According to Indeed, “The best resume formats are well-organized, contain only the most relevant information, and should use spaces efficiently to avoid clutter. Stella made great use of the space on one page and even included a photo to show off her unique style and personality. She also included a section headed “Relevant Experience and Education” instead of the traditional “Work Experience” to emphasize her involvement in school teams and committees, which provided her with applicable skills rather than a formal job.
Remember that if you add a photo to your resume, it should reflect the style and dress of your industry. As you move into a more formal career, be sure to adjust your resume accordingly. You can still have a great design while keeping it professional, like in Avery’s resume below. As a new face in the accounting and finance world, Avery wants to make an impression on employers while still presenting itself as a serious professional. His CV stands out, but also meets the expectations and standards of his career excellently.
Reading: How to create a resume for current college students
2. Create a summary tailored to the employer’s needs
A summary, objective, or “About Me” statement is an excellent way to introduce yourself and quickly promote your qualifications. This statement should be short (1-2 sentences) and focus on your relevant experience and professional skills. It’s also a good idea to tailor your summary to the needs of the employer rather than your own. If the employer mentions specific requests in their job posting, find a way to include the highest priority requests in your statement. This shows the employer not only that you have listened to their wishes, but also that you are responsive and ready to meet their needs.
3. Prioritize education over experience
For college students or recent grads, it can be difficult to decide whether to list your education or experience first. In Jonathan’s resume below, notice that he lists his educational history first to showcase his student activities and awards like the Best Student Web Developer Award. That’s because his educational achievements demonstrate more enthusiasm and mastery of his technical skills than his limited experience as a freelance web developer – having only completed two work projects.
See also: Angular Responsive Design: Complete Guide
Not sure whether to list your education or experience section first? Find out which one will help you present your most relevant and notable information. If your key selling points stem from your college experience, list your area of education first. Then you can get really creative by highlighting your academic history and achievements, as discussed below.
4. Be imaginative in your field of education.
Don’t feel intimidated if your degree doesn’t exactly match the position you’re applying for. By showing a commitment to your education, you can still demonstrate the qualities employers are looking for, such as: B. Strong work ethic, dedication, leadership skills, commitment and a desire to improve. The education section of your resume should be concise, but it should also relate to the job you are seeking.” This is a good time to brainstorm and make a list of your best student achievements. Any relevant honors or academic recognition, coursework, activities, or other achievements received during your education should be included to build upon what may be lacking in your section of experience. You can even add relevant coursework and school projects you’ve completed to prove your educational qualifications and specializations, especially if your major or minor doesn’t readily indicate this.
5. Keep Your Experience Relevant
Employers don’t need to know about your summer job at a pizza shop or that time you sold perfume at the mall. Your scope of experience should not be limited to just paid jobs, nor does it need to include every job you have ever had. Hiring managers will verify that you have work experience relevant to the position they are hiring.
Note in Jonathan’s resume above that it only includes his work as a freelance web developer.This is his only experience relevant to the positions he is applying for. Jonathan doesn’t need to factor in his part-time job as a rack store clerk at Costco or his position as a sales rep at Champ’s during his freshman year. Not only can this distract from their qualifications, but it can also clutter up their resume and make it seem like they don’t understand what the employer wants or needs.
If you have very limited or no work experience , you can change the name of this section from “Work Experience” to “Relevant Experience”. Then add internships, volunteer work, leadership experience, extracurricular activities, or any other related engagements or training you can think of to make up for your lack of work experience.
6. Add a Skills or Strengths Section
Inserting a skills, key strengths, or competencies section on a resume is a great way to let employers know what hard and soft skills you have. Indeed defines hard skills as job-specific skills (like mastering technical software systems) and soft skills as skills that can be applied to any job (like problem-solving and time management).
See also: How to Create a Library Website with WordPress
So how do you know which of your many talents you should include on your resume? According to The Balance Careers, “Some skills are in high demand among employers who hire college graduates, and there are other skills that are specific to the job you’re applying for.” Try reading several job descriptions that are specific to The industry or role you are applying for. Be sure to focus on the top wants and needs that employers emphasize for candidates. Write down a list of those who stand out, then review how their desired skills align with your core competencies. From there you can decide what key strengths you want to include in your resume.
Check out Ed Stewart’s Key Strengths section of the resume below. Note that he only lists hard skills or technical skills. This is a good move for Ed as it positions himself as a search engine marketing expert and will appeal to companies looking to hire someone with a technical approach to their marketing strategy. He also does a great job of keeping his bulleted section short and manageable. Bulleted lists should only be around 5-7 items, so make sure you only add the most important and relevant skills to your resume. Anything that you think has stopped can be included in your cover letter.
7. Always Submit a Custom Cover Letter
Did you know that for every job posting a company submits around 250 resumes and only around five candidates are invited to an interview? According to Pongo, “Without a cover letter, you rely solely on your resume to make enough of an impact that the hiring manager will call you back for an interview.” As an applicant just entering the job market, you need a good cover letter to make the difference Make up for a lack of experience on your resume.
By submitting a customized cover letter tailored to the company and role you are applying for, you can let employers know why they consider you over a candidate with more experience should set. This is your chance to tell them you’re a fast learner, hard worker, or willing to go the extra mile to gain experience and help their business thrive. Don’t rely on your resume to get you through the competition. With a cover letter, you will quickly attract attention, show that you have made an extra effort and show how much you want the job. You only have 7.4 seconds to make an impression, so do it well!
8. Have a friend proofread it
After staring at the same resume and cover letter for hours, it can be easy to whitewash your own writing and mistakes that a fresh pair of eyes can spot. After completing these documents, try a few proofreading tricks such as: B. reading slowly and aloud. Then ask for help! You’ll be surprised what someone else might pick up. According to TopResume, “Have a friend — preferably one who writes for a living or has studied English at university — check your resume for contextual misspellings, missing punctuation, and inconsistencies in your resume format.” Once all the final details are confirmed, you can apply. Good luck!
Want to see more sample college resumes and cover letters? Zety has some excellent templates and guides. And check out this blog if you need help getting reference letters. At Pearson Accelerated Pathways, we love supporting students on their way to their brightest future and best career. We’d love to help you create your own college experience that develops the background qualifications and skills you need to land your dream job!
See also: How To Build A Website Similar to Canva
- Pearson Accelerated Pathways
.
