We’ve all been told that a smile and a pretty face can only get us so far. A firm handshake adds more to the package and cleansing your Facebook account of your late-night adventures is a nice touch, too. Volunteering at the local hospital, joining Habitat for Humanity, pledging a sorority or working at the best online magazines at your university (cough, cough Her Campus) all become liable credentials to add to a résumé to make it look pretty awesome.
When it’s time to submit your résumé crammed with all of the experiences, life finally feels complete. Not only can a company see that you’ve grown as a person, but even you can look back on the experience listed a year back and reflect on how time has changed and grown with you. It’s a beautiful moment.
However, what’s not beautiful is not receiving an email or call back from that one job you sent your life on a piece of paper to. The problem may not be the content of your résumé, but the overall format of it.
Time is changing rapidly. We buy the trendiest clothes and join the newest social media site to keep up with it, but our résumé continues to look like a 1995 reject. As we continue to grow as individuals, our résumé ’s content should not be the only thing to show it. The trick is to spice up that résumé and add a flare to it that will make it stand out.
“I’m only a freshman, but I’ve already tried to build up my résumé,” Chigo Asonye, student at UIUC, said. “For one of my classes, we had to build a résumé and submit it for a grade. I was worried when I printed it out and it just looked like a bland piece of paper. I’m not sure if companies want to see some color or something to make it stand out.”
The first step in this process is to start at the beginning and work from there. According to “U.S.News,” one suggestion is to “try a professional profile” by opening with “a personal profile.”
You should express what experiences qualify you as a likely candidate for the specific position you are applying to. The trick is not to give a summary of what will be stated lower in the résumé, but instead give a fresh, brief opener that lets the employer know that this résumé is for them and no one else. It personalizes your résumé and shows your eagerness to be involved in that one job, specifically.
The power of the web is commonly underestimated. Thankfully, the Internet has surpassed the power of looking up synonyms to the word happy and can be incorporated into your résumé!
“I was told to include links to some of the stuff I’ve done,” Amy Liao, student at UIUC, said. “I thought it’d make my résumé look stuffed with words, but apparently it actually helps.”
Including hyperlinks into the flow of your résumé not only documents proof of real experience, but it gives employers something to look back on to see the work that you’ve contributed. When I went to the Media Career Center and had a meeting with Jessica Leach, the director of career services, to review my résumé, one of the first tips she suggested was adding hyperlinks to show that my work has had an impact on the web. Whatever it may be, including a hyperlink shows real credentials.
Although you may think otherwise, it is important to include social media in your resume. According to “U.S.News,” including links to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account in your contacts section shows that you are an active member in the growing world of social media. It is also a possibility that employers might be “impressed if you’ve grown large networks and followings.” Getting involved in the social media world should be an extra item added to your to-do list.
While creating a résumé may not be the first thing on your list of things to do, it should be a top priority. Stand out from the crowd and make your résumé one that deserves attention.