Many students say they know how to build a resume; however, most students really do not— or it is not the best resume it could be. Here are some section-by-section tips on how to take the most of what you have done in the past four years at university and use it to build a basic but bomb post-college resume.
Contact Section
The first section of your resume should always be your contact information. Before even getting to know you via the information you share in the other sections of your resume, your potential future employer can put a name to that biographical information and begin envisioning you as their employee.
Within this section include:
• Your Name
• Your Primary AND Secondary Email Addresses
• Your Living Address
• Your Phone Number(s)
Objective Section
The next section is the Objective Section. This is the section where you need to sell yourself within a few sentences. Although you write information within each section, this section is where the future employer gets to hear your tone of voice through word usage. It is like a mini cover letter or your 160-character Twitter bio count. Keep it short, but to the point.
Within this section include:
• 2-3 sentences about why you want to work for the employer you are applying to and about yourself as an employee.
Example “Hardworking and motivated, I am driven to succeed and build a positive environment wherever I go.”
Skills Section
The next section is the Skills Section. The skills section is where you say where you would star in an Employee All Star Game. Express your best attributes that would make you shine for this particular job. Don’t be afraid to include things like social media; however, avoid skills like Microsoft Word; it’s kind of a required, common sense attribute most employees should and are expected to have.
Within this section include:
• Computer/internet skills, every career uses it in some form
• Communication skills, every career uses it in some form
• Career-related skills, meaning if you are going to be a teacher, you
really do not need to share that you have a phlebotomy certification.
Education Section
The fourth section is the Education Section. If you are not a Dean’s List student, an athlete, in honor societies, or a member of a club, highlighting every other section needs to be key to a successful resume. Although grades and activities are not everything, they truly give an insider’s look on how you spent college. In addition, you really should not highlight your high school years within the education section unless you did something very achieving such as high-class rank or an honor society. Although high school was important, who you were then is far from your post-college and even college education.
Within this section include:
• College GPA above 3.0
• College Majors and Minors
• College Clubs
• College Honor Societies
• College Athletics
• College Class Rank
Achievement Section
The fifth section is about showcasing everything impressive or eye catching that you have done over the past four years. This section and the work history section should be the meat of your resume, the most important part and where you show the experience you have to offer.
Besides mentioning when/where you achieved or worked these achievements also mention why you were chosen and what you did. Employers love to see people with a wide array of completed projects. Like the Education section, keep this limited to post-high school stuff unless it was a vital high school achievement. If you do include the high school achievement here, do not have in both the Education and Achievement Sections.
Within this section include:
• Internships
• Fellowships
• Volunteerism
• Awards
Work History Section
The final section of your basic but bomb resume is your Work History Section. I cannot express this enough, no work place is unimportant. It does not matter if you only worked there for a few months, was a restaurant busser, or anything that does not seem remotely related to your career. Hard work pays off as much as career-related experience.
Within this section include:
• Job Location
• Employment timeframe for each job
• Job Duties
You could also include references within this section, or you can create another section called References Section. Personally, I have my references next to where you know the person from. This makes it easier for your potential future employer when they call them. The future employer will have some context of what you did at a specific location so that they can ask questions based on that instead of just vague “How were they as a worker?” questions.
Building a resume isn’t hard; however, writing one that aims you toward success is a different story. It is important to not only sell yourself through your words and experiences, but also by your resume itself. Sometimes just the right information shared, that be a skill or a recent award, can be the difference between being hired or not. Build your resume as basic as you can without overdoing it, but always show how awesome you are and how bomb your employment for a specific would be. Make them want more of you than just what a resume can give.
