Five Resume Tips for College Students

Résumé Tips for College Students Creating a résumé usually isn’t at the top of the list for college seniors; however it is vital that every college student creates one in order to be prepared for any internship or career opportunity. So where to start? Below are five tips that can be very helpful for soon to be or recent graduates. 1) How should you start your résumé? Many professionals, including Sue Campbell, a professional résumé writer and President of 1stWriter.com, agree that it is more effective to start a résumé with your top qualifications rather than an objective statement; especially if your career goal is undefined. It is not recommended starting off your résumé with a generic or vague objective statement; instead your goal should be to configure a profile section that gives the reader a clear picture of what you can offer their company. This summary should be brief and assertive. 2) What to do if you have no work experience. Experts agree that students are often better served if they move their education to the top of the résumé, as opposed to the bottom. This is the most valuable information a student possesses and as you gain experience the education section can move down in priority. Things you should include in this section are:      College or university College city and state Graduation date Extracurricular activities and courses related to your job field. and lastly if your GPA is 3.0 or higher, experts advise you to include that as well. 3) Be Strategic in Describing Unrelated Jobs Many students have part-time, seasonal or temporary work experience that is unrelated to future career goals. You don't want to pack your document with irrelevant details. On the other hand, prospective employers value candidates who demonstrate dependability and a strong work ethic, even if the experience is from a different industry. Some ways you can do this include:  detail past projects you were involved in that show leadership, drive and determination  extract the skills and achievements that are most relevant to employers' needs  leave out details that don't add value. 4) Think like the Employer and a Job Seeker When applying for internships or jobs, its best to look through two pairs of eyes: the potential employer's and your own. o You should study job ads or internship announcements that interest you. If an ad states that communication skills are important, think about times when your communication skills came into play Next, look at your experience through your own eyes. Think about work that you have enjoyed. While these skills and experiences may not be directly relevant to the positions you're targeting, they're good indicators of areas where you're likely to excel in the future. o 5) Pick the Right Résumé Length Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing the length of your résumé. For some students, a one-page résumé could suffice. However this isn't a hard-and-fast rule. In the instance of a Student who has established a track record within their career path through internships or work experience, a one-page résumé would certainly sell them short. It’s OK to go to two pages. The Top Résumé Mistakes Prevention is critical. It’s all too easy to make mistakes on your résumé and extremely difficult to repair the damage once it is submitted. Below are the most common mistakes and how you can avoid them. 1. Typos and Grammatical Errors Nobody is perfect, however your résumé should be. Grammatically anyways. If it isn't, employers may draw incorrect conclusions about you and it may show them you simply just don’t care. 2. Lack of Specifics Employers need to understand what you've done and accomplished. Both of the phrases below could describe the same person; however it is obvious which one will more likely grab an employer's attention. a) Worked with employees in a restaurant setting. b) Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales. 3. Attempting One Size Fits All Employers want you to write a résumé specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization. If you try to develop a one-size-fits-all résumé to send to all employers, you will most likely end up with something that will end up in the recycle bin. 4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments Many students make the mistake of simply listing job duties on their résumés. Employers, however, care more about what you have accomplished in your various activities rather than what you've done. What not to write:    Attended group meetings and recorded minutes. Worked with children in a day-care setting. Updated departmental files. Instead employers look for statements more like these:  Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Wordbased file for future organizational reference. Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday program performance. Reorganized 10 years' worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members.   6. A Bad Objective Employers do read your résumé's objective statement; however they often plow through formless puffery. Give employers something specific something that focuses on their needs as well as your own. Notice the difference between the two statements below: "Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth." Vs. "A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for nonprofits." 7. No Action Verbs Avoid using phrases like "in charge of." Instead, use action verbs: "Managed staff of 15+ employees…” 8. Leaving Off Important Information Students may be hesitant to mention jobs they've taken to earn extra money for school. However, the soft skills gained from these experiences like work ethic, time management, and dependability are more important to employers than most might think. 9. Visually Too Busy It is a good idea to let others critique your résumé. If your résumé is jam-packed with text featuring five different fonts, you might end up giving your potential employer a headache. See if others find it visually attractive. Remember this rule: If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise. 10. Incorrect Contact Information It’s simple, if you don’t have the correct contact information, you will be unreachable. Make sure you triple-check even the most minute details. Assessing Your Skills What Makes You Different from All the Others? Looking at résumés received in answer to ads and postings can be just as overwhelming as standing in the cereal isle at the grocery store trying to decide what brand to choose from. So, how do they choose? What do they look for? How does one get selected? How can you make your product (résumé) stand out? The Packaging The packaging is certainly the start. In the cereal example, eye-catching colors and descriptive words would be the attention drawer. But with employers the words you choose are key. Using words that will interest the companies will grab their attention. The Ingredients Consider your skills as the list of ingredients, which is also important. Sit down for 20 minutes or so and write down your skills and what you think may make you unique to the position. Skills can be grouped into three categories: 1) Skills learned through past experience and education (knowledge-based skills). 2) Skills you bring with you to any job (transferable or portable skills). 3) Personal traits, the things that make you who you are. The Assessment Tool Divide a piece of paper into three columns and label them with "previous experience," "portable skills" and "personality," the three P's of marketing. Below are some examples of each you may use. Previous Experience        Portable Skills            Personality             Marketing knowledge Communications skills Vendor management Press and industry relations Web channel marketing Product development Computer skills Communications Writing skills Very organized Good at coordinating Team leader Problem solving Project management Excellent follow-through Good with budgets and numbers Time management Customer Focus Self-starter Independent Friendly Well-organized Quick learner Good judgment Good attitude Creative Analytical Flexible Good sense of humor Goal-directed Getting words on paper is one of the most difficult steps of putting a section like this together. For anyone beginning the search process, this is a great exercise, or even as a periodic check. After doing this you can use the list to put together you résumé, summary statement or compose a personal statement. Skills are the foundation of the strategy that will be used to sell yourself.