Summer’s coming up soon, which means it’s time to update resumes again! It’s such a tedious process, but vital to finding internships and jobs. This is what I’ve learned from some ~experts~ (not me, I promise) about how to make a resume stand out:
- Brainstorm your skills
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This sounds extremely obvious, but skills can come from literally anywhere. It doesn’t have to be from an organization or previous internship/job experience. Skills can come from something as simple as a class or project (i.e teamwork, cooperation, conflict management, problem management, etc.).
- Use Power Verbs
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When you write about your experiences, try to avoid using words like “Worked on _______” or “Assisted with _______”. Instead, cut those words out completely and write about what you actually did. A good example would be changing “Worked on programming _______” to just “Programmed _______” to catch the recruiter’s eye. They’ve read the words “worked”, “helped”, “assisted”, etc. so many times that you don’t want to risk them accidentally skimming over something important!
- Build your resume around the position you’re applying for
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This spring, I applied for an internship mainly focused on graphic design and web design. I had my Purdue standard resume, but with something that requires a lot of creativity and visual appeal, I decided to amp up my resume by adding colors, more creative fonts, and a photo of myself. Everything was based around a color theme, and it almost looked like a flyer. Obviously, you don’t want to do this for everything but think about what the position is asking of you and build your resume around what makes you look the most qualified for it.
- Don’t forget the soft skills!
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Soft skills are extremely important in candidates, and more and more companies are looking for individuals that are well-rounded in not just technical skills, but soft skills that will help with your interpersonal relationships like emotional intelligence and compassion. Technical skills are definitely important, but it’s also important for recruiters to get a sense of who you are as a person, not just an employee/intern since they’ve never met you before.
- Ask for help
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The CCO offers feedback on resumes and it’s a great tool to utilize. I’ve used their service a couple times before, and they’ve always been extremely helpful in telling me where I could improve on. As someone who has very little experience with resumes, the CCO was a lifesaver for me when I first started applying for internships! If you have professors, mentors, parents, etc. that you trust that have more experience with these, don’t be afraid to ask for help and feedback!
I hope these tips help you all out in your internship or job search, put your best foot forward! Happy resume writing and best of luck!