A college student’s resume is perhaps the most important resume as it’s the document that will help them land in their first job.
So it is important to be extra careful while making your resume.
Read on to find out how to make an effective and eye-catching resume and also mentioned here are few Resume tips for College Students.
What Should a Resume Look Like?
Here are few resume tips for college students on on how to get your resume read by employers
1. Content of resume:
Several students fear and are apprehensive that their no or short work experience will make their resumes look inadequate or mediocre.
To fill in the blank spaces they start padding their resumes. One should never fall prey to this enticement!
There are high chances that you may get trapped by any half-truths or lies, and that is definitely a sure-shot way to lose your opportunity at any job.
Keep this important tip in your mind. A resume does not signify a complete work history instead it’s a chance to display that you have the necessary skills to do the job.
2. Heading at the top:
There should be a heading at the start of your resume that contains your name, phone number and mailing address.
If you own a professional website then its web address can also be included. In short, your full contact information must be given.
3. Objective:
While it is usually better to write down a cover letter and leave out the career objective there might be scenarios where the prospective employer has specifically asked the applicants not to submit any cover letter.
In such cases, it’s a good idea to write down two sentences that correctly describe your goals and objective for the position.
An objective clearly states who you actually are as a professional and which particular position you wish to obtain.
4. Education:
List the college degrees that you’ve attained here, as well as any special accolades like professional certifications.
If you have completed a thesis, you may include a concise mention about the project. Students who are waiting to get their degree can list their expected date like this – Bachelor of Commerce Expected July 2015.
You can also include your good grades and other positive college experiences. This shows employers you maintain academic excellence and are diligent.
5. Selected Experience:
The word selected over here performs two functions-
1) It denotes that the person is only mentioning previous jobs that have a direct relation with the qualification for the present position.
2) For students who fret and are anxious about their lack of work experience, it implies additional experience without including any false statements.
One should use this space to list any internship, jobs, training or some other professional experience that are relevant to the position.
If you have diverse work experiences, then try to filter and include only ones which are relevant to the job you are interested in.
6. Skills:
This is basically your opportunity to draw interest to any significant professional skills that you possess.
You should consider things like foreign language, computer skills (remain specific, particularly if the position depends upon a specific software) or any creative skills etc.
If you’re seeking motivation, read the job description again and reflect on why and how you would be an ideal fit into a list of skills. One must NEVER copy a company’s list of required skills word by word onto their resume.
7. Resume Style:
Having an impressive and engaging content is the backbone of any resume but style is also a major key factor.
When an employer is going through a hoard of resumes, he is likely to select the ones that LOOK finest before starting to read.
There’s no specific way to style a resume or one correct way so it’s essential to look at various examples for an insight. Your counsellors or professors may know of some good samples or you can do an internet search with the key words ‘sample resumes‘.
You should make sure that the style you choose is consistent throughout, from the indent of the lines to the size of your headings.
8. Demonstrate yourself as a problem solver:
Employers look out for people who can exhibit that they are problem solvers. So you should create your resume with precise scenarios that show how you solved a problem, whether it is with college projects or internships.
Don’t just write down what you did but convert that into how exactly you did it and demonstrate how you can aid the organization with your skills.
Adding stories, projects and engaging content will give you a lot to talk about with your potential employer.
9. Professional References:
Even though most of the employers require references after the application phase, there are some that request that these reference contacts should be mentioned within your resume.
Usually employers want three professional references that they can call to validate your work experiences and skills.
You should include any professors, supervisors, co-workers or other influential sources that you are confident will give a positive illustration of your work.
10. Customize Every time:
As mentioned earlier, your resume is not an encyclopaedic work experience history; it’s a list of significant skills and experiences.
One must therefore redraft and rework on it every time before sending it out. It’s passable to stick to the same resume style and perhaps a lot of the similar content, but be certain that you’ve examined it keeping the desired position in mind.
Before forwarding your resume, make any crucial changes to your selected work experience, skills or job duties to emphasize the most significant details.
A ‘master resume’ that has all your information can be useful to refer back when editing a job specific document.
11. Keep a check on formatting and font:
You should check whether the text is rightly aligned and the formatting is consistent. Wrong formatting can make the resume difficult to read, or fonts that are just too big or too small can spoil the look of your resume.
Choose a simple and clean font that is easy to read. Avoid scripts or something that’s visually distracting.
Trust your gut but also ask your family and friends to glance it over and be honest with you while giving their feedback.
You should ask them to look at it from the viewpoint of an employer and not with the intention of going out for dinner with you later!
11. Proofread and proofread again:
Grammar and spelling errors almost at all times get any resume thrown right into the trash and the same thing is applicable for other documents like cover letters.
Everyone makes mistakes, but allowing them to slip into a job application is an indication of lack of attention and negligence.
Ask any of your professors, fellow classmate, family member or any career counsellor to look over your resume and give their feedback.
It won’t hurt to have numerous individuals check it over to guarantee it is free of errors and polished.
If you’re someone who is getting ready to graduate and set off into the workforce or someone just searching for that ideal first job, having a refined resume is an important part in landing yourself in the desired job.
