Whether you’re applying for a part-time job for the school year or graduating soon and looking to start your post-undergrad career, one thing is certain, your résumé better be great.
Luckily, there’s help; McGill offers amazing resources to ensure your CV best represents you, your education, and your qualifications. Located in the Brown Building on McTavish, Career Planning Services (CaPS) offers information about finding jobs, internships, improving your LinkedIn, and writing CVs/cover letters, among a variety of other services.
They have drop-in hours daily (available on the CaPS website) during which students can have their job or post-grad related concerns addressed. Also, students are able to bring in their résumés to have them read over by a professional.
If you’re starting from scratch with your résumé, CaPS career advisor, Linda Cicuta, provided some insight into the essentials of content and formatting.
Do:
- Keep your audience in mind. Your résumé should be interesting, easy to read, and tailored to the specific job you’re applying for.
- Play around with margins. Cicuta explains that the standard margins on Microsoft Word are too wide; make them a bit smaller to ensure that your CV isn’t crammed with text at the center of the document. Presentation is everything!
- Make sure your name is in the biggest writing, your contact info in the smallest, and the content somewhere in between.
- Divide it into sections. There should be a part for work experience, education, etc.
- Mention your accolades in high school only if they’re relevant. If you were involved in pertinent things when you were in high school, it demonstrates a “continuum of interest.”
Don’t:
- Describe previous work experience by writing out “My responsibilities were…” or “I did this…” It sounds too vanilla and robotic. Instead, use powerful and descriptive action words.
- Use the word “hobbies.” However, including a section about your interests is a good way to demonstrate that you’re well rounded. Be sure to be specific and smart about it though, keep it relevant and concise.
Even if you’re not looking for a job at the moment, and graduation seems eons away, CaPS is a great resource to get you thinking ahead and ensure that you’ll be prepared down the road.
Visit the CaPS website for more information on the services they offer, their useful how-to guides, and their drop-in hours.
Images obtained from:
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