Read this article for tips on how to write a great resume. One of the worst parts of being a student is trying to move into the workforce. What do you say in your resume? How do you make yourself look interesting? We are here to help you through this.
Look at Samples
The first thing you should do is look at writing samples. Finding these writing samples won’t be hard. Since you are in college, start there. Most departments will have some examples of the types of writing that students need to do. They will have resume samples to show you. Your next step should be to go to writing sites. They have samples of all their work available. Try as many sites as possible, and look at their resume samples.
Compare and contrast all the resume samples you have. The samples will show you how a resume should look, so pay attention! Keep an eye out for how each resume is similar, and how it is different. You will be able to set up the basics of your own resume from what you learn.
Look at What you Want to Apply For
While you work on writing a basic resume, take a look at the job you want. A resume works best when it is tweaked towards the particular job you are applying for. This is probably easier when you are a student; you have less information to worry about!
Look particularly at what the job wants, and emphasize any skills that might fit the bill. Have you worked on two or more jobs during college? Emphasis the one which is most closely related to the job you want.
Employers will be looking for people who emphasize the skills and talents that they need. Your resume will stand out if you emphasize these things over simply offering generic skills.
Ask for Advice
If you don’t know what a resume for a college student with no experience would look like, that’s fine. Just ask for advice, and you will get it. If you are struggling with home assignments use pre-written essays and save more time for writing a resume.
There are so many people you could go to for advice. You can ask your friends, your teachers, and more. While you are in college, you can access the careers service at any time to get some help.
First, your friends: they will likely be in the same boat as you. Ask them for any advice they might have, and they will pass on what they know.
Second: your teachers: in many cases, teachers have links to the industries and businesses that they teach in.
Third: your careers service: the career service can help you with every stage of resume writing. They will have completed up to date information for you.
Try and Pad your Resume
If you get a sample from a cheap online resume service or an equivalent writing site, you will know that resumes are divided into sections. Each section is important in its own way.
When you are just starting out, you won’t have much information for your resume. This can be a problem when you come up against other potential employees, so try and pad things out a bit.
Try and pick up jobs and extra projects while you are in university. Employers are looking for people who do exceptional jobs, no matter what. You can pad your resume out in many different ways. You could take on a class, you could do some charity work, or you could set up a small side business. Everything counts on a resume.
Use SEO
Modern resume strategies include SEO. You don’t need to know a lot about SEO to use it, fortunately.
Many companies speed up the hiring process by using machines and programs to sort out the initial resumes. These programs are keyed to look for specific words and phrases in resumes. The resumes that use them are sent on to the hiring staff. The ones that don’t are ignored.
If you use SEO, your chances of being hired will improve dramatically. The best way to find which words will work best for SEO is to go to the company website. See what words and phrases they use the most, and work them into your resume.
Edit and Proofread
If you want to write with the best, you need to be the best. Make sure to edit and proofread your work even more thoroughly than you would an essay! Your resume will be the first impression a potential employer has of you. Make it count! You don’t want people seeing a resume that has spelling mistakes in it! Give them one that has been edited and proofed to within an inch of its life.
Everyone Needs a Resume
Hopefully, these resume tips for college students have been useful! It is just the start, of course – there is more out there. Just keep working your way through our tips, and you will end up with a good resume. Writing your resume is difficult at first, but it gets easier.
