gear store, Victoria, British Columbia

September 2024 to April 2026 (part time)

• Helped about 40 customers a shift choose gear, and handled cash and card sales

Projects

Study room finder, 24-hour campus hackathon

February 2026

• Built a study room finder with 2 teammates in 24 hours using Python, Flask and a map API, placing second of 30 teams

Library database, Databases course

January 2026 to April 2026

• Designed a 9-table PostgreSQL database for a library system and wrote the queries behind its search page

Skills

Python · TypeScript · JavaScript · Java · SQL · React · Node.js · PostgreSQL · Git · Docker · Linux

Clubs

Workshop Lead, campus coding club, Harbourview University

September 2025 to present

• Run a monthly Git workshop for about 25 first-year students

Three lines from Jun Park's resume, before and after:

BeforeWorked on the front end of the company website.

AfterBuilt a delivery tracking page in React and TypeScript that dispatchers now use for about 300 orders a day

Names the tools, and who uses the work every day.

BeforeWrote tests.

AfterWrote 85 automated tests for the order service, raising test coverage from 41% to 73%

A number before and after shows the change.

BeforeParticipated in a hackathon.

AfterBuilt a study room finder with 2 teammates in 24 hours using Python, Flask and a map API, placing second of 30 teams

A weekend event becomes a project with a result.

Business co-op resume example

Alexis Gagnon is a made-up person, a second-year commerce student looking for a first co-op term. Every detail and number below is invented to show the format.

What makes it work

• Education first, with commerce courses that match finance and marketing postings.
• A part-time job shows leadership: a team of 5, and a cash drawer that balances.
• Club and volunteer work carry the finance story: a $4,000 budget, sponsors and money raised.
• The summary says which kinds of co-op jobs Alexis wants, and when.

Read Alexis Gagnon's resume as text

Alexis Gagnon

Winnipeg, Manitoba | 204-555-0131 | alexis.gagnon@example.com | linkedin.com/in/alexis-gagnon-example

Summary

Second-year commerce student in a co-op program. Builds clear Excel reports, keeps a club budget on track and leads a cash team on weekends. Looking for a four-month co-op term in finance or marketing from May to August 2027.

Education

Bachelor of Commerce, co-op program, Riverbend University, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Expected April 2030

Relevant courses: Financial Accounting, Marketing, Business Statistics, Microeconomics, Organizational Behaviour

Experience

Cashier and Shift Lead, grocery store, Winnipeg, Manitoba

June 2023 to present (part time)

• Lead a team of 5 cashiers on weekend shifts and balance the cash at close, with no shortages in the last 12 months
• Settle about 10 customer complaints a shift without calling a manager
• Trained 6 new cashiers on the till and the store's return rules

Projects

Campus café marketing plan, Marketing course

January 2026 to April 2026

• Surveyed 150 students and presented a marketing plan for a campus café with 3 teammates, graded 90%

Clubs and volunteer work

Treasurer, campus marketing club, Riverbend University

September 2025 to present

• Track a $4,000 yearly budget in Excel and report to the club executive each month
• Found 3 new sponsors, raising $1,500 for the spring case competition

Volunteer Client Greeter, community tax clinic, Winnipeg, Manitoba

March 2026 to April 2026

• Greeted and booked about 120 clients and checked their documents before each appointment

Skills

Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP) · PowerPoint · Google Sheets · Bookkeeping basics · Customer service · Cash handling · English and French

Three lines from Alexis Gagnon's resume, before and after:

BeforeClub treasurer.

AfterTrack a $4,000 yearly budget in Excel and report to the club executive each month

Shows the size of the job and the tool it took.

BeforeResponsible for cash at the end of shifts.

AfterLead a team of 5 cashiers on weekend shifts and balance the cash at close, with no shortages in the last 12 months

Turns a duty into leadership with a clean record.

BeforeDid a marketing project for a class.

AfterSurveyed 150 students and presented a marketing plan for a campus café with 3 teammates, graded 90%

Gives the research, the team and the grade.

Getting from the first line to the second takes the questions a good co-op adviser asks: how many, how big, what changed? YapApply asks them while you talk through each project and job.

5How to put co-op experience on your resume

A finished co-op term is work experience. List it under Experience like any other job, newest first, with the job title, the employer, the city and province, and the months it ran. Then two to four bullets on what you did and what came of it.

Dates

Write the months and years in words: May 2026 to August 2026. If your school names its terms, such as Summer 2026 co-op term, you can use the name too, but keep the months, since an employer may not know which months your school's terms cover. Two terms with the same employer can share one entry: January 2026 to April 2026, and September 2026 to December 2026.

An example

Avery Okafor, the made-up engineering student above, is looking for a January to April 2027 term. Here's how it could go at the top of Experience once it's done. Like the rest of Avery's resume, it's invented.

6International students in co-op

A co-op term is work, so an international student needs permission to do it. Since 1 April 2026, IRCC says a post-secondary international student doesn't need a co-op work permit for a work placement their program requires. They can do it on their study permit if they meet all of IRCC's conditions. Among them: their study permit says they can work on campus, they study full time, their school gives them a letter confirming the placement is a requirement of the program, and the placement makes up 50% or less of the program. Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit (IRCC, Work in a student work placement, checked 13 October 2026).

The details depend on your permit and your program, so read IRCC's page for your own case, and ask your school's international student office if anything is unclear. You also need a Social Insurance Number to work, and the same IRCC page explains how to apply.

On your resume

Your resume doesn't need your permit details. In Ontario, the one question a job application may ask about this is whether you're legally entitled to work in Canada (Ontario Human Rights Commission, checked 13 October 2026).

Planning to apply for permanent residence later? Co-op terms don't count toward the Canadian Experience Class: IRCC leaves out work done while studying full time, co-op work terms included (IRCC, Canadian Experience Class, checked 13 October 2026). The Canadian resume format guide has more for international students and newcomers.

7Questions people ask