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Author: Neha Bawa Updated: June 2021
All right – so you’ve picked up your credits, done your time in school and you’re ready to begin working. But you’re worried that you don’t have enough experience to put down on your resume. Or you’re worried that you don’t have a good resume. In fact, you may not even have an actual resume at all.
But that’s all right. Because identifying the problem is the first step. Doing something about it is the second one.
The Anatomy of a Resume
Field of work notwithstanding, all resumes need to have a few key elements: – - An Objective: Describe your career objective in 1-2 sentences. – Education: List any degrees completed, in progress or relevant certification and course work. – Experience: Beginning with most recent position, list your past employers, internships and/or major projects that relate to the position you’re applying for.
How do I write mine?
By keeping active keywords at the forefront of your mind. Employers search their databases using certain keywords, so it’s important that you include these keywords when you submit your resume. Most times, you’ll be able to find the words you need in the job description, e.g., job titles and skill headings. All it means for you is that you tweak your resume slightly for every job that you apply for. Moreover, using numbers to describe your achievements and responsibilities can greatly expand and elevate your image. Using numbers and quantifying creates vivid images in our mind when we read them, whereas general statements are easy to skip over or forget. Typically, the more specific you can be in describing your duties, the better.
How long does it need to be?
Long enough that it covers the length of your relevant experience but short enough that it doesn’t put prospective employers to sleep. Sometimes a single-page resume just doesn’t have enough space to cover all the information you need to convey. How do I get it out there? Use the power of networking and the Internet to aid your job search. While job boards are a good source, use your online and on ground social network. Consider posting your resume on a personal web site or social networking sites like LinkedIn.
The First Impression
Common sense helps when you’re out applying for work. Before you submit your resume, take the time to: – - Spell check. Misspelled words and grammatical errors don’t help. – Get a second set of eyes. Ask someone – a teacher, a supervisor, a tough friend – to give your resume a quick look to make sure you’ve done every thing right. Don’t ask your mom.
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