By now, we all know college is a time where we can all start putting our lives together because we are expected to be grownups. Kind of. Anyway, a big part of “adulting” is having a resume that can lend us a decent job because experience is everything. A resume is basically a personal advertisement for yourself where you get to showcase your skills. Let me put it into terms we shall all understand, consider your resume the appetizer that whets the appetite of your interviewer and your interview would be the main course. So here are 6 tips and tricks to make sure you are at least on the right path.
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One of the most important aspect of any resume is making sure your name is on it. I know you are probably thinking Duh! Of course, my name will be on it, but you would be surprised. Your name itself should be in bold and at least a font size larger than the rest of the content on the front page just to make sure your (hopefully) future employer does not forget it. Your name should then be followed by your contact information for, what I hope are, obvious reasons.
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We live in a world where things are constantly evolving, and this also includes resumes. Resume formats have been changing forever. So, I am afraid to tell you that the resume you made a few years ago as a senior in high school for sure needs a format makeover. Now, just because your resume does not look like your friends’ does not mean you are doing anything wrong. As long as the format is not outdated and it follows the general order in which things should go, you should be good.
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And speaking of formatting, the resume itself should only be one page. You can go back and re-read that sentence again. For most of us, this may be too little because you want to showcase all the skills you have picked up in jobs you have had since you were old enough to work. But the truth is you do not need all of them. Yes, employers want to see experience, but only relevant experience. So, strategically add enough for them to be intrigued and just mention the rest during your interview.
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I created my first resume as a junior and high school student, and what I did not know then was instead of listing your duties from your previous jobs, you are supposed to list skills you obtained from those jobs. I did not learn this until I did a resume workshop here as a freshman. I also learned that you want to use action verbs because it is more persuasive and you are basically persuading your interviewer to hire you.
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As I previously mentioned, your resume is your personal ad, so you want your best qualities and skills to be featured to boost your chances. If you have won any awards or done any extracurricular activities, this is the best place to showcase them. Keep in mind that there is a line between showcasing and overdoing it! You are still asking for a job and, qualified or not, being boastful never helps anyone. So, a little humility goes a long way.
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Proofread. Proofread. All the tips are important but this one is the most important. You don’t want a foot out of the door before you enter the place where you are dropping your resume off. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen if you have any spelling and grammatical errors on it. Not only does it make you look bad, but it displays a level of carelessness that employers would rather not deal with, so make sure to give you resume one last glance before submitting it.
And you know guys, we all need a little help sometimes. So, if you can’t figure out how polish your resume or even start it, head to the Office of Career Services in SPH. If you don’t know, the Office of Career Services is located in the basement of SPH. They have experts to help you with any job-related needs. You can schedule an appointment or make use of peer mentor walk-in hours on Mondays from 9-11 am, 11:30 am-4:30 pm and on Wednesdays from 9-11 am and 3-5 pm. Also, attend the Make the Cut, Crafting Competitive Application Materials on Wednesday, January 17 from 4:30-6 pm. No need to panic.
Nik Roseau
The best of me is yet to come – Nik.
