For the college student summoning the dreaded job interview for the first time, procrastinating on creating a resume may be tempting; perhaps you don’t have any work experience, or you don’t think your skills are marketable, or there are so many other applicants with much more experience. Yes, of course writing and editing your resume as you go and accumulating experience is a good idea, but you can create a standout, attention-getting resume. Writing a standout resume as a college student can be easier with the help of a reliable paper writing service that ensures your application materials are top-notch. Academized.com offers professional writing services, making it relevant for students aiming to present their best selves to potential employers. This post will help you create a resume that presents your unique strengths and potential.
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The Purpose of Your Resume
But what type of thing is your resume? That is, once you start listing your relevant experience and accomplishments, your resume is still not just a description of you. Why not? Because your resume is marketing material. It potential employer on your hire doing when I’m filling out my résum could say that what I my potential employer on my hire. That is my to show them, through among other things), this job or in this I have the skills and do it well.
And if you’re an undergrad, your CV will, of course, bear the weight of your academic identity: your courses; your honors and awards; your GPA (grade point average); your internships, jobs, volunteer work and the like – everything that might be relevant to the position for which you are applying. It’s not what you’ve done that will get you a job; it’s what you’re going to do.
Choosing the Right Resume Format
The format of the resume is the most important part of the resume for its transmission of your fit for the role, and turning to the best resume services can ensure your skills and experiences are showcased effectively. The format of a chronological or combination format as the most appropriate for college students with the combination format being first then the chronological format. In chronological format it says the experiences in past-recent and recent-past. A chronological format is good for someone who has some related work or internship experience. The combo format leaves room to highlight skills and achievements before detailing work history. This kind of format could work well if you are a recent graduate with several months of work experience under your belt, but little professional training.
No matter which version you go with, make sure your resume is nicely formatted and easy to scan. Keep the format clean and consistent. Use an easy-to-read font like Arial or Calibri and font size between 10 and 12 points. Use bold text and either a larger or smaller font size to create section headings.
A Summary or Objective Statement
Your resume’s top section should be a summary statement or an objective statement – but it should always be a statement that lets the reader know what he or she can expect to receive from you. That’s essentially your hook.
Summary statements are short paragraphs that summarize your skills, experience and career goals. They are most appropriate for students who have at least some work experience or have some idea of the career they want to pursue: ‘Motivated marketing major with excellent communications skills and hands-on experience in social media marketing who wants to use creative and analytical abilities for a challenging internship position.
On the other hand, a more goal-oriented opener will likely elicit more discussion about where you are headed in five years’ time or what you hope to achieve in the job you are applying for. This is your best bet if you are applying for a specific position, or if you are changing careers: ‘Looking for an internship in environmental science that is challenging where I can use my research skills and my passion for sustainability.
Highlighting Your Education
If you’re a college student, this is probably the best section of your resume – so start here, with the name of the school, degree, and expected date of graduation. Then list your major and your grade-point average, if it’s 3.0 or more; if you have extra room, list other course work as well; if you have space, list academic honors earned, and study abroad work done.
Don’t just say ‘I took these courses’. Tell me how they prepared you for the job you want. Here’s the version of the second example with the revised bullet: Introduction to Marketing Took the class in Introduction to Marketing and prepared myself for the profession. Skills obtained: market research, consumer behavior analysis, marketing strategy development.
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Showcasing Your Skills
In today’s world of work, employers are more concerned with the skills you possess rather than your work history. Dedicate a skills section in your resume where you can list both hard skills (technical skills) and soft skills (interpersonal skills).
Now, while hard skills can include some general skills, such as effectively using a particular piece of software or programming language, or performing a particular set of lab techniques, soft refers to things such as communicating, leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and the like.
Be specific about your skills. Instead of just listing ‘communication skills’, it would be better to write ‘Excellent written and verbal communication skills developed through coursework and leadership role in campus debate club’.
Detailing Your Experience
Even if you haven’t held a full-time job in your field, you probably have some experiences that are worthy of inclusion in your resume, such as internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work, and relevant academic projects.
When talking about your experiences, focus on your accomplishments, not just your duties. Use strong action verbs to begin each bullet point and quantify your achievements wherever applicable. Instead of ‘Responsible for social media,’ you could say something like ‘Increased Instagram followers by 25 per cent over three months by creating compelling content and utilizing a strategic posting schedule.
Don’t discount experiences from your past that don’t appear to be related to the career you want to enter; skills from many of those experiences are still transferable. For example, if a person worked as a server in a restaurant, he or she might have been practicing customer service skills, multitasking, and the ability to work under pressure – all of which can be applicable in many professional environments.
Including Relevant Projects
As an undergraduate, you might have produced work – a final-year project or dissertation, for example – that demonstrates your abilities at what you were studying. This is all fair game for your CV. If you have no work experience, this is the perfect place for showing the skills you picked up from study.
If you are including projects, make sure you have the most relevant ones for the job you are applying for. Describe the project, your role, the skill you used or developed, and the outcomes. For example: Fostered the development of a team project by creating a mobile application for the delivery of local produce. Used Java programming and learned about interface design and project management.
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Highlighting Extracurricular Activities
Employers always look for candidates who show some initiative and leadership outside of the classroom. List any clubs or extracurricular organizations that you participate in. Describe your role and any notable accomplishments.
For instance, instead of just noting ‘Member of Environmental Club’, you could write ‘Active member of Environmental Club; spearheaded effort to institute a campus-wide recycling programme that led to a 30 per cent increase in recycling rates’.
Incorporating Honors and Awards
If you received any academic honors, scholarships or prizes, include them in your CV under this heading; for example, your name on the Dean’s List, departmental awards or merit scholarships.
Name the award, the granting organization, and the date of honors and awards: I received the Gold Star Award from the Ed Tech Awards in 2016. My honors include the NASA Group Achievement Award in 2008 for my role on the Opportunity rover mission that successfully landed and operated at the Mars Meridiani site.If the name of the award is not self-explanatory, provide a brief description: I was recognised with a special distinction for lifetime contribution to Montana and beyond the state.
Tailoring Your Resume for Each Application
One of the most important and most powerful parts of a great resume is tailoring it to the job. Not that you have to rewrite your resume at each application, but emphasizing your best skills and experience in the context of the job.
Look over the job description, and highlight areas of core competencies or qualifications that the employer is requiring, and then rework your resume to highlight those areas of focus – reordering bullet points, tailoring a summary statement, or even adding an additional section to describe especially relevant work experiences or skills.
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Proofreading and Formatting
The second part is that you should check your resume for typos and other grammar mistakes. A resume with errors gives a negative impression. At the very least, make sure you read through your resume at least a few times. If you can, ask a friend, family member or even career advisor to look it over.
Also, pay attention to formatting. A resume should be consistently formatted from the top of the first page to the bottom of the last. Font sizes should be uniform, as should the use of bold and italics. A resume should be a single page, but if you have a lot of relevant experience, you can consider a two-page resume.
Seeking Feedback and Continuous Improvement
It’s a process, and there are no easy or obvious hacks to building a resume that stands out. It’s a draft, after all, and asking professors, career counselors, and professionals in your field can help you come up with ways to improve it.
Your resume is always in draft mode. Let’s say you take a class that helps you learn Excel; you get elected to the school council; and you decide that you want to be a journalist. Those are all career-related additions to your life, and you should add them to your resume because they contribute to your professional identity.
Conclusion
Many college students might think that they have nothing to offer in a resume, but with the right strategy, you can produce one that will impress readers with your talents, background and your potential for more. With these tips, you will be on your way to creating an impressive document for yourself. Good luck with this step of your career!
Remember, a resume is often your first chance to make a good impression, and committing the time to make your resume stand out shows that you take professionalism seriously and are a great fit for employment. Happy job-searching!
