Writing a Winning Resume as a Student
The times when having a college degree was a surefire guarantee of getting a job are long gone; today, even graduates of the best universities often spend a lot of time looking for their first job. It is often said that to find a job, you have to start writing your resume long before you graduate. Even freshers are encouraged to start working on their resumes already so that it better reflects their current activities and experiences. Utilizing tools like resumatic can guide students in crafting a resume that effectively showcases their potential. So, how do you write a resume as a student to achieve the best results? Let’s take a closer look.
1. Focus on Education
As a college student, you are unlikely to have much in terms of job experience (but if you do, make sure to mention it). Therefore, you should squeeze your education for everything that it is worth. Look over your academic history. Do not just mention the name of your school and degree, but also any other achievements you may think about, such as high GPA or academic awards you received so far. Try to make it at least tangentially relevant for the job you apply for, however.
2. Include Relevant Jobs, Skills, and Experiences
Consider what skills and qualities one needs to work on the job you apply for. Then include any jobs or internships you had where you developed or demonstrated these qualities. You probably say, “But I do not have any experience relevant for the job, what is one supposed to do in my situation?” Well, even if your experiences are not directly relevant for the job you aspire for, look for ways to make it look so. For example, you apply for a job that requires you to deal with people, and the only job you held so far was a part-time position as a cashier at a store. Well, you can always say that it helped you develop and demonstrate your people and customer service skills.
3. Always Write a Resume for a Specific Position
When you send a pdf file with your resume to a potential employer, it should not be something vague. It should be something directly aimed at a specific position at a specific company. Even if you are ready to take one of several positions with the company in question, write separate resumes for each of them. Your resume should always be laser-focused.
4. Include Relevant Information Only
This point follows from the previous one – your resume should only include the information that is relevant for improving your chances of getting a specific position with a specific company.
By using an ai resume maker, you can quickly create a polished and tailored resume that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences. As a student without much in terms of real work experience, you may feel that it is a shame to omit something, but sometimes there is no way around it. If you apply for a position in a marketing department, there is no point in mentioning that you are good at crocheting.
5. Mention Extracurricular Activities
Another good source of material for a student resume is your extracurricular activities – again because you most likely have limited work experience. Mention everything that shows you as an active person that engages in different kinds of non-work activities, such as sports, activism, volunteer work, community service, and so on. Do not just mention them, too – use them to showcase your qualities and experiences.
6. Quantify whenever Possible
HR officers like to see specific numbers demonstrating the applicant’s results: how many customers you helped daily or how much money you handled, for example. Make sure these numbers are accurate and true, because they are easy to check, if necessary.
7. Hire a Resume Editor
Even if you know what you are doing and are capable of creating content for your resume, CV and cover letter, it pays to get professional help. There are plenty of online services where you can hire experienced editors to take a look at your existing resume and alter it so that it better meets the current conventions. Hiring an editor is usually a preferable option to editing the resume on your own – these experts usually have many years of experience working in this field, and you are unlikely to learn how to edit resumes at the same level even if you spend a lot of time reading free online tutorials. If you are really bad at writing, you may even consider hiring a resume writer – you simply provide the relevant information, and he/she writes a resume according to common conventions. Just make sure to hire writers from trustworthy services.
Writing a resume is a difficult and involved process that requires a lot of time and effort to pull off properly. If you fail to do it properly the first time, do not despair – a good resume is something that is written, edited, and rewritten multiple times throughout one’s career. You will have plenty of opportunities to get it right.
