One of the first steps to landing a great job is writing a strong resume. If you haven\u2019t done this before, the idea might sound a bit intimidating at first, but it doesn\u2019t have to be. The key to writing a great resume is understanding the best ways to highlight your skills and experience and condensing that down to a brief, effective format.<\/p>\n
Here are some advanced tips to follow if you want your resume to really stand out.<\/p>\n
Believe it or not, not all resumes are the same. Industries have different standards, ranging from the details employers want to see to overall resume organization. The best way to figure out which format is right for your industry is to find someone who works in your desired field and ask them for tips. You can also ask if you can use their resume as a guide. Good people to ask include professors, your parents and older friends who have internships or full-time jobs in your field.<\/p>\n
Below are some sample questions you should ask as you do your research:<\/p>\n
| Question<\/b><\/td>\n | Most resumes should have\u2026<\/b><\/td>\n | But not always<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n| How many pages should my resume be?<\/td>\n | Most resumes should be <\/span>one page only<\/b>.<\/span><\/td>\n | In academia (if you\u2019re trying to be a professor), multi-page resumes are common.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Should I include leadership experience from high school on my resume?<\/span><\/td>\n | Most resumes <\/span>should not<\/b> include anything from high school, including where you went to high school.<\/span><\/td>\n | If you\u2019re a freshman or sophomore, you can still include just the highlights of the most impactful things you did in high school.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Do I need to include any grades or scores besides my GPA?<\/span><\/td>\n | Most resumes should include your GPA (unless it\u2019s below 3.0)\u00a0and don\u2019t require any other scores.<\/span><\/td>\n | Finance and consulting recruiters often ask for your SAT scores, broken out by section.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | What sections should I include on my resume?<\/span><\/td>\n | Most resumes should have an education section, followed by work experience. Leadership\/volunteer experience, hobbies and skills may follow.<\/span><\/td>\n | Engineering recruiters often want to see the projects you\u2019ve worked on, and it can be helpful to have a section on your resume listing out completed projects.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | How should my resume look? What color should it be?<\/span><\/td>\n | Most resumes should be simple black and white, with the most common format.<\/span><\/td>\n | Design recruiters may appreciate visually distinctive and creative resumes, due to the inherent creativity involved in design jobs. <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | While you\u2019re meeting with these people to do your research, bring your list of achievements with you,<\/span> and ask them which ones they find to be the most impressive. Remember, your resume isn\u2019t about what <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> think is great \u2014 it\u2019s about the recruiter that you\u2019re trying to impress and people with industry knowledge are more likely have a sense of what accomplishments will have the most impact. <\/span> Think of your resume as a story. It\u2019s a (usually) one-page opportunity for you to tell a story about yourself to recruiters. As much as it might be painful, think back to when you were applying to college. When writing your college essays, you had to decide what slice of yourself you wanted to share with admissions officers, and what qualities you wanted to highlight. This is very much the same thing, but your story is written in bullet points rather than paragraphs.<\/span> You\u2019ve done your research and you have a story to tell \u2014 you now know what you\u2019re saying, who you\u2019re saying it to, and how to say it.<\/span> Now all you have to do is fill out your resume. Using sample resumes you\u2019ve collected from people in your desired industry, determine the structure you\u2019ll need in your resume and then fill it out accordingly.<\/span> * Be specific \u2014 include details. <\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t just say, as an example, \u201cCompleted three projects and various tasks as part of my job.\u201d Explain exactly what you did and how you did it.<\/span> It\u2019s not enough just to say what you <\/span>did<\/span><\/i>, you really shine when you show off the impact that you made. Don\u2019t just say you led a fundraiser, say how much you raised. Don\u2019t just say you were a division head at camp, talk about how many campers and staff you were responsible for. Don\u2019t just say that you found a way to save your company money \u2014 say how much money you saved, and why it was important.<\/span> Have others review your resume including friends, Career Services and <\/span>especially<\/span><\/i> those in your industry. Take their feedback to heart and make edits accordingly. Again, your resume isn\u2019t about what <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> think, it\u2019s about what others take away from the story you\u2019re telling. Pay particular attention to whether the people you\u2019re showing your resume to understand everything you\u2019ve written, can see the impact that you\u2019ve made everywhere you\u2019ve worked, and are picking up on all 5-7 attributes you intended to include.<\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019re done, save your resume as \u201cResume – <First Name> <Last Name>.pdf\u201d<\/strong> and send it out, knowing that you\u2019ve done a great job. <\/span><\/p>\n Just as you\u2019re always changing and doing new things, your resume is a living story. Make sure you always update it as you accomplish new things. You should also customize your resume for every industry you apply to, following the above process (for the companies you really care about, you may want to customize it for the specific company.) Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Write a Thank You Note After An Interview<\/a>\u00a0and find answers to common interview questions such as\u00a0Tell Me About an Accomplishment That You’re Most Proud Of<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" |