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Freshman Blog: Summer Resumé Builders

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

The semester is finally winding down, and along with it, our first year of college! I, for one, cannot believe this school year is coming to a close. It’s been an amazing freshman year, filled with lots of fun, friends, and new experiences. However, though we all are excited for summer and reuniting with old friends, the end of our freshman year means we are one step closer to joining the real world of internships and work. Take some time over these next few months of break to start building your resume, so when next summer rolls around, you are the number one candidate for any internships or jobs you may apply for. Here are some tips on how to get started!

Read All Work, No Pay


Though this is not necessarily a resumé builder, it will certainly help you figure out how to get your dream internship. One of my friends landed an amazing internship at Teen Vogue this summer, and she recommended for me to read this book since it helped her learned everything she needed to know about the internship application process. Written by Lauren Berger, the “Intern Queen”, this book tells you everything you need to know about where to send your resumé and cover letter, what to wear on your interview, and much more.

Volunteer!

Any kind of volunteer work looks great on a resumé. Not only does it emphasize your involvement and extracurricular work, but it also speaks to your well-roundedness and capacity to care for something other than yourself. Get involved with a local animal shelter if you love animals, or maybe become a candy striper at a hospital, delivering gifts and flowers to patients. Volunteering is generally an extremely rewarding experience for both yourself and those you are helping, and you will definitely rack up some good karma points along the way.

Clarify Your Goals

Spend some time this summer researching potential careers or clarifying your academic and career goals. By knowing what you enjoy and what you potentially could see yourself doing for a living, you will better be able to get involved in activities that apply to your field of interest and best use your natural talents. This is the key to building a standout resumé, and it will most definitely put you on the path to success.

Hopefully, these few tips will help you get a head start on your internship or job search. Enjoy the summer, collegiettes!

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!