There is a lot of pressure when writing a resume for a job or internship. Your resume is the first thing employers look at and what lands you an interview. It is your chance at grabbing their attention before you are tossed aside. This leads to a lot of pressuring questions. How long should your resume be? How sophisticated can I make being a cashier at Walgreens really sound? Should I include that one time I volunteered at the animal shelter? On the opposite end, you might wonder how you can sum up a job where you did as much as cleaning the floors of your company, to being the CEO. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying that resumes are not useful or true. Resumes are necessary, but I think the idea of a “good resume” can be redefined.
Employers need something to look at when seeking potential employees. Resumes can be perfect for a person who is looking for a position in a field that they already have experience in working in. This way they can show employers the things that they have done, and how they can implement these skills in the job they are applying for. However, if you are looking to start a new career path in a different field, or if you are a student, you might not have much experience in the field. This could be why you are applying for the job or internship in the first place.
Since resumes are often a summed up page of what a person has “professionally” done, it limits the room for experience outside the workforce. This is why I believe resumes need a section for what a person does on the weekend, or in their spare time. An applicant did not get the job as being a photographer for a magazine company because the “professional” experience on his resume was only his day job of being a mechanic. However little do they know, after working his nine to five job he goes home and takes an endless amount of pictures. On the weekends he spends his mornings catching photographs of the sunrise. His passion for photography is more than the applicant that they hired. The applicant that they hired takes photographs with his iPhone and can sometimes sell them. I am not saying that this applicant is not capable. But I believe that both applicants should have a chance.
Resumes should always have a section for interests and skills. Currently, this idea is looked down upon and if you do have this section, your resume is not professional. Ignore this. Especially if you are applying for an internship. This is your chance to show your interest in the position you are applying for, and the things you do outside of your job as a cashier. This shows the potential you have in making your hobbies and skills into a real word job.
Your resume should be a true reflection of who you are as a person. The things you've done, the things you can do, and the things that you are willing to learn. The best resume is one that accurately shows all of these things. Not just your dictionary of the biggest words you can think of.
