With spring semester comes things like graduation and moving to a big girl job, applying to a professional school and Auburn’s career fair. All of these have one thing in common: your resume. We’ve heard it all before, ‘your resume is a super important document that outlines all your successes in life, and if it’s not good then you won’t get a job.’ Wrong! A piece of paper surely doesn’t define you—it barely scratches the surface. With that being said, it’s still important to make sure this seemingly silly piece of paper represents you and your skills in the best manner possible. Whether your resume is needed for one of the above mentioned or you’re just sharpening it up to keep it up to date, these tips are for you.
1. Utilize the Career Center’s resources amongst others
The career center not only reviews professional documents such as cover letters and resumes, they also conduct mock interviews and work closely with employers for recruiting purposes. Speaking from personal experience, the career center’s staff is very helpful and gives you a good starting place if your resume needs a complete makeover. They also review your completed resume and offers last minute tips. You can drop in without an appointment Monday-Friday from 9 to 4, and they are located in Mary Martin Hall.
Nevertheless, don’t think that the career center is your only option; each individual college most likely has an undergraduate program officer who would be more than happy to review your resume. Trusted professors within your major, or even your advisor, are also great resources. I find it helpful to talk with my peers as well. They are going through the same thing, and together we can help each other strengthen resumes from another student’s perspective.
2. Do it for the right reason
This is a big one, something most college students struggle with. When you sign up for a club or become an officer for an honor society or participate in weekly volunteer hours, are you doing it for the right reason? All of these activities are considered resume builders and of course strengthen your skill set and the quality of your resume. But did you only sign up for that coveted honor society because you knew it would look good on your resume or do you genuinely strive to participate and earn your place within the organization? A good rule of thumb is to avoid signing up for something you aren’t interested in. If you normally wouldn’t spend six hours a week volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, for instance, then go find another organization that authentically interests you. Just like the saying goes, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” The same goes for resume builders. Don’t join a club just to make yourself look better on paper, choose something you are honestly passionate about, and it won’t be just another activity to add to your resume, it will develop into a true enthusiasm.
3. Don’t spread yourself too thin
Going off of the advice given above, this is another big pitfall for many college students. Come O-Day, all those clubs set up on the concourse are so enticing and you can’t help but sign up for 13 of them. While this is a great way to dive in and find out what interests you the most, quality over quantity is a good criterion to follow. It’s better to be involved in a couple organizations for a while and hold officer positions in them, then be a member of 10 different clubs but never even show up to meetings.
At the end of the day, your resume should be a showcase made up entirely of all the skills and good qualities that make you stand out from the crowd.