As a college student seeking an internship, part-time job, leadership position, or even a full-time career, having a good resume is essential.
In most cases, your resume is the first impression that a recruiter will have of you. On average, many recruiters will only spend about six seconds looking over your resume before they move on. So, how can you make yours stand out?
One of the key things that will help to set you apart from the competition is having a well organized and professionally written resume that highlights your relevant skills and experiences. Having a poorly written resume will prevent you from even having the chance of getting your foot in the door.
If you have a resume that is in need of a transformation, or if you’ve never written one, follow this easy guide on how to write the perfect resume.
Format:
When developing your resume, stick to basic fonts that are simple and easy to read. Fonts that are acceptable are Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, and Verdana. Size 12 font is generally best.
Make sure to be consistent with your formatting throughout your resume. Stick with the same font size, type, spacing, etc.
Below are the most common headers for your resume in the order that they should be listed:
- Contact Information
- Education
- Experiences
- Activities/Honors
- Skills
Contact Information
- First and last name (No nicknames)
- Professional email address
- Phone number (Best number to be reached at)
- Current address (Be careful with who you share this info with for security and privacy reasons)
Education
For current college students or recent grads, your education should be the first portion of your resume. You will want to include:
- College name and location
- Expected graduation date
- Degree, major/minor
- GPA (
first-semester freshman I would include high school information and GPA) - Any honors (ex: Dean’s List, Honors College)
Experiences
The experience portion of your resume is where you want to highlight 3-4 of your most recent/relevant experiences. You should choose your experiences carefully depending on what you are applying for. Make sure to order your experiences in order of most to least recent.
For each individual experience, you should list what you did in bullet format. Using bullets will increases the skim value of your resume. This means that the reader will be able to pick up key information quickly. As I mentioned, recruiters are not spending a ton of time reviewing your resume, so it is important to be concise.
You should have a minimum of three bullets for each of your experiences. Each bullet should begin with action verbs. Beginning sentences with actions verbs will help you to use active voice in your writing, making it easier to read. Make sure to include keywords and phrases that match the job description of the company or position you are applying to.
Quantify your results when possible. This helps to provide evidence of your accomplishments.
Key Takeaways:
- Minimum three bullets per experience
- Begin bullets with action verbs
- Quantify your results
**After your freshman year, you should ditch anything high school related from your resume.
Activities
Showing how you are involved on campus or in your communities can increase your chances of getting noticed because recruiters look for candidates who are well-rounded.
Include any clubs, student or professional organizations, hobbies, and volunteer work that relate to the position you are applying for.
Examples:
- Student government
- Leadership role
- Volunteer experience
- Leadership conference
Skills
This is where you get to highlight any special skills that are related to the position that you are applying for. Be sure to list both “soft” and “hard” skills on your resume. Soft skills include things like leadership, motivation, communication, or any other type of interpersonal skills. Hard skills on the other hand, are abilities that can be learned through training. These skill sets tend to be much easier to measure. Examples of hard skills to include on your resume are:
- Proficiency in a foreign language
- Any degrees or certifications that you have earned
- Proficiency in any Microsoft programs
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Adobe Creative Suite
Other Tips:
- Use the correct tense: Make sure you are using the correct tense when describing your experiences. Use present tense only if you are still working for a company. Otherwise, use pasttense .
- Don’t go over a page: If you have a ton of experience and are involved in a number of activities, only include the things that are relevant to the job you are applying for. If you find that you are running low on space, make your margins smaller to give you some extra room.
- Download and send as a pdf file (unless directed otherwise): This way, the formatting will not change when you send or print your resume.
- Check, then double check for spelling and grammatical errors: Have someone else proofread to make sure there isn’t anything that you did not catch.
- Do your research: Read the company about page to explore what their values are and how this relates to your own personal skills and values. This will prove that you are truly interested in the position, making you stand out among other candidates.
Related: Scholarship Secrets: How to Avoid Student Loans and Go to College for Free!
