Whether you’re a freshman or a senior in college, it is time you start creating your resumé. It’s the one paper that will open (or close) many doors in your future or, if you’re currently job seeking, in the present. Some of us hear the word “resumé” and want to hide under a rock, but we’re here to ensure you will never be scared of making (or improving) your resumé ever again. Here are some tips to help you improve or create your resumé.
- Your name and info should be on top – yes, just how you read it. Your name, physical address, e-mail and phone number should be on the header of the page since it’s easier to locate and it’s the first thing employers will see. Make sure your email is something professional (most people opt for yourname.lastname@domain.com) and not something you might be embarrassed handing it in. If you’re a creative person (and we know you are!), then you might want to add some color to your resumé to give it some extra “oomph”. Make sure you only add color to your name, so it pops out amongst the rest.
- Results are everything – a lot of people skate by on explaining the positions they held in their past jobs, what their duties were and how long they were working in that company. In reality, what employers want to know are the results you achieved: did you help acquire new talent? Did you find a way to streamline any of the company’s process? Potential employers want to know what you can bring to the table, so make sure you put those results there!
- Less is more (and better!) – some people feel like working part-time at a restaurant isn’t resuméworthy. It is! But ,trust us, if it’s a restaurant you worked at when you were still in junior high, opt out of adding it. If it’s from high school and above, leave it. Employers want to know what college experiences have shaped you, save the high school experiences for an interview (maybe).
- Check your spelling and grammar! – this one might seem a little silly, but trust us, spell-checking is the most important part of this process. After you’ve finished writing up your resumé, double check your work and maybe get a friend to proofread for you. When you think you have done all of these steps, give it to a college counselor, professor or career advisor so they can scan, review, and approve it.
- One size does not fit all – sometimes we prefer standarized things. We tend to make one cover letter and one resumé for all of the jobs we’re applying, but that just doesn’t cut it. When you’re applying for a job, full-time or not, always review what the company wants and adjust your resumé to fit those needs. If you’re applying for a retail job and you have three waitressing experiences and two in retail, then you might want to choose to add and accentuate those in retail and the most demanding out of the waitressing ones. Yes, choose the experiences that reflect what you’ve done and who you are, but don’t give out resumés that don’t fit in with the company’s needs.
Now, get creative and sit down to write your resumé! If you have further questions on what templates to use or what words are best in specific sentences, then we suggest you head over to a career advisor over at your faculty that can help you. Our school has amazing professionals that know what the market is looking for and what our majors are demanding of us, so take the opportunity and ask for help!